The situation test as a method of problem solving in science teaching on the sixth grade level

Research states that elementary science is about twenty-five years old -- a recent addition to the curriculum. Changes in a new area in elementary teaching usually come slowly. The rapid development of the science program has resulted from the tremendous pressure of various groups to gain child attention. The weight of the national and international events have forced public opinion to consider science teaching in the elementary school as a necessity. The American elementary school is a unique institution. It is the foundation for the citizens in a democracy. This assigns to the elementary school teacher many professional tasks. She becomes a specialist in the education of children. Teaching science is only one of her functions

Cultural Resources Survey of the Lone Star Express II Pipeline Project - Loop 2, in Nolan, Taylor, Callahan, and Eastland Counties, Texas

Gray & Pape, Inc., of Houston, Texas, on behalf of Lonestar NGL Pipeline, LP, conducted an intensive pedestrian cultural resources survey within permitted areas of the 117.85-kilometer (73.23-mile) long Lone Star Express II Pipeline Project – Loop 2, in Nolan, Taylor, Callahan, and Eastland Counties, Texas. The lead agency for the project has been identified as the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District (Permit No. SWF-2019-00234). Thus, survey efforts concentrated on areas anticipated to be under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (permit areas). Within Loop 2, the total Area of Potential Effects within the permit areas measures approximately 125.9 hectares (311 acres). This area encapsulates approximately 29 kilometers (18 miles) of the proposed project alignment. The procedures to be followed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to fulfill the requirements set forth in the National Historic Preservation Act, other applicable historic preservation laws, and Presidential directives as they relate to the regulatory program of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (33 CFR Parts 320-334) are articulated in the Regulatory Program of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Part 325 - Processing of Department of the Army Permits, Appendix C - Procedures for the Protection of Historic Properties. All fieldwork and reporting activities were completed according to a scope of work submitted to the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Historical Commission and accepted standards set forth by the Texas Historical Commission and the Council of Texas Archeologists and in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. A records and literature review of the project location prior to the survey identified 17 previously recorded archaeological resources, one cemetery, one historic marker, and 17 previously conducted surveys within a 0.8-kilometer (0.5-mile) radius of the Loop 2 segment. Of those, six recorded archaeological resources are within 91 meters (300 feet) of the project corridor and four previous surveys intersect the project alignment. Fieldwork on Loop 2 was initially conducted in Spring 2019, with supplemental investigations taking place in August, October, and November of 2019. Survey of Loop 2 required approximately 2,320 person-hours to complete and involved archaeological reconnaissance and shovel testing throughout anticipated permit areas within the project corridor. In total, approximately 677 shovel tests were excavated within permit areas and beyond in cases of site delineation, of which six within the APE were positive for cultural materials. A total of 14 mechanical auger tests were conducted within Permit Area 6 at Mulberry Creek. All were negative for cultural materials. Five previously recorded resources: 41NL318, 41TA353, 41TA354, 41TA314, and 41CA27; six new resources: 41TA396, 41TA397, 41TA398, 41TA399, 41CA42, and 41CA43; and two isolate finds were identified within Loop 2 permit areas. Materials were identified adjacent to one additional previously identified resource, 41TA371, located outside of Project Permit Areas. The material consisted of only two artifacts found on the surface in a disturbed context. Thus, the site was not expanded into the current Area of Potential Effects. Four resources are of a historic age or have a historic component: 41NL318, 41TA396, 41TA397, and 41TA399. Historic components generally consist of early to mid-twentieth century and twentieth-century materials representative of trash dumps. Site 41NL318 contains a remnant of a private drive/road and associated wooden bridge. The remainder of the resources are prehistoric. Prehistoric site contents consist nearly entirely of surface scatters of artifacts, with artifact classes largely the same across each, consisting mainly of debitage, with varying numbers of cores and bifaces. On very few occasions, a preform or utilized flake were also observed. In general, the resources appear to represent raw material procurement areas due to the abundant chert deposits available in the rocky soil. Activities are believed to have been largely limited to the procurement and testing of cobbles and expedient manufacture of bifaces. It appears that more refined tool manufacture was taking place elsewhere. Resources 41NL318, 41TA353/354, 41TA396, and 41TA314 contained the only diagnostic prehistoric artifacts identified during survey. Site 41TA353/354 contained Elam and Carrollton type projectile points and Site 41NL318 contained a Clear Fork Uniface, all of which can date to the middle to transitional Archaic. Sites 41TA396 and 41TA314 each contained a likely Marshall dart point which dates to the Late Middle Archaic. No artifacts were collected. No cultural features or historic-age standing resources were encountered in the field. The resource areas identified within the pipeline survey corridor have been previously disturbed by adjacent pipeline construction. Shovel test results at nearly all permit areas identified subsoils, cemented soils, or bedrock and gave indications of soil deflation or truncating, erosion, and past land modifications such as terracing and grading. Mulberry Creek in Taylor County, Permit Area Number 6, was targeted for deep testing based on geomorphological data, and field results and discussions with the Field Archaeologist. Deep test results indicated a lack of A horizon soils and showed no potential for deeply buried cultural material or paleosols within the anticipated depth of impacts at the location. Based on the overall lack of soil deposition, few diagnostics, and lack of integrity, it is the opinion of Gray & Pape, Inc. that the portions of recorded resources that are located within the proposed right-of- way do not retain the potential to provide significant research value and are thus recommended not eligible for the National Register, under Evaluation Criterion D or for State Antiquities Landmark status. Gray & Pape, Inc. recommends no additional archaeological work for these resources or surveyed permit areas of the project. However, Gray & Pape, Inc. recommends that an unanticipated discoveries plan be put into place in the event that such discoveries take place during construction

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in adults in England: comparison of nationally representative cross-sectional surveys from 2003 to 2016

Objectives: To identify recent trends in chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevalence in England and explore their association with changes in sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical factors. Design: Pooled cross-sectional analysis.Setting: Health Survey for England 2003, 2009/2010 combined, and 2016.Participants: 17,663 individuals (aged 16+) living in private households.Primary and secondary outcome measures: Prevalence of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR

Nest choice in arboreal ants is an emergent consequence of network creation under spatial constraints

Biological transportation networks must balance competing functional priorities. The selforganizing mechanisms used to generate such networks have inspired scalable algorithms to construct and maintain low-cost and efficient human-designed transport networks. The pheromone-based trail networks of ants have been especially valuable in this regard. Here, we use turtle ants as our focal system: In contrast to the ant species usually used as models for self-organized networks, these ants live in a spatially constrained arboreal environment where both nesting options and connecting pathways are limited. Thus, they must solve a distinct set of challenges which resemble those faced by human transport engineers constrained by existing infrastructure. Here, we ask how a turtle ant colony’s choice of which nests to include in a network may be influenced by their potential to create connections to other nests. In laboratory experiments with Cephalotes varians and Cephalotes texanus, we show that nest choice is influenced by spatial constraints, but in unexpected ways. Under one spatial configuration, colonies preferentially occupied more connected nest sites; however, under another spatial configuration, this preference disappeared. Comparing the results of these experiments to an agent-based model, we demonstrate that this apparently idiosyncratic relationship between nest connectivity and nest choice can emerge without nest preferences via a combination of self-reinforcing random movement along constrained pathways and density-dependent aggregation at nests. While this mechanism does not consistently lead to the de-novo construction of low-cost, efficient transport networks, it may be an effective way to expand a network, when coupled with processes of pruning and restructuring

Characterization of Culex Flavivirus (Flaviviridae) strains isolated from mosquitoes in the United States and Trinidad

AbstractRecent reports indicate that flaviviruses similar to the cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) naturally infect a wide variety of mosquito species. These newly recognized insect-specific viruses comprise a distinct CFAV complex within the genus Flavivirus. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of nine strains of Culex flavivirus (Cx FV), a member of the CFAV complex, from mosquitoes collected in the United States (East Texas) and Trinidad. Phylogenetic analyses of the envelope protein gene sequences of these nine mosquito isolates with those of other CFAV complex flaviviruses in GenBank indicate that the U.S. isolates group with CxFV isolates from Asia (Japan and Indonesia), while the Trinidad isolates are more similar to CxFV isolates from Central America. A discussion follows on the possible biological significance of the CFAV complex flaviviruses

Competition and habitat availability interact to structure arboreal ant communities across scales of ecological organization

Understanding how resource limitation and biotic interactions interact across spatial scales is fundamental to explaining the structure of ecological communities. However, empirical studies addressing this issue are often hindered by logistical constraints, especially at local scales. Here, we use a highly tractable arboreal ant study system to explore the interactive effects of resource availability and competition on community structure across three local scales: an individual tree, the nest network created by each colony and the individual ant nest. On individual trees, the ant assemblages are primarily shaped by availability of dead wood, a critical nesting resource. The nest networks within a tree are constrained by the availability of nesting resources but also influenced by the co-occurring species. Within individual nests, the distribution of adult ants is only affected by distance to interspecific competitors. These findings demonstrate that resource limitation exerts the strongest effects on diversity at higher levels of local ecological organization, transitioning to a stronger effect of species interactions at finer scales. Collectively, these results highlight that the process exerting the strongest influence on community structure is highly dependent on the scale at which we examine the community, with shifts occurring even across fine-grained local scales

Osobista ocena polskich, słowackich i amerykańskich dzieci jąkających się na temat uzyskiwanego wsparcia

Limited research exists about what children who stutter perceive to be helpful and unhelpful listener supports, and no known research exists cross‑culturally. Such information is necessary to better inform clinical intervention and public attitudes at large. This study sought to address that need by measuring listener preferences among children who stutter from diverse backgrounds.One‑hundred fifty‑one children who stutter from Poland, Slovakia, and the USA completed the child version of the Personal Appraisal of Support for Stuttering. Results were examined descriptively and compared cross‑culturally.Themes pertaining to very helpful and very unhelpful supports emerged across all groups. Many items fell in the neutral range, suggesting variability among individual speakers.Based on the groups examined, children who stutter primarily want listeners to be patient, to include them, and to not laugh when they are speaking. Other nuanced preferences underscore the importance of asking individuals about what they perceive to be helpful and unhelpful. Results of this study informed a listener guideline statement and an open‑access informational handout about how to be most supportive of children who stutter.Wyników badań na temat tego, co dzieci, które się jąkają, postrzegają jako wsparcie, a co jako brak wsparcia ze strony słuchacza jest niewiele. Co więcej, do tej pory nie prowadzono badań międzykulturowych w tym zakresie. Takie dane są potrzebne, aby stosować odpowiednie formy interwencji logopedycznej oraz odpowiednio edukować społeczeństwo. Badanie opisywane w artykule miało na celu wypełnienie tej luki poprzez dokonanie oceny preferencji słuchaczy. Ankietowanymi były dzieci, które się jąkają, pochodzące z różnych środowisk.W badaniu wzięło udział 151 dzieci jąkających się z Polski, Słowacji i USA, które wypełniły dziecięcą wersję kwestionariusza Indywidualna Ocena Wsparcia w Przypadku Jąkania (The Personal Appraisal of Support for Stuttering). Wyniki tego badania zostały przeanalizowane w sposób opisowy i porównane międzykulturowo.We wszystkich grupach pojawiły się tematy dotyczące tego, co wpiera i co nie pomaga w kontaktach interpersonalnych. Wiele pozycji mieściło się w przedziale neutralnym, co sugeruje zmienność wśród poszczególnych respondentów.Dane uzyskane w badanych grupach wykazały, że dzieci jąkające się przede wszystkim chcą, aby słuchacze byli cierpliwi, aby ich nie wykluczali i nie wyśmiewali się z nich, gdy z nimi rozmawiają. Inne preferencje podkreślają znaczenie pytania osób jąkających się o to, co postrzegają jako pomocne, a co jako niewspierające. Do wyników tego badania dołączono także wytyczne dla słuchaczy oraz ogólnodostępną ulotkę informacyjną o tym, jak najlepiej wspierać jąkające się dzieci

Family networks and infant health promotion: a mixed-methods evaluation from a cluster randomised controlled trial in rural Malawi

Objective: Parents may rely on information provided by extended family members when making decisions concerning the health of their children. We evaluate whether extended family members affected the success of an information intervention promoting infant health. Methods: This is a secondary, sequential mixed-methods study based on a cluster randomised controlled trial of a peer-led home-education intervention conducted in Mchinji District, Malawi. We used linear multivariate regression to test whether the intervention impact on child height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) was influenced by extended family members. 12 of 24 clusters were assigned to the intervention, in which all pregnant women and new mothers were eligible to receive 5 home visits from a trained peer counsellor to discuss infant care and nutrition. We conducted focus group discussions with mothers, grandmothers and peer counsellors, and key-informant interviews with husbands, chiefs and community health workers to better understand the roles of extended family members in infant feeding. Results: Exposure to the intervention increased child HAZ scores by 0.296 SD (95% CI 0.116 to 0.484). However, this effect is smaller in the presence of paternal grandmothers. Compared with an effect size of 0.441 to 0.467 SD (95% CI −0.344 to 1.050) if neither grandmother is alive, the effect size was 0.235 (95% CI −0.493 to 0.039) to 0.253 (95% CI −0.529 to 0.029) SD lower if the paternal grandmother was alive. There was no evidence of an effect of parents’ siblings. Maternal grandmothers did not affect intervention impact, but were associated with a lower HAZ score in the control group. Qualitative analysis suggested that grandmothers, who act as secondary caregivers and provide resources for infants, were slower to dismiss traditionally held practices and adopt intervention messages. Conclusion: The results indicate that the intervention impacts are diminished by paternal grandmothers. Intervention success could be increased by integrating senior women