Perceptions of Reading Instruction

It follows that there exists an obvious need for elementary reading programs to be closely articulated with the developing and changing reading requirements of pupils as they progress through the elementary grades. There is an even more obvious need for close cooperation between teachers and administrators in order to implement reading programs that meet pupil requirements

Damage Detection and Localization on Real Structures Subjected to Strong Motion Earthquakes Using the Curvature Evolution Method: The Navelli (Italy) Case Study

In recent years, structural health monitoring (SHM) has received increasing interest from both research and professional engineering communities. This is due to the limitations related to the use of traditional methods based on visual inspection for a rapid and effective assessment of structures and infrastructures when compared with the great potential offered by newly developed automatic systems. Most of these kinds of systems allow the continuous estimation of structural modal properties that are strictly correlated to the mechanical characteristics of the monitored structure. These can change as a result of material deterioration and structural damage related to earthquake shaking. Furthermore, a suitable configuration of a dense sensor network in a real-time monitoring system can allow to detect and localize structural and non-structural damage by comparing the initial and a final state of the structure after a critical event, such as a relevant earthquake. In this paper, the modal curvature evaluation method, used for damage detection and localization on framed structures, considering the mode curvature variation due to strong earthquake shaking, is further developed. The modified approach is validated by numerical and experimental case studies. The extended procedure, named "Curvature Evolution Method" (CEM), reduces the required computing time and the uncertainties in the results. Furthermore, in this work, an empirical relationship between curvature variation and damage index has been defined for both bare and infilled frames

Buildings as a seismic source: analysis of a release test at Bagnoli, Italy

Taking advantage of a large displacement-release experiment on a twostory reinforced concrete building located in Bagnoli (Naples, Italy), we performed free-field measurements using 3D seismometers, accelerometers, and a 100-m-long vertical array. The ground motion was noticeable: near the building, the acceleration exceeded 5% g. At each measurement point, it was possible to recognize two source terms, due to the tested building and to the reaction structure. The two sources generated different wave trains. High-frequency accelerations propagated as Rayleigh waves, whereas 1–2 Hz waves carrying most of the displacement propagated only as body waves. The experiment lends further support to the hypothesis that buildings are able to modify substantially the free-field ground motion in their proximity: the peak ground acceleration we observed is the 20% of the ground acceleration required to produce a displacement on the building equal to the one imposed during the release test. We recognize, however, the difficulty of a realistic modeling of wave propagation in the topmost layer of a densely urbanized area

Phase sensitive amplification in a highly nonlinear lead-silicate fibre

We experimentally demonstrate phase-sensitive amplification in a highly nonlinear lead-silicate W-type fibre. A phase-sensitive gain swing of 6dB was observed in a 1.56m sample of the fibre for a total launched power of 33dBm

Effects of resveratrol on bone health in type 2 diabetic patients. A double-blind randomized-controlled trial

Abstract Objectives Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are at increased fracture risk. Resveratrol has shown beneficial effects on bone health in few studies. The aim of this trial was to investigate the effects of resveratrol on bone mineral density (BMD) and on calcium metabolism biomarkers in T2DM patients. Methods In this double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial 192 T2DM outpatients were randomized to receive resveratrol 500 mg/day (Resv500 arm), resveratrol 40 mg/day (Resv40 arm) or placebo for 6 months. BMD, bone mineral content (BMC), serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D were measured at baseline and after 6 months. Results At follow-up, calcium concentrations increased in all patients, while within-group variations in alkaline phosphatase were higher in both resveratrol arms, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D increased in the Resv500 arm only, without between-group differences. Whole-body BMD significantly decreased in the placebo group, while whole-body BMC decreased in both the placebo and Resv40 arms. No significant changes in BMD and BMC values occurred in the Resv500 arm. The adjusted mean differences of change from baseline were significantly different in the Resv500 arm vs placebo for whole-body BMD (0.01 vs −0.03 g/cm2, p = 0.001), whole-body BMC (4.04 vs −58.8 g, p < 0.001), whole-body T-score (0.15 vs −0.26), and serum phosphorus (0.07 vs −0.01 µmol/L, p = 0.002). In subgroup analyses, in Resv500 treated-patients BMD values increased to higher levels in those with lower calcium and 25-hydroxy vitamin D values, and in alcohol drinkers. Conclusions Supplementation with 500 mg resveratrol prevented bone density loss in patients with T2DM, in particular, in those with unfavorable conditions at baseline

Getting the most out of citizen science for endangered species such as whale shark

Citizen science by which the general public is enlisted to participate in data collection programmes, can shed light on the biology and ecology of enigmatic species. The whale shark Rhincodon typus, the world’s largest fish, is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to continued population declines, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. The species is highly mobile, capable of crossing international boundaries, yet the species’ movements in Southeast Asia remain poorly understood. Citizen science has been used broadly in the region and beyond, to understand the species’ biology and ecology. Here, we report the first international movement of a whale shark between the Philippines and Malaysia as determined through photo-ID and citizen science. A juvenile female whale shark, P-1159, was first identified in Oslob, Cebu, Philippines in December 2017 by ongoing research at the site, and resighted in Pulau Sipadan, Sabah, Malaysia, in October 2019 by a citizen scientist. Pulau Sipadan is one of Southeast Asia’s most popular diving destinations, yet whale shark sightings are uncommon. Citizen scientists ready to collect and share data with ongoing research plays a key role in monitoring enigmatic species. Protocols should be developed to systematically collect unique sightings and behaviours accessible to divers as citizen scientists that would otherwise be lost to science

Advanced Video-Based Processing for Low-Cost Damage Assessment of Buildings under Seismic Loading in Shaking Table Tests

This paper explores the potential of a low-cost, advanced video-based technique for the assessment of structural damage to buildings caused by seismic loading. A low-cost, high-speed video camera was utilized for the motion magnification processing of footage of a two-story reinforced-concrete frame building subjected to shaking table tests. The damage after seismic loading was estimated by analyzing the dynamic behavior (i.e., modal parameters) and the structural deformations of the building in magnified videos. The results using the motion magnification procedure were compared for validation of the method of the damage assessment obtained through analyses of conventional accelerometric sensors and high-precision optical markers tracked using a passive 3D motion capture system. In addition, 3D laser scanning to obtain an accurate survey of the building geometry before and after the seismic tests was carried out. In particular, accelerometric recordings were also processed and analyzed using several stationary and nonstationary signal processing techniques with the aim of analyzing the linear behavior of the undamaged structure and the nonlinear structural behavior during damaging shaking table tests. The proposed procedure based on the analysis of magnified videos provided an accurate estimate of the main modal frequency and the damage location through the analysis of the modal shapes, which were confirmed using advanced analyses of the accelerometric data. Consequently, the main novelty of the study was the highlighting of a simple procedure with high potential for the extraction and analysis of modal parameters, with a special focus on the analysis of the modal shape's curvature, which provides accurate information on the location of the damage in a structure, while using a noncontact and low-cost method

Different effects by sex on hypothalamic-pituitary axis of prepubertal offspring rats produced by in utero and lactational exposure to di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)

This study investigated the effect of pre and perinatal exposure to di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on the neuroendocrine parameters that regulate reproduction in prepubertal male and female rats. DEHP at doses of 3 and 30 mg/kg. bw/day was administered orally in the drinking water to dam rats since pregnancy onset until the moment of pups sacrifice at 15 days of age. In these animals gonadotropin serum level and the hypothalamic contents of the amino acids aspartate, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid were determined. No changes in gonadotropin levels and amino acid neurotransmitters were detected at the low dose in both sexes. However, DEHP administered at high dose (30 mg/kg bw/day) to dams produced a significant decrease in the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and an increase in the stimulatory neurotransmitter aspartate in prepubertal male offspring rats. These modifications were accompanied by gonadotropin serum levels increase. On the contrary, in treated female rats this chemical increased both, aspartate and GABA, which exert a characteristic stimulatory action on gonadotropin in 15-day-old normal females. This study provides new data about changes produced by DEHP on the hypothalamic amino acid neurotransmitters involved in the neuroendocrine reproductive regulation, in prepubertal male and female rat offspring from dams exposed during gestational and lactational periods. These alterations induced by DEHP exposure could be related to the gonadotropin modifications also described in this work, and with changes in the production of sexual hormones previously reported by other authors.Fil: Carbone, Silvia Elena. Universidad Favaloro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Samaniego, Yanina A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Cutrera, Rodolfo Angel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Reynoso, R.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Cardoso, N.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Scacchi, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Moguilevsky, Jaime Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Favaloro; ArgentinaFil: Ponzo, Osvaldo Juan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentin