Evaluation of Practice Teachers’ Views on Inclusive Education

This study examined the views of practice teachers toward the inclusion of students with special education needs in the regular classroom. A total of 32 practice teachers from University of the East, College of Education, participated in the research. Mixed-Method was utilized which comprised of participants answering a questionnaire and participating in a focus group discussion. The questionnaire, My Thinking about Inclusion Scale, MTAI, (Stoiber et al., 1998) was utilized for the quantitative part of the research; while, a focus group discussion was conducted for the qualitative part which sought to uncover the perceptions of practice teachers concerning their background and training on inclusive education. Only six of the 32 practice teachers were able to join the focus group discussion. The results revealed that there is no significant difference in the practice teachers’ views on inclusive education between males and females and their degree programs. Findings also showed that practice teachers held similar positive views on inclusion. The responses of the participants in the focus group discussion unveiled that the practice teachers believed they have adequate theoretical knowledge about inclusive education; however, they still require further in-depth training and hands-on involvement and participation in conducting inclusive practices inside classrooms to effectively apply them in the future as they become licensed teachers. They also saw the importance of the support of the government and the cooperation of schools as well as parents and guardians for the successful espousal of inclusive education

Direct numerical simulation of an oblique jet in a particle-laden crossflow

Jet in crossflow is a classic fluid dynamics problem widely studied in the last decades because of the big quantity of natural and industrial processes in which it is encountered (Mahesh in Annu Rev Fluid Mech 45(1):379–407, 2013 [6]). The present study focuses on the interaction between solid suspended particles and gas turbines film cooling that is a commonly used coolant technique aiming at generating a protective film of cold fluid around the blade profile. Effective cooling systems are crucial to increase turbine inlet gas temperature and to protect turbine blade surfaces from the huge thermal stress generated

Mediterranean diet adherence and synergy with acute myocardial infarction and its determinants. a multicenter case-control study in Italy.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Western countries. The possible synergistic effect of poor adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MD) and other risk factors for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) such as hypertension, cholesterol, ever smoker, BMI> 25, diabetes, has not been deeply studied. Design Case-control study. Methods Patients with first AMI and controls from four tertiary referral Italian centers were screened for enrolment. Dietary information was collected through a questionnaire and a MD adherence score was calculated. Physical activity and smoking habits were also registered. The Synergy Index was calculated according to Rothman. Results 127 cases and 173 controls were enrolled. The analysis was conducted using a dichotomous variable for the MD score with values 7 representing good adherence. Multivariate analysis showed the following variables associated to AMI: ever smoker (OR = 2.08), diabetes (OR = 1.42), hypertension (OR = 2.08), hypercholesterolemia (OR = 2.47), BMI> 25 (OR = 1.99), while a protective effect emerged both in subjects scoring > 7 on the MD score(OR = 0.55) and in subjects resident of Southern Italy (OR = 0.38). A synergistic effect does exist between poor adherence to the MD and the following risk factors: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, BMI >25, diabetes and being a resident in central and northern Italy. Conclusion Synergy between heart disease risk factors and MD underlines the need to enlarge the list of known modifiable cardiovascular risk factors to include and promote adherence to Mediterranean dietary habits

Rapid and non-destructive method to assess in the vineyardgrape berry anthocyanins under different seasonal andwater conditions

Abstract Background and Aims: Monitoring of anthocyanins (Anth) in winegrape (Vitis vinifera L.) is fundamental for the production of top-quality red wines. This work was aimed at testing a new fluorescence-based sensor for Anth detection in the vineyard. Significance of the Study: The present study showed a new important innovative technology for viticulture. The sensor evaluation of the large spatial and temporal heterogeneity in Anth accumulation can be useful as support parameter in the harvest date decision or for vineyard zoning of phenolic maturity. Methods and Results: Anth in grape (cv. Aleatico) bunches attached to the vine were monitored non-destructively in the field using a fluorescence-based sensor during the 2008 and 2009 seasons and under different water regimes. The ANTHRG index = log(far-red-fluorescenceR/far-red-fluorescenceG), with fluorescence signals excited with red (R) and green (G) light, was inversely correlated through an exponential function (r2 = 0.875) to the Anth concentration derived from the HPLC analysis of berry skin extracts. ANTHRG was effective in detecting the earlier ripening process in 2009 with respect to 2008 and differences in the Anth accumulation between seasons and in relation to different water regimes.Water deficit imposed in 2009 enhanced Anth concentration in berries because of a reduction in berry size but also an increase of Anth biosynthesis. This effect was observed by both destructive and ANTHRG non-destructive measurements. Conclusions: Our results show that the employed fluorescence sensor represents a reliable, rapid and non-invasive tool for monitoring and determining Anth accumulation in situ

Radiação solar e susceptibilidade da videira à Plasmopara Viticola

A radiação solar exerce papel importante no desenvolvimento de algumas doenças fúngicas, devido à sua ação direta sobre os microorganismos e também devido ao seu efeito indireto sobre a produção de compostos específicos nas plantas. Este experimento examinou o efeito de dois ambientes de luz (100% e 35% da intensidade máxima) sobre o conteúdo de polifenóis nas folhas da videira e quantificou sua relação com a resistência ao míldio (Plasmopara viticola). As concentrações de polifenóis na epiderme das folhas foram quantificadas de forma não destrutiva, durante a estação de crescimento de 2006, usando o equipamento portátil Dualex, baseado na fluorescência da clorofila. O delineamento experimental consistiu de seis parcelas de 30 videiras e as medidas foram feitas nas 12 plantas centrais. As folhas foram inoculadas com uma suspensão de esporângios com 50.000 esporos de P. viticola por mL e a intensidade da doença foi avaliada depois do aparecimento dos primeiros sintomas. As folhas das plantas mantidas à plena luz solar apresentaram alta concentração de polifenóis e severidade da doença significativamente menor do que as folhas das plantas mantidas sob a tela de sombreamento. Estes resultados indicam uma relação inversa entre os polifenóis produzidos pelas folhas da videira e a severidade do míldio.Solar radiation plays an important role in the development of some fungal diseases due to its direct action on the microorganisms and also its indirect effect on the production of specific plant compounds. This experiment examined the effect of two light environments (100% and 35% of full strength) on the polyphenolic content of grapevine leaves and quantified their relation to resistance to downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola). Leaf epidermal polyphenolic contents were non-destructively measured during the growing season 2006 using the Dualex chlorophyll fluorescence-based portable leaf-clip. The experimental design consisted of six parcels of 30 vines and measurements were performed on the 12 central vines. The leaves were inoculated with a sporangia suspension containing 50,000 sporangia of P. viticola per mL and the disease severity was assessed after the appearance of symptoms. Leaves maintained at 100% sun had high polyphenolic content and significantly lower disease severity compared to leaves under shading nets. These results indicate an inverse relationship between produced polyphenolics and downy mildew severity

Water washing of axial flow compressors: Numerical study on the fate of injected droplets

In turbomachinery applications blade fouling represents a main cause of performance degradation. Among the different techniques currently available, online water washing is one of the most effective in removing deposit from the blades. Since this kind of washing is applied when the machine is close to design conditions, injected droplets are strongly accelerated when they reach the rotor blades and the understanding of their interaction with the blades is not straightforward. Moreover, undesirable phenomena like blades erosion or liquid film formation can occur. The present study aims at assessing droplets dragging from the injection system placed at the compressor inlet till the first stage rotor blades, with a focus on droplets impact locations, on the washing process and the associated risk of erosion. 3D numerical simulations of the whole compressor geometry (up to the first rotor stage) are performed by using Ansys Fluent to account for the asymmetric distribution of the sprays around of the machine struts, IGV and rotor blades. The simulations are carried out by adopting the k-ϵ realizable turbulence model with standard wall functions, coupled with the discretephase model to track injected droplets motion. Droplets-wall interaction is also accounted for by adopting the Stanton-Rutland model which define a droplet impact outcome depending on the impact conditions. The induced erosion is evaluated by adopting an erosion model previously developed by some of the authors and implemented in Fluent through the use of a User Defined Function (UDF). Two sets of simulations are performed, by considering the rotor still and rotating, representative of off-line and on-line water washing conditions, respectively. In the rotating simulation, the Multiple Reference Frame Model is used. The obtained results demonstrate that the washing process differs substantially between the fixed and the rotating case. Moreover, to quantify the water washing effectiveness and the erosion risk, new indices were introduced and computed for the main components of the machine. These indices can be considered as useful prescriptions in the optimization process of water washing systems