Similarity and grouping of perlite and zeolite abrasive fillers. A replacement test

Inverse Gas Chromatography was used to estimate surface activity expressed by the dispersive component of the surface free energy, D S g , as well as parameters KA and KD describing surface ability to act as electron acceptor and donor, respectively. These parameters characterize the ability of the surface to specific interactions. The method was also applied to describe the magnitude of filler-phenolic resin interaction by Flory-Huggins parameter, . Granulation, surface area and porosity were also determined. The minimum number of parameters required to complete characterization of filler properties has been selected by principal component analysis. The usefulness of the selection for the abrasive industry has been proven. Moreover, the similarities and deviations from “an average” filler was determined by chemometric methods. Principal component analysis (PCA) and a novel procedure based on sum of ranking differences (SRD) were successfully applied for selection of the best fillers, and of advantageous parameters for characterization of the fillers. Similar and diverse fillers have been chosen based on clustering pattern by PCA and SRD

A Time to Build Up: Analysis of the No on Proposition 8 Campaign and Its Implications for Future Pro-LGBTQQIA Religious Organizing

Based on a January 2009 convening and survey of experts on pro-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and ally (LGBTQQIA) organizing in religious communities, outlines lessons learned and a framework for future advocacy efforts

Child Sex Tourism and the Lack of Deterrence that Drives the Problem

Child sex tourism is a transnational issue that has grown over the past 30-years. The international community has taken numerous steps in the prevention of child sex tourism; however, there is a severe lack of statistics, research, and empirically driven data that could help deter the problem. This exploratory study will use random probability selection in an online survey to explore whether a certain level of deterrence can affect an individual’s rational choice in practicing child sex tourism. By utilizing a quantitative methodology this study will identify whether an individual’s knowledge of the legality of child sex tourism affects their awareness of the risks involved

In Vitro Culture and Non-Surgical Transfer of Micromanipulated Bovine Embryos.

A total of 374 non-surgically recovered bovine embryos (EMB) was used to evaluate in vitro culture systems for micromanipulated (MICRO) EMB and to assess EMB development following various MICRO procedures. In Experiment I, viability at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h of culture of 39 demi-embryos (DE) in Ham\u27s F-10 with 10% FCS (HF-10) was 43, 41, 33, 28, 21 and 18% compared with 69, 69, 69, 67, 62 and 62% for DE cocultured with bovine uterine fibroblasts (BUF) in HF-10. These results demonstrate the BUF coculture system\u27s superiority to HF-10 for culturing bovine DE. Experiment II was conducted to assess quartering blastocyst stage EMB. In Trt (A) 15 EMB were MICRO into quarter embryos (QE). IN Trt (B) 15 EMB were bisected into DE, cultured for 2 to 4 h and split into QE. Intact EMB (IE) in Trt (C) served as non-MICRO controls. Fifty-four QE produced in Trt (A) and 34 QE produced in Trt (B) were cocultured with BUF in HF-10 as were IE in Trt (C). Eight QE (14.8%) in Trt (A) and 6 QE (17.6%) in Trt (B) re-expanded into blastocysts while 10 (66.6%) of the IE in Trt (C) were viable in culture. These data suggest that blastocyst stage EMB cannot be split into viable QE using this technique. The effect of puncturing the zona pellucida (ZP) on in vitro blastocyst hatching was evaluated in Experiment III. Seventy-five blastocysts were equally allotted across three Trt. Using MICRO techniques the ZP of EMB were punctured at the ICM (Trt A) or apex of trophoblast (Trt B) while EMB in Trt (C) were non-MICRO controls. All EMB were cocultured with BUF cells in HF-10. Time at which hatching was initiated and size of hatched blastocysts were similar across Trts. EMB in Trt (A) and (B) completed hatching earlier (P \u3c .05) than control EMB (48.9 (+OR-) 5.8, 43.5 (+OR-) 4.4 and 61.1 (+OR-) 4.8 h, respectively). One EMB in Trt (A) and (B) split into half EMB via hatching through the ZP puncture. In Experiment VI, pregnancy rates for non-surgically transferred IE (n = 91) and DE (n = 123) were 46.2% and 37.4%, respectively. Pregnancy rates for DE transferred with and without a ZP were 39.7% and 34.0%, respectively. MICRO of EMB can be conducted while maintaining acceptable pregnancy rates and replacing DE in a ZP is not a prerequisite for successful non-surgical transfer

Hello Bordello: Transformative Learning through Contesting the Master Narrative of the Cathouse

Miss Laura’s Social Club is a restored Victorian brothel that serves as the visitors’ center for Fort Smith, Arkansas. Miss Laura’s reflects the values and power structures of the community in which it exists reinforcing the dominance of privileged white males. This qualitative study analyzed the results of three previous studies about Miss Laura’s—a case study, a social science portraiture study, and an embedded thematic analysis. The primary research question was What is the master narrative of Miss Laura’s Social Club? The original case study consisted of semi-structured interviews with three docents and 16 visitors to the site, four site visits, and a textual analysis of online marketing materials. Using emergent coding the researchers developed three key areas in which they critiqued and contested the narrative of Miss Laura’s: (1) the madams were depicted as feminist figures; (2) the prostitutes were depicted using “Cinderella” imagery; and (3) the narrative explicitly excluded the stories of those who were not privileged and white. Discussion points included the conflict inherent in Miss Laura’s dual roles as a marketing tool and as a museum, the transformative learning the researchers experienced, and the responsibilities of adult educators and museum staff to represent marginalized voices

Professional Learning Communities and Collective Efficacy Through a Transformational Leadership Lens

Since its inception in 2001, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has created a high stakes accountability climate by setting federal mandates for increasing levels of student achievement in the Kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) public education arena. Consequently, schools and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) guidelines were subject to progressive degrees of corrective action not likely to change under Common Core State Standards. As a result, the role of educators takes on an even greater importance as educational researchers and policymakers seek reforms to meet new demands placed on teachers. One model that has shown great promise as evidenced by research in the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model. Researchers continue to examine whether or not PLCs may be the impetus for increased student achievement and a possible support structure that can be used to close the achievement gap. While the research has been critical in identifying effective, research-based PLC practices, they have largely ignored the fact that many schools continue to struggle in implementing and sustaining PLCs. Additionally, schools claiming to be PLCs may or may not exhibit the specific characteristics determined by DuFour and Eaker (1998, 2008) that identify PLC schools. This seems to suggest that PLC success may be determined by other factors. The primary purpose of the study examined PLCs and a possible relationship to collective efficacy leading to the building and sustaining of a PLC. Using a survey containing demographic, PLC, and collective efficacy data, the results of this mixed-methods case study found a positive relationship does exist between PLCs and collective efficacy. The 24 one-on-one interviews conducted and the over 1,000 pages of support documentation analyzed further supported this finding