America Through Rose-Colored Glasses: How American Girl Dolls Shape American Girlhood and Identity

This thesis examines the contributions that American Girl dolls make to the development of girlhood, as well as doll and toy culture. I argue that the BeForever collection of historically centered dolls both informs consumers of United States history while instructing them of what it means to be a wholesome, virtuous girl. American Girl provides timeless stories about overcoming hardship in various periods of U.S. history while utilizing common themes in children’s literature to construct an attractive narrative. These dolls and their stories contribute to consumers’ understanding of girlhood, their sense of self, and broad comprehension of history. Recent developments within the company to diversify the BeForever collection of dolls points to a shift in the historical narrative consumers want to engage with

Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste On Caries Prevention In Children

Are Hydroxyapatite Toothpastes The Answer To Fluoride Free Patients? Richardson, Samantha 1 and Vaughan, Kelly 2 Dental Hygiene Program, Virginia Commonwealth University Abstract: Objectives/Aims: With the rising trend to become more clean with our ingredient lists, we are facing more patients refusing fluoride treatments and fluoridated toothpastes. This trend has been prevalent in our younger generations due to parents only wanting the purest natural ingredients for their children and now declining fluoride application. The goal of this literature is to find a safe alternative toothpaste that will be just as effective as fluoride. Methods: This review of literature has been developed from searching the PubMed database in order to find relevant research on hydroxyapatite toothpastes. Many of these studies were conducted to compare multiple name brand toothpastes including fluoride and their alternatives like hydroxyapatite toothpastes in order to determine their effects on caries prevention and remineralization. Results: Toothpastes with hydroxyapatite as an active ingredient were found to not be inferior to fluoridated toothpastes in caries progression in children. Hydroxyapatite has a high safety profile and no risk of dental fluorosis, which is a major point for patients who refuse fluoride use. Conclusion: Hydroxyapatite has been shown to reduce biofilm formation in children and a preventative measure for further demineralization and caries protection. Although these studies sound promising, there can be improvement by enlarging the subject population, increasing the studies period of time, and the subjects need to be representative of: location, age group, socioeconomic status, oral health status and oral health literacy. Key Terms: hydroxyapatite toothpaste, hydroxyapatite, children, fluoride, fluoridated toothpaste, remineralization, caries, and demineralizationhttps://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/denh_student/1034/thumbnail.jp

The Impact of Polarization on the Political Engagement of Generation Z Elementary Preservice Teachers and Their Teaching

This instrumental case study of Generation Z preservice teachers enrolled in elementary teaching methods courses in social studies and literacy explores the impact of polarization on their political engagement and teaching. Using the 2020 presidential election as a teachable moment, participants developed and taught literacy-infused civics units in order to bring to light their understandings of their role in preparing elementary students as political actors. This study has important implications for how teacher educators can better facilitate elementary preservice teachers’ own political engagement, thereby ensuring equitable democratic learning opportunities for students

Discovery of a ~5 day characteristic timescale in the Kepler power spectrum of Zw 229-15

We present time series analyses of the full Kepler dataset of Zw 229-15. This Kepler light curve --- with a baseline greater than three years, composed of virtually continuous, evenly sampled 30-minute measurements --- is unprecedented in its quality and precision. We utilize two methods of power spectral analysis to investigate the optical variability and search for evidence of a bend frequency associated with a characteristic optical variability timescale. Each method yields similar results. The first interpolates across data gaps to use the standard Fourier periodogram. The second, using the CARMA-based time-domain modeling technique of Kelly et al. (2014), does not need evenly-sampled data. Both methods find excess power at high frequencies that may be due to Kepler instrumental effects. More importantly both also show strong bends ({\Delta}{\alpha} ~ 2) at timescales of ~5 days, a feature similar to those seen in the X-ray PSDs of AGN but never before in the optical. This observed ~5 day timescale may be associated with one of several physical processes potentially responsible for the variability. A plausible association could be made with light-crossing, dynamical or thermal timescales, depending on the assumed value of the accretion disk size and on unobserved disk parameters such as {\alpha} and H/R. This timescale is not consistent with the viscous timescale, which would be years in a ~10^7 Solar mass AGN such as Zw 229-15. However there must be a second bend on long (>~1 year) timescales, and that feature could be associated with the viscous timescale.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. To appear in the Astrophysical Journal, Part

Desejo de democracia: Perspectivas dos pais impactadas em 2013 fechamentos escolares de Chicago

In this article, we discuss the historical shifts in the purposes of public education and examine how neoliberal education policies, like Chicago’s school closings, attempt to limit the purpose of public education to be in service to and at the whim of the market. We juxtapose this dominant neoliberal narrative of public education with the voices of the parents from closed schools, whose deep involvement with and beliefs about public schools counter neoliberalism’s shallow concept of the public purpose of public education. Drawing upon a 2014 qualitative study of parents and caregivers who were impacted by school closures and actions, as well as publically available data, we find that parents believe school closings cause great harm to students, families and communities, aim to reduce citizens to consumers in an educational marketplace, and seek to further undermine democracy in education toward a “thin democracy” (Gandin Apple, 2002) of marketized education. However, we argue that there is an alternative to the neoliberal narrative reflected both in the ongoing historical struggle about the purposes of schooling and in the wisdom, experiences, and desires of parents most directly impacted by neoliberal education policies.En este artículo, discutimos los cambios históricos en los propósitos de la educación pública y examinamos cómo las políticas educativas neoliberales, como el cierre de las escuelas de Chicago, intentan limitar el propósito de la educación pública para el servicio y el capricho del mercado. Nosotros yuxtaponemos esa narrativa neoliberal dominante de educación pública con las voces de los padres de escuelas cerradas, cuya profunda implicación y creencias sobre escuelas públicas cuestionan el concepto superficial del neoliberalismo del propósito público de la educación pública. En base a un estudio cualitativo de 2014 sobre padres y cuidadores que se vieron afectados por cierres y acciones escolares, así como datos públicamente disponibles, creemos que los padres creen que el cierre de las escuelas causa grandes daños a los estudiantes, familias y comunidades, Ciudadanos a los consumidores Un mercado educativo, y tratan de minar aún más la democracia en la educación para una "democracia delgada" (Gandin Apple, 2002) de educación comercializada. Sin embargo, argumentamos que existe una alternativa a la narrativa neoliberal reflejada tanto en la lucha histórica en curso sobre los propósitos de la escolaridad como en la sabiduría, experiencias y deseos de los padres más directamente impactados por las políticas de educación neoliberales.Neste artigo, discutimos as mudanças históricas nos propósitos da educação pública e examinamos como as políticas educacionais neoliberais, como o encerramento das escolas de Chicago, tentam limitar o propósito da educação pública para o serviço e ao capricho do mercado. Nós justaponemos essa narrativa neoliberal dominante de educação pública com as vozes dos pais de escolas fechadas, cujo profundo envolvimento e crenças sobre escolas públicas contestam o conceito superficial do neoliberalismo do propósito público da educação pública. Com base em um estudo qualitativo de 2014 sobre pais e cuidadores que foram afetados por fechamentos e ações escolares, bem como dados publicamente disponíveis, achamos que os pais acreditam que o encerramento das escolas causa grandes danos aos estudantes, famílias e comunidades, visam reduzir os cidadãos aos consumidores Um mercado educacional, e procuram minar ainda mais a democracia na educação para uma "democracia delgada" (Gandin Apple, 2002) de educação comercializada. No entanto, argumentamos que existe uma alternativa à narrativa neoliberal refletida tanto na luta histórica em curso sobre os propósitos da escolaridade quanto na sabedoria, experiências e desejos dos pais mais diretamente impactados pelas políticas de educação neoliberais

Genetic diversity and species relationships in the Oryza complex and glufosinate tolerance in rice

The weed red rice is a major problem in rice producing areas world wide. All of the red rice in commercial rice fields in the United States has traditionally been considered to be the same species as commercial rice, Oryza sativa. However, using DNA markers it was found that most of the red rice with black hulls was sufficiently divergent to be considered a separate species. This includes TX4, a red rice ecotype that has been reported to have considerable natural tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate. TX4 is closely related to samples that have been classified as Oryza rufipogon. However, it was shown that both the TX4-like red rice from commercial fields and most of the Oryza rufipogon accessions in the US National Small Grains Collection are more accurately classified as Oryza nivara. This is significant since Oryza rufipogon is regulated under the Federal Noxious Weed Act, while Oryza nivara is not. Oryza nivara closely related to TX4 was found to be widely distributed across the rice production areas of Texas and was also found in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Of 240 samples from across Texas, 23 samples from six different counties were identical with TX4 with all 18 DNA markers tested. The reported glufosinate tolerance of TX4 is a potential problem since this same herbicide would be used in conjunction with genetically modified (GM) that is being developed as a method of red rice control. Thus, field, greenhouse and tissue culture studies were conducted to evaluate the degree of glufosinate tolerance in TX4. TX4 typically was severely damaged by glufosinate, but not efficiently controlled. Even with the maximum number of herbicide applications at the proposed maximum label rate, TX4 often re-sprouted and produced viable seed. Herbicide tolerance was found to be variable, but appears to be sufficient to present a problem with the use of the GM glufosinate resistant varieties currently under development, particularly when combined with variation in the response of ??sensitive?? varieties

Providing Objective Metrics of Team Communication Skills via Interpersonal coordination Mechanisms

Being able to communicate efficiently has been acknowledged as a vital skill in many different domains. In particular, team communication skills are of key importance in the operation of complex machinery such as aircrafts, maritime vessels and such other, highly-specialized, civilian or military vehicles, as well as the performance of complex tasks in the medical domain. In this paper, we propose to use prosodic accommodation and turn- taking organisation to provide objective metrics of communica- tion skills. To do this, human-factors evaluations, via a coordi- nation Demand Analysis (CDA), were used in conjunction with a dynamic model of prosodic accommodation and turn-taking organisation. Using conversational speech from airline pilots involved in a collaborative task (decision-making exercise), our study reveals that interpersonal coordination mechanisms are indicative of human evaluation of pilots’ communication skills. We discuss our results in terms of relevance for training simu- lation for personnel in safety or mission critical environment

Development of a Survey to Assess the Effects of the New WIC Food Package on Participant Dietary and Child Feeding Habits

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (The WIC Program), began in 1974, and has not seen any major changes to its food packages since then. In 2009, the WIC Program began implementing changes that mandated the inclusion of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and low-fat dairy, among other changes. These changes aim to better align the food package benefits of the WIC Program with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Child Feeding Recommendations. The objective of this research was to develop a culturally appropriate original questionnaire for The Texas WIC Program, which aimed to assess the dietary/feeding behaviors of Texas WIC participants both before and after the new WIC food package was implemented. The present study aims to present the methodology of how said survey was developed including pilot study and literature review. A mixed methods, biphasic approach was used to draft, edit and finalize the survey. The first phase consisted of item development, which involved literature review, and expert panel (n= 14) review to refine the instrument prior to piloting. Phase 2 of this research included recruitment of participants, a timed classroom administration of the survey, data collection, analysis and substantive reasoning based on the results of items to be included in the final survey. Quantitative data from survey piloting at two WIC local agency offices was used. Participants (n=54) completed two survey versions during piloting. The final questionnaire included measures of behaviors, attitudes and self-efficacy. Results from piloting showed that the "bubble" survey format had fewer errors and was more easily understood by participants. Incorporating relevant and recent scientific literature as related to survey design within a diverse population with social behavioral theory and mixed methods study design yielded a psychometrically sound instrument that has been used on a large scale and provided relevant data