35 research outputs found
“Working with” as a methodological stance: Collaborating with students in teaching, writing, and research
Using critical ethnography guided by cultural sociology, this manuscript
examines the role of “co” in teacher education; coresearching, coteaching, and
cogenerating dialogue. The authors are a pre-service teacher and college instructor, and
through our multiple perspectives and positionings we explore how collaboration served
to dismantle teacher-student hierarchies and replaced them with complex relationships
mediated by polysemic approaches to research. Pushing against traditional ideologies, we
utilize a multi-voiced approach to writing as we present our experiences and
interpretations of data relative to the possibilities of collaboration in education and
research. As we analyze our role in collaborative endeavors, we ask: How can we find
ways to work across and around hierarchical institutional structures when working with
our students? What are ways that we can examine our individual lived experiences
together, and is it possible to work with each other to develop identities as teachers that
are not predicated on power differentials
The Effect of Fertilization on Biomass and Metabolism in North Carolina Salt Marshes: Modulated by Location-Specific Factors
The resilience of salt marshes to sea level rise depends on vertical accretion through belowground biomass production and sediment deposition to maintain elevation above sea level. Increased nitrogen (N) availability from anthropogenic sources may stimulate aboveground biomass production and sediment deposition and, thus, accretion; however, increased N may also negatively impact marsh accretion by decreasing belowground biomass and increasing net CO2 emissions. A study was conducted in Spartina alterniflora‐dominated salt marshes in North Carolina, USA, to determine how responses to fertilization vary across locations with different physical and chemical characteristics. Pore water residence time, inundation time, and proximity to tidal creeks drove spatial differences in pore water sulfide, ammonium, and dissolved carbon concentrations. Although annual respiration and gross primary production were greater at the creek edge than interior marsh sites, net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) was nearly balanced at all the sites. Fertilization decreased belowground biomass in the interior sites but not on the creek edge. Aboveground biomass, respiration, gross primary production, and net CO2 emissions increased in response to fertilization, but responses were diminished in interior marsh locations with high pore water sulfide. Hourly NEE measured by chambers were similar to hourly NEE observed by a nearby eddy covariance tower, but correcting for inundation depth relative to plant height was critical for accurate extrapolation to annual fluxes. The impact of fertilization on biomass and NEE, and thus marsh resilience, varied across marsh locations depending upon location‐specific pore water sulfide concentrations
Perineural resiniferatoxin selectively inhibits inflammatory hyperalgesia
Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is an ultrapotent capsaicin analog that binds to the transient receptor potential channel, vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1). There is a large body of evidence supporting a role for TRPV1 in noxious-mediated and inflammatory hyperalgesic responses. In this study, we evaluated low, graded, doses of perineural RTX as a method for regional pain control. We hypothesized that this approach can provide long-term, but reversible, blockade of a portion of nociceptive afferent fibers within peripheral nerves when given at a site remote from the neuronal perikarya in the dorsal root ganglia. Following perineural RTX application to the sciatic nerve, we demonstrated a significant inhibition of inflammatory nociception that was dose- and time-dependent. At the same time, treated animals maintained normal proprioceptive sensations and motor control, and other nociceptive responses were largely unaffected. Using a range of mechanical and thermal algesic tests, we found that the most sensitive measure following perineural RTX administration was inhibition of inflammatory hyperalgesia. Recovery studies showed that physiologic sensory function could return as early as two weeks post-RTX treatment, however, immunohistochemical examination of the DRG revealed a partial, but significant reduction in the number of the TRPV1-positive neurons. We propose that this method could represent a beneficial treatment for a range of chronic pain problems, including neuropathic and inflammatory pain not responding to other therapies
Pattern recognition of estradiol, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in children's saliva samples using stochastic microsensors
Stochastic microsensors based on diamond paste and three types of electroactive materials (maltodextrin (MD), α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) and 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H porphyrin (P)) were developed for the assay of estradiol (E2), testosterone (T2) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in children's saliva. The main advantage of utilization of such tools is the possibility to identify and quantify all three hormones within minutes in small volumes of childen's saliva. The limits of quantification obtained for DHT, T2, and E2 (1 fmol/L for DHT, 1 pmol/L for T2, and 66 fmol/L for E2) determined using the proposed tools allows the utilization of these new methods with high reliability for the screening of saliva samples from children. This new method proposed for the assay of the three hormones overcomes the limitations (regarding limits of determination) of ELISA method which is the standard method used in clinical laboratories for the assay of DHT, T2, and E2 in saliva samples. The main feature of its utilization for children's saliva is to identify earlier problems related to early puberty and obesity
ДИЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ МОТОРНЫХ МАСЕЛ ДЛЯ СИЛОВЫХ АГРЕГАТОВ, ИЗМЕРЯЕМЫЕ ЕМКОСТНЫМИ ДАТЧИКАМИ
The results of the study sample, depending characteristics of dielectric losses of motor oils with different degrees of aging are given. The technology of controlling the parameters of oil power plants described by means of monitoring systems installed on mobile objects is proposed.Приведены результаты исследования диэлектрических характеристик проб моторных масел в зависимости от времени их эксплуатации. Предложена методика контроля характеристик масел, предназначенных для силовых установок, с помощью емкостных датчиков, что позволяет проводить мониторинг на мобильных (подвижных) технических объектах
Exposing the Myths: Rethinking the Christian Justification for the Human Domination of the Animal World
The intent of this thesis is to uncover the actual rationalizations that underlie common Western conceptions of the animal world, and in turn, influence humanity\u27s treatment of non-humans. As the basis for the majority of these arguments are found in interpretations of Christian doctrine, a focus on this area was chosen as a means of understanding the justifications for today\u27s human exploitation of animals. The shift from a subsistence use of animals to the modern situation, in which factory farms and the vivisector\u27s laboratory have become commonplace is addressed, and the utilization of previous justifications for these new forms of abuse is questioned. In demonstrating the inadequacy of rationalizations based on Scriptural interpretation, the main arguments for human domination are explicated. The philosophies of Rene Descartes, St. Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, and the utilitarian school, as they relate to this issue, are treated and subsequently shown to be dependent upon a biblical interpretation professing the inherent superiority of humanity. With their religious premise evident, the resulting abuse from such ideologies is then compared to the Christian worldview and shown to be distinctly contradictory. The overall goal of this project, then, is to expose the methodological arguments for human abuse of animals that have been internalized by Western society, and to then show both their logical and theological inadequacy in the face of intensifying exploitation
Male pubertal development: are endocrine-disrupting compounds shifting the norms
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are synthetic or natural compounds that interfere with endogenous endocrine action. The frequent use of chemicals with endocrine active properties in household products and contamination of soil, water, and food sources by persistent chemical pollutants result in ubiquitous exposures. Wildlife observations and animal toxicological studies reveal adverse effects of EDCs on reproductive health. In humans, a growing number of epidemiological studies report an association with altered pubertal timing and progression. While these data are primarily reported in females, this review will focus on the small number of studies performed in males that report an association of polychlorinated biphenyls with earlier sexual maturity rating and confirm subtle effects of lead, dioxins, and endosulfan on delaying pubertal onset and progression in boys. Recent studies have also demonstrated that EDC exposure may affect pubertal testosterone production without having a noticeable effect on sexual maturity rating. A limitation to understand the effects of EDCs in humans is the potential for confounding due to the long temporal lag from early-life exposures to adult outcomes. The complex interplay of multiple environmental exposures over time also complicates the interpretation of human studies. These studies have identified critical windows of vulnerability during development when exposures to EDCs alter critical pathways and affect postnatal reproductive health. Contemporaneous exposures can also disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. This paper will review the normal process of puberty in males and summarize human data that suggest potential perturbations in pubertal onset and tempo with early-life exposures to EDCs
Analysis of influence of application of ceramic waste as aggregates in concrete and/or mortar
Uma das maiores consumidoras de recursos naturais no planeta é a construção civil, e,
consequentemente, a mais poluente também. Por este contexto, estudos são realizados
periodicamente com o intuito de soluções sustentáveis e destinos adequados para os resíduos da
construção civil, como a reutilização do próprio resíduo nas etapas da obra. Desta forma, foi realizada
uma revisão de literatura sobre o potencial resíduo cerâmico (RC), com o objetivo de análise de
pozolanicidade; o comportamendo do material e como este pode influenciar no tratamento para
utilização em concretos e/ou argamassas; suas influências, sendo estas no estado fresco e no estado
endurecido. O traço do concreto e/ou argamassa composto por RC apresenta absorção de água maior
que os traços convencionais.One of the largest consumers of natural resources of the Earth is the building construction, and more
pollute too. In this context, researchers are realized periodically in order to sustainable solutions
and adequate destinies to the building constructions waste, as the reutilization of the waste on the
stages of the work. Therefore, review of literature about the potential of the ceramic waste (CW) was
carried out, aiming at the analysis of pozolanicity; as this can influence the treatment for use in
concrete and/or mortars; its influences, these being in the fresh state and in the hardened state. The
traces of concrete and/or mortar composed of CW show water absorption greater than the
conventional traces