Pupils’ views on visual timetables and labels in mainstream primary classrooms

Marion Rutherford - ORCID 0000-0002-2283-6736 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2283-6736The use of visual timetables and other visual supports such as labelling materials, places and people with words, symbols and/or photos has been advocated by many to enhance communication and understanding, particularly for children with special educational needs. These are used by staff in mainstream and special settings, and parents and carers also often develop these for use at home. A number of studies have been conducted to explore the value of these from the perspective of the adults who implement them but few studies have sought to obtain the children’s views. In this paper, the authors who work at Queen Margaret University, (MR); within the NHS Lothian Speech and Language Therapy Department (MR); within the Additional Support for Learning Service (JB & LJ) in Edinburgh; and at the University of Edinburgh (BLK & KC) report on a study they conducted to gain the views of 109 pupils with (36) and without additional support needs (73) attending two mainstream primary schools. They conclude that most pupils in both groups found these useful but that they could be more involved in deciding how these were implemented and updated.https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/bild/gap/2020/00000021/00000002/art0000321pubpub

Household Preparedness Motivation in Lahar Hazard Zones: Assessing the Adoption of Preparedness Behaviors Among Laypeople and Response Professionals in Communities Downstream from Mount Baker and Glacier Peak (USA) Volcanoes

As the number of people living at risk from volcanic hazards in the U.S. Pacific Northwest grows, more detailed studies of household preparedness in at-risk communities are needed to develop effective mitigation, response, and recovery plans. This study examines two aspects of preparedness behavior motivation in the Skagit Valley (WA), which is at risk from Mount Baker and Glacier Peak lahars. First, we examine the influence of perceived response-efficacy, protective response costs, self-efficacy, and ascription of responsibility on preparedness. Results indicate few respondents believe high perceived protective response costs, low perceived response-efficacy, or low perceived protection responsibility prevent them from adopting frequently recommended preparedness behaviors. Correlations with preparedness suggest perceived self-efficacy and ascription of responsibility play a more dominant role in determining preparedness behaviors, albeit a less readily recognized role. Second, we investigate how participation in hazard management at a professional level (e.g., working as a first responder or leader within the local city government, hospitals, school districts, Red Cross, or utilities, transportation, or water companies) influences knowledge, risk perception, and household preparedness. Results show that professional participation minimally influences household preparedness, but successfully improves perceived self-efficacy, confidence in officials, and information seeking behavior. Given these results, we argue (1) for inclusion of ascription of responsibility variables in studies of preparedness behavior motivation and (2) that specific types of participation in response-related activities (e.g., public, professional, specific training programs) may affect household preparedness differently, whereas self-efficacy and confidence in officials may improve regardless of participation type because of increased interaction with emergency officials

The heat shock response and humoral immune response are mutually antagonistic in honey bees

The honey bee is of paramount importance to humans in both agricultural and ecological settings. Honey bee colonies have suffered from increased attrition in recent years, stemming from complex interacting stresses. Defining common cellular stress responses elicited by these stressors represents a key step in understanding potential synergies. The proteostasis network is a highly conserved network of cellular stress responses involved in maintaining the homeostasis of protein production and function. Here, we have characterized the Heat Shock Response (HSR), one branch of this network, and found that its core components are conserved. In addition, exposing bees to elevated temperatures normally encountered by honey bees during typical activities results in robust HSR induction with increased expression of specific heat shock proteins that was variable across tissues. Surprisingly, we found that heat shock represses multiple immune genes in the abdomen and additionally showed that wounding the cuticle of the abdomen results in decreased expression of multiple HSR genes in proximal and distal tissues. This mutually antagonistic relationship between the HSR and immune activation is unique among invertebrates studied to date and may promote understanding of potential synergistic effects of disparate stresses in this critical pollinator and social insects more broadly

Fall Concert featuring KSU Chorale, Men\u27s Ensemble and Chamber Singers

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Fall Concert featuring University Chorale, Men\u27s Ensemble and Chamber Singers under the direction of Leslie J. Blackwell.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1665/thumbnail.jp

Mixed Chamber Ensembles

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Mixed Chamber Ensembles.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1397/thumbnail.jp

Nitrogen addition alters soil fungal communities, but root fungal communities are resistant to change

Plants are colonized by numerous microorganisms serving important symbiotic functions that are vital to plant growth and success. Understanding and harnessing these interactions will be useful in both managed and natural ecosystems faced with global change, but it is still unclear how variation in environmental conditions and soils influence the trajectory of these interactions. In this study, we examine how nitrogen addition alters plant-fungal interactions within two species of Populus - Populus deltoides and P. trichocarpa. In this experiment, we manipulated plant host, starting soil (native vs. away for each tree species), and nitrogen addition in a fully factorial replicated design. After ~10 weeks of growth, we destructively harvested the plants and characterized plant growth factors and the soil and root endosphere fungal communities using targeted amplicon sequencing of the ITS2 gene region. Overall, we found nitrogen addition altered plant growth factors, e.g., plant height, chlorophyll density, and plant N content. Interestingly, nitrogen addition resulted in a lower fungal alpha diversity in soils but not plant roots. Further, there was an interactive effect of tree species, soil origin, and nitrogen addition on soil fungal community composition. Starting soils collected from Oregon and West Virginia were dominated by the ectomycorrhizal fungi Inocybe (55.8% relative abundance), but interestingly when P. deltoides was grown in its native West Virginia soil, the roots selected for a high abundance of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Rhizophagus. These results highlight the importance of soil origin and plant species on establishing plant-fungal interactions

Catalyst selective and regiodivergent O- to C- or N-carboxyl transfer of pyrazolyl carbonates: synthetic and computational studies

The regiodivergent O- to C- or N-carboxyl transfer of pyrazolyl carbonates is described, with DMAP giving preferential N-carboxylation and triazolinylidenes promoting selective C-carboxylation (both with up to >99 : 1 regioselectivity). An enantioselective O- to C-carboxyl variant using NHC catalysis is demonstrated (up to 92% ee), while mechanistic and DFT studies outline the pathways operative in this system and provide insight into the reasons for the observed selectivity

Unique features of a global human ectoparasite identified through sequencing of the bed bug genome

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, has re-established itself as a ubiquitous human ectoparasite throughout much of the world during the past two decades. This global resurgence is likely linked to increased international travel and commerce in addition to widespread insecticide resistance. Analyses of the C. lectularius sequenced genome (650 Mb) and 14,220 predicted protein-coding genes provide a comprehensive representation of genes that are linked to traumatic insemination, a reduced chemosensory repertoire of genes related to obligate hematophagy, host–symbiont interactions, and several mechanisms of insecticide resistance. In addition, we document the presence of multiple putative lateral gene transfer events. Genome sequencing and annotation establish a solid foundation for future research on mechanisms of insecticide resistance, human–bed bug and symbiont–bed bug associations, and unique features of bed bug biology that contribute to the unprecedented success of C. lectularius as a human ectoparasite

The centre cannot (always) hold:Examining pathways towards energy system de-centralisation

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this record'Energy decentralisation' means many things to many people. Among the confusion of definitions and practices that may be characterised as decentralisation, three broad causal narratives are commonly (implicitly or explicitly) invoked. These narratives imply that the process of decentralisation: i) will result in appropriate changes to rules and institutions, ii) will be more democratic and iii) is directly and causally linked to energy system decarbonisation. The principal aim of this paper is to critically examine these narratives. By conceptualising energy decentralisation as a distinct class of sociotechnical transition pathway, we present a comparative analysis of energy decentralisation in Cornwall, South West UK, the French island of Ushant and the National Electricity Market in Australia. We show that, while energy decentralisation is often strongly correlated with institutional change, increasing citizen agency in the energy system, and enhanced environmental performance, these trends cannot be assumed as given. Indeed, some decentralisation pathways may entrench incumbent actors' interests or block rapid decarbonisation. In particular, we show how institutional context is a key determinant of the link between energy decentralisation and normative goals such as democratisation and decarbonisation. While institutional theory suggests that changes in rules and institutions are often incremental and path-dependent, the dense legal and regulatory arrangements that develop around the electricity sector seem particularly resistant to adaptive change. Consequently, policymakers seeking to pursue normative goals such as democratisation or decarbonisation through energy decentralisation need to look beyond technology towards the rules, norms and laws that constitute the energy governance system.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)European Structural and Investment FundINTERREG V FC

2016 Research & Innovation Day Program

A one day showcase of applied research, social innovation, scholarship projects and activities.https://first.fanshawec.ca/cri_cripublications/1003/thumbnail.jp