Embracing Asset-based School Leadership Dispositions In Advancing True Equity And Academic Achievement For Students Living In Poverty

The dispositions of school leaders play an integral role in dismantling inequities that hinder the academic achievement of students, particularly students living in poverty. Recent studies bring to light the importance of an asset-based understanding of what children bring to the classroom and how to draw on these assets in creating opportunities for student success. A paradigm shift is taking place whereby school leaders must lead with equity as a foundational thought when assisting teachers in recognizing, valuing, and honoring the assets that students bring to the classroom. This paper attempts to discuss critical issues pertaining to educational equity by using related literature on the topics of poverty and transformative leadership as well as data collected from 15 participants consisting of administrators, teachers, parents, community members, and students who were interviewed in the study employing qualitative narrative inquiry. Additionally, it makes recommendations relative to the dispositions school leaders must employ, embrace, foster, and practice in addressing the social, cultural, and emotional needs of students to elicit and enhance effective engagement in school

Differential Response To Tabata Interval Versus Traditional Kettlebell Training Protocol

Please view abstract in the attached PDF file

Microbial fuel cell technology for measurement of microbial respiration of lactate as an example of bioremediation amendment

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) based sensing was explored to provide for the development of an insitu bioremediation monitoring approach for substrate concentrations and microbial respiration rates. MFC systems were examined in column systems where Shewanella oneidensis MR1 used an external electron acceptor (an electrode) to metabolize lactate (a bioremediation additive) to acetate. Column systems were operated with varying influent lactate concentrations (0-41mM) and monitored for current generation (0.01-0.39mA). Biological current generation paralleled bulk phase lactate concentration both in the influent and in the bulk phase at the anode; current values were correlated to lactate concentration at the anode (R 2=0.9), The electrical signal provided real-time information for electron donor availability and biological activity. These results have practical implications for efficient and inexpensive real-time monitoring of insitu bioremediation processes where information on substrate concentrations is often difficult to obtain and where information on the rate and nature of metabolic processes is neede

Human Rights, Environmental Justice, Social Justice, Faith Values and Ethics: Building Stronger Partnerships for the Common Good by Understanding the Differences

Partnerships between human rights practitioners, local communities, scientists, engineers, and health professionals have shown potential to address deeply rooted, systemic human rights concerns. These collaborations are essential for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and for engaging the perspectives and expertise of all constituents. However, even when the individuals in these partnerships or the organizations they represent have common goals, their motivations, analyses, and solutions often come from different perspectives. Members of good will can inadvertently alienate one another when attempting to work together. The fields of human rights, social justice, environmental justice, and ethics have each developed their own language, frameworks, and movements independent of each other. There are many synergies, but also important differences such as in the approaches, level at which they are applied (from the individual or local to global) and the resources available. Successful partnership building will also be enhanced by respecting the influences of culture (including faith communities) and other social movements. In order to work together more effectively and to have the impacts we want to see on both human rights and sustainability, we must understand the similarities and distinctions between the movements and their applications to achieve global goals. In this panel we will explore the histories of these movements as they apply to the complementarity and potential for collaboration at the intersection of human rights and environmental sustainability. Four panelists will share perspectives, success stories, challenges and hopes from each of their vantages. a) Human Rights & Science/Engineering (Theresa Harris - AAAS) b) Environmental Justice/SDGs, Ecologists and Faith Communities (Leanne Jablonski - Ecological Society of America & UD HSI) c) Union of Concerned Scientists - Community Partnerships/practitioners with Scientists on climate justice/sustainability issues (Melissa Varga, Union of Concerned Scientists) d) Engineering and Technology: Challenges from International Practice (Malcolm Daniels, ETHOS Center, University of Dayton

Cardiovascular and metabolic demands of the kettlebell swing using a Tabata interval versus a traditional resistance protocol

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(3) : 179-185, 2014. Tabata (TAB) training, consisting of eight cycles of 20 seconds of maximal exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, is time-efficient, with aerobic and anaerobic benefit. This study investigated the cardiovascular and metabolic demands of a TAB versus traditional (TRAD) resistance protocol with the kettlebell swing. Fourteen young (18-25y), non-obese (BMI 25.7±0.8 kg/m2) participants reported on three occasions. All testing incorporated measurements of HR, oxygen consumption, and blood lactate accumulation. Each participant completed Tabata kettlebell swings (male- 8kg, female- 4.5kg; 8 intervals; 20s maximal repetitions, 10s rest). On a subsequent visit (TRAD), the total swings from the TAB protocol were evenly divided into 4 sets, with 90s rest between sets. Outcome measures were compared using paired t-tests. The TAB was completed more quickly than the TRAD protocol (240.0±0.0 v. 521.5±3.3 sec, P\u3c0.01), at a higher perceived exertion (Borg RPE; 15.1±0.7 v. 11.7±0.9, P\u3c0.01). The TAB elicited a higher average VO2 value (33.1±1.5 v. 27.2±1.6 ml/kg/min, P\u3c0.01), percent of VO2peak achieved (71.0±0.3 v. 58.4±0.3%, P\u3c0.01), maximal HR (162.4±4.6 v. 145.6±4.8 bpm, P\u3c0.01), and post-exercise blood lactate concentration (6.4±1.1 v. 3.7±0.5 mmol/L, P\u3c0.01). Conclusion: The kettlebell swing demonstrated significantly greater cardiovascular and metabolic responses within a TAB vs. TRAD framework. Appropriate screening and risk stratification are advised before implementing kettlebell swings

DATA SHARING TO DRIVE THE IMPROVEMENT OF TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS

Background/Context: Teacher preparation programs (TPPs) face increasing pressure from the federal government, states, and accreditation agencies to improve the quality of their practices and graduates, yet they often do not possess enough data to make evidence-based reforms. Purpose/Objective: This manuscript has four objectives: (a) to present the strengths and shortcomings of accountability-based TPP evaluation systems; (b) to detail the individual-level data being shared with TPPs at public universities in North Carolina; (c) to describe how data sharing can lead to TPP improvement and the challenges that programs will need to overcome; and (d) to detail how three TPPs are using the data for program improvement. Setting: North Carolina public schools and schools of education at public universities in North Carolina. Importantly, this individual-level data sharing system can be instituted among TPPs in other states. Population/Participants/Subjects: Teachers initially-prepared b

Metabolic Flexibility and Weight Status May Contribute to Inter-Individual Changes in Breastmilk Lipid Content in Response to an Acute Bout of Exercise: Preliminary Findings from a Pilot Study

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(2): 1756-1769, 2020. The purposes of this pilot study were to describe changes in breastmilk lipid content in response to an acute bout of moderate intensity exercise and to explore maternal metabolic health factors, including metabolic flexibility, which may impact this change. A cross-sectional, observational, pilot study design was performed in 14 women between 4 and 6 months postpartum. Whole body fasting lipid oxidation was assessed, a standardized high-fat breakfast was consumed, and lipid oxidation was again measured 120-minutes post-meal. Metabolic flexibility was determined by comparing the change in lipid oxidation before and after the meal. Women completed 30-minutes of moderate intensity treadmill walking 150-minutes post-meal. Breastmilk was expressed and analyzed for lipid content before and after exercise. Overall, there was no significant difference between pre- and post-exercise breastmilk lipid content (pre-exercise 59.4±36.1 g/L vs. post-exercise 52.5±20.7 g/L, p=0.26). However, five (36%) women had an increase in breastmilk lipid content in response to the exercise bout, compared to nine (64%) that had a decrease in breastmilk lipid content suggesting inter-individual variability. The change in breastmilk lipid content from pre- to post-exercise was positively correlated to metabolic flexibility (r=0.595, p=0.03). Additionally, post-exercise lipid content was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI), body composition, and postpartum weight retention. Preliminary findings from this pilot study suggest that metabolic flexibility and maternal weight status may help explain the inter-individual changes in breastmilk lipid content in response to an acute bout of moderate intensity exercise

Direct simulation of ion beam induced stressing and amorphization of silicon

Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, we investigate the mechanical response of silicon to high dose ion-irradiation. We employ a realistic and efficient model to directly simulate ion beam induced amorphization. Structural properties of the amorphized sample are compared with experimental data and results of other simulation studies. We find the behavior of the irradiated material is related to the rate at which it can relax. Depending upon the ability to deform, we observe either the generation of a high compressive stress and subsequent expansion of the material, or generation of tensile stress and densification. We note that statistical material properties, such as radial distribution functions are not sufficient to differentiate between different densities of amorphous samples. For any reasonable deformation rate, we observe an expansion of the target upon amorphization in agreement with experimental observations. This is in contrast to simulations of quenching which usually result in denser structures relative to crystalline Si. We conclude that although there is substantial agreement between experimental measurements and most simulation results, the amorphous structures being investigated may have fundamental differences; the difference in density can be attributed to local defects within the amorphous network. Finally we show that annealing simulations of our amorphized samples can lead to a reduction of high energy local defects without a large scale rearrangement of the amorphous network. This supports the proposal that defects in amorphous silicon are analogous to those in crystalline silicon.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figure

Measurements of Volatile Organic Compounds Using Proton Transfer Reaction - Mass Spectrometry during the MILAGRO 2006 Campaign

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured by proton transfer reaction – mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) on a rooftop in the urban mixed residential and industrial area North Northeast of downtown Mexico City as part of the Megacity Initiative – Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) 2006 field campaign. Thirty eight individual masses were monitored during the campaign and many species were quantified including methanol, acetaldehyde, toluene, the sum of C2 benzenes, the sum of C3 benzenes, acetone, isoprene, benzene, and ethyl acetate. The VOC measurements were analyzed to gain a better understanding of the type of VOCs present in the MCMA, their diurnal patterns, and their origins. Diurnal profiles of weekday and weekend/holiday aromatic VOC concentrations showed the influence of vehicular traffic during the morning rush hours and during the afternoon hours. Plumes including elevated toluene as high as 216 parts per billion (ppb) and ethyl acetate as high as 183 ppb were frequently observed during the late night and early morning hours, indicating the possibility of significant industrial sources of the two compounds in the region. Wind fields during those peak episodes revealed no specific direction for the majority of the toluene plumes but the ethyl acetate plumes arrived at the site when winds were from the Southwest or West. The PTR-MS measurements combined with other VOC measuring techniques at the field site as well as VOC measurements conducted in other areas of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) will help to develop a better understanding of the spatial pattern of VOCs and its variability in the MCMA. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 467–481, 2009.Robert A. Welch Foundation (Grant A-1417)Texas A & M University. Center for Atmospheric Chemistry and EnvironmentNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (ATM-0528227