Development of non-destructive methodology using ATR-FTIR with PCA to differentiate between historical Pacific barkcloth

Barkcloths, non-woven textiles originating from the Pacific Islands, form part of many museum collections and date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The ability to determine different plant species which have been used for producing barkcloth is required by art historians to help understand the origin and use of the cloths and by conservators for whom the species type may have an impact on textile durability, deterioration and hence conservation. However, to date the development of a non-destructive, robust analytical technique has been elusive. This article describes the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection (ATR-FTIR) and principal component analysis (PCA) todifferentiation between historic barkcloths. Three distinct groups of historic cloths were identified using PCA of the FTIR region between 1200 and 1600 cm−1 where molecular vibrations associated with tannins and lignins are dominant. Analysis of contemporary cloths only identified Pipturus albidus cloth as different and highlighted the difficulties around producing a representative textile sample to mimic the historic cloths. While the methodology does not itself identify species, the use of historically well-provenanced samples allows cloths showing similarities to group together and is a significant aid to identification

Supporting Parent Engagement in Linguistically Diverse Families to Promote Young Children’s Life Success

This paper examines research that can inform policies aimed at building the capacity of early care and education programs to promote parent engagement in linguistically diverse families. The key questions addressed include:1 )What factors affect linguistically diverse families’ access to early care and education programs?; 2)What do we know about linguistically diverse families and how parents in these families support their young children’s learning and development?; 3) What features of early care and education programs appear to contribute to high levels of parent engagement in linguistically diverse families?; and 4) What policies can help increase the capacity of early care and education programs to support parent engagement in linguistically diverse families

Introduction to Special Issue on 'Fluorescence-Based Sensing Technologies'

The application of fluorescence-based technologies to sensing applications in biosciences and related industries is growing. [...

Factors influencing student nurse decisions to report poor practice witnessed while on placement

Background: While it is commonly accepted that nursing care is generally of a good standard, it would be naïve to think that this is always the case. Over recent years concern about aspects of the quality of some nursing care has grown. In tandem with this, there is recognition that nurses do not always report poor practice. As future registrants, student nurses have a role to play in changing this culture. We know, however, relatively little about the factors that influence student decisions on whether or not to report. In the absence of a more nuanced understanding of this issue, we run the risk of assuming students will speak out simply because we say they should. Objectives: To explore influences on student decisions about whether or not to report poor clinical practice which is a result of deliberate action and which is witnessed while on placement. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with thirteen pre-registration nursing students from the UK. Participants included both adult and mental health nurses with an age range from 20–47. Data were analysed to identify key themes. Category integrity and fit with data was confirmed by a team member following initial analysis. Results: Four themes emerged from the data. The first of these, ‘I had no choice’ described the personal and ethical drivers which influenced students to report. ‘Consequences for self’ and ‘Living with ambiguity’ provide an account of why some students struggle to report, while ‘Being prepared’ summarised arguments both for and against reporting concerns. Conclusion: While there is a drive to promote openness in health care settings and an expectation that staff will raise concerns about quality of care, the reality is that the decision to do this can be very difficult. This is certainly the case for some student nurses. Our results suggest ways in which educationalists might intervene to support students who witness poor practice to report

Supporting parent engagement in linguistically diverse families to promote young children's learning: Implications for early care and education policy

There is wide agreement that early care and education programs should support parent engagement linked to early learning for all families, including families from diverse language and cultural backgrounds. This brief highlights research that can inform policies to expand the capacity of early care and education programs to promote parent engagement in linguistically diverse families with young children. Policy initiatives that could strengthen the capacity of early care and education programs to support parent engagement in these families include: establishing program requirements and quality standards that specifically address the needs and interests of families whose home language is not English; providing educational opportunities to individuals who can increase the linguistic diversity and cultural competency of the early care and education workforce; providing resources to support programs' use of parent engagement practices and activities that are most promising for linguistically diverse families; and using data to understand the participation of linguistically diverse families in parent engagement activities and inform efforts to strengthen programs' capacity to engage diverse families

Young Children at Risk: National and State Prevalence of Risk Factors

Across the U.S., large numbers of young children are affected by one or more risk factors that have been linked to academic failure and poor health. Chief among them is family economic hardship, which is consistently associated with negative outcomes in these two domains. As early as 24 months, children in low-income families have been found to show lags in cognitive and behavioral development compared to their peers in higher-income families (see box for definitions of economic hardship). Other risk factors, such as living in a single-parent family or low parent education levels, especially when combined with poverty, can markedly increase children’s chances of adverse outcomes. Children affected by multiple risks – three or more risk factors – are the most likely to experience school failure and other negative outcomes, including maladaptive behavior. This fact sheet highlights important findings about the prevalence of children experiencing risk factors in the U.S. These findings were produced with the Young Child Risk Calculator, a tool of the National Center for Children in Poverty (see box). The national and state prevalence data presented here, along with additional results available from NCCP’s Young Child Risk Calculator, highlight groups of vulnerable children and families whose needs can be addressed through a wide range of family support, health, and education policies. Information about the size and characteristics of a state’s population of young, at-risk children can inform policy decisions about investments in new or expanded supports that help mitigate risks and improve life outcomes for these children

State Policies through a Two-Generation Lens: Strengthening the Collective Impact of Policies that Affect the Life Course of Young Children and their Parents

Two-generation approaches to promoting the healthy development and school success of young children aim to enhance the well-being and life opportunities of both parents and children. This approach is based on research that shows how conditions affecting both parents and children are interrelated and play a key role in children’s development. For example, health insurance for parents matters for children’s well-being since parents’ health and mental health problems can reduce parenting capacities and the chance that young children will receive the consistent attention and stimulation they need to develop competencies that are key to school success. Similarly, children’s experience of stable, high quality early care and education supports both children’s early learning and parents’ work effort. Several innovative two-generation programs that support the well-being and life chances of both children and parents are being developed and tested. In promising initiatives around the country, including model programs in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Tulsa, Oklahoma, young children are enrolled in high quality preschool programs while their parents receive education and training in high demand jobs that help move families toward greater economic security. Leading scholars view emerging two-generation models as particularly promising because they are informed by research on components of these models that contribute to desired outcomes; these include high-quality learning experiences for children in early care and education programs and employment training for parents that helps them acquire skills needed for higher wage jobs. At a time when a new wave of two-generation programs shows promise, it is important to consider how to strengthen policies that can provide two-generation supports to large numbers of families with young children. Multiple policies affect both young children and their parents, including policies that determine safety net benefits, wages, and access to high-quality child care and health care. Consequently, two-generation supports for low-income families can best be understood by considering the collective impact of key policies on the experiences of young children and their parents. In all states, the influence of policies that collectively affect families with young children is mixed. Some policies contribute to positive two-generation supports while others are likely to detract from these supports. An example illustrates this mixed impact. In a Georgia family headed by a single mother, a young child benefits from a state-funded prekindergarten program which was found to promote children’s early learning in a recent evaluation. But this family experiences economic hardship as a result of the parent’s low-wage job and high out-of-pocket health care expenses. Georgia, like 47 other states, has not set its minimum wage at a level that would bring a family of three above the federal poverty line, and it is also one of 21 states currently opting out of the Medicaid expansion allowed under the Affordable Care Act, which provides health insurance to poor adults. Of course, many other state policies contribute to a collective two-generation impact on families. Table 1 shows a range of policy choices across the states in three areas: early care and education, health, and supports for parenting and family economic security. The table provides a view of policies’ collective two-generation impact on conditions affecting families with young children, and illustrates the value of looking at policies across multiple domains to consider their collective impact

The application of a viewpoints framework in the development of C4I systems

In the development of large distributed systems, both the detection and resolution of inconsistency in policy, requirements, and specifications pose major challenges. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the inconsistencies in policy, requirements, and specifications in the development of information/ Joint Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C41) systems. In this thesis, we explore the application of a "viewpoints" framework to aid in the development of distributed information systems. A viewpoints framework methodology that was developed to aid in the development of distributed systems is the Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing (RM- ODP). This thesis is concerned with the application of the five viewpoints of RM-ODP and the translation of policy into requirements and specifications. In this thesis we use the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system as a case study to explain how RM-ODP can be used to develop distributed information systems. We found that identifying inconsistencies regarding interoperability amongst the subsystems of BMD necessitated the use of multiple viewpoints and that firm conclusions could not be made until the system was viewed at the lower levels.http://archive.org/details/thepplicationofv109459326U.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Investing in Young Children: A Fact Sheet on Early Care and Education Participation, Access, and Quality

High quality early care and education can play a critical role in promoting young children’s early learning and success in life, while also supporting families’ economic security. Young children at highest risk of educational failure – those experiencing poverty and related circumstances that may limit early learning experiences – benefit the most from high quality early care and education programs. This fact sheet provides information about the percentages of young children in each state experiencing risks related to poor educational outcomes. It then shows trends in federal and state investments in early care and education programs and state policies related to both access and quality