Early childhood transitions research: A review of concepts, theory, and practice’ Working Paper 48

Chapter 1 begins by outlining developmental concepts which underpin transition themes, in particular those associated with the theories of Jean Piaget and other ‘stage’ theorists. Their ideas are highlighted early on because so much transitions research builds on or reacts to core developmental assumptions. Chapter 1 then introduces socio-cultural perspectives on early childhood transitions. These are distinguished by their focus on how children learn by interacting with their immediate socio-cultural environments (e.g., caregivers, peers). This emphasis has been elaborated by several disciplines within the social sciences and is increasingly mirrored in early child development programmes around the world. Chapter 2 examines the different ways in which transitions are structured, drawing attention to varying logics that can be employed to mark transitions in early childhood. Institutional settings often use biological age as the criterion for readiness. By contrast, sociocultural transitions are often marked through rites of passage, following the cultural and economic reasoning of a given community. Also, around the world children engage in horizontal transitions as they move between different domains of everyday life. Chapter 3 shifts to perspectives on transitions that are informed by systems theories. These are distinguished from socio-cultural approaches by their greater emphasis on the links between individuals, macro social processes and historical changes. These approaches highlight the linkages between children, their communities and global societies and draw attention to the importance of comprehensive programmes that enable children to engage critically with the demands of a changing environment. Chapter 4 focuses on children’s active roles in shaping their transition experiences, with particular attention to the significance of peer group relationships as a moderating influence on transitions. The section then explores research methods that may enable the implementation of children’s right to participation within research and programming in this area. The final chapter discusses the findings of this review, highlighting significant research strengths and gaps of the various approaches presented, followed by a glossary of key transitions concepts discussed in the paper

Relation between the weak itinerant magnetism in A2A_2Ni7_7 compounds (AA = Y, La) and their stacked crystal structures

The weak itinerant magnetic properties of $A_2$Ni$_7$ compounds with $A$ = {Y, La} have been investigated using electronic band structure calculations in the relation with their polymorphic crystal structures. These compounds crystallizes in two structures resulting from the stacking of two and three blocks of [$A_2$Ni$_4$ + 2 $A$Ni$_5$] units for hexagonal $2H$-La$_2$Ni$_7$ (Ce$_2$Ni$_7$ type) and rhombohedral $3R$-Y$_2$Ni$_7$ (Gd$_2$Co$_7$ type) respectively. Experimentally, $2H$-La$_2$Ni$_7$ is a weak itinerant antiferromagnet whereas $3R$-Y$_2$Ni$_7$ is a weak itinerant ferromagnet. From the present first principles calculation within non-spin polarized state, both compounds present an electronic density of state with a sharp and narrow peak centered at the Fermi level corresponding to flat bands from $3d$-Ni. This induces a magnetic instability and both compounds are more stable in a ferromagnetic (FM) order compared to a paramagnetic state ($\Delta E \simeq$ -35 meV/f.u.). The magnetic moment of each of the five Ni sites varies with their positions relative to the [$A_2$Ni$_4$] and [$A$Ni$_5$] units: they are minimum in the [$A_2$Ni$_4$] unit and maximum at the interface between two [$A$Ni$_5$] units. For $2H$-La$_2$Ni$_7$, an antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure has been proposed and found with an energy comparable to that of the FM state. This AFM structure is described by two FM unit blocks of opposite Ni spin sign separated by a non-magnetic layer at z = 0 and $\frac12$. The Ni ($2a$) atoms belonging to this intermediate layer are located in the [La$_2$Ni$_4$] unit and are at a center of symmetry of the hexagonal cell ($P6_3/mmc$) where the resultant molecular field is cancelled. Further non-collinear spin calculations have been performed to determine the Ni moment orientations which are found preferentially parallel to the $c$ axis for both FM and AFM structures.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, 2 table

Early Childhood Education Trajectories and Transitions: A study of the experiences and perspectives of parents and children in Andhra Pradesh, India. Young Lives Working Paper 52

This paper explores diverse pathways through early childhood in the context of Andhra Pradesh state, India. The particular focus is on experiences of pre-school and transitions to primary school. The paper is based on analysis of Young Lives survey data (n=1950) collected for a group of young children born at the beginning of the millennium, plus in-depth qualitative research with a small sub-sample (n=24). We start from the premise that children’s earliest educational experiences can have a crucial influence on their lifelong adjustments and achievements. Superficially, the evidence from Young Lives research is quite positive, suggesting equitable access to early childhood provision as well as high levels of primary school attendance. However, overall percentages are misleading and disguise major differences in early transition experiences. Many of these differences are shaped by the co-existence of a long established network of government anganwadis under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, alongside a rapidly growing (relatively unregulated) private sector at both pre-school and primary levels. Parental decision making around private versus government education has been fuelled by the possibility of improved life opportunities in a rapidly changing economy and the attractiveness of English medium teaching, even at the earliest stages (more commonly available in the private sector). The paper identifies four quite distinct trajectories related to availability and choice of pre-school and primary school. Parental aspirations for individual boys and girls combined with beliefs about relative quality of government and private schools seem to shape individual trajectories in ways that seem likely to reproduce or even reinforce inequities related to wealth, location, caste and gender. The consequence for children is in many cases having to cope with multiple transitions during their early years, which may entail changing schools in an effort to ‘up-grade’ in perceived quality (e.g. from a government to private school), or moving into distant hostels or with relatives in order to attend better schools or to access grades unavailable locally

Looking for new thermoelectric materials among the TMX intermetallics using high-throughput calculations

Within 4 different crystal structures, 2280 ternary intermetallic configurations have been investigated via high-throughput density functional theory calculations in order to discover new semiconducting materials. The screening is restricted to intermetallics with the equimolar composition TMX, where T is a transition metal from the Ti, V, Cr columns, Sr, Ba, Y and La, M an element from the first line of transition metals and X a sp elements (Al, P, Si, Sn and Sb), i.e. to a list of 24 possible elements. Since the calculations are done combinatorically, every possible ternary composition is considered, even those not reported in the literature. All these TMX configurations are investigated in the 4 most reported structure-types: TiNiSi, MgAgAs, BeZrSi and ZrNiAl. With an excellent agreement between calculations and literature for the reported stable phases, we identify 472 possible stable compounds among which 21 are predicted as non-metallic. Among these 21 compositions, 4 could be considered as new semiconductors

A University Course to Facilitate the Transition Into, Through, and Beyond College Life

The purpose of this project was to review the literature associated with the social and psychological adjustments freshmen and transfer intercollegiate athletes face as they transition into college and create a mandatory course to assist them through their transition into California Polytechnic State University. This project led to the creation of an academic course that will be offered at California Polytechnic State University in the near future. This course could serve as an impetus for coaches, faculty, and administrators at other universities to develop similar courses, or reevaluate established course offerings, and to develop follow-up course training for intercollegiate athletes that will contribute to their positive growth throughout the course of their college careers

Process for selective monoaddition to silanes containing two silicon-hydrogen bonds and products thereof

A process for the selective monoadditon of an olefin or acetylene to a siloxane which contains two reactive Si--H bonds to produce a product in which only one of the two Si--H functions has added across the olefin or acetylene is disclosed. A process for making unsymmetrical siloxanes from symmetrical dihydrosiloxanes and products of both of these processes are also disclosed. Products are represented by the formula I in which R.sup.1 and R.sup.4 are different: ##STR1##

Magnetic and structural properties of nanocrystalline PrCo3_3

The structure and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline PrCo$_3$ obtained from high energy milling technique are investigated by X-ray diffraction, Curie temperature determination and magnetic properties measurements are reported. The as-milled samples have been annealed in a temperature range of 1023 K to 1273 K for 30 mn to optimize the extrinsic properties. The Curie temperature is 349\,K and coercive fields of 55\,kOe at 10\,K and 12\,kOe at 293\,K are obtained on the samples annealed at 1023\,K. A simulation of the magnetic properties in the framework of micromagnetism has been performed in order to investigate the influence of the nanoscale structure. A composite model with hard crystallites embedded in an amorphous matrix, corresponding to the as-milled material, leads to satisfying agreement with the experimental magnetization curve. [ K. Younsi, V. Russier and L. Bessais, J. Appl. Phys. {\bf 107}, 083916 (2010)]. The microscopic scale will also be considered from DFT based calculations of the electronic structure of $R$Co$_x$ compounds, where $R$ = (Y, Pr) and $x$ = 2,3 and 5.Comment: To be published in J. Phys.: Conference Series in the JEMS 2010 special issue. To be found once published at http://iopscience.iop.org/1742-659

Il sistema dei servizi educativi per le scuole del Piemonte

analisi dei progetti educativi rivolti alle ssuole da parte di regioni, enti locali, prinvati e terzo settor

Brain, language, and handedness: a family affair

The left planum temporale is a marker of left hemisphere language specialization. We investigated the effect of individual handedness and familial sinistrality on left planum temporale surface area and found the size is reduced in proportion with the number of left-handed immediate family members and is lowest when one's mother is left-handed. This reduction is independent of an individual's handedness or sex and has no counterpart in the right hemisphere