The Impact of the Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction in Improving School Task Performance Behaviors in Students with Mild to Moderate Intellectual Disabilities: A Multiple Baseline Design Study

The development of programs aimed to promote self-determination in students with disabilities is a very popular research topic. Many of these programs have obtained the status of evidence-based practices, one being the Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction. Although the literature emphasizes the link between self-determination and the school performance of students with disabilities, in Romanian research and educational practice there is a weak focus on specific programs to improve self-determined abilities, attitudes, and behaviors, these being rather in an early phase of study and application. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of the impact of the Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction on the academic performance of five students with intellectual disabilities. In this multiple baseline across participants design study, school performance is operationalized in reading comprehension skills, vocabulary communication skills, math problem solving, choice making, and goal setting and attainment. The preliminary adapted AIR Self-determination scale for Romanian students and individual observation checklists were used for each dependent variable to evaluate the competencies and indicators related to school performance in the baseline, treatment, and maintenance stages. Study findings indicated significant increases in the scores of behaviors and abilities observed throughout the experimental conditions, especially in the final intervention phase and maintenance stage. The academic performances of the five students were on an upward trend, remaining stable and robust over time. The results of the study showed improvements in students’ abilities for self-determination expressed through knowledge, abilities, and perception. Conclusion: The study is a novelty in self-determination research in Romania, directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed

Behavior of some Eggplant Varieties in the Vidra Area - Ilfov

The main purpose of the experiences organized at Research and Development Institute for Vegetable and Flower Growing Vidra was to evaluate the behavior of different cultivars of eggplants in specific soil and climate conditions of the Vidra area and to identify those with high yields, with quality fruits and tolerant to soil borne pathogens attack. In 2016, 12 cultivars of eggplants were studied: 6 non-hybrid varieties (Daniela, Luiza, Dragaica, Zaraza, Belona, Black Beauty) and 6 hybrids (Andra F1, Rebeca F1, Bibo F1, Clorinda F1, Mirabelle F1, Epic F1).The highest yield was achieved in Rebeca F1 and Luiza cultivars. The highest vitamin C content was realized at Rebeca F1, Luiza, and Zaraza cultivars. The Mirabelle F1 hybrid and Black Beauty variety presented a reduced sensitivity to Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melongenae

Modalities to Implement the Multilinguality in Web DYNPRO ABAP

The integrated platform SAP Netweaver is a platform that offers support in realizing Web bussiness applications that use the Model View Controller (MVC) concept. The Multilinguality being a property of this platform. The purpose of this article is to highlight the modality to internationalize a Web Dynpro ABAP project The techniques used for the internationalization of a Web Dynpro ABAP application are: the OTR [Online Text Repository] translations, the implementation of the assistance class and the technique of information internationalization in a database. The case study has been performed on the trial “SAP Netweaver 7.0 Application Server ABAP” that offered the possibility to log-in in English and German languages.Computer programes, software

Development and validation of Triticum phytobiological method as an alternative procedure for investigating in vivo acute toxicity on mice

The goal of this study was to validate an alternative method for determining in vivo acute toxicity using vegetal material instead of laboratory animals, starting from the phytobiological method known also as the Triticum technique. We set out to demonstrate that vegetal cells have similar sensitivity to some toxic agents as animal cells, in which case a statistical correlation could be established. A series of new compounds synthesized by the Romanian National Institute for Chemical Pharmaceutical Research and Development as potential β3 adrenergic receptors agonists were tested for their acute toxicity using classic animal exposure models, before investigating possible anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects. We then determined whether similar conclusions might be reached exposing vegetal material to the same agents. We successfully demonstrated that plants are affected in a very similar way as animals when exposed to some potentially toxic agents, providing new possibilities for ending unethical animal experiments

Immunosensors

Immunosensors are solid-state devices in which the immunochemical reaction is coupled to a transducer. They form one of the most important classes of affinity biosensors based on the specific recognition of antigens by antibodies to form a stable complex, in a similar way to immunoassay. Depending on the type of transducer there are four types of immunosensor: electrochemical, optical, microgravimetric and thermometric. The most commonly used bioelements for the development of electrochemical immunosensors are antibodies (Ab), followed by aptamers (Apt) and, in the last five years, microRNA (miRNA). In order to perform an early diagnosis, a method that is able to measure peptides and proteins directly in a sample, without any sample pre-treatment or any separation, is preferred. This direct detection can be performed with methods making use of the specific interaction of proteins with Ab, Apt and miRNA. The recent developments made in the immunosensor field, regarding the incorporation of nanomaterials for increased sensitivity, multiplexing or microfluidic-based devices, may have potential for promising use in industry and clinical analysis. Some examples of assays for several commercially available biomarkers will be presented. The main application fields, beside biomedical analysis, are drug abuse control, food analysis and environmental analysis

New Materials for the Construction of Electrochemical Biosensors

The development of electrochemical sensors has attracted great interest due to these sensors’ high sensitivity and selectivity. Here, we present the general concept and the classification of biosensors, their advantages and drawbacks, the main strategies in electrochemical biosensor technology and the materials used in electrochemical sensors, such as electrodes and supporting substrates, materials for improved sensitivity and selectivity, materials for bioreceptor immobilization, and biological recognition elements. Various nanomaterials, such as carbon-based materials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanoparticles), inorganic and organic nanoparticles (magnetic and metal nanoparticles, nanosized clays), conductive and insulating polymers (nanosized and nanostructured polymers, molecularly imprinted polymers), and hybrid materials, etc., have been successfully applied for the enhancement of the electroanalytical performance of biosensors and for the immobilization of biorecognition elements. Among these, due to their unique physiochemical features, carbon-based materials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphenes, have received special attention in recent years, and examples of surface functionalization using various types of nanoparticles are presented. The future trends in sensor research activities and areas of development that are expected to have an impact in biosensor performance, like immobilization techniques, nanotechnology, miniaturization and multisensor array determinations, are also examined

La metáfora visual en el universo del fotógrafo Tatsuya Tanaka: arquitecturización de un mundo en miniatura

The work of the Japanese photographer Tatsuya Tanaka (1981) has recently attracted a great deal of interest. His discourse is based on the visual metaphor (from which so many photographers have drawn throughout history since the beginnings of photography, and especially in the avant-garde) but, unlike the latter, he confines it to a distinctly Japanese cultural environment: with miniatures that populate his images, linking his work to Japanese artisanal mythology, and to the dioramas formulated by Daguerre, which reconstructed suggestive scenes of everyday life. We will study four pieces with a methodology consisting of photographic analysis and an exclusive interview granted to us by the author himself. Our conclusions are that his proposal is radically referential, that it connects with the most atavistic Japanese artistic tradition but that, nevertheless, it is profoundly generational and designed for an audience that follows social media, especially instagram, where Tatsuya Tanaka has accumulated more than 4 million followers with only three published books.La obra del fotógrafo japonés Tatsuya Tanaka (1981) ha suscitado mucho interés en los últimos tiempos. Su discurso parte de la metáfora visual (de la que tantos fotógrafos han bebido a lo largo de la historia desde los inicios de la fotografía, y especialmente en las vanguardias) pero, a diferencia de éstas, la circunscribe a un entorno cultural netamente japonés: con unas miniaturas que pueblan sus imágenes que vinculan su obra al mitate artesanal nipón, y a los dioramas que ya formulara Daguerre, que reconstruían escenas sugerentes de la vida cotidiana. Estudiaremos cuatro piezas con una metodología consistente en análisis fotográfico, y una entrevista exclusiva que nos ha concedido el propio autor. Nuestras conclusiones son que su propuesta es radicalmente referencial, que entronca con la tradición artística japonesa más atávica pero que, sin embargo, es profundamente generacional y pensado para un público seguidor de los social media, especialmente instagram, donde Tatsuya Tanaka acumula más de 4 millones de seguidores con solo tres libros publicado