Empowering And Equipping Hispanic Immigrant Parents To Actively Engage In Their Children’S Education

The research question addressed in this project was, how can Hispanic immigrant parents be effectively equipped to support their Pre K-3 children’s education in order to reduce the existing achievement gap? The idea of this Capstone was born with the fact that there is an educational achievement gap. The research shows that this gap is influenced by SES and different views of the concept of involvement. As a result, the Capstone develops a comprehensive view of involvement and how the implementation of some strategies by low SES immigrant families from birth to early elementary years can help their children be more successful in school and reduce the achievement gap. In addition to the literature, the Capstone includes a project, which includes an eight week training session for parents. In these sessions, families are made aware of the achievement gap and are equipped with strategies that can be used in a daily basis in order to prepare preschool age children for later school readiness as well as implementing activities for K-3 children that complement what is learned at school. In this way, based on research, the project intends to reduce the achievement gap by making parents aware of the significance of their involvement in their children’s education and giving them tools so they would be able to implement that involvement in their homes

"A book for every comrade". Publishing houses and reading policies of the Italian communist party (1944-1956)

Anche se la politica editoriale comunista rappresenta un campo di indagine fondamentale nella ricerca sul Pci, la sua attività editoriale è caduta in un oblio storico. Assumendo il libro come supporto materiale e veicolo della cultura politica comunista, e la casa editrice come canale di socializzazione, questa ricerca s’interroga sui suoi processi di costruzione e di diffusione. La ricerca si muove in due direzioni. Nel primo capitolo si è tentato di dare conto delle ragioni metodologiche dell’indagine e della messa a punto delle ipotesi di ricerca sul “partito editore”, raccogliendo alcune sfide poste alla storia politica da altri ambiti disciplinari, come la sociologia e la scienza politica, che rappresentano una vena feconda per la nostra indagine. La seconda direzione, empirica, ha riguardato la ricognizione delle fonti e degli strumenti di analisi per ricostruire le vicende del “partito editore” dal 1944 al 1956. La suddivisione della ricerca in due parti – 1944-1947 e 1947-1956 – segue a grandi linee la periodizzazione classica individuata dalla storiografia sulla politica culturale del Pci, ed è costruita su quattro fratture storiche – il 1944, con la “svolta di Salerno”; il 1947, con la “svolta cominformista”; il 1953, con la morte di Stalin e il disgelo; il 1956, con il XX Congresso e i fatti d’Ungheria – che sono risultate significative anche per la nostra ricerca sull’editoria comunista. Infine, il presente lavoro si basa su tre livelli di analisi: l’individuazione dei meccanismi di decisione politica e dell’organizzazione assunta dall’editoria comunista, esaminando gli scopi e i mutamenti organizzativi interni al partito per capire come i mutamenti strategici e tattici si sono riflessi sull’attività editoriale; la ricostruzione della produzione editoriale comunista; infine, l’identificazione dei processi di distribuzione e delle politiche per la lettura promosse dal Pci.Communist editorial policy is a fundamental research area for the study of PCI, but the party’s publishing activity has fallen into historical oblivion. Assuming the book as a material support and vehicle of the communist political culture and the publishing house as a socialization channel, this research questions the its construction and diffusion processes. This research follows two main paths. In the first chapter, we tried to explain the methodological reasons of “Party Publisher”. In the second part of the thesis, empiric, we try to reconstruct the history of communist publishing houses. The historical period embraced is divide in two parts – 1944-1947 and 1947-1956 – according to the classical history of the cultural policy of the PCI, and is centered on four historical events: the “Salerno turn” (1944), the “Cominform turn” (1947), Stalin’s death (1956) and the XX Congress (1956). We adopted three levels of analysis: identifying the organization and decision making structure of Communist publishing activity, reconstructing book production processes, and identifying distribution processes and reading promotion policies promoted by the PCI

The relationship among the health-related quality of life, illness severity, personality and psychiatric symptoms in patients with psoriasis: an empirical investigation

Background: Psoriasis is a complex and chronic inflammatory skin disorder. The mechanisms underlying this immune-mediated disease are not clear, but some evidence indicates that specific personality features and symptom patterns may play an important role in the development and clinical presentation of the disorder and influence the quality of patients’ lives. This study aimed at evaluating the associations among the quality of life, illness severity, psychiatric symptoms and personality patterns in patients with psoriasis treated with biological or topical therapy. Methods: Fifty psoriatic patients were evaluated with self-report measures: the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90R) and the Psoriasis Index of Quality of Life (PSORIQoL). Their personality and psychological functioning were assessed by external raters using the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200) applied to the Clinical Diagnostic Interviews (CDI). Finally, the severity and the area of psoriatic lesions were evaluated by dermatologists with the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). Results: Significant differences between the groups (biological vs topical therapy) were found in PASI scores: patients assigned to biological therapy showed lower levels of illness severity. No differences were found in PSORIQoL scores. The quality of life was negatively associated with various dimensions of SCL-90R and with borderline (r = .39; p< .01), dependent (r = .41; p< .01) and avoidant (r = .35; p< .05) personality styles/disorders; conversely, it did not relate to PASI. Conclusions: The results seem to suggest that the quality of life in psoriatic patients is more influenced by personality characteristics and psychiatric symptoms than by the severity of psoriatic lesions

Granite Dust is the Possible Component of the Dry Construction Mixtures

This paper is devoted to research of possibility of utilization of granite dust. It is shownthat the granite dust from the crushing screenings of "Shartashskiy stone-crushed stone quarry" can be recommended as a filler for the production of dry building mixes for flooring. With the introduction of dust in the amount of 20 % by weight of cement it is possible to obtain the mortar of the class not less B12.5. Keywords: Granite dust, dust-like waste, Portland cement, polymer, modification, compressive strength, flexural strength, sand, dry mixture, mortar, compositio

Comparative analysis of Iron Age bronze archaeological objects from a Picenum necropolis of Centre Italy with Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis

An archaeological area from the 8th and 7th centuries B.C. has been recently discovered during a rescue excavation near Matelica site (Marche Region, Italy) in the period 1994-2005. Out of the treasures found in the graves, 18 bronze objects have been chosen for Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) at the Budapest Research Reactor (BRR), selected from the 7th century B.C. archaeological founds of Matelica and Fabriano sites. Various investigations, already performed in the same field, have confirmed the applicability of the considered technique and the feasibility of the proposed experiment. Besides determining the major components of the analyzed fragments, some trace elements, such as Sb, As and Ag, have also been identified. The compositions of the different samples have been also compared, in order to gain information regarding possible workshops and provenance. The comparative analysis will be useful, moreover, to establish an eventual classification according to the chemical composition. The obtained results are complementary to those already achieved for the considered objects, including atomic absorption, atomic emission and neutron diffraction

Feasibility Study for a Neutron-Based Investigation of Polymer Cement Concretes

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Otkivci i mogućnosti njihova ispitivanja pomoću neutronske tehnike

A forging process can lead to material’s micro- and nano-structure evolution, as well as production of internal residual stresses (RS). Typical fine-grained microstructures are achieved after forging at different temperatures, which are usually investigated and interpreted via conventional tests and analyses including optical, scanning and transmission of electron microscopy. The outputs from these methods can present an important lack of data, regarding basic parameters that aid comprehend and eventually predict degradation, possible fracture and lifetime. These parameters are determinable on real samples and can be supplied by neutron-based non-destructive diagnostic methods, in particular small angle neutron scattering (SANS) for micro- and nano-scale characterisation and neutron diffraction (ND) to assess internal RS. In this paper, some examples related to forged components - in particular, made of AlSi12CuNiMg alloy - are reported, concerning investigations by neutron techniques. The result can be translated directly into optimization of performances, reliability, design of operating conditions and procedures, in order to achieve a better quality of forged products.Procesom kovanja može se materijal dovesti do razvoja mikro i nano-strukture materijala, kao i razvoja unutarnjih zaostalih naprezanja. Tipična sitnozrnata mikrostruktura postiže se kovanjem na različitim temperaturama, koje se obično istražuju i objašnjavaju uobičajenim ispitivanjem i analizom uključujući optičke, skenirajuće i transmisijske elektronske metode mikroskopije. Rezultati ispitivanja ovim metodama mogu biti nedostatni za razumijevanje i predviđanje mogućeg propadanja, pojavu loma i skraćenja vijeka trajanja. Ovi parametri mogu se utvrditi na realnim uzorcima nerazornim neutronskim dijagnostičkim metodama, posebno kod malog kuta raspršavanja neutronskog snopa (SANS) za karakterizaciju po mikro i nano-skali te neutronskoj difrakciji (ND), za procjenu unutrašnjeg zaostalog naprezanja.. U ovom radu, neki primjeri se odnose na kovane komponente - osobito od AlSi12CuNiMg legure - iskazuju se, u vezi s ispitivanjem neutronskom tehnikom. Rezultati se mogu direktno optimizirati u smislu poboljšanja svojstava, pouzdanosti, modeliranja radnih uvjeta i procedure, a sve kako bi se opostigla bolja kvaliteta kovanih proizvoda

PIXE Investigation of Ancient Linen Fabrics Dated from Old Kingdom to Ptolemaic Ages (2200-300 B.C.)

External milli-beam particle induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) has been used as non-destructive technique to investigate ancient linen fabrics from pre-dynastic and Ptolemaic ages belonging to the archaeological collections of the Egyptian Museum of Turin and to the Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna, Italy. 9 linen fabric samples dated from Old Kingdom to Ptolemaic ages (2200-300 B.C.) were investigated, as well as 5 modern linen fabric samples, added for comparison. The primary goal of this work has been to advance the correct material description of the fabrics providing scientific data for further and more comprehensive comparative analyses. PIXE has provided quantitative analyses for the major (Si, Cl, K, Ca and Fe) and minor or trace elements as P, Ti and Mn, supplying information on the near-surface elemental composition. The achieved results contribute to comprehend the structural basis for the chemical properties of the considered materials, as well as to set up a classification according to the chemical composition, allowing in general a better understanding of the studied linen cloths

Moving and lifting patients: postural and ergonomic aspects

The most dangerous and difficult tasks faced by health workers are those procedures involved with lifting and moving patients. Therefore, training and recycling programs in lifting procedures are a compulsory part of programs for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in schools and health institutions. The present study presents basic and innovative orientation with an ergonomic approach regarding these procedures, together with the use of devices.Os procedimentos que envolvem a movimentação e o transporte de pacientes são considerados os mais penosos e perigosos para os trabalhadores de saúde, sendo que a implementação de treinamentos e reciclagem é parte obrigatória de programas de prevenção de lesões músculo-esqueléticas em escolas e instituições de saúde. O presente trabalho descreve orientações básicas e inovadoras sobre esses procedimentos, dentro de uma abordagem ergonômica e com a utilização de materiais auxiliares