Disciplinary Practices in the Elementary School Setting

With an ever growing understanding that American Public School Systems are not successfully serving the needs of their students the amount of research on education, discipline, racial disparity, and student achievement is vast. However, the amount of literature that contextualizes the experiences of students, teachers, and school staff remains limited. In my study, I focus on the local reality of Pharos Elementary School, a high-poverty school in Hartford, CT. My study examines how misbehavior is defined in the school context, what form of discipline practices are used, and what effect that has on school climate. I used a mixed method approach, conducting five formal interviews, 20 hours of field observation, and analysis of school discipline data-bases. I found that there is an over-reliance of exclusionary discipline for ambiguously defined reasons such as misbehavior and disrespect . The findings also suggest larger trends in an overemphasis of discipline in high-poverty, racial minority schools. Understanding the experiences of the people represented in my study highlights the flaws in the current system as well as offers realistic recommendations for improvement

Supplemental fish oil decreases urinary excretion of a marker of bone resorption in healthy adults

Background: Incorporation of fish oil (FO) into the diet of rodents has been shown to result in positive changes in bone health. Currently it is poorly understood if FO has the same effects on bone health in humans. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of supplemental FO on levels of urinary N-terminal cross-linked telopeptide (NTx), which is a marker of bone breakdown, and how this is related to the morning levels of salivary cortisol and urinary excretion of interleukin 6 (IL-6). Methods: A total of twenty-eight females and twelve males(35 ± 13yrs; 69.1 ± 14.1kg; 29.4 ± 9.2% body fat; mean ± SD) participated in this study. All testing was conducted in the morning following an overnight fast. Baseline measurements of salivary cortisol were collected via passive drool and baseline measurements of urinary NTxand IL- 6 were collected from the second void of the day and corrected for creatinine excretion. After baseline testing, subjects were assigned randomly in a double blind manner to one of two groups: 4 g/d of Safflower Oil (SO) or 4 g/d of FO supplying 1,600 mg/d eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 800 mg/d docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). All tests were repeated following 6wk of treatment. A treatment by time, repeated measures ANOVA was used to evaluate differences between groups over time, and a standard Pearson’s r was used to evaluate correlations. Additionally, within group pre-post differences were evaluated using a repeated measures t-test. For all analysis, the alpha level was set at p\u3c0.05. Results: Compared to the SO group, there was a significant decrease in urinary creatinine corrected NTx excretion following FO treatment (SO = 17.5 ± 42.9 BCE/mM; FO = -11.3 ± 27.7 BCE/mM; p=0.02). There was also a tendency for urinary creatinine corrected IL-6 excretion (SO = -0.08 ± 1.18pg/mg; FO = -1.8 ± 3.8 pg/mg; p=0.08), and salivary cortisol (SO = 0.029±0.283 μg/dL; FO = -0.069 ± 0.144 μg/dL; p=0.13) to decrease following FO treatment.When analyzed independently, however, there was a significant pre-post reduction for salivary cortisol in the FO group (p=0.04), with no change in the SO group (p=0.68), as well as a significant reduction pre-post for urinary IL-6 in the FO group (p=0.05), with no change in the SO group (p=0.78). However, the change in urinary NTx concentrationwas not related to the change insalivary cortisol concentration( r=-0.017, p=0.9), or the change in urinary IL-6 concentration (r=-0.323, p=0.26). Conclusions: Six weeks of supplementation with FO in adults significantly decreased urinary NTx excretion, but this change was not related to changes in cortisol or IL-6

Energy Issues in Canada

Discussion Paper no.

Coal dust explosibility meter evaluation and recommendations for application

"This report details the results of a NIOSH investigation on the ability of the Coal Dust Explosibility Meter (CDEM) to accurately predict the explosibility of samples of coal and rock dust mixtures collected from underground coal mines in the U.S. The CDEM, which gives instantaneous results in real time, represents a new way for miners and operators to assess the relative hazard of dust accumulations in their mines and the effectiveness of their rock dusting practices. The CDEM was developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and successfully underwent national and international peer review. The intention of the device is to assist mine operators in complying with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) final rule 30 CFR* 75.403, requiring that the incombustible content of combined coal dust, rock dust, and other dust be at least 80% in underground areas of bituminous coal mines. As a final step towards commercialization of the CDEM, and to evaluate the performance of the device as a potential compliance tool, NIOSH undertook an extensive cooperative study with MSHA. This study, completed in 2009-2010, involved field use of the CDEM within MSHA's 10 bituminous coal districts. As part of their routine dust compliance surveys in these districts, MSHA inspectors collected sample coal and rock dust mixtures, field testing these samples for explosibility with the CDEM. Samples were then sent to the MSHA National Air and Dust Laboratory at Mt. Hope, WV, for parallel testing, first using a drying oven to determine the moisture followed by the traditional low temperature ashing (LTA) method. The LTA method determines explosibility of a coal and rock dust sample in a laboratory by heating the mixture to burn off the combustible material. The results, when combined with the moisture, are reported as total incombustible content (TIC). If the TIC is . 80%, the sample is deemed to be nonexplosible and compliant with 30 CFR 75.403. In the field component of this study, MSHA's use of the CDEM indicated that 30% (175) of the 591 samples collected were explosible. NIOSH was able to obtain and remeasure 297 samples, and 97% of those identified by the CDEM as being explosible (27% of samples) or nonexplosible (73% of samples) correlated with the results of the subsequent lab analysis using the LTA method. Of the remaining 3% where there were differences between the field and laboratory methods, subsequent NIOSH evaluation attributed these differences to the variability (incomplete mixing, inadequate drying of the sample, the particle size of the rock dust and/or coal dust) of the samples being analyzed, the retained moisture in those samples, and the inherent ash in the coal. In considering these results and comparing the CDEM field measurements to the LTA laboratory measurements, it is important to understand the fundamental distinctions between the two methods. The determination of TIC by the LTA method is not itself a direct measure of explosibility, but a surrogate that calculates a single parameter associated with full-scale experimental results. This method is not based on particle size and treats all particles equally regardless of the size. In contrast, the CDEM utilizes a different approach, using optical reflectance to determine the ratio of rock dust to coal dust in a mixture, with full-scale experiments on flame propagation having already demonstrated the effects of varying the coal dust particle sizes and incombustible concentrations on the explosible vs. nonexplosible dust mixtures. A final important distinction between the two methods is that the CDEM offers real-time measurements of the explosion propagation hazard within a coal mine entry, allowing for immediate identification and mitigation of the problem, while the results from the traditional LTA method are not known for days or weeks after a sample is collected, allowing for the deficiency in rock dust to continue. The conclusions of this study strongly support the field use of the CDEM to measure the explosibility of coal and rock dust mixtures, to more effectively improve the onsite adequacy of rock dusting for explosion prevention. Mine operators could use the CDEM on a regular basis to ensure that their rock dusting practices are achieving inertization requirements and meeting the intent of 30 CFR 75.403. MSHA inspectors could use the CDEM as a tool to immediately identify onsite explosibility hazards and initiate corrective action. A critical issue to both the LTA and the CDEM analysis methods is that the results are dependent on representative samples being collected for analysis." - NIOSHTIC-2Executive summary -- Introduction -- Background on coal dust and explosibility testing -- CDEM 0peration -- Comparison of laboratory results and CDEM results -- Joint study between NIOSH and MSHA -- Results and discussion -- GREEN measurements -- RED/YELLOW measurements -- Conclusions from the NIOSH study -- Commercial CDEM development -- Calibration and programming of the commercial CDEM -- Commercial CDEM changes based on potential customer concerns -- The Commercial CDEM as a verification and compliance tool -- NIOSH recommendations -- Acknowledgments -- References -- APPENDIX A: CDEM design -- APPENDIX B: CDEM training -- APPENDIX C: Prototype CDEM calibration and testing procedures used in the joint study -- APPENDIX D: Particle size effect -- APPENDIX E: MSHA inspector questions and commentsMarcia L. Harris, Michael J. Sapko, Floyd D. Varley, and Eric S. Weiss"August 2012."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. 25-26)

Mitigation of flooding and cyclone hazard in Orissa, India

Storm surges generated by the strong tangential wind stressesand normal atmospheric pressure gradients at the sea surface due to tropical cyclones (TC"S)have been studied with the goal of detecting any significant and systematic changes due to climatechange. Cyclone and storm surge data for the 19th and 20th centuries for the Bay of Bengalcoast of the state of Orissa in India are available to varying degrees of quality and detail,the data being more scientific since the advent of the India Meteorological Department in 1875.Based on more precise data for the period 1971 to 2000, statistical projections have been madeon the probable intensities of tropical cyclones for various return periods. The super cyclone ofOctober 29, 1999 (SC1999) appears to have a return period of about 50 years. The cyclones of1831, 1885 and possibly the one in 1895 could have been super cyclones. During the 19th century,there were 72 flooding events associated with cyclones, whereas in the 20th century therewere only 56 events. There was no observational evidence to suggest that there was an increaseeither in the frequency or intensity of cyclones or storm surges on the coast of Orissa. However,the impact of cyclones and surges is on the increase due to increase of population and coastal infrastructure

The SpikerBox: A Low Cost, Open-Source BioAmplifier for Increasing Public Participation in Neuroscience Inquiry

Although people are generally interested in how the brain functions, neuroscience education for the public is hampered by a lack of low cost and engaging teaching materials. To address this, we developed an open-source tool, the SpikerBox, which is appropriate for use in middle/high school educational programs and by amateurs. This device can be used in easy experiments in which students insert sewing pins into the leg of a cockroach, or other invertebrate, to amplify and listen to the electrical activity of neurons. With the cockroach leg preparation, students can hear and see (using a smartphone oscilloscope app we have developed) the dramatic changes in activity caused by touching the mechanosensitive barbs. Students can also experiment with other manipulations such as temperature, drugs, and microstimulation that affect the neural activity. We include teaching guides and other resources in the supplemental materials. These hands-on lessons with the SpikerBox have proven to be effective in teaching basic neuroscience

Enterprising identities An examination of some identity characteristics of nascent and current small business owners

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DXN054373 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo