Farm to School Education: Exploring the Role of Farm to School in Holistic Adolescent Development

Efforts to combat the negative impacts of our modern food system, including health issues and environmental degradation, are gaining momentum through initiatives like the farm to school movement. The farm to school movement, particularly in the United States, focuses on integrating gardening and food-related activities into school curricula to reconnect individuals with fresh produce, instill healthy eating habits, and promote local agriculture while reducing environmental harm. This holistic approach to education emphasizes the "whole child," aiming to enhance academic achievement, as well as social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. However, despite its potential benefits, farm to school education still faces challenges such as limited resources and institutional support, highlighting the need for further research and integration into mainstream education to fully realize its potential in fostering sustainable relationships with food and the environment. This study provides insight into Farm-school KC, a unique example of a school utilizing a farm setting to support the holistic development of adolescents aged 12-18. Through the qualitative methods interviews, participant observation, and focus groups, the study identified themes such as real-world learning, responsibility through work, building community, moving and connecting to the outdoors, and learning to care for others, demonstrating how farm to school education supports the whole child. While the findings align with existing research on farm to school initiatives, the unique characteristics of Farm-school KC offer new perspectives on approaches to integrating farm to school education into school systems

La mujer y las flores en la iconografia del Art Nouveau. El caso de Alphonse Mucha

Treballs Finals de Grau d'Història de l'Art, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2022-2023, Tutor: Vicenç Furió GalíEste trabajo trata sobre dos elementos principales encontrados en el Art Nouveau y que frecuentemente aparecen relacionados - las mujeres y las flores. La segunda parte del tema se centra en la figura de Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) y en sus obras en las cuales el binomio mujer y flor tienen importante protagonismo. La elección de este tema surgió a partir de un interés personal por el lenguaje de las flores y la simbología que éstas aportan, y una fascinación por el arte de Mucha. Leyendo bibliografía al respecto, me llamó la atención que muchos autores expresan que la figura femenina y las flores, y en general la naturaleza, en conjunto eran una de las características principales de la obra del artista checo. Teniendo en cuenta la cronología de su actividad artística, coincide con el apogeo que el lenguaje de las flores tuvo en el siglo XIX, y la influencia que éstas tuvieron en múltiples artistas a lo largo del siglo XIX y principios del XX

Getting in sync: Exploring and supporting peer interaction in an autistic child with inconsistent access to speech

Challenges in peer interaction are commonly associated with autism, both within research literature and through first-person accounts. Related intervention studies have tended toward a skills-based approach that emphasizes remediating perceived social deficits in the autistic individual, with most of the literature focusing on children who are classified as “high functioning” due to their verbal skills and/or typical IQ scores. Limitations in this skills-based approach have led to the development of a supports-based approach—based largely on a distributed model of communication—as an alternative way to facilitate peer interactions involving autistic students (Vidal, Robertson, & DeThorne, 2018). This supports-based approach prioritizes egalitarian interactions, participation in shared activities, and flexible access to multimodal communicative resources. The present mixed methods study was designed to examine the communication profile and peer interactions of John, a 9-year-old autistic child with inconsistent access to speech and concomitant diagnoses of Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS) and apraxia. In addition to behavioral assessments of John, data collection included interviews of John and 8 other adult and peer participants as well as 20 video-taped observations during art class. An ABAB design was employed to assess the functional relation between the social supports provided during art class and differences in peer interaction, measured via communicative offers and interpersonal synchrony between John and one of his non-autistic peers. In regard to key findings, John’s speech-language profile was characterized by use of single words, emergent word combinations, some conventional gestures, concomitant language comprehension challenges, and poor intelligibility associated with motor speech impairment. His sensory-motor profile included fine motor impairments, gross motor strengths, and sensory differences across visual, hearing, and tactile modalities. John’s peer interactions at the beginning of the study were relatively limited and characterized as single-turn and non- egalitarian with a prominence of eye gaze. The implementation of social supports during art class was associated with increased peer interactions characterized by increases in shared eye gaze, eye contact, shared activity, turn-taking, and emergent egalitarian interactions. In addition, peers and other adults were noted to adopt routines and strategies introduced by the examiner. The present study is pioneering in providing a detailed description of the communicative profile and peer interactions of an autistic child with limited speech. It also contributes to the evidence base for use of a supports-based approach to facilitating peer interaction for autistic students in the classroom. Additional considerations for clinical practice and future research are also discussed

Shared musical performance as a means of facilitating peer interaction in the classroom including a child with autism

Based on a social-ecological approach to intervention, the present proof of concept study examined the potential of an Activity-based Musical Program (AMP) to facilitate peer interactions between a child with autism, Aaron, and each four peers in an early grade school setting. This project was inspired by an existing music education program in Chile (“Creando a través de señas”), that promotes interaction through a combination of gestures, physicality, and shared experiences between children with autism and professional musicians and builds on the inherent musical interest/talent of many children with autism (Heaton, 2009; Overy & Molnar-Szakacs, 2009). Like the Chilean program, the Activity-based Musical Program designed for this study focused on using a shared interest in music to explore instruments, learn shared conducting gestures, and develop a final culminating performance that could be shared with the class. Leveraging the strengths of both single subject and qualitative methodologies, this study collected single-case data on the frequency of communicative offers during multiple probe across participants and conducted semi-structured interviews of child participants, classroom teachers, and Aaron’s mother. In sum, the intervention appeared to be well-perceived by all participants and led to increased communicative offers between Aaron and 3 out of 4 peers during the course of intervention. The generalization of effects outside of the intervention were not supported by experimental data, but participants reported increased awareness of each other and positive changes in peer interactions. Clinically, this proof of concept study offers interdisciplinary implications for speech-language pathologists and related professionals in regard to how one might facilitate peer interactions for children with autism using a social-ecological perspective and shared interest in music.BecasChile Scholarship, Conicyt, ChileGoldstick FellowshipOpe

Backward adaptive brightness temperature threshold technique (BAB3T): A methodology to determine extreme convective initiation regions using satellite infrared imagery

Thunderstorms in southeastern South America (SESA) stand out in satellite observations as being among the strongest on Earth in terms of satellite-based convective proxies, such as lightning flash rate per storm, the prevalence for extremely tall, wide convective cores and broad stratiform regions. Accurately quantifying when and where strong convection is initiated presents great interest in operational forecasting and convective system process studies due to the relationship between convective storms and severe weather phenomena. This paper generates a novel methodology to determine convective initiation (CI) signatures associated with extreme convective systems, including extreme events. Based on the well-established area-overlapping technique, an adaptive brightness temperature threshold for identification and backward tracking with infrared data is introduced in order to better identify areas of deep convection associated with and embedded within larger cloud clusters. This is particularly important over SESA because ground-based weather radar observations are currently limited to particular areas. Extreme rain precipitation features (ERPFs) from Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission are examined to quantify the full satellite-observed life cycle of extreme convective events, although this technique allows examination of other intense convection proxies such as the identification of overshooting tops. CI annual and diurnal cycles are analyzed and distinctive behaviors are observed for different regions over SESA. It is found that near principal mountain barriers, a bimodal diurnal CI distribution is observed denoting the existence of multiple CI triggers, while convective initiation over flat terrain has a maximum frequency in the afternoon.Fil: Cancelada, Maite. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; ArgentinaFil: Salio, Paola Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; ArgentinaFil: Vila, Daniel. National Institute for Space Research; BrasilFil: Nesbitt, Stephen William. University of Illinois at Urbana; Estados UnidosFil: Vidal, Luciano. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Modelling the impacts of emission changes on O3 sensitivity, atmospheric oxidation capacity and pollution transport over the Catalonia region

oai:publications.copernicus.org:egusphere109352Tropospheric ozone (O3) is an important surface pollutant in urban areas, and it has complex formation mechanisms that depend on the atmospheric chemistry and meteorological factors. The severe reductions observed in anthropogenic emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic can further our understanding of the photochemical mechanisms leading to O3 formation and provide guidance for policies aimed at reducing air pollution. In this study, we use the air quality model WRF-Chem coupled with the urban canopy model BEP-BEM to investigate changes in the ozone chemistry over the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) and its atmospheric plume moving northwards, which is responsible for the highest number of hourly O3 exceedances in Spain. The trajectories of the air masses from the AMB to the Pyrenees are studied with the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART-WRF. The aim is to investigate the response of ozone chemistry to changes in the precursor emissions. The results show that with the reduction in emissions: 1) the ozone chemistry tends to enter the nitrogen oxide (NOx)-limited or transition regimes; however, highly polluted urban areas are still in the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)-limited regime, 2) the reduced O3 production is overwhelmed by reduced nitric oxide (NO) titration, resulting in a net increase in the O3 concentration (up to 20 %) in the evening, 3) the increase in the maximum O3 level (up to 6 %) during the lockdown could be attributable to an enhancement in the atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC), 4) the daily maximum levels of ozone and odd oxygen species (Ox) generally decreased (4 %) in May with the reduced AOC, indicating an improvement in the air quality, and, 5) ozone precursor concentration changes in the AMB contribute to the pollution plume moving along the S&ndash;N valley to the Pyrenees. Our results indicate that O3 abatement strategies cannot rely only on NOx emission control but must include a significant reduction in anthropogenic sources of VOCs (e.g., for power plants and heavy industry). In addition, our results show that mitigation strategies intended to reduce O3 should be designed according to the local meteorology, air transport, particular ozone regimes and AOC of the urban area.</p

Sulbactam pivoxil powder attributes and compatibility study with excipients

Background: Sulbactam pivoxil is an irreversible β-lactamase inhibitor that can be used with β-lactam antibiotics to improve antibacterial therapy by the oral route. Relevant properties of this drug for pharmaceutical manufacturing are not available in the open literature. In this work, a solid-state characterization of sulbactam pivoxil at the molecular, particle, and bulk levels was performed. Results: Particles exhibited a mean diameter of about 350 μm, irregular shape crystals, and good flow properties. This work presents for the first time the crystal structure of this β-lactamase inhibitor obtained by X-ray diffraction analysis. Fourier-transform infrared results showed the characteristic bands of aliphatic hydrocarbons and ester groups. The differential scanning calorimetry curve exhibited a sharp endothermic peak at 109 °C corresponding to sulbactam pivoxil melting. The thermogravimetric curve revealed a mass loss at 184 °C associated with a decomposition process. This powder showed a moisture content of 0.34% and a water activity of 0.463. Potential interactions between sulbactam pivoxil and common pharmaceutical excipients were evaluated by thermal analysis. The endothermic peak and the enthalpies of melting were preserved in almost all the analyzed mixtures. Conclusion: The powder was constituted by micro-sized crystals of sulbactam pivoxil that had suitable physicochemical properties for processing in controlled humidity environments. Thermal analyses suggested that sulbactam pivoxil is compatible with most of the evaluated excipients. The information obtained in the present study is relevant for the development, manufacturing, and storage of formulations that include sulbactam pivoxil.Fil: Gallo, Loreana Carolina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: González Vidal, Noelia Luján. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Ferreira, Fabio F.. Universidad Federal do Abc; BrasilFil: Ramírez Rigo, María Veronica. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentin

Experimental high-Resolution forecast system with the Brams model

Este trabajo presenta las características del sistema de pronóstico numérico en alta resolución basado en el modelo BRAMS en su versión 4.2, diseñado para el pronóstico de tormentas en la región pampeana y que se procesa en forma experimental en el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN). Se realiza una descripción del sistema de pronóstico mostrando un caso de estudio y una primera evaluación de la calidad del mismo. En particular, se presentan los resultados de la verificación operativa de los pronósticos aplicando metodologías adecuadas para pronósticos en alta resolución. Se hace hincapié en la necesidad de utilizar información provista por sensores remotos que cuenten con una mayor resolución espacial y temporal que las utilizadas habitualmente. Asimismo, se muestran los resultados de la aplicación de la metodología de los pronósticos probabilísticos a la precipitación y se examinan las ventajas de su utilización dada la incorporación de la incertidumbre asociada a las simulaciones numéricas de la atmósfera.This work presents the characteristics of a high-resolution numerical forecast system using the BRAMS model version 4.2 designed for the forecast of storms in the Pampa region which is processed on daily basis at the National Meteorological Service of Argentina (NMS). The forecast system is described by showing a case study and a first evaluation of its quality. In particular, the results of rainfall forecasts are presented with an operational verification scheme which implies the application of adequate methodologies for high-resolution forecasts. We discuss the availability of remote sensing data with higher spatial and temporal resolutions than the ones usually used. Finally, the results of rainfall probabilistic forecasts are shown and we examine the advantages of this tool as a value-added product giving the incorporation of the uncertainty associated to the numerical simulations of the atmosphere.Fil: Matsudo, Cynthia Mariana. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Skabar, Yanina. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomia; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ferreira, Lorena. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz, Juan Jose. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; ArgentinaFil: Salio, Paola Veronica. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; ArgentinaFil: Vidal, Luciano. Ministerio de Defensa. Secretaria de Planeamiento. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Nicolini, Matilde. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentin

Occurrence of microplastics in Fish from Mendoza River: First Insights into Plastic Pollution in the Central Andes, Argentina

The widespread use of plastic products in our modern life represents a serious threat to aquatic environments and wild animals that are exposed to plastic waste. Although microplastics (MPs) have been reported in fish from several freshwater environments around the world, mountain environments have been little studied so far. The occurrence of MPs was assessed in the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of non-native (rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and brown trout Salmo trutta) and native (torrent catfish Hatcheria macraei) fish from the Mendoza River in the Central Andes, Argentina. Fibers (85%) were the main MPs type recovered from the fish here analyzed, followed by fragments (15%). Blue fibers were the main type of MPs in analyzed specimens: brown trout (50%), rainbow trout (71%), and torrent catfish (63%). Significant differences in the median total MPs’ abundance and median total fiber abundance were observed among fish species. The highest MPs’ abundance was found in the GITs of brown trout followed by rainbow trout, while the lowest was found in the GITs of torrent catfish. This study represents a baseline for the occurrence and characteristics in terms of shape and color of MPs in freshwater fish collected from a mountain river of the Central Andes.Fil: Rios, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Teixeira de Mello, Franco. Universidad de la Republica. Centro Universitario Regional del Este.; UruguayFil: De Feo, Bárbara. Universidad de la Republica. Centro Universitario Regional del Este.; UruguayFil: Krojmal, Evelyn. Sede Universitaria de Maldonado ; Centro Universitario Regional del Este ; Universidad de la Republica;Fil: Vidal, Camila. Sede Universitaria de Maldonado ; Centro Universitario Regional del Este ; Universidad de la Republica;Fil: Loza Argote, Veronica Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Medicina y Biología Experimental de Cuyo; ArgentinaFil: Scheibler, Erica Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; Argentin

Atrial natriuretic peptide modifies arterial blood pressure through nitric oxide pathway in rats

The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between the hypotensive effect of the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the nitric oxide (NO) pathway. N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester bolus (L-NAME, 1 mg/kg) reverted the decrease in mean arterial pressure induced by ANP administration (5 μg/kg bolus and 0.2 μg · kg-1 · min-1 infusion), and the injection of L-NAME before peptide administration suppressed the ANP hypotensive response. To confirm these findings, a histochemical reaction was used to determine NADPH-diaphorase activity (a NO synthase marker) in the endothelium and smooth muscle of aorta and arterioles of the small and large intestine. ANP increased aorta and arteriole endothelium staining after both in vivo administration and in vitro tissue incubation. In both cases, L-NAME prevented the ANP effect on NADPH-diaphorase activity. Tissues incubated with 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate mimicked ANP action. In addition, ANP administration increased urinary excretion of NO(x) end products. These findings indicate that ANP increases NO synthesis capability and NO production and suggest that the cGMP pathway may be involved. In conclusion, the NO pathway could be an intercellular messenger in the ANP endothelium- dependent vasorelaxation mechanism.Fil: Costa, Maria de Los Angeles. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: González Bosc, Laura Veronica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Majowicz, Mónica Patricia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Vidal, Norberto Armando. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Balaszezuk, Ana M.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Arranz, Cristina Teresa. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin