Exploring the Multicultural Competence of School Counselors

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceived multicultural competence of school counselors. Forty-one school counselors out of the 510 school counselors who were current members of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) completed both survey instruments: a demographic survey and the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale (MCKAS). The results of the study indicated that one of eight demographic variables demonstrated significance in relation to multicultural competence. Recommendations for future research included using a larger, ethnically diverse sample; including all school counselors in the state of Virginia; developing a survey instrument that included more aspects of multiculturalism than race/ethnicity; and including a third assessment tool to examine the relationship between demographic variables, multicultural competence, and additional variables

Exploring the Multicultural Competence of School Counselors

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceived multicultural competence of school counselors. Forty-one school counselors out of the 510 school counselors who were current members of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) completed both survey instruments: a demographic survey and the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale (MCKAS). The results of the study indicated that one of eight demographic variables demonstrated significance in relation to multicultural competence. Recommendations for future research included using a larger, ethnically diverse sample; including all school counselors in the state of Virginia; developing a survey instrument that included more aspects of multiculturalism than race/ethnicity; and including a third assessment tool to examine the relationship between demographic variables, multicultural competence, and additional variables

Neurons containing retrogradely transported Fluoro-Gold exhibit a variety of lysosomal profiles: a combined brightfield, fluorescence, and electron microscopic study.

The advantages of axonally transported Fluoro-Gold as a retrograde fluorescent marker are numerous. The objective of the present study was to determine whether transported Fluoro-Gold is visible in either semi-thin sections for light microscopy or thin sections for electron microscopy. Rats received injections of Fluoro-Gold into either the striatum or thoracic spinal cord. After appropriate survival times, labelled neurons were observed with the fluorescence microscope in brain regions that are known to project to the injected areas. Sections that contained labelled cells were embedded in plastic and examined with a fluorescence microscope. Semi-thin sections of unosmicated tissue displayed high-resolution fluorescent labelling of somata and dendrites. In contrast, osmicated tissue did not fluoresce, but numerous dark granules were observed in the dendritic and perikaryal cytoplasm of labelled neurons in toluidine blue stained sections that were examined with brightfield optics. The unosmicated tissue did not display these granules, and this finding suggested that the granules are composed of membranes. Neurons in other brain regions that are known not to project to the injection sites did not contain these dark granules. Adjacent thin sections examined with the electron microscope displayed numerous electron-dense, lysosome-like organelles in the cytoplasm of labelled neurons. The electron density of these organelles was greater than that of lysosomes in unlabelled neurons. Three types of distinctive organelles were observed in these preparations: (1) relatively dense concentric lamellar bodies of various sizes; (2) heterogeneous or lipofuscin-like lysosomes; and (3) coarse grained lysosomes. Control sections and unlabelled neurons did not display these organelles. Therefore, these organelles appear to correlate with Fluoro-Gold localized within the somata and dendrites of retrogradely labelled neurons. It is not known if they are the Fluoro-Gold itself, or represent a physiological effect on membranes. The results of this study indicate that Fluoro-Gold may be useful for tract tracing at the electron microscopic level

Offsetting of CO₂ emissions by air capture in mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia: Rates, controls and prospects for carbon neutral mining

The hydrated Mg-carbonate mineral, hydromagnesite [Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂•4H₂O], precipitates within mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia as a direct result of mining operations. We have used quantitative mineralogical data and δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O and F¹⁴C isotopic data to quantify the amount of CO₂fixation and identify carbon sources. Our radiocarbon results indicate that at least 80% of carbon stored in hydromagnesite has been captured from the modern atmosphere. Stable isotopic results indicate that dissolution of atmospheric CO₂ into mine tailings water is kinetically limited, which suggests that the current rate of carbon mineralization could be accelerated. Reactive transport modeling is used to describe the observed variation in tailings mineralogy and to estimate rates of CO₂ fixation. Based on our assessment, approximately 39,800 t/yr of atmospheric CO₂ are being trapped and stored in tailings at Mount Keith. This represents an offsetting of approximately 11% of the mine's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, passive sequestration via enhanced weathering of mineral waste can capture and store a significant amount of CO₂. Recommendations are made for changes to tailings management and ore processing practices that have potential to accelerate carbonation of tailings and further reduce or completely offset the net greenhouse gas emissions at Mount Keith and many other mines

Extraordinarily high biomass benthic community on Southern Ocean seamounts

We describe a previously unknown assemblage of seamount-associated megabenthos that has by far the highest peak biomass reported in the deep-sea outside of vent communities. The assemblage was found at depths of 2-2.5 km on rocky geomorphic features off the southeast coast of Australia, in an area near the Sub-Antarctic Zone characterised by high rates of surface productivity and carbon export to the deep-ocean. These conditions, and the taxa in the assemblage, are widely distributed around the Southern mid-latitudes, suggesting the high-biomass assemblage is also likely to be widespread. The role of this assemblage in regional ecosystem and carbon dynamics and its sensitivities to anthropogenic impacts are unknown. The discovery highlights the lack of information on deep-sea biota worldwide and the potential for unanticipated impacts of deep-sea exploitation

Collective T=0 pairing in N=Z nuclei? Pairing vibrations around 56Ni revisited

We present a new analysis of the pairing vibrations around 56Ni, with emphasis on odd-odd nuclei. This analysis of the experimental excitation energies is based on the subtraction of average properties that include the full symmetry energy together with volume, surface and Coulomb terms. The results clearly indicate a collective behavior of the isovector pairing vibrations and do not support any appreciable collectivity in the isoscalar channel.Comment: RevTeX, two-column, 5 pages, 4 figure