Impact of Impairment on Children with Special Needs at School Entry:Comparison of School Readiness Outcomes in Canada, Australia, and Mexico

Transition to school is particularly complex for children with special needs. A major difficulty faced by educational systems in trying to address these needs is the multitude of problems with which such children present. Based on populationlevel data collected with the Early Development Instrument in Canada, Australia, and Mexico, kindergarten-level school readiness outcomes in relation to particular impairments are explored here. Learning and behaviour problems have an overall impact on children’s school readiness, while physical, hearing, and vision impairments appear to affect only the area directly related to the impairment. Overall, the results show some variation but also remarkable similarities among the countries

Concretes with Photocatalytic Activity

This chapter is a short review about the modified concretes with photocatalytic activity. In the beginning, the photocatalysis process is explained; the authors are focused on the mechanism of organic contamination and nitrogen oxide decomposition. Next the three main methods for concretes modification are presented: the first group is when the concrete is covered by thin layer of TiO2 materials, e.g., paints or TiO2 suspensions. The second group is the concretes with thick layer of photoactive concrete on the top. The third group constitutes concretes modified in mass with TiO2. The two main methods for photocatalytic activity of the modified concrete determination were shown: an air purification by a nitrogen oxide decomposition and the self-cleaning properties by dyes decomposition. Also in this chapter the mechanical properties of the modified concrete are presented. In the end, the examples of the buildings made of photocatalytic concretes are shown

Photocatalytic Activity and Mechanical Properties of Cements Modified with TiO2/N

In this paper, studies of the mechanical properties and photocatalytic activity of new photoactive cement mortars are presented. The new building materials were obtained by the addition of 1, 3, and 5 wt % (based on the cement content) of nitrogen-modified titanium dioxide (TiO2/N) to the cement matrix. Photocatalytic active cement mortars were characterized by measuring the flexural and the compressive strength, the hydration heat, the zeta potential of the fresh state, and the initial and final setting time. Their photocatalytic activity was tested during NOx decomposition. The studies showed that TiO2/N gives the photoactivity of cement mortars during air purification with an additional positive effect on the mechanical properties of the hardened mortars. The addition of TiO2/N into the cement shortened the initial and final setting time, which was distinctly observed using 5 wt % of the photocatalyst in the cement matrix

Social development and behavioural reciprocity in young rhesus monkeys with their siblings and non-siblings

This study aimed to assess the influence of relationships with partners close in age on the development of social competence in immature monkeys. Social relationships between 28 sibling and non-sibling immature captive rhesus macaques, (Macaca mulatta), 4 to 40 months old, living in four social groups, were investigated. First, the characteristics of affiliative and agonistic aspects of those relationships were described. Then, the degree to which social behaviours were reciprocated in dyads of immatures, and possible factors influencing the reciprocity were examined. For affiliative behaviours like play, grooming and proximity, Interaction Reciprocity, reflecting the behaviour of two individuals during their interactions, and partner reciprocity reflecting the behaviour of two monkeys in relation to the behaviour of each individual towards other available partners, were assessed for each pair of siblings and of non-siblings. Interaction Reciprocity in play was based on the ratio of play initiations, in grooming on the ratio of time spent grooming, and in proximity on the ratio of approaches and leavings due to each partner. The affiliation levels between immature rhesus monkeys shown in grooming and proximity were most affected by their kinship. As such, they reflected the differences found in patterns of affiliation among adults. The differences shown in play were much less pronounced but they were also biased towards siblings, which were more frequent partners than non-siblings. Among non-siblings, age difference was the key factor influencing their affiliation: same-age partners were more affiliated than partners born in different years. High levels of affiliation did not preclude high levels of aggression. Siblings were more aggressive to each other than non-siblings, but their agonistic interactions involved less severe aggression and more reciprocity, in so far as immatures were more likely to respond aggressively when attacked by a sibling than by a non-sibling. Dominance ranks, which were fairly stable between pairs of immatures, seemed to influence patterns of play initiations, grooming and proximity to a certain extent. Interaction Reciprocity was higher among siblings than among non-siblings only in grooming. However, non-sibling grooming Interaction Reciprocity was higher between reciprocal partners than between non-reciprocal ones. Play Interaction Reciprocity was high between reciprocal play partners. In play, grooming and proximity siblings were more often reciprocal partners than non-siblings. Siblings were also more likely to be reciprocal partners in more than one behaviour than non-siblings. Immatures did not reciprocate agonistic aid by aiding the former supporter. However, coalitions and coalitions for aids or vice versa were reciprocated, and it happened more often in sibling than in non-sibling dyads. Generally, sibling relationships were more likely to be reciprocal than relationships between non-siblings. On the basis of this evidence, the concept of reciprocity is discussed as a useful framework for considering the patterns and quality of relationships between immature monkeys, as well as for mechanisms of their social development. The degree of reciprocity observed in immatures may have implications for the development of reciprocal exchange, observed in the behaviour of adult primates.This study was carried out between October 1986 and September 1989 in the Medical Research Council Unit on the Development and Integration of Behaviour, Cambridge University and was supported by a Benefactors' Research Studentship from St. John's College, Cambridge and an Overseas Research Studentship Award. The monkey colony was supported by the Medical Research Council. St. John's College have provided generous financial assistance and support in more ways than one, all of which are gratefully acknowledged. St. John's College, the Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour and Cambridge Philosophical Society provided funds for my travel to various conferences and research institutions

STARTING KINDERGARTEN: TRANSITION ISSUES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

To investigate issues in transition to kindergarten for children with special needs, we explored several sources of information (peer‐reviewed literature, government websites, parent surveys, and interviews with professionals). We found that administrative issues like lack of integration and the evaluation of services available to children and families, and parent support issues like promoting advocacy were recurring themes in all sources. Although some barriers are very clear, more systematic research is needed to identify factors facilitating successful adjustment to kindergarten among children with special needs. Key words: school entry, disability, school adjustment, special education Désirant étudier les problèmes de transition à la maternelle chez les enfants ayant des besoins particuliers, les auteures ont exploré plusieurs sources d’information (publications évaluées par les pairs, sites Web gouvernementaux, sondages auprès de parents et entrevues avec des professionnels). Les auteures ont découvert que les problèmes administratifs, comme le manque d’intégration et l’évaluation des services offerts aux enfants et aux familles, et les problèmes reliés au soutien des parents, notamment la défense de leurs droits, étaient des thèmes récurrents dans toutes les sources. Bien que certains obstacles soient très clairement décrits, il faudrait une recherche plus systématique pour identifier les facteurs qui favorisent l’adaptation des enfants ayant des besoins spéciaux à la maternelle. Mots clés : entrée à l’école, déficience, adaptation scolaire, éducation de l’enfance en difficulté

Karyotype analysis of eight cultivated Allium species

The karyotypes of Allium, a genus that comprises many crops and ornamental plants, are relatively poorly studied. To extend our knowledge on karyotype structure of the genus, the chromosomal organization of rRNA genes and CMA/DAPI bands was studied. Fluorescence in situ hybridization using 5S and 35S rDNA probes and banding methods (silver staining and CMA3/ DAPI staining) were used to analyze the karyotypes of eight cultivated Allium L. species. Analyzed Allium taxa revealed three different basic chromosome numbers (x = 7, 8, 9) and three different ploidy levels (diploid, triploid, and tetraploid). The rDNA sites chromosomal organization is reported the first time for the six species (A. moly, A. oreophilum, A. karataviense, A. nigrum, A. sphaerocephalon, A. porrum). The Allium species that were analyzed showed a high level of interspecies polymorphism in the number and localization of the rDNA sites. The fluorescence in situ hybridization patterns of 35S rDNA sites were more polymorphic than those of the 5S rDNA in the diploid species. Several groups of similar chromosomes could be distinguished among the chromosomes that had rDNA sites in the polyploid species. Each of the groups had three chromosomes (triploid A. sphaerocephalon L.) or four chromosomes (tetraploid A. porrum L.) suggesting their autopolyploid origin. In the genomes of four of the analyzed species, only some of the 35S rDNA sites were transcriptionally active. Fluorochrome banding revealed that the CMA3 + bands were associated with the 35S rDNA sites in all of the species that were analyzed, except A. fistulosum L. in which positive CMA3 + bands were detected in the terminal position of all of the chromosome arms. The rDNA sequences, nucleolar organizer regions (NORs), and CMA/DAPI bands are very good chromosome markers that allowed to distinguished from two to five pairs of homologous chromosomes in analyzed Allium species. The karyotypes of the studied species could be clearly distinguished by the number and position of the rDNA sites, NORs, and CMA/DAPI bands, which revealed high interspecific differentiation among the taxa