118,131 research outputs found
A National System of Childcare Accreditation: Quality Assurance or a Technique of Normalization?
No full textArguing that dominant discourses have designated those who are younger as requiring protection and control, Cannella (education, Texas A&M U.) and Kincheloe (education, CUNY Graduate Center and Brooklyn College) argue that there is a need for a postmodern childhood studies that challenges regimes of truth, recognizing that children have not generally had a voice in their own creation. They present 11 contributions that move toward such a project of disrupting adult/child dualisms. Chapters discuss the discourses of welfare "reform" in the United States, the construction of childhood by corporate agendas promoting consumption, Korean views of young children, the construction of the Euro-American concept of "voice" as it affects preschoolers in India, and colonialist biases inherent in modernist constructions of education
Faculty Perception of Bullying in Schools of Nursing
No full textAims: This paper is a report of a study of conducted to determine the prevalence of bullying among faculty members in Schools or Colleges of Nursing.
Background: The issue of bullying of nursing faculty in the academic setting is of interest in terms of recruitment, retention, job satisfaction, and the overall quality of the work environment.
Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive study of faculty in three northeastern states of the U.S. was carried out in 2010. The Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised was used to survey faculty members in Schools of Nursing who award a baccalaureate degree (or higher) in nursing.
Results: 473 faculty members met the inclusion criteria and responded to the NAQ-R. An iterative exploratory principal components analysis with orthogonal rotation was performed. Thirteen of the original 22 items were retained to measure the experiences of negative acts in the nursing faculty workplaces. The mean total score for the 13 item instrument was 17.90 (SD 6.07) and ranged from 13 to 56. The resulting components structure produced three clear subscales identifying the experiences of: Verbal abuse, Physical abuse, and Devaluing. The revised 13 item instrument had a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.88. Experiences of bullying were reported in 169 of the 473 (36%) respondents. A significant correlation was found between meeting frequency and the report of bullying (r = 0.18, p ≤ 0.001). Administrators and senior faculty were more likely than expected to be the perpetrators of bullying.
Discussion: If the leaders are identified as bullies, the environment cannot be perceived as supportive and healthy. These unhealthy environments may have serious consequences related to retaining nursing faculty.Peer reviewe
Techniques and procedures for the definition of AR applications in architectural and archaeological contexts
No full textThe growth and development of Augmented reality applications and their use in different contexts has been recently fostered by two factors: i) the hardware and computing power of mobile devices has been radically improved; ii) Apple and Google have released two development platforms for AR applications.
AR has been a major topic in research on cultural heritage fruition for many years, but the latest developments are really promising, and they seem capable of overcoming the difficulties that have delayed the diffusion of this technology. The paper focuses the potential and criticalities of augmented reality systems used for fruition purposes in architectural and archaeological contexts. The description of the research experience starts with the strategies adopted for the construction of the models, which have been developed using laser scanning and photogrammetric surveys as references; the following discussion will be dedicated to the solutions adopted to overcome the most critical features in AR applications, e.g. georeferencing
L'OLIO ESSENZIALE DI CANNELLA PER IL MONITORAGGIO DEGLI INSETTI DANNOSI IN POST-RACCOLTA
No full textGli insetti sono una delle principali cause di danno degli alimenti conservati, con perdite, per quanto riguarda le granaglie in silos e magazzini, che possono arrivare fino al 40%. Gli oli essenziali di piante aromatiche associano proprietà insettifughe e insetticide ad una bassissima tossicità per l’uomo e per l’ambiente.
In questo studio abbiamo valutato la bioattività (repellenza / attrattività) dell'olio essenziale (OE), estratto dalla corteccia di cannella Cinnamomum verum J. Presl, contro gli insetti infestanti le derrate conservate sia in prove di laboratorio che in impianti di stoccaggio. Nelle prove di laboratorio l’OE è stato saggiato a varie concentrazioni mediante olfattometro a due vie nei confronti di Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera Dryophthoridae) e del suo parassitoide Lariophagus distinguendus (Hymenoptera Pteromalidae). I risultati hanno indicato che l’OE di cannella, in relazione alla dose utilizzata, risulta attrattivo nei confronti di S. oryzae e repellente contro L. distinguendus. Sulla base di tali risultati l’OE di cannella è stato utilizzato, a varie dosi, in trappole adesive per il monitoraggio degli insetti infestanti silos di grano situati nella provincia di Pisa. I risultati hanno mostrato una spiccata attività attrattiva nei confronti degli insetti dannosi per le derrate, spesso superiore a quella esercitata dai feromoni specifici. Lo studio indica che l’OE di cannella può essere utilizzato come ingrediente attivo per lo sviluppo di trappole per il monitoraggio degli insetti infestanti gli impianti di stoccaggio delle derrate alimentari ad un costo inferiore rispetto a quello dei feromoni
Hand verification for flexural strength of existing R.C. floors subject to degradation phenomena
No full textIn the present paper, a simplified model for hand verification of the flexural and shear strength of existing corroded T beams cast in place of lightened R.C. orthotropic slabs forming floors is presented and discussed. Diffused and pitting corrosion on steel bars, compressive concrete strength degradation and concrete bond strength degradation are included in the model. The original contribution of the paper is evaluation of the flexural and shear strength considering both the cases of strain compatibility and absence of compatibility and considering the main parameters governing the corrosion process. An arch-resistant model for the calculus of the flexural and shear strength of the beam was adopted in the absence of strain compatibility, while the plane section theory was adopted for the case of strain compatibility. No punching shear is considered. This approach is simple and can be applied on the basis of the experimental information available (carbonation test, chloride content, measurement of the pitting in the bar, gravimetric method for general corrosion) or by utilizing analytical expressions calibrated on the knowledge of the corrosion current intensity determined by linear polarization resistance measurement (LPR). The model was also verified against experimental results recently obtained by the authors
Practical Calculation Models for Column Footing and Comparison with Experimental Data
No full textIn this paper, a simplified calculation model for the prediction of the load-carrying capacity of an RC column footing with a square cross section is presented. A detailed background of available experimental data and existing models for the prediction of the load-carrying capacity of slender and deep footings is presented. Cases of flexural failure and punching shear failures for slender footing and concrete strut crushing and tie yielding in deep members are analyzed. The aim of the paper is to propose a simple design formula for slender and deep footing verified by available experimental data and in agreement with other existing expressions. Expressions of the maximum mechanical ratio of main steel for slender and deep footing are defined to avoid brittle failure. The effects of the main parameters, such as the dimensions of the footing and column (depth, width) and the mechanical ratio of longitudinal steel and type of soil, were investigated both numerically and analytically. A comparison between analytical and numerical results shows good agreement
The role of hypocretin in driving arousal and goal-oriented behaviors
No full textThe hypocretins (Hcrts), also called orexins, are two neuropeptides secreted by a few thousand neurons restricted to the lateral hypothalamus. The Hcrt peptides bind to two receptors located in nuclei associated with diverse cognitive and physiological functions. Experimental evidence has demonstrated that the physiological roles of hypocretins extend far beyond its initial role in food consumption and has emerged as a key system in the fields of sleep disorders and drug addiction. Here, we discuss recent evidence demonstrating a key role of hypocretin in the motivation for reward seeking in general, and drug taking in particular, and we delineate a physiological framework for this peptidergic system in orchestrating the appropriate levels of alertness required for the elaboration and the execution of goal-oriented behaviors. We propose a general role for hypocretins in mediating arousal, especially when an organism must respond to unexpected stressors and environmental challenges, which serve to shape survival behaviors. We also discuss the limit of the current experimental paradigms to address the question of how a system normally involved in the regulation of vigilance states and hyperarousal may promote a pathological state that elicits compulsive craving and relapse to drug seeking. © 2009
Development of a model to optimize the sand shape and post process parameters for parts produced by Direct Croning process
No full textThe complex sand cores and moulds for prototype sand, castings produced by Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), result fragile once they are removed from the supporting uncured sand. Therefore, they require Post Curing to become dimensionally stable and capable of successfully undergoing the rigors of the metal casting process. In this paper the effects of post curing process parameters on the performances of sand parts produce by SLS are investigated. The sand characteristics and Post Curing parameters choice must take into account the presence of two antagonistic needs: the decrease of gas production during the casting decreasing the presence of volatile components of the binder, and the improvement of the mechanical performances increasing the binder weight percentage (Subramanian K. & Al, 1995, ). Three different phenolic resin coated sands were investigated: 1) silica SiO2; 2) synthetic mullite 3Al2O32SiO2 ; 3) synthetic mullite + SiO2. The compressive strength of the sand specimen was reported VS time and temperature post process parameters. Increasing curing temperature and time, the mechanical performances improve up to a maximum value than decrease. A benchmark was defined and used to evaluate the post process parameters influence on dimensional and shape tolerance. The mechanical behaviour of a part reflects the micro joining mechanisms between the particles a model is proposed to understand how the post curing parameters can influence the performances of the SLS products.This paper examines also the reliability of stress distribution obtained by FEA, comparing the results with the experimental data obtained using the mullit+SiO2 sand. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) allows to construe the stress distribution in the grains contact as a function of the post process parameters, making it possible to define the grains shape optimising the mechanical properties of the obtained structure: the sand may be designed and its use can be optimised without long times and expensive tests
The role of oxidative stress in nafld–nash–hcc transition—focus on nadph oxidases
No full textA peculiar role for oxidative stress in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its transition to the inflammatory complication non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), as well as in its threatening evolution to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is supported by numerous experimental and clinical studies. NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are enzymes producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), whose abundance in liver cells is closely related to inflammation and immune responses. Here, we reviewed recent findings regarding this topic, focusing on the role of NOXs in the different stages of fatty liver disease and describing the current knowledge about their mechanisms of action. We conclude that, although there is a consensus that NOX-produced ROS are toxic in non-neoplastic conditions due to their role in the inflammatory vicious cycle sustaining the transition of NAFLD to NASH, their effect is controversial in the neoplastic transition towards HCC. In this regard, there are indications of a differential effect of NOX isoforms, since NOX1 and NOX2 play a detrimental role, whereas increased NOX4 expression appears to be correlated with better HCC prognosis in some studies. Further studies are needed to fully unravel the mechanisms of action of NOXs and their relationships with the signaling pathways modulating steatosis and liver cancer development
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