Impact of a Transition-to-School Program on Parent Involvement and Teacher Satisfaction.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to implement a transition-to-school program and evaluate its impact on parent involvement and teacher satisfaction. This action research study was conducted in a toddler and early childhood program at a Montessori school. This study involved teachers, administrators and parents. Prior to implementation of the transition-to-school program, a transition focus group was convened among teachers and administrators. In addition, data from previous years on parent attendance and involvement were gathered to measure any changes following implementation. The transition-to-school program was developed from feedback offered by teachers and administrators, and field research. After the transition to school program was constructed, implementation procedures were introduced to administrators, teachers and parents. Following implementation, evaluative surveys were administered to assess the impact of the program. The results of the research demonstrated that teachers, administrators and parents viewed the program favorably. The results show that the transition to school program positively impacted parent involvement and teacher satisfaction

Assessing corporate social responsibility concepts used by a Brazilian manufacturer of airplanes: A case study at Embraer

There are many definitions for the term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but it can broadly be understood as a commitment that an organization must have towards society, expressed through actions and attitudes that affect it positively. In Latin America, in particular, this field is still at an initial stage, and few companies have actually developed and integrated CSR practices as part of their management system. This paper aims to present a set of CSR initiatives and projects developed by a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, considered an example of best practice in sustainable management practices. The paper also verifies if these activities are integrated into the company's management model in a mature way, as proposed by the literature. The research method used here was a case study with semi-structured interviews with a set of employees responsible for CSR at the company. The results gathered allow the projects developed at the company to be clustered around six main areas: excellence in education, social partnership programmes, entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, volunteering and preservation of the history of the Brazilian aeronautics industry. All these projects are exemplary managed and critically analyzed in relation to aggregation of value they provide to society, thus ensuring suitable results. As a conclusion of the survey, it was observed that Embraer has integrated the CSR practices with other existing management systems in a harmonious and mature form. The scientific value of this research lies in the presentation of CSR practices developed by one of the most important companies in Brazil, with a management system directed to excellence. Other companies and researchers can use these practices as a benchmark, or as examples of good CSR practice leading to tangible results

Globalisation from Above? Corporate Social Responsibility, the Workers' Party and the Origins of the World Social Forum

In its assessment of the origins and early development of the World Social Forum this article challenges traditional understandings of the Forum as representing ‘globalisation from below’. By tracing the intricate relations among elements of business, civil society, and the Workers’ Party in the first years of the Forum, this article reveals the major role played by a corporate movement stemming from the Brazilian democratisation process in the 1980s, and how this combined with the transformed agenda of the Workers’ Party as it gained higher political offices to constrain the Forum’s activities from the outset. In so doing, this article challenges not only widespread conceptions of the Forum as a counter‐hegemonic alternative but also current critiques concerning its subsequent limitations. Furthermore, it reveals how traditional understandings of the World Social Forum and of global civil society are underpinned by flawed assumptions which typecast political activities in the global ‘South’

Quantifying Small-Scale Hyporheic Streamlines and Resident Time under Gravel-Sand Streambed Using a Coupled HEC-RAS and MIN3P Model

Distribution of the water flow path and residence time (HRT) in the hyporheic zone is a pivotal aspect in anatomizing the transport of environmental contaminants and the metabolic rates at the groundwater and surface water interface in fluvial habitats. Due to high variability in material distribution and composition in streambed and subsurface media, a pragmatic model setup in the laboratory is strenuous. Moreover, investigation of an individual streamline cannot be efficiently executed in laboratory experiments. However, an automated generation of water flow paths, i.e., streamlines in the hyporheic zone with a range of different streambed configurations could lead to a greater insight into the behavior of hyporheic water flow. An automated approach to quantifying the water flow in hyporheic zone is developed in this study where the surface water modeling tool, HER-RAS, and subsurface water flow modelling code, MIN3P, are coupled. A 1m long stream with constant water surface elevation of 2 cm to generate hydraulic head gradients and a saturated subsurface computational space with the dimensions of x:y:z = 1:0.1:0.1 m is considered to analyze the hyporheic exchange. Response in the hyporheic streamlines and residence time due to small-scale changes in the gravel-sand streambed were analyzed. The outcomes of the model show that the size, shape, and distribution of the gravel and sand portions have a significant influence on the hyporheic flow path and HRT. A high number and length of the hyporheic flow path are found in case of the highly elevated portion of gravel pieces. With the increase in the base width of gravel pieces, the length of hyporheic flow path and HRT decreases. In the case of increased amounts of gravel and sand portions on the streambed, both the quantity and length of the hyporheic flow path are reduced significantly

Parathyroid hormone sensitizes long bones to the stimulation of bone resorption by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3

In response to hypocalcemia the serum PTH level increases rapidly followed by a PTH‐induced rise in 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25‐(OH)2D3] production. Therefore, bone is first exposed to increased PTH levels before increased 1,25‐(OH)2D3 levels. In the present study the effect of pretreatment with PTH on 1,25‐(OH)2D3‐induced bone resorption was examined. Bone resorption was measured as release of prelabeled 45Ca during culture from 17‐day‐old fetal mice radii/ulnae and metatarsals. Radii/ulnae and metatarsals are characterized by differences in development. In radii/ulnae mature osteoclasts are present, whereas in metatarsals only different stages of preosteoclasts can be found. Preincubation for 24 h but not 4 h with PTH increases the stimulation of bone resorption by 1,25‐(OH)2D3 in fetal radii/ulnae but not in metatarsals. Coincubation of PTH and 1,25‐(OH)2D3 did not result in a significant change in bone resorption compared to 1,25‐(OH)2D3 alone. The observed difference in the effect of pretreatment with PTH between radii/ulnae and metatarsals indicates that PTH does not stimulate the development of early osteoclast precursors but that a certain level of differentiation of the osteoclast precursor is required. Pretreatment with prostaglandin E2 resulted in an effect similar to that of PTH. Inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by indomethacin prevented the potentiation of 1,25‐(OH)2D3‐induced bone resorption by pretreatment with PTH. Thus, the present study demonstrates that PTH sensitizes responses to 1,25‐(OH)2D3. PTH must be present before 1,25‐(OH)2D3 to observe a potentiation of 1,25‐(OH)2D3‐induced bone resorption. Local production of prostaglandins seems to be involved in this action of PTH. Taken together, these data suggest that besides increased renal production of 1,25‐(OH)2D3 PTH also sensitizes bone for the 1,25‐(OH)2D3‐induced bone resorption