Montessori Parent Education: Supporting Early Childhood Independence through Social-Emotional Learning

This action research project evaluated how a one-time parent education session focused on emotional coaching and social-emotional learning affected children’s independence in a small, private Montessori preschool. During the five-week study, children’s task independence and self-management at home and school were assessed by parents and teacher, respectively. Parents reported greater confidence in supporting children’s independence and emotion regulation following the intervention. Both task independence and self-management levels were high at school. While task independence at school did not increase due to parent education, task independence increased at home. There was a trend toward increased self-management at home following intervention, and two of the five intervention group children also showed greater self-management at school. Results suggest that even in a school where parents are educated about the practical steps of supporting children’s independence, teaching parents how to support children emotionally has additional positive effects

Development of Al, Mn, & Zn doped Sn-Ag-Cu-X solders for electronic assembly

The global electronic assembly community is striving for a robust replacement for leaded solders due to increased environmental regulations. A family of Pb-free solder alloys based on Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) compositions has shown promise; but reliability issues in certain assembly and operating environments have arisen. Elemental (X) additions (Al, Mn, Zn) to SAC3595 were developed recently for better control of heterogeneous nucleation in solder joint solidification. Cu substrate solderability of these SAC+X alloys was investigated at concentrations between 0.01-0.25 wt. % using globule wetting balance tests due to concern about increased oxidation during reflow. Asymmetric four point bend (AFPB) tests were conducted on as-soldered and thermally aged specimens to investigate correlation between decreased shear strength and extended aging time; a common phenomenon seen in solder joints in service. Composition dependence of these X additions also was explored in simplified Cu joints by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and joint microstructure analysis to determine the coupling between undercooling and solidification morphology on single and multiple reflow cycles. Interesting observations by methods such as x-ray diffraction (XRD) and nano-indentation of SAC solder joints with aluminum elemental additions led to promising results and provided a possible solution to promoting heterogeneous nucleation and high reliability in these solder alloys

MOS field-effect-transistor technology

Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor circuit development and laminated electronic packaging for computer storage device

Influence of Grow-Out Feed Fatty Acid Composition on Finishing Success in Nile Tilapia

The fatty acid (FA) composition of cultured finfish can be tailored by transitioning fish reared on alternative lipid-based, low long-chain polyunsaturated FA (LC-PUFA) content grow-out feeds to high LC-PUFA finishing feeds based on fish oil (FO) before harvest. To determine whether the FA composition of the grow-out feed influences finishing success in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus, coconut (CO), grapeseed (GO), linseed (LO), and poultry (PO) oils were evaluated in grow-out feeds with respect to production performance and responsiveness to finishing. The production performance of Nile tilapia was unaffected by application of the various feeding regimes, indicating that this species can effectively utilize CO, GO, LO, PO, and FO in aquafeeds. Implementation of the alternative lipid sources was associated with altered fillet FA composition. Although the differences were not significant in all cases, the levels of FO-associated FAs (e.g., 20:5[n-3] and 22:6[n-3]) were elevated among finished groups relative to their unfinished counterparts. However, the effect of finishing on fillet LC-PUFA content was relatively minor given the considerable retention of LC-PUFAs observed in unfinished groups. The patterns of fillet FA profile change in Nile tilapia appear to support a hypothesis of selective FA metabolism in this species. Our results suggest that attempts to enhance the FA composition of Nile tilapia fillets via finishing may be best served by providing a grow-out feed high in saturated and monounsaturated FAs and low in medium-chain polyunsaturated FAs

Grouping in the shine-through effect

How the elements of a visual scene are grouped into objects is one of the most fundamental but still poorly understood questions in visual neuroscience. Most investigations of perceptual grouping focus on static stimuli, neglecting temporal aspects. Using a masking paradigm, we show that the neural mechanisms underlying grouping seem to be both fast and complex. For example, a vernier target was followed by, first, a briefly presented grating and, then, a long-lasting, extended grating. Under these conditions, the briefly presented grating is hardly visible. Still, vernier discrimination strongly changed with the number of elements of the briefly displayed grating being worst for small gratings. In accordance with a neural network model of masking, we propose that the edges of the briefly presented grating and the vernier interfere in spite of the short presentation time. We suggest that this fast edge processing is a first step for unconscious grouping processe

Serological Cross-Reactivity of the Novel H1N1 and Implications for Protection with a Commerical Vaccine

The recent emergence of the pandemic H1N1 viruses and their being labeled as ‘swine flu’ has had several detrimental effects on the pork industry. Novel H1N1 strains have been recently detected in swine populations in the United States and in other parts of the world. While the public health significance of these findings is unknown, it is important to determine whether existing vaccines or exposure to previously circulating strains of swine influenza will protect pigs against the novel H1N1. Using a partial two-way cross-hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay, we have determined a swine H1N1 strain present in a commercial vaccine cross-reacted with antiserum specific to the novel H1N1. We have also shown that a field serum sample with a HI high titer to a ’99 H1N1 strain crossreacted strongly with the novel H1N1. Anti-sera which were specific to the non-pandemic H1N1 strains also crossreacted with the novel H1N1. Therefore, we conclude that current vaccines and circulating non-pandemic H1N1 field strains will provide at least partial protection against the novel H1N1 virus in pigs