Cytotoxicity of engineered nanoparticles used in industrial processing

Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are now heavily used in industrial processing where they are eliminated as waste after use. This waste is a mix of used nanoparticles and process byproducts. While research continues to be done on the toxicity of NPs due to size and composition of pristine material, waste NPs from industrial processes are likely to have modified properties that impact their level of toxicity. These studies investigate this transformation in physicochemical properties that has not been adequately explored by examining waste from relevant high-volume chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) processes used by the semiconductor industry. New (pristine) polish slurries and generated waste samples from various key CMP processes are fully characterized for relevant physicochemical properties to determine any transformation of NPs due to processing. Additionally, high throughput in vitro microplate-based assays assess the toxicity, oxidative stress, and mode of cell death for nanoparticles in both pristine and waste slurries to highlight any differences in biological effects. A combination of darkfield microscopy and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) indicate cellular uptake of slurry nanoparticles. The results of this study explore the type, magnitude, and biological effect of transformed nanoparticles in CMP waste. The results presented support nanoparticle transformation as an important facet to consider in the risk assessment for new materials

Examining the Consumer's Perspective of Patient Advocacy

The purpose of this study is to better define the concept of patient advocacy by examining the health consumer's perspective, creating a stronger basis for further research while better aiding the nursing student in self-reflection and refinement of individualized patient centered care

Sports Journalists On Covering Women’s Sports: Metajournalistic Discourse On The Role Of Women In Sports And Sports Reporting

Despite a growing field of women’s sports, women’s sports still are far less frequently covered in sports journalism. (Bruce et al. 2010). Furthering the invisibility of women’s sporting is the relatively small number of journalists who focus on women’s sports and are willing to enter into discourse on the topic. The present study seeks out metajournalistic discourse on women’s sporting through longform interviews with sports journalists (N=10), about how they conceive of their role and how they conceive of the current state of women’s sports coverage in the journalistic field. Participants largely saw themselves as a voice for the voiceless women in sports, yet they held out hope that changes in newsroom demographics and the development of digital news technologies could improve coverage of women’s sports

Automated Collection Of Honey Bee Hive Data Using The Raspberry Pi

In recent years beekeepers have faced significant losses to their populations of managed honey bees, a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Many researchers are studying CCD, attempting to determine its cause and how its effects can be mitigated. Some research efforts have focused on the analysis of bee hive audio and video recordings to better understand the behavior of bees and the health of the hive. To provide data for this research, it is important to have a means of capturing audio, video, and other sensor data, using a system that is reliable, inexpensive, and causes minimal disruption to the bees’ behavior. This thesis details the design and implementation of a data collection system, known as BeeMon, which is based around the Raspberry Pi. This system automatically captures sensor data and sends it to a remote server for analysis. With the ability to operate continuously in an outdoor apiary environment, it allows for constant, near real-time data collection. The results of several years of real world operation are discussed, as well as some research that has used the data collected

Leadership types and second-order change

The purpose of this study was two fold. The first segment of research was to determine the degree to which school superintendents in the state of North Carolina had successfully implemented second-order changes (defined as a restructuring or change of an existing system). The second segment was to determine if there was a consistent pattern of leadership types of those superintendents who had successfully implemented second-order changes as compared to those who had not successfully implemented second-order changes. The superintendents who participated in the NC Institute of Government Superintendents' Executive Program, II (SEP II) were the representative population for this study. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, administered during SEP II, was the instrument used to determine leadership type of each participant. Each superintendent participant was then asked to complete a survey on types of changes implemented during his tenure as superintendent

A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF SCHOOL CHOICE ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, was the signature education legislation of the George W. Bush administration. NCLB was but the latest evolution of at least two previous reauthorizations of the ESEA. In 1988 continued receipt of Title I funds to schools was first linked to increased student achievement scores (LeTendre, 1991). The1994 ESEA reauthorization under Bill Clinton saw the federal government go further by tying Title I funds to standards-based curriculum reform (DeBray, 2005). What has made NCLB so different was the punitive approach it took toward Title I schools. The law guaranteed that parents would have the option of opting out of schools that were deemed failing under the law. Failing was defined as a school that had not reached its annual yearly progress goals or, AYP, for two consecutive years. This study compared two sets of Title I middle school students: students who remained in their home school, and a matching group of students who chose to opt out of their Title I school and into another school that was not under federal sanctions. Results indicated that students who chose to opt out of their home school did show academic growth. However that growth was similar to their peers who remained in their home school with regard to reading. However, growth was significantly less than their peers with regard to mathematics; thus casting doubt as whether the federal mandate of using school choice as means of improving student achievement was having its intended effect. Implications for future research and practice will also be provided

A confirmatory factor analysis of a measure of preservice teacher knowledge, skills and dispositions

Recent literature on school improvement indicates that teacher quality has a large impact on student learning (Aaronson, Barrow, & Sander, 2007; Rivkin, Hanushek & Kane, 2005; Hanushek, Kane, O’Brien, & Rivkin, (2005); Nye, Konstantopoulos, Hedges, 2004; Rockoff 2004). The most effective way to create quality teachers is to identify characteristics of teacher quality, measure those characteristics and provide feedback that promotes professional development. Valid and reliable outcomes from instruments that are based on effective teaching standards are needed to provide feedback to teachers. The Student Teacher Assessment Rubric (STAR) is an evaluation tool designed specifically to be used with student teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the underlying structure of the STAR using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The data were divided into two data sets, with one data set used to examine the fit to the 10-factor model and the second data set used to validate the model. Due to high correlation coefficients among the 10 latent variables, the model specification was changed to a one-factor model. The fit statistics from the CFA for the one-factor model suggested an adequate fit but the number of modifications needed to improve the fit suggested some problems. Implications for measuring complex knowledge and skills needed for effective teaching are discussed

Privacy in American interiors

Writings on privacy indicated that values placed on the subject vary with the individual, his age, social status, and position in the family. Individual privacy is considered particularly important for children and adolescents. Also, married couples and elderly people need privacy from other family members, particularly children. The value of privacy increases as a person goes up the social ladder. Privacy is recognized as being necessary for maturation and mental development, creativity, and individual well-being. The historical development of housing design revealed that the arrangement and separation of spaces within a dwelling, as well as the sound insulation of certain spaces, promoted or deterred the achievement of privacy. Residential dwellings emphasizing open planning were found to lessen opportunities for individual and family privacy

Staining characteristics of selected synthetic fabrics for "minimum care" garments

Wash and Wear is defined as: "A term used to describe garments—also fabrics from which they are made—that will satisfactorily retain their original neat appearance after repeated wear and laundering with occasional or no ironing." In 1957, in well over three-fourths of the households in the nation one or more members owned 2 wash and wear garments. Good fabric performance depends on two things—the inherent characteristics of the fiber and the characteristics imparted by chemical and mechanical finishing of the fabric. The hydrophobic characteristic of the synthetic fibers, as opposed to the hydrophilic characteristic of the natural fibers, has caused the synthetic fibers to be used extensively in minimum care fabrics and garments. Most textile technologists agree that the hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of the fiber is the outstanding characteristic of a textile fiber.

Intensity and frequency of children's fears

This study investigated how gender, age (8 through 11), ethnicity (African-American and Caucasian), and family income level (low and non-low) impacted the intensity and frequency of children's fears. Elementary students (n=556) from a rural school system in North Carolina participated in the study. Dependent variables included adapted versions of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R), measuring both the intensity and frequency of children's fears. Analyses of variance indicated that girls reported significantly more fear intensity, more fear frequency, and more total fear than did boys. Although not significant, African-Americans reported more fear intensity, more fear frequency, and more fears than Caucasians and low income children reported more fear intensity, more fear frequency, and more fears than non-low income children. The results of this study indicate that children between the ages of 8 and 11 fear situations that cause physical harm the most. However, because they reported that they may not fear these situations on a day-to-day basis, the level of fearfulness appears to be somewhat less than was previously reported