A summary of research in elementary school social studies (1951-1955).

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Parameter dependence of phase and log amplitude scintillation

Parameter dependence of phase and log amplitude scintillation - Signal statistics of spherical wave emitted by transmitter through intervening slab of irregularitie

Enacting Occupation and Identity: Perspectives of Children and Their Parents

Children with disabilities are at risk for limited opportunities to engage in childhood occupations. Occupation is defined broadly as everything people need, want, or are obliged to do, and as understanding how social dimensions shape occupations and opportunities for participation. Emergent literature suggests that identities are shaped by what we do. This research examines how occupation is implicated in the shaping of identities for school-aged children with physical disabilities in light of the socio-cultural dimensions that shape opportunities for children to participate in childhood occupations. This work is comprised of five integrated manuscripts, in addition to introduction, methodology, and discussion chapters. The first manuscript contributes to disciplinary discussions about occupational identity as an emerging construct and calls for a socio-cultural theoretical perspective to considerations of occupational identity. The second manuscript examines a disability studies perspective, and introduces the concept of reflexivity as important for professional practice in occupational therapy. The third manuscript discusses photoelicitation as a promising method for eliciting children’s perspectives in research. In addition philosophical underpinnings, practical considerations, ethical considerations, and examples from this research are discussed. The fourth manuscript reports on the empirical work, examining how occupation is implicated in the shaping of identity for children with physical disabilities. In depth case studies were used to investigate participation in occupations and perceptions of identity with six children and their parents. Each case was analyzed using concept maps and coded for conceptual categories. Six categories are presented: Perceptions of Self and Other: Living with Disability; Family Identity, Tradition and Culture; Relational Identity: A Sense of Belonging; Pride, Success, and Seeing things through…; Growing up and Keeping Up; and Identity as Dynamic. Finally, the fifth manuscript revisits the topic of reflexivity, and discusses its merit in ethical research with children. This thesis contributes to knowledge pertaining to socio-cultural factors that shape opportunities for children to participate in occupations, and the relationship between occupation and identity for children with physical disabilities. In addition this work contributes to methodological and ethical discussions about conducting research with children. This work has implications for occupational science, health care professionals, policy, children and parents

Critical role of canonical transient receptor potential channel 7 in initiation of seizures

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life-threatening disease that has been recognized since antiquity but still causes over 50,000 deaths annually in the United States. The prevailing view on the pathophysiology of SE is that it is sustained by a loss of normal inhibitory mechanisms of neuronal activity. However, the early process leading to the initiation of SE is not well understood. Here, we show that, as seen in electroencephalograms, SE induced by the muscarinic agonist pilocarpine in mice is preceded by a specific increase in the gamma wave, and genetic ablation of canonical transient receptor potential channel (TRPC) 7 significantly reduces this pilocarpine-induced increase of gamma wave activity, preventing the occurrence of SE. At the cellular level, TRPC7 plays a critical role in the generation of spontaneous epileptiform burst firing in cornu ammonis (CA) 3 pyramidal neurons in brain slices. At the synaptic level, TRPC7 plays a significant role in the long-term potentiation at the CA3 recurrent collateral synapses and Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses, but not at the mossy fiber-CA3 synapses. Taken together, our data suggest that epileptiform burst firing generated in the CA3 region by activity-dependent enhancement of recurrent collateral synapses may be an early event in the initiation process of SE and that TRPC7 plays a critical role in this cellular event. Our findings reveal that TRPC7 is intimately involved in the initiation of seizures both in vitro and in vivo. To our knowledge, this contribution to initiation of seizures is the first identified functional role for the TRPC7 ion channel.Fil: Phelan, K. D.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Shwe, U. T.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Abramowitz, J.. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Birnbaumer, Lutz. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Zheng, F.. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Estados Unido

A Triangular Tessellation Scheme for the Adsorption Free Energy at the Liquid-Liquid Interface: Towards Non-Convex Patterned Colloids

We introduce a new numerical technique, namely triangular tessellation, to calculate the free energy associated with the adsorption of a colloidal particle at a flat interface. The theory and numerical scheme presented here are sufficiently general to handle non-convex patchy colloids with arbitrary surface patterns characterized by a wetting angle, e.g., amphiphilicity. We ignore interfacial deformation due to capillary, electrostatic, or gravitational forces, but the method can be extended to take such effects into account. It is verified that the numerical method presented is accurate and sufficiently stable to be applied to more general situations than presented in this paper. The merits of the tessellation method prove to outweigh those of traditionally used semi-analytic approaches, especially when it comes to generality and applicability.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, 0 table

Internal Bore Seasonality and Tidal Pumping of Subthermocline Waters at the Head of the Monterey Submarine Canyon

This study utilizes more than a year of observations made in shallow waters (~30 m) at the head of the Monterey Submarine Canyon to assess variability in the physical environment and internal bore field. The interaction of the internal tide with the canyon rim results in a semidiurnal tidal period pumping of cold–water masses (subthermocline waters) onto the adjacent shelf (i.e., internal bores). These internal bores are shown to be significantly coherent with the local sea surface height with minimal spatial variability when comparing two sites near the canyon head region. During the summer months, and periods of strong regional wind-driven upwelling and shoaling of the offshore thermocline, the canyon rim sites display elevated semidiurnal temperature variance. This semidiurnal variability reaches its annual minimum during the winter months when the regional upwelling favorable winds subside and the offshore thermocline deepens. Additionally, the observed internal bores show a distinct asymmetry between the leading (gradual cooling with velocities directed onto the shelf) and trailing edges (sharp warming with velocities directed into the canyon). It appears that the semidiurnal internal tide at the canyon head is a first-order control on the delivery of subthermocline waters to the nearshore coastal environment at this location

Virus Sharing, Genetic Sequencing, and Global Health Security

The WHO’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework was a milestone global agreement designed to promote the international sharing of biological samples to develop vaccines, while that ensuring poorer countries would have access to those vaccines. Since the PIP Framework was negotiated, scientists have developed the capacity to use genetic sequencing data (GSD) to develop synthetic viruses rapidly for product development of life-saving technologies in a time-sensitive global emergency—threatening to unravel the Framework. Access to GSD may also have major implications for biosecurity, biosafety, and intellectual property (IP). By rendering the physical transfer of viruses antiquated, GSD may also undermine the effectiveness of the PIP Framework itself, with disproportionate impacts on poorer countries. We examine the changes that need to be made to the PIP Framework to address the growing likelihood that GSD might be shared instead of physical virus samples. We also propose that the international community harness this opportunity to expand the scope of the PIP Framework beyond only influenza viruses with pandemic potential. In light of non-influenza pandemic threats such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Ebola, we call for an international agreement on the sharing of the benefits of research – such as vaccines and treatments – for other infectious diseases to ensure not only a more secure and healthy world, but also a more just world, for humanity

Computation of equilibrium foam structure using the Surface Evolver

The Surface Evolver has been used to minimise the surface area of various ordered structures for monodisperse foam. Additional features have enabled its application to foams of arbitrary liquid fraction. Early results for the case of dry foam (negligible liquid fraction) produced a structure haveing lower surface area, or energy, than Kelvin\u27s 1887 minimal tetrakaidecahedron. The calculations reported here show that this remains the case when the liquid fraction is finite, up to about 11%, at which point an f.c.c arrangement of the cells becomes preferable

Influence of internal bores on larval fish abundance and community composition

A persistent semidiurnal internal tidal bore feature occurs at the head of the Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon and drives regular intrusions of cold, subthermocline waters onto the adjacent shelf. In this study, we examine the influence of this internal tidal bore feature on the larval fish community using over a year of periodic larval fish samples collected coincidently with physical measurements. Larval samples were categorized into one of two water mass periods: a “warm period” representative of shallow coastal shelf waters and a “cold period” characteristics of colder waters present during internal bore forcing. Using multivariate statistical methods, we show warm and cold periods, along with seasonality, are the primary drivers of larval fish community composition. A significantly different community composition was observed between warm and cold water mass periods. This difference was primarily due to decreased abundance in most taxa during the cold periods, and did not indicate an obvious shift in the assemblage of the taxa. However, our data do indicate that some taxa may show higher abundance during cold periods compared to warm periods, but further studies are warranted. Along with seasonality, the presence/absence of subthermocline waters driven by internal bores appears to be a key control on nearshore larval fish community composition at this location

Associations Between Mothers’ Use of Food to Soothe, Feeding Mode, and Infant Weight During Early Infancy

Weight status and rate of weight gain in the first six months postpartum are strong predictors of later obesity; thus, infant feeding practices are an important target for obesity prevention efforts. The use of food to soothe (FTS) is associated with less-favorable eating habits and weight outcomes for older infants and children. However, few studies have examined correlates of use of FTS during early infancy. The primary aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore associations between use of FTS and infant weight status in the first 6 months postpartum. A secondary aim was to identify the combination of maternal and infant characteristics that predicted use of FTS. Mothers of infants aged 6 months or younger (N = 134) completed questionnaires assessing use of FTS, bottle-feeding intensity (i.e., percentage of daily feedings from bottles versus directly from the breast), levels of responsive and pressuring feeding styles, dimensions of infant temperament and eating behaviors, and family demographics. Dyads were observed during feeding to assess maternal sensitivity to infant cues and responsiveness to infant distress and infant clarity of cues and responsiveness to the mother. Infant weight and length at study entry were assessed by a trained research assistant. Use of FTS was not associated with infant weight for age z-score (WAZ), even when bottle-feeding intensity was considered as a moderator. More frequent use of FTS was predicted by the combination of greater levels of pressuring feeding style (p = .005) and infant temperamental negative affectivity (p = .001), and lower levels of infant temperamental surgency/extraversion (p = .018). In conclusion, use of FTS was associated with dimensions of infant temperament and maternal feeding style, but not with WAZ during early infancy