319 research outputs found
A simple functional form for proton-nucleus total reaction cross sections
A simple functional form has been found that gives a good representation of
the total reaction cross sections for the scattering of protons from (15)
nuclei spanning the mass range Be to U and for proton
energies ranging from 20 to 300 MeV.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, bib fil
How Social Studies Teachers Conceptualize Civic Teaching and Learning in 2020: Insights from a Research-Practice Partnership
High-quality civic learning opportunities remain the exception, rather than the norm, in public schools across the country. The health and future of the American democracy is dependent on all its public schools to foster democratic classrooms and prepare informed citizensâa reality far from realized in this third decade of the 21st century. Through an inductive analysis of in-depth interviews, this article makes visible how educators conceptualize civic teaching and learning in the political moment of the year 2020. Because of the known link between teachersâ conceptualizations, instructional visions, and their practice, it is necessary when engaged in any district change effort to first understand how teachers understand the existing phenomenonâin this case, civic teaching and learning. In shedding light on teachersâ contemporary conceptualizations of civic teaching and learning, this article contributes to the necessary and timely conversation on how to support civic teaching, even in politically contentious times, so that all students can experience high-quality civic learning on a routine basis
Developing a gender-based approach to chronic conditions and women's health: A qualitative investigation of communitydwelling women and service provider perspectives
© 2015 DiGiacomo et al. Background: Chronic conditions contribute to over 70 % of Australia's total disease burden, and this is set to increase to 80 % by 2020. Women's greater longevity means that they are more likely than men to live with disability and have unique health concerns related to their gender based roles in society. Cultural and social issues can impact on women's health and are important to consider in health services planning and research. In this study, we aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to providing a gender-based approach to chronic conditions and women's health in an eastern metropolitan region of Australia. Methods: Focus groups were used to engage both community-dwelling women who had chronic conditions and relevant professional stakeholders in the target area. Recorded proceedings underwent thematic analysis. Results: Five focus groups were conducted with professional stakeholders and women community members in February and March 2014. Resultant themes included: women's disempowerment through interactions with health systems; social and economic constraints and caregiving roles act to exclude women from participating in self-care and society; and empowerment can be achieved through integrated models of care that facilitate voice and enable communication and engagement. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of including perspectives of sex and gender in health care services planning. Tailoring services to socio-demographic and cultural groups is critical in promoting access to health care services. Unique epidemiological trends, particularly the ageing of women and new migrant groups, require particular attention
Pursuing interests and getting involved: Exploring the conditions of sponsorship in youth learning
The phenomenon of âbrokeringââor connecting youth to present or future opportunitiesâis now well known in the field of learning and youth development as an integral part of how and why youth pursue and remain in particular interest-related learning opportunities. More recently, the related term sponsorship refers to the multiple ways in which youth experience brokering-like moments related to their interests. This article aims to better understand how sponsorship functions in the everyday conduct of youthsâ lives, as well as if and how sponsorship mediates young peopleâs sustained participation and planned future in relation to their interest(s). We leverage a longitudinal data set collected over three years of youth participation in interest-related activities to retrospectively understand sponsorship within the existing conditions of young peopleâs lives, including youth interest and access to program resources. Findings suggest that interest was often not the initial driver for youth entering an activity, but that youth joined activities based on other perceived benefits. Once involved, however, they found themselves developing skills, making friends, and seeing a possible future in the activity. We conclude with design principles intended to support young people in joining an activity, sustaining their participation, and seeing new possibilities for their futures.Â
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Por que teoria é importante: Uma investigação das reformas contemporùneas do tempo de aprendizagem
This article explores the contemporary policy reform push to extend and expand learning time in schools. In light of the potential and continued prominence of learning time reforms in todayâs national educational landscape, this article makes visible the ways in which theory matters for the near- and long-term success of equity-focused educational reforms. Using the recent enactment of learning time reforms in Colorado as an illustration, and the zone of mediation framework as a conceptual lens, this article demonstrates how such reforms are likely to be weakened and undermined without strong theoretical grounding.Este artĂculo examina polĂticas contemporĂĄneas que enfatizan un cambio para extender y/o dispersar el tiempo de aprendizaje en las escuelas. Dado el potencial y relevancia actual de las reformas hacia el tiempo de aprendizaje en el campo general de educaciĂłn, el propĂłsito de este articulo es brevemente enaltecer las maneras en las cuales la teorĂa educativa son de suma importancia, a largo y corto plazo, para asegurar el Ă©xito de dichas reformas educativas orientadas hacia la equidad. Utilizando el ejemplo de la implementaciĂłn de estas reformas en Colorado, y el instrumento teorĂ©tico de la zona me mediaciĂłn, este artĂculo demuestra como reformas similares pueden ser disminuidos por una falta de un base de teorĂa fuerte.Este artigo examina o promover da reforma contemporĂąnea das regras para ampliar e expandir o tempo de aprendizagem nas escolas. Considerando o potencial e o contĂnuo destaque da reforma do tempo de aprendizagem no ambiente da educação nacional atualmente, este artigo ilustra as maneiras em que teoria Ă© importante para o sucesso imediato e futuro das reformas educacionais que se focalizam em equidade. Usando a recente promulgação das reformas do tempo de aprendizagem em Colorado como ilustração, e o sistema de zona de mediação como uma lente conceitual, o artigo demonstra como tais reformas serĂŁo provavelmente enfraquecidas sem uma forte base teĂłrica
Nano Chromium Picolinate Improves Gene Expression Associated with Insulin Signaling in Porcine Skeletal Muscle and Adipose Tissue
The aim of this study was to investigate the interactive effects of dietary nano chromium picolinate (nCrPic) and dietary fat on genes involved in insulin signaling in skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue of pigs. Forty-eight gilts were stratified on body weight into four blocks of four pens of three pigs and then within each block each pen was randomly allocated to four treatment groups in a 2 à 2 factorial design. The respective factors were dietary fat (22 or 57 g/kg) and dietary nCrPic (0 or 400 ppb nCrPic) fed for six weeks. Skeletal muscle samples were collected from the Longissimus thoracis and subcutaneous adipose tissue collected from above this muscle. Dietary nCrPic increased adiponectin, uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) and serine/threonine protein kinase (AKT) mRNA expression, whereas dietary fat decreased adiponectin and increased leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) mRNA expression in adipose tissue. In skeletal muscle, dietary nCrPic increased phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), AKT, UCP3 and interleukin-15 (IL-15), as well as decreased suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) mRNA expression. The improvement in insulin signaling and muscle mass and the reduction in carcass fatness by dietary nCrPic may be via decreased SOCS3 and increased UCP3 and IL-15 in skeletal muscle and increased adiponectin in subcutaneous adipose tissue
Bureaucracy and burden: An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis of social welfare policy with consequences for carers of people with life-limiting illness
Background:
For informal carers of people with life-limiting illness, social welfare policy related to income support and housing has been associated with varied psychosocial issues, yet remains relatively under-explored. An intersectional approach offers potential to illuminate diverse experiences and implications.
Aim:
To explore the way in which caring in the context of life-limiting illness is framed within welfare policy, to articulate inequities encountered by carers, and to identify policy and practice recommendations.
Design:
The Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) Framework was used to situate findings of a broader qualitative study.
Setting/participants:
Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with participants who were bereaved carers (nâ=â12), welfare workers (nâ=â14) and palliative care workers (nâ=â7), between November 2018 and April 2020, in an Australian region associated with socioeconomic disadvantage. Five elements of IBPA were applied to the products of analysis of this data.
Results:
Use of the IBPA Framework revealed that representations of carers and causes of their welfare needs in policy were underpinned by several assumptions; including that caring and grieving periods are temporary or brief, and that carers have adequate capacity to navigate complex systems. Policy and processes had differentiated consequences for carers, with those occupying certain social locations prone to accumulating disadvantage.
Conclusions:
This intersectional analysis establishes critical exploration of the framing and consequences of welfare policy for carers of people with life-limiting illness, presented in a novel conceptual model. Implications relate to intersectoral development of structural competency, responsiveness to structurally vulnerable carers in clinical practice, and needed policy changes
Health-seeking beliefs of cardiovascular patients: A qualitative study
Objectives: The study aims were to (a) describe the experiences of Chinese Australians with heart disease following discharge from hospital for an acute cardiac event; (b) identify patterns and cultural differences of Chinese Australians following discharge from hospital; and (c) illustrate the illness/health seeking behaviors and health beliefs of Chinese Australians. Design: Qualitative study. Methods: Interview data were obtained from the following sources: (a) focus groups of Chinese community participants without heart disease; (b) interviews with patients recently discharged from hospital following an admission for an acute cardiac event; and (c) interviews with Chinese-born health professionals working in Australia. Qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Study themes generated from the data were: (1) linking traditional values and beliefs with Western medicine; (2) reverence for health professionals and family; and (3) juxtaposing traditional beliefs and self-management. Conclusions: Considering the influence of cultural values in developing health care plans and clinical decision making is important. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd
Observing Long Colour Flux Tubes in SU(2) Lattice Gauge Theory
We present results of a high statistics study of the chromo field
distribution between static quarks in SU(2) gauge theory on lattices of volumes
16^4, 32^4, and 48^3*64, with physical extent ranging from 1.3 fm up to 2.7 fm
at beta=2.5, beta=2.635, and beta=2.74. We establish string formation over
physical distances as large as 2 fm. The results are tested against Michael's
sum rules. A detailed investigation of the transverse action and energy flux
tube profiles is provided. As a by-product, we obtain the static lattice
potential in unpreceded accuracy.Comment: 66 pages, 29 figures, uuencoded latex file with epsfigures (450 K),
supplementary full colour figures are available via ftp, CERN-TH.7413/94
(extended version
Impact of Rumen Fluid Storage on In Vitro Feed Fermentation Characteristics
Storing rumen fluid (RF) has the potential to standardize subsequent in vitro feed fermentation studies. The first phase of this experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of two RF storage methods on gas composition and dry matter disappearance (DMD) in wheat grain and lucerne hay under in vitro fermentation. The storage methods were as follows: (1) snap-freezing RF using liquid nitrogen and then storing it at â80 °C (â80 °C); and (2) mixing RF with 5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), subsequently freezing it at â20 °C (Dâ20 °C), and comparing it to fresh RF on days 1, 14, and 30 post collection. The objective of the second phase was to quantify the impact of preserving the RF for 180 days at Dâ20 °C on the in vitro fermentation parameters. The methane composition was lower (p < 0.001) in both the preserved RFs than in the fresh RF. There was no difference (p < 0.05) in DMD values between days 14 and 30. The average cumulative gas production and DMD from the RF stored at Dâ20 °C was higher than that from the RF stored at â80 °C. Moreover, there was no difference between day 30 and day 180 in the total gas production and lag time when fermenting with RF preserved at Dâ20 °C. Therefore, storing RF at Dâ20 °C is preferable to storing it at â80 °C when access to fresh RF is limited
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