Mentoring towards Resilient Thought

The focus of my Synthesis Project is the development of a Curriculum Guide that outlines the importance of building relationships with young people that are meaningful, supported, structured and collaborative. In developing this guide, I felt it was essential to create a framework that will support my work within youth development, for young people ages 9-19, in order to scaffold learning and foster opportunities for resilient thought. In addition to supporting these learning opportunities, I also felt it was important to develop a foundation from which the staff that I supervise and work with, understand the importance of their role and the impact relationship-building can have on these young people. This guide promotes the development of youth serving professionals as reflective practitioners and mentors in order to build a structured and supportive experience for both the mentor and the young people (mentees), that is intentional and reflects the experience, needs and interests of those within the relationship. In the field of Positive Youth Development, youth-serving professionals acknowledge that the most important relationship in the life of a young person, outside of the family unit, is a positive and supportive non-parental adult who assumes the role of a mentor. The role of a mentor, in the natural setting of an after-school or out-of-schooltime program, not only helps to foster opportunities that build life and career skills, but also provides the kind of support that young people need towards developing resilient thought. Fostering opportunities that allow young people to develop both a resilient core and an optimistic outlook are essential when promoting the development of perseverance that can guide these young people to persist in the face of adversity, hardship and/or change. This guide also identifies important ways to support and enhance my own work in fostering opportunities to encourage resiliency-building within youth development. It is also essential in developing opportunities that enrich out-of-schooltime quality programming and staff growth through the development of a framework that encourages and scaffolds thinking and learning to promote the development of dispositions from a strengths-based approach. This project highlights the importance of the mentor/mentee relationship, the process and the developmental tools that can be utilized and modified. It also identifies ways of transferring dispositions that promote perseverance in other areas of their lives towards a holistic approach to fostering resilient thought. Within out-of-schooltime Programs and through a Positive Youth Development philosophy, mentoring and encouraging young people towards the development of resilient thought, is a process that can allow for authentic learning and living in order for young people to persevere in an ever-changing world

Efficacia clinica e sicurezza terapeutica dell’estratto di corteccia di Mimosa tenuiflora nelle ragadi mammarie

Le ragadi mammarie sono una patologia flogistica della mammella che durante il puerperio può condizionare il corretto allattamento. Non è disponibile a tutt’oggi un trattamento farmacologico specifico. È stato realizzato un preparato topico a base di estratto di corteccia di Mimosa tenuiflora, che possiede un’attività cicatrizzante e rigenerante cutanea, e di Calendula officinalis per la sua azione sinergica. È stato condotto uno studio clinico sull’efficacia e la sicurezza terapeutica di questa formulazione in crema nelle ragadi mammarie. In 65 donne in allattamento con età media di 30.6 anni che presentavano ragadi mammarie, la crema è stata applicata dopo ogni poppata, in media 6.3 volte al giorno, per 4 settimane. Le ragadi sanguinanti si sono risolte nel 95.4% dei casi entro 48-72 ore. Fissurazioni ed eritema si sono ridotti fino alla scomparsa totale e l’elasticità del capezzolo è migliorata nell’81,5% dei casi. Non è mai stato necessario interrompere l’allattamento, tranne 3 casi in cui non si sono ottenuti benefici. Il giudizio finale del medico e della mamma sull’efficacia è stato ottimo in più del 95% dei casi, e il giudizio sull’accettabilità è stato ottimo in tutti i lattanti. Nessuna reazione avversa è stata né lamentata né osservata nella mamma o nel bambino

A Foundation for Reflection and Questioning: Philosophy Course Requirements in Teacher Education Programs at Selected Catholic Colleges and Universities

Course work in philosophy is typically required as part of a core curriculum for preservice teachers who enter undergraduate teacher education programs in Catholic colleges and universities. The purpose of this study was to explore requirements in philosophy in undergraduate teacher education programs at selected Catholic colleges and universities as identified by The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find It (Esposito, 2007c). This is accomplished primarily through an examination and analysis of the philosophy requirements and course descriptions at these selected institutions. Specific content from the course descriptions examined is discussed in relation to teacher education with recommendations for practice at Catholic colleges and universities provided

Plant oil-based waterborne polyurethanes: A brief review

The increasing pressure from consumers and policy makers to reduce the use of synthetic polymers, whose production contributes to the depletion of non-renewable resources and are usually non-biodegradable, has prompted the efforts to find suitable bio-based sources for the production of polymers. Vegetable oils have been a frequently spotted in this search because they are versatile, highly available and a low cost liquid biosource, which can be used in the synthesis of a wide plethora of different polymers and reactive monomers. Following the same idea of reducing the environmental stress, the traditional polyurethanes that are soluble in organic solvents have been targeted for replacement, particu-larly in applications such as adhesives and coatings, in which the solvent is released to the atmosphere increasing the air pollution. Instead, waterborne poly-urethanes (WBPU), which are polyurethane dispersions (PUD) prepared in aqueous media, release benign water to the atmosphere during use as supported or self-standing films for different applications. In this brief review, the contributions to the development of WBPUs based on vegetable oils are discussed, focusing mainly on the contributions of the last decade. The synthesis of ionic and non-ionic PUDs, their characterization and the properties of the resulting dried mate-rials, as well as derived composite materials are considered.Fil: Mucci, Veronica Lujan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Hormaiztegui, M. E. Victoria. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Aranguren, Mirta Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentin

Structural properties of adsorbent phyllosilicates rule the entrapping ability of intercalated iron-phenanthroline complex towards thiols

The interaction of volatile organic sulfur derivatives, such as 1-heptanethiol (C7H16S), with clay minerals treated with a μ-oxo Fe3+-phenanthroline 1:1 complex results strongly affected by crystal chemical properties of pristine mineral phases. In particular, two sepiolite clays with different structural features demonstrated significantly different ability to immobilize the Fe3+-phenanthroline complex at two pH values (pH = 5.4 and pH = 2.3). The most effective binding was obtained with sepiolite with higher structural disorder at pH 5.4. Accordingly, the resulting hybrid material showed also the greatest efficiency in removal of thiol in gas phase. A direct correlation can be established between the adsorption of the Fe3+-phenanthroline complex and the gas binding process at room temperature. In fact, 1-heptanethiol entrapping occurs via redox reactions between Fe3+ and a first thiol molecule to give the reduced Fe2+-phenanthroline complex and disulfide, followed by the binding of further thiols to the reduced metal centre. The extremely high amount of thiol immobilized by the hybrid material also suggests the co-presence of a catalytic mechanism that guarantees the reoxidation of Fe+2 to Fe+3 and the restoration of redox reactions with thiol. Investigation and conclusions were supported by the several experimental techniques: elemental analysis, X-ray powder diffraction analyses, UV–Vis measurements, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analyses

prebiotics offered to broiler chicken exert positive effect on meat quality traits irrespective of delivery route

Elimination of antibiotic growth promoters from poultry production has encouraged intensive search for relevant alternatives. Prebiotics are proposed as efficient replacements to stimulate colonization/expansion of beneficial microflora in chickens. The aim of this study was to deepen the knowledge on the effect of prebiotic administration on slaughter performance and meat quality traits of broiler chickens by evaluating different routes of their delivery (in ovo vs. in-water vs. in ovo + in-water). At d 12 of incubation, 1,500 eggs (Ross 308) containing viable embryos were randomly allotted into 4 groups and injected in ovo with 0.2 mL solution containing: 3.5 mg/embryo BI (Bi²tos, trans-galactooligosaccharides); 0.88 mg/embryo DN (DiNovo, extract of Laminaria spp.); 1.9 mg/embryo RFO (raffinose family oligosaccharides) and 0.2 mL physiological saline (C). All prebiotics increased final BW compared to C group (P < 0.01), irrespective of delivery route. The prebiotics injected in ovo (T1) or in ovo combined with in-water supplementation (T2) increased carcass weight as compared with in-water group (T3), while T3 had the lowest carcass yield compared to the other groups. All prebiotics increased breast muscle weight and yield (P < 0.01), as well as fiber diameter (P < 0.05). Ultimate meat pH was lower (P < 0.01) in T3 than in T2 group. Meat from chickens treated with prebiotics showed a lower redness index, while lightness and yellowness were not affected by the treatments. Saturated fatty acid (SFA), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and n-3 fatty acids contents were higher (P < 0.01), and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) level was lower (P < 0.01) in prebiotic groups compared with C group. Nutritional indexes (n-6/n-3, PUFA/SFA ratio and thrombogenic index) displayed favorable human health-promoting values in the meat of chickens which were treated with prebiotics, irrespective of delivery route. Muscle cholesterol content was not affected by prebiotics. In conclusion, this study has shown that prebiotics can exert positive effects on growth of broiler chickens, carcass and meat quality traits, irrespective of delivery route

Little owl (Athene noctua): nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals divergence of soutwestern and central european subspecies

We utilized mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to study the phylogeography of little owls (Athene noctua) across Europe. Data from 326 individuals distributed among 22 sites were used to assess geographical distribution of the European subspecies, i.e., the widely accepted vidalii, noctua and indigena, and the questioned sarda-species. On the basis of the sequences of two mtDNA markers (CRI D-Loop 494 bp and COI 679 bp), we found a major difference between a first haplogroup, distributed in the North-West (from Iberia to Denmark and Czech Republic) and three other clades, distributed in the South-Eastern part of the study area. In particular we found a second group distributed in the Balkans and a third located in Sardinia, while in Italy there was a mixture between a fourth haplogroup of South-Italy and both the North-West and the Balkan clades. All individuals sampled in Sardinian differed clearly from other haplogroups. The combined analyses of the 13 nuclear microsatellite loci corroborated these results. Both mitochondrial and nuclear markers showed that interaction across contact zones generate a mixture of genotypes not only in Italy, but also in Central Europe. The apparent position of the contact zones differs substantially from the subspecies distribution reported in literature. DNA data are consistent with the phylogeographic hypothesis that this species survived the Pleistocene glaciations in three major refugia located in Iberia, South Italy, and the Balkans. Expansion patterns indicate that little owls from the Iberian refugium were the predominant source of postglacial colonization of northern Europe, while expansion out of South-Italy and Balkans had more limited effects

Mindfulness as a protective factor for dissatisfaction in HCWS: The moderating role of mindful attention between climate stress and job satisfaction

With the aim of investigating the possible moderating effect of job control and dispositional mindfulness between different sources of organizational stress and job satisfaction, a correlational study was designed involving health care workers (HCWs). The following questionnaires were administered and completed by 237 HCWs: (1) Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI), to measure the sources of stress at work (managerial role, climate power, climate structure, internal relationships), and job satisfaction; (2) Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) to assess the individual's level of attention to what is taking place in the present; (3) Job Control Scale (JCS) to assess the perceived control at work. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the hypothesized relationships between variables; the results showed that, between the different sources of stress, the organizational climate dimension was negatively associated with job satisfaction; moreover, mindfulness attention moderated the relationship between climate stress and job satisfaction; unexpectedly, the interaction between job control and the organizational climate dimension was not significant in affecting job satisfaction. This study can provide useful information for Human Resources Management (HRM) practices regarding job and mental control interventions and empowerment, and possibly offer a new interpretation of the role of attention to what is happening in the present moment and autonomy between climate stressors and occupational satisfaction