Examining Literacy Specialist Candidates’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Leadership Competencies Before and After Internships in Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the self-efficacy beliefs of 25 literacy specialist candidates in three key leadership areas before and after 15-week internships in schools. The three leadership areas, identified by university faculty as important to the leadership role of literacy specialists in schools today, are: 1) serving as a resource to classroom teachers, administrators, and parents; 2) conducting staff development; and 3) engaging in literacy program development and coordination. Paired-sample t-tests used to evaluate pre/post-survey scores at the end of the 15 weeks suggest self-efficacy beliefs in all three categories grew significantly over the course of the internships. Using Bandura’s framework and the leadership competencies to code and analyze interviews, electronic communications, and reflective papers, the author shares examples of how candidates at the top and bottom of the group in self-efficacy growth compared in interpreting self-efficacy related information during the course of the internships. Implications for graduate literacy programs are discusse

Effects of Diffusion on Photocurrent Generation in Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Films

We have studied photocurrent generation in large carbon nanotube (CNT) films using electrodes with different spacings. We observe that the photocurrent depends strongly on the position of illumination, with maximum observed response occurring upon illumination at the electrode edges. The rate of change of the response decays exponentially, with the fastest response occurring for samples with the smallest electrode spacing. We show that the time response is due to charge carrier diffusion in low-mobility CNT films

Investigation of the Influence of Antimicrobial Preparations on the Shelf Life of Broccoli Cabbage

Studies of the effect of antimicrobial agents on the conservation of broccoli cabbage have been conducted. The late hybrids of broccoli Ironman F1, Agassi F1, Beaumont F1, grown under the conditions of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine were studied. The content of the main components of the chemical composition (dry substances, dry soluble substances, sugars, vitamin C) of broccoli cabbage is analyzed depending on the characteristics of the hybrid. The effect of antimicrobial treatment on the natural loss of cabbage, microbiological lesions during storage has been studied. Antimicrobial preparations Baikal EM-1 (dilution of working solution in water 1: 500), 0.5 % solution of citric, 0.2 % benzoic, 0.05 % sorbic acid, and also 0.5:0.5 % solution of vitamins C and P (ascorutin), water for the preparation of solutions had a temperature of 23 ... 25 °C.The processing of fruit and vegetable products with various chemicals is aimed at prolonging the shelf life, increasing the shelf life and increasing the yield of commercial products at the end of storage.It is established that the natural loss of broccoli cabbage during storage depends on the characteristics of the hybrid and the type of antimicrobial preparation. Treatment with preparations increases the shelf life of broccoli cabbage to 30 - 50 days with a natural weight loss of up to 6.1 %, and ensures minimal disease burden.Treatment with antimicrobial agents reduces the loss of dry substances, dry soluble substances, sugars, vitamin C. The most effective is the treatment of broccoli with acids. It has been established that ascorbic acid is contained in broccoli cabbage, with hydrolysis from which ascorbic acid is split off, the content of which is increased.The maximum effective storage of broccoli cabbage at a temperature of 0 ± 1 oС and relative humidity of 90-95 %, pretreatment with preparations of antimicrobial action.The proposed method of processing broccoli cabbage with antimicrobial preparations before storage allows the use of vegetable raw materials for post-harvest treatment. In the development of new, low-cost, environmentally friendly and affordable storage technologies, this is an important technique

Can You Hear Me Now? Musical Training Shapes Functional Brain Networks for Selective Auditory Attention and Hearing Speech in Noise

Even in the quietest of rooms, our senses are perpetually inundated by a barrage of sounds, requiring the auditory system to adapt to a variety of listening conditions in order to extract signals of interest (e.g., one speaker's voice amidst others). Brain networks that promote selective attention are thought to sharpen the neural encoding of a target signal, suppressing competing sounds and enhancing perceptual performance. Here, we ask: does musical training benefit cortical mechanisms that underlie selective attention to speech? To answer this question, we assessed the impact of selective auditory attention on cortical auditory-evoked response variability in musicians and non-musicians. Outcomes indicate strengthened brain networks for selective auditory attention in musicians in that musicians but not non-musicians demonstrate decreased prefrontal response variability with auditory attention. Results are interpreted in the context of previous work documenting perceptual and subcortical advantages in musicians for the hearing and neural encoding of speech in background noise. Musicians’ neural proficiency for selectively engaging and sustaining auditory attention to language indicates a potential benefit of music for auditory training. Given the importance of auditory attention for the development and maintenance of language-related skills, musical training may aid in the prevention, habilitation, and remediation of individuals with a wide range of attention-based language, listening and learning impairments

A rapid culture independent methodology to quantitatively detect and identify common human bacterial pathogens associated with contaminated high purity water

Background: Water and High Purity Water (HPW) distribution systems can be contaminated with human pathogenic microorganisms. This biocontamination may pose a risk to human health as HPW is commonly used in the industrial, pharmaceutical and clinical sectors. Currently, routine microbiological testing of HPW is performed using slow and labour intensive traditional microbiological based techniques. There is a need to develop a rapid culture independent methodology to quantitatively detect and identify biocontamination associated with HPW. Results: A novel internally controlled 5-plex real-time PCR Nucleic Acid Diagnostics assay (NAD), was designed and optimised in accordance with Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments guidelines, to rapidly detect, identify and quantify the human pathogenic bacteriaStenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia species, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescenswhich are commonly associated with the biocontamination of water and water distribution systems. The specificity of the 5-plex assay was tested against genomic DNA isolated from a panel of 95 microorganisms with no cross reactivity observed. The analytical sensitivities of the S. maltophilia, B. cepacia, P. aeruginosa and the S. marcescens assays are 8.5, 5.7, 3.2 and 7.4 genome equivalents respectively. Subsequently, an analysis of HPW supplied by a Millipore Elix 35 water purification unit performed using standard microbiological methods revealed high levels of naturally occurring microbiological contamination. Five litre water samples from this HPW delivery system were also filtered and genomic DNA was purified directly from these filters. These DNA samples were then tested using the developed multiplex real-time PCR NAD assay and despite the high background microbiological contamination observed, both S. maltophilia andBurkholderia species were quantitatively detected and identified. At both sampling points the levels of both S. maltophilia and Burkholderia species present was above the threshold of 10 cfu/100 ml recommended by both EU and US guidelines. Conclusions: The novel culture independent methodology described in this study allows for rapid (<5 h), quantitative detection and identification of these four human pathogens from biocontaminated water and HPW distribution systems. We propose that the described NAD assay and associated methodology could be applied to routine testing of water and HPW distribution systems to assure microbiological safety and high water quality standards

Pottery from the Volga area in the Samara and South Urals region from Eneolithic to Early Bronze Age

The paper studies the evolution of pottery from the early Eneolithic period to the Early Bronze Age in the Volga area near Samara and South Ural in accordance with the typological and technological features of the ceramics peculiar to the Samara culture and the early stage of the Yamnaya (Pit-Grave) culture. It is concluded that the Early Bronze Age ceramics represent different traditions practiced by both local and migrating groups of the population. The study of the materials across different methods allow to conclude that pottery, metallurgy and cattle-breeding developed in step with each other and progressed continually in the second half of the Eneolithic period and the early Bronze Age.V članku predstavljamo evolucijo lončenine na območju reke Volge v pokrajinah Samare in južno od gorovja Ural, in sicer od zgodnjega eneolitskega obdobja do zgodnje bronaste dobe. Ta razvoj gradimo na tipoloških in tehnoloških značilnostih posod iz kulture Samara in iz zgodnjega obdobja kulture Yamnaya (kultura jaškastih grobov). Za zgodnje bronastodobno lončenino je značilno, da predstavlja različne tradicije tako lokalnih kot priseljenih skupin ljudi