An Exploration of Learning-At-Home Experiences Among Families and Children of Color Labeled with Disabilities During COVID-19: A Narrative Inquiry

We are living in this historical moment of a COVID-19 global crisis that is continuing to impact marginalized families in our very own communities. Students of color, especially those who are already on the margins, and experience inequities in the classroom and in the community, have been further impacted by the quarantine as the educational system had not prioritized how to support students who face certain vulnerabilities due to lack of government funding, the historical oppressive tendency for schools to function within a medical model of standardization, along with the commodification of learning. Given the novelty of COVID-19 research, the full impact on these communities is yet to be fully known. Some students of color labeled with disabilities are faced with deeper struggles exacerbated by the pandemic’s impact, while others may have improved performance during distance learning due to the removal of inherent bias in the classroom or the traditional inequities that may be perpetuated in a traditional school environment. Within a DisCrit theoretical framework that centers and celebrates the intersectional identities of these families and children, this study is about exploring the unique experiences of public, private and charter school students and their families in the San Francisco Bay area. Centering the narratives of families of color and their children labeled with learning disabilities is one way to shift the voice of power and dominant narratives, and to begin to understand their lived experiences as a way to decenter and dismantle white privilege, ableism and heteronormative supremacy. This qualitative narrative inquiry based study centers and celebrates the lived experiences of six families and their children of color labeled with learning disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic-fueled remote learning crisis. The thematic findings from this study can inform policymakers and other stakeholders on how to best support these communities, advocate for school-based rights within a constructivist lens, and contribute to the dearth in scholarly research that supports disability justice

High-performance near-infrared photodetector based on nano-layered MoSe2

In recent years, the integration of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, especially transition metal chalcogendies (TMCs) and dichalcogendies (TMDCs), into electronic devices have been extensively studied owing to their exceptional physical properties such as high transparency, strong photoluminescence, and tunable bandgap depending on the number of layers. Herein, we report the optoelectronic properties of few-layered MoSe2-based backgated phototransistor used for photodetection. The photoresponsivity could be easily controlled to reach a maximum value of 238 AW–1 under near-infrared light excitation, achieving a high specific detectivity D∗ = 7.6×10** cmHz*/1W3* . Few-layered MoSe2 exhibited excellent optoelectronic properties as compared with those reported previously for multilayered 2D material-based photodetectors, indicating that our device is one of the best high-performance nanoscale near-infrared photodetector based multilayered two-dimensional materials

Highly stable noble metal nanoparticles dispersible in biocompatible solvents: synthesis of cationic phosphonium gold nanoparticles in water and DMSO

In this work, we report the synthesis of novel cationic phosphonium gold nanoparticles dispersible in water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for their potential use in biomedical applications. All the cationic-functionalising ligands currently reported in the literature are ammonium-based species. Here, the synthesis and characterisation of an alternative system, based on phosphonioalkylthiosulfate zwitterions and phosphonioalkylthioacetate were carried out. We have also demonstrated that our phosphonioalkylthiosulfate zwitterions readily disproportionate into phosphonioalkylthiolates in situ during the synthesis of gold nanoparticles produced by the borohydride reduction of gold(III) salts. The synthesis of the cationic gold nanoparticles using these phosphonium ligands was carried out in water and DMSO. UV-visible spectroscopic and TEM studies have shown that the phosphonioalkylthiolates bind to the surface of gold nanoparticles which are typically around 10 nm in diameter. The resulting cationic-functionalised gold nanoparticles are dispersible in aqueous media and in DMSO, which is the only organic solvent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for drug carrier tests. This indicates their potential future use in biological applications. This work shows the synthesis of a new family of phosphonium-based ligands, which behave as cationic masked thiolate ligands in the functionalisation of gold nanoparticles. These highly stable colloidal cationic phosphonium gold nanoparticles dispersed in water and DMSO can offer a great opportunity for the design of novel biorecognition and drug delivery systems

Impact of Transport Infrastructure on Living Standards: Evidence from the Chinese Provinces Directly Affected by the "One Belt, One Road" Initiative

Purpose: This paper discusses the impact of transport infrastructure on living standards in the Chinese provinces directly affected by the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. Methods: The impact of transport infrastructures such as railways and highways on people’s living standards, more specifically, the household consumption level in the Chinese provinces directly affected by the "One Belt, One Road" was analyzed based on data from 2008 to 2017 from National Bureau of Statistics of China and some databases related to the "One Belt, One Road". Descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression were applied for analysis. Results: a)The living standards are not improved in proportion to the development level of railways and highways due to influences of various factors on living standards, b) the development level of transport infrastructure does not have enough impact on reducing the gap in living standards between urban and rural areas in the Chinese provinces under study, c) the development level of transport infrastructure has a relatively more significant impact on living standards in coastal provinces than inland provinces under study, and d) in the future, the measures to develop the transport infrastructure may provably contribute to achieving targets for enhancing the living standards under the realization of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. Implications: To enhance the living standard, the management of investment in transport infrastructure as well as other factors, such as employment, income distribution, supply of goods and services, price level, etc. affecting people’s living standard ought to be improved in line with the features of a given region

Molecular Binding of EuIII/CmIII by Stenotrophomonas bentonitica and Its Impact on the Safety of Future Geodisposal of Radioactive Waste

Microbial communities occurring in reference materials for artificial barriers (e.g. bentonites) in future deep geological repositories of radioactive waste can influence the migration behavior of radionuclides such as curium (CmIII). This study investigates the molecular interactions between CmIII and its inactive analogue europium (EuIII) with the indigenous bentonite bacterium Stenotrophomonas bentonitica at environmentally relevant concentrations. Potentiometric studies showed a remarkable high concentration of phosphates at the bacterial cell wall compared to other bacteria, revealing the great potential of S. bentonitica for metal binding. Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the role of phosphates and carboxylate groups from the cell envelope in the bioassociation of EuIII. Additionally, time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) identified phosphoryl and carboxyl groups from bacterial envelopes, among other released complexing agents, to be involved in the EuIII and CmIII coordination. The ability of this bacteria to form a biofilm at the surface of bentonites allow them to immobilize trivalent lanthanide and actinides in the environment

Impact of Transport Infrastructure on Gross Regional Products: A Study on Chinese Economic Regions

Purpose: This study examines the impact of transport infrastructure on the Gross Regional Products in Chinese economic regions. Methods: The study analyzes the impact of transport infrastructure on the Gross Regional Products according to the eight economic regions in China by using descriptive statistics and regression analysis methods. Results: The findings are that a) densities of railways and highways have strong impacts on Gross Regional Products per capita according to Chinese economic regions, b) impacts of densities of railways and highways on Gross Regional Products per capita differ among Chinese economic regions and c) construction of new transport infrastructure has a more positive impact on Gross Regional Products per capita compared to regions with already developed transport infrastructure. Implications: Region-specific features ought to be considered in making and implementing the economic development policy according to economic regions