bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complete genome sequence and characterization of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli field isolate ACN001
Authors: Wang Xiangru , Wei Liuya , Wang Bin , Zhang Ruixuan , Liu Canying , Bi Dingren , Chen Huanchun , Tan Chen
Published: January 2016

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli is an important etiological agent of avian colibacillosis, which manifests as respiratory, hematogenous, meningitic, and enteric infections in poultry. It is also a potential zoonotic threat to human health. The diverse genomes of APEC strains largely hinder disease prevention and control measures. In the current study, pyrosequencing was used to analyze and characterize APEC strain ACN001 (= CCTCC 2015182T = DSMZ 29979T), which was isolated from the liver of a diseased chicken in China in 2010. Strain ACN001 belongs to extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli phylogenetic group B1, and was highly virulent in chicken and mouse models. Whole genome analysis showed that it consists of six different plasmids along with a circular chromosome of 4,936,576 bp, comprising 4,794 protein-coding genes, 108 RNA genes, and 51 pseudogenes, with an average G + C content of 50.56 %. As well as 237 coding sequences, we identified 39 insertion sequences, 12 predicated genomic islands, 8 prophage-related sequences, and 2 clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats regions on the chromosome, suggesting the possible occurrence of horizontal gene transfer in this strain. In addition, most of the virulence and antibiotic resistance genes were located on the plasmids, which would assist in the distribution of pathogenicity and multidrug resistance elements among E. coli populations. Together, the information provided here on APEC isolate ACN001 will assist in future study of APEC strains, and aid in the development of control measures.
Microfluidic assay for precise measurements of mouse, rat, and human neutrophil chemotaxis in whole-blood droplets
Authors: Jones Caroline N , Hoang Anh N , Martel Joseph M , Dimisko Laurie , Mikkola Amy , Inoue Yoshitaka , Kuriyama Naohide , Yamada Marina , Hamza Bashar , Kaneki Masao , Warren H Shaw , Brown Diane E , Irimia Daniel
Published: January 2016

Animal models of human disease differ in innate immune responses to stress, pathogens, or injury. Precise neutrophil phenotype measurements could facilitate interspecies comparisons. However, such phenotype comparisons could not be performed accurately with the use of current assays, as they require the separation of neutrophils from blood using species-specific protocols, and they introduce distinct artifacts. Here, we report a microfluidic technology that enables robust characterization of neutrophil migratory phenotypes in a manner independent of the donor species and performed directly in a droplet of whole blood. The assay relies on the particular ability of neutrophils to deform actively during chemotaxis through microscale channels that block the advance of other blood cells. Neutrophil migration is measured directly in blood, in the presence of other blood cells and serum factors. Our measurements reveal important differences among migration counts, velocity, and directionality among neutrophils from 2 common mouse strains, rats, and humans.
“As Pertaining to the Female Sex”: The Legal and Social Norms of Female Entrepreneurship in Nineteenth-Century Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Authors: Zimmerman Kari
Published: January 2016

This article analyzes how and where women participated in Brazilian commerce between 1869 and 1904. Over half of Rio de Janeiro's female population worked at the twentieth century's turn, but very little is known about women in commerce. Evidence from formal business partnership contracts demonstrates that women comprised a significant and dynamic sector of the merchant community, despite legal and social barriers. More importantly, their business habits largely paralleled those of their male counterparts. These findings break from current scholarship that narrowly defines businesswomen as exceptional. An analysis of female economic activity, along with the institutional structures regulating their market participation, suggests that gender shaped women's entrance into the market but only narrowly affected their pursuits. Recognizing the various ways that women considered the legal and social demands of their civil status with the broader demands of the market offers a more complete portrait of female economic activity during one of Brazil's most impressive eras of expansion.
Improving Calibration Transfer between Shortwave near Infrared Silicon Photodiode Array Instruments
Authors: Hayes Clinton J. , Walsh Kerry B. , Greensill Colin V.
Published: January 2016

The use of a model developed on spectra of one (master) instrument with spectra collected using another (slave) instrument requires differences in spectra of master and slave units to be orthogonal to the calibration model. The more spectral similarity is achieved in hardware, i.e. by matching the optical characteristics of the devices, the less chemometric correction is required. The transfer of partial least squares models for total soluble solids (TSS) of intact apple fruit between instrumentation based on silicon photodiode arrays was improved by use of more accurate wavelength assignments over the wavelength range used in the model. Several transfer methodologies were trialled, including piecewise direct standardisation (PDS), transfer by orthogonal projection, model updating (MU) and difference spectrum adjustment. The difference spectrum method combined with new wavelength assignments and MU gave results comparable to the performance of the master instrument and to models directly developed on the slave instruments ( r2 = 0.95, SEP-b = 0.47 and bias = −0.03% TSS, for a population of mean = 14.45 and SD = 1.64% w/v). The use of average difference spectrum adjustment combined with MU was preferred over PDS because of ease of implementation.
Medical near Infrared Spectroscopy: A Prestigious History and a Bright Future
Authors: Quaresima Valentina , Ferrari Marco
Published: January 2016

This article provides an overview of the present and the bright future of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy applications in the medical field with special regard to brain oximetry and functional NIR spectroscopy (fNIRS).
Near Infrared Spectroscopy: From Feasibility to Implementation in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Authors: Romañach Rodolfo J.
Published: January 2016

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy will play an increasingly important role in pharmaceutical processes as the quality of pharmaceutical products is progressively defined on the basis of their performance and pharmaceutical quality control is transformed to meet this challenge. This new quality control will require a thorough understanding of the sources of error in NIR methods, an understanding that starts with fundamentals such as the physics of diffuse reflectance and the Theory of Sampling, and progresses to working with pharmaceutical engineers to implement online predictions and control of pharmaceutical operations. This article outlines the research areas that need to be integrated to advance the implementation of NIR spectroscopy in the pharmaceutical industry.
Passive car safety system updating at head-on collision with lorry
Authors: Бишутин Сергей , Bishutin Sergey , Дашунина Мария , Dashunina Mariya
Published: January 2016

At emergency brake application before collision a car clearance decreases considerably, a car front side comes lower and actually does not participate in blow energy absorption. A car “dives under” a lorry and al-most all blow energy falls to the roof and windshield posts which do not figure on the perception of such a load that often results in fatal consequences.

To reduce weight of consequences after such a collision there was developed a design for a passive car safety. The device consists of a ring pneumatic cylinder which is situated round a front shock strut next the upper bearing of a shock absorber and connected with a squib. It is intended for lifting and car body fixation along the height before a collision with a lorry. There are two such devices installed in a motor car, with one for each front wheel. It is not difficult to make this device there is no need in essential changes in the car design. It can be installed in any car with front posts of the type «macferson».

The offered device is integrated in the general system of a car passive safety and at unavoidable head collision with a lorry is activated by means of a squib explosion.

Key words: life-saving device, car, head-on collision, lorry.
Economy increase of turboset flow unit
Authors: Осипов Александр , Osipov Aleksandr , Дроконов Алексей , Drokonov Aleksey , Волженцов Андрей , Volzhentsov Andrey
Published: January 2016

At present time a considerable part of installed facilities of steam – and gasturbine units exhausted the body resources in connection with that their modernization is an urgent problem. The effectiveness increase in the work of a flow part in turbine units can be achieved at the expense of peripheral leakage decrease in bandless and banded stages of steam and gas turbines. In banded stages it can be achieved due to the choice of optimum value in the peripheral overlap of turbine rotor blades. In the BSTU there was obtained a dependence allowing the approximate definition of the optimum value for the overlap. At the same time the design of peripheral honeycomb seal with variable geometry allowing the operation with increased gaps in vibrating dangerous modes (start and stop) and in nominal conditions – with reduced gaps that gives the decrease of operation heat leakage about 30% in comparison with a basic design is offered. For bandless stages on the outer outline of an impeller the spiral profile groove manufacturing is of-fered for the effect of flow blocking at periphery. In the BSTU on the test air benches it was established that at the optimum angle of spiral profile groove slope equal to 150 to the plane of the impeller rotation the efficiency increment for the stage of an average fanning is equal to about 1% in comparison with the variant of a smooth overlap. For the purpose of stage operation reliability increase at economy conservation there is offered a creation of the hollow chamber with 2…3mm depth in the middle part of the blade exterior cross section. The application of variants developed for the flow part modernization in turbomachines should contribute to effectiveness and reliability increase of powergenerating units and ensure the ecological characteristics improvement in plants at the expense of their vibro-acoustic activity decrease.
Load of gondola with floor decking at handling operations
Authors: Кобищанов Владимир , Kobishchanov Vladimir , Герасимов Кирилл , Gerasimov Kirill , Расин Дмитрий , Rasin Dmitriy
Published: January 2016

A gondola with a body of solid type – an eco-nomically effective unit of a rollingstock. Most of the damages of gondola bodies is caused at handling operations with the failure of requirements observance established. In the paper the assessment of deflected mode body in the body at the lump load drop with the mass of 500 kg is carried out. Normal stresses and travels arising at the blow of load in the sections of joints of frame beams between each other, side and end walls are analyzed. The values of stresses three times higher than the foreseen ones with “Standards…” are adopted as reference valuations. It is substantiated by test results and the comparison of material characteristics at deadweight and dynamic loads.

As a result of car body multichoice computations on basis of the detailed MCE there was established the following: the closer the place of a lump blow to a supporting longitudinal to the car body end is, the stresses are higher in it. Stresses arising in the supporting longitudinal situated between an end girder and a body bolster beam reach 998 H/mm, at the same time in the middle of the car body of a gondola they do not exceed 450 H⁄mm². If a load lump falls down on the joint of cross-beams and longitudinal ones, then stresses in their sections 10-15 times less, than if the fall were to a strengthening beam. In the main the maximum stress distribution is limited by small areas located between two neighboring crossbeams. The research results have shown, it is necessary that additional bearing elements absorbing a blow should be introduced in a frame.
Model for higher education quality assessment
Authors: Мирошников Вячеслав , Miroshnikov Vyacheslav , Круглов Виктор , Kruglov Viktor , Горленко Олег , Gorlenko Oleg , Можаева Татьяна , Mozhaeva Tatyana
Published: January 2016

Quality ensuring in training students and educational institutions graduates is one of the state directions in the sphere of education. In view of this the significance consists in the development, introduction and improvement of the assessment model for the quality of training students on the baccalaureate’s , specialist’s and master’s curricula. This paper reports the model considered for the correspondence assessment of curricula to the requirements of the Federal State All-Russian Standard for Higher Vocational Education (FSARS HVE) on basis of four indices and thirtytwo criteria according to the recommendations of the Russian Accreditation Agency of the Russian federation. For each of the criteria there are shown documents and materials confirming its fulfillment. Failure to execute at least one of the criteria means lack of correspondence of the curriculum to the requirements of the FSARS HVE. A not less significant procedure of curricula quality assessment – a confirmation, by means of the presentation of documents and materials on the successful application of knowledge, abilities and skills obtained in the course of mastering a compulsory cur-riculum by students and graduates under real or simu-lated working conditions.

One of the conditions for the increase of curricula effectiveness – the availability in an educational institution (EI) of the incollege system for education quality assessment which would allow planned carrying out organizational measures on a fundamental analysis and objective self-appraisal of educational activities of all departments of the EI and obtaining complete information on the curricula realization, and also correcting a training procedure with the aim of quality increase in college graduate students training. The main purpose of such incollege system consists in the definition of areas for education quality increase in all kinds of activities of the university and its departments.
Technical and mancaused reality of current social natural development in biospheric life transformation
Authors: Демиденко Эдуард , Demidenko Eduard , Дергачева Елена , Dergacheva Elena
Published: January 2016

Technical reality is a set technical and technological objects and processes. This reality widens recently up to the world of material and artificial objects, phenomena and processes, oversteps the limits of techniques and approaches the concept of technosphere. This extensive concept itself includes the whole of artificial, lifeless, realmaterial and field, electromagnetic world. At the beginning of the XXI-st to change a technical reality began a more complicated reality. It is already different - extranatural, extrabiospheric, not neutral to biosophere and its animate nature, but transforming or even destroying a secular biospheric life. The formed in the paper new concept –“mancaused”, on the one hand, includes technical reality giving a new life not only to man, but also to terrestrial life precipitating not only processes of social development, but also socionatural one. On the other hand such a reality correlates with biosphere and human life in a different way – subjects it to pathological transformations and, as a result, to annihilation. It is necessary to investigate in a system way the formation of a mancaused reality by various institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and also to create a United Institute of Prospective Regional Development in Bryansk State Technical University on basis of scientificphilosophical school for researches of integrated socialtechnonatural processes of life development.
Current tendencies in modular equipment creation
Authors: Жирков Александр , Zhirkov Aleksandr , Киричек Андрей , Kirichek Andrey , Федонина Светлана , Fedonina Svetlana
Published: January 2016

A current tendency in the creation of widespread destination equipment by means of used in the design bulk exacting modules of guides, gearing parts, electromechanical drive, stepper motors and servomotors is considered. The prospects of manufacturing the modular machine base elements made of organic concrete, ensuring an essential level of automation at the expense of equipping with accessible open systems with numerical control are emphasized.
Symmetric encryption upgrade by introduction of information block on used algorithms in key
Authors: Кузнецова Наталия , Kuznetsova Nataliya , Карлова Татьяна , Karlova Tatyana , Бекмешов Александр , Bekmeshov Aleksandr
Published: January 2016

The approach described in the paper is similar to the idea of memory organization in a computer. In the computer memory there must be saved not only data workable, but also directions for processing itself. Only in case when with encryption a key appears as a memory: it contains both, information essential in the course of encryption (a key proper), and an instruction on the way of encryption should be carried out (an additional block of information). As a consequence of this the crypto-durability of the whole system increases. At the same time the postulate of used algorithm openness is not broken: in the course of encryption there are used open algorithms only, only a key is secret which bears in itself the block of secret information on an open algorithm superposition.
Computer support for optimum decisionmaking in engineering plant control based on OLAP methodology
Authors: Коновалова Галина , Konovalova Galina
Published: January 2016

The present day at engineering plants occurs the following problem: an inadequacy of management decisions made to the required state of manufacturing causing high production costs, higher length of the production cycle and irregularity in timing of orders. To solve this problem the author of this work has developed a methodology for the management of differ-ent and dynamic production based on a system approach. The main way for the realization of the system approach lies through the formation of an adequate integrated information system of an engineering plant control. With the aid of the integrated information using the OLAP methodology the procedure of all pro-duction processes is tracked and a complex multidimensional analysis of data is carried out, dynamics, trends, regularities and new knowledge are defined. The OLAP methodology gives convenient highspeed means of access, review and analysis of business information. A user obtains a natural, comprehensible, multi-dimensional data model organizing them as multidimensional cubes. The system multidimensional data analysis and optimum decisionmaking are ensured with a computer. The system developed for the support of management decisionmaking embraces various kinds of activities, planning periods and management profiles. The technical solutions offered are introduced into Bryansk Engineering Plant Co. and have a universal character and can be applied at all engineering plants of the country.
Current approaches to research of arctic ecological systems
Authors: Шептунов Сергей , Sheptunov Sergey , Гурьев Александр , Gurev Aleksandr , Батраков Никита , Batrakov Nikita , Алешко Роман , Aleshko Roman , Карлова Татьяна , Karlova Tatyana , Шошина Ксения , Shoshina Kseniya
Published: January 2016

The solution of the fundamental problem which is directed to the development of the system for the complex control of arctic territories is offered. Basic approaches to their research are described. It is established that the actualization of the Arctic information is a basis of decision making for the effective monitoring territories, restoration of bioproductivity and biovariety. Basic problems in the control of the arctic territory metasystem are revealed. The analysis of the integration of various means to obtain surface data is carried out. The approaches to the increase of expedition activity effectiveness for field investigation carrying out in the Arctic Zone are represented. There is offered a development of intelligent information media on basis of bioindication data.
Concept of «quality of life» category: regional aspect
Authors: Горшкова Анна , Gorshkova Anna
Published: January 2016

The concept of quality of population life is analyzed. The conclusion is made, that the category mentioned should be considered in the wide and in the narrow sense: the first one reflects the content of social life in the whole, the second one – integral indices cha-racterizing the degree of satisfaction of population needs.
The diversity and distribution of Holothuroidea in shallow waters of Baluran National Park, Indonesia
Authors: SIDDIQ ARIF MOHAMMAD , ATMOWIDI TRI , QAYIM IBNUL
Published: January 2016

Siddiq AM, Atmowidi T, Qayim I. 2015. The diversity and distribution of Holothuroidea in shallow waters of BaluranNational Park, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 17: 55-60. A study of the diversity and distribution of sea cucumber (Holothuroidea)Â in shallow waters at Baluran National Park, East Java, Indonesia was carried out from July until September 2015. The method used in this studywas systematic transect in low tide condition. Samples were collected by hands at intertidal sites. Identification of sea cucumber speciesÂ based on morphological ossicles. Twenty one species of Holothuroidea belonging two orders and four families were found in this study.Â The most dominant family found was Holothuriidae (16 species),Â Â followed by Stichopodidae (2 species),Â Synaptidae (2 species), andÂ Chiridotidae (1 species).Â Four species (Holothuria olivacea, H. verrucosa, Labidodemas rugosum, and Chiridota smirnovi) are new record for Java waters and one species (H. papillifera)Â is a new record for Indonesian waters. Two morphospecies (H. aff. macroperona and Stichopus cf. monotuberculatus) need reconfirmation to species level. The highest abundance species of Holothuroidea was found at under rock with 15 species. Whereas, the highest number of individuals was found in seagrass areas with 5457 individuals. H. atra has extensive habitat distribution, such as seagrass, macroalgae, coral reef, dead coral, sand, and under rock.
Policy change for the social determinants of health: the strange irrelevance of social epidemiology
Authors: Crammond Bradley R , Carey Gemma
Published: January 2016

The considerable evidence base linking social conditions to population health has spurred many in public health to call for political action. Most of these conditions fall outside the purview of health departments, meaning that advocates are increasingly calling on other government sectors to improve health. Whether levelled at the whole-of-government or individual departments these calls seek a paradigm shift in governmental goals. Paradigmatic political change is an essentially normative process – one based upon ethical, rather than empirical, reasoning. Successfully achieving political change requires that public health advocates improve their normative justification for change and reduce their reliance upon evidence-based arguments.
Molecular genetic and clinical variants MODY2 and MODY3 in children in Russia
Authors: Kuraeva Tamara Leonidovna , Sechko Elena Aleksandrovna , Zilberman Lubov' Iosifovna , Ivanova Olga Nikolaevna , Mayorov Aleksandr Yurievich , Koksharova Ekaterina Olegovna , Peterkova Valentina Aleksandrovna , Dedov Ivan Ivanovich
Published: January 2016

Aim — to research molecular genetic and clinical characteristics of diabetes mellitus MODY2 and MODY3 in children.Material and methods. Genetic testing for GCK and HNF1α was performed in 169 patients with carbohydrate metabolism disorders, with age of diagnosis under 18. Carbohydrate metabolism disorders were interpreted as MODY. Analysis of clinical data at the presentation of carbohydrate metabolism disorder and cases follow-up was provided in 62 patients with genetic confirmed MODY2 and 18 patients with genetic confirmed MODY3.Results. Ratio MODY2 and MODY3 was 3,4:1. Carbohydrate metabolism disorders were diagnosed earlier in MODY2 than in MODY3 — 7,8 years (4,0; 10,5) vs. 11,8 years (9,7; 13,5) (p<0,01). Degree of carbohydrate metabolism disorder was less in MODY2 — in 22,4% of patients all makers of carbohydrate metabolism disorder (HbA1c, fasting glycaemia, 120 min glycaemia) were less than diabetic range, in MODY3 all these makers were diabetics in 100% of cases. Patients with MODY2 significantly less frequently were treated with antihyperglycemic drugs. Carbohydrate metabolism disorders in one of the parents were diagnosed earlier in MODY3 — in 24 years (18,5; 35,3) vs. 32 years (27; 37) in MODY2 (p<0,05), parents were treated with antihyperglycemic drugs — in 94,4% vs. 22,2%  respectively (p<0,01).Conclusion. This study is the largest in Russia and estimated that MODY2 is the most prevalence and has had milder presentation and less dysfunction of β-cells to compare to MODY-HNF1α.
Possible benefits of early combination therapy of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Shestakova Ekaterina Alekseevna
Published: January 2016

Some current international and national guidelines for type 2 diabetes recommend intensive start of antidiabetic treatment if HbA1c is more than 7.5% at the moment of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The article speculates on the possible benefits of combination therapy at the very early stages of type 2 diabetes progression.
Comprehensive School Reform: Meta-Analytic Evidence of Black-White Achievement Gap Narrowing
Authors: Gorey Kevin M.
Published: January 2016

This meta-analysis extends a previous review of the achievement effects of comprehensive school reform (CSR) programs (Borman, Hewes, Overman, & Brown, 2003). That meta-analysis observed significant effects of well endowed and well-researched programs, but it did not account for race/ethnicity. This article synthesizes 34 cohort or quasi-experimental outcomes of studies that incorporated the policy-critical characteristic of race/ethnicity. Findings: compared with matched traditional schools, the black-white achievement gap narrowed significantly more among students in CSR schools. In addition, the aggregate effects were large, substantially to completely eliminating the achievement gap between African American and non-Hispanic white students in elementary and middle schools. Title I policies before or after the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 seem to have had essentially no impact on the black-white achievement gap. Curricular and testing mandates along with the threat of sanctions without concomitant resource supports seem to have failed. This study suggests that educational achievement inequities need not be America’s destiny. It seems that they could be eliminated through concerted political will and ample resource commitments to evidence-based educational programs.
Teacher turnover: An issue of workgroup racial diversity.
Authors: Sohn Kitae
Published: January 2016

One neglected aspect of the teacher labor supply is a recent increase in the proportion of minority teachers. Using the Schools and Staffing Survey and the Teacher Follow-up Survey, one can estimate the relationship between workgroup racial diversity and the turnover of White teachers. This approach finds that young White teachers are more likely to stay in their original schools when the proportion of minority teachers is smaller. However, the opposite pattern emerges for older teachers. This poses a policy dilemma for recruiting and retaining teachers on the one hand and diversifying teaching staff on the other hand.
A Survival Analysis of Student Mobility and Retention in Indiana Charter Schools
Authors: Finch Holmes , Lapsley Dan , Baker-Boudissa Mary
Published: January 2016

﻿Research has demonstrated that high rates of student mobility are associated with a range of negative academic outcomes, both for students who leave their schools and those who remain behind. The current study focused on mobility among those enrolled in charter schools in the state of Indiana. A multilevel Cox Proportional Hazards survival analysis model was used to identify significant predictors of student mobility within and from a state charter school system, using factors at both the student and school levels. Results indicated that initial student achievement upon first entering a charter school, student ethnicity, participation in a Title I funded program, and average years of teacher experience at the school were all associated with the decision to leave the charter. Specifically, students with higher initial achievement scores, those eligible for Title 1 services, and non-Caucasian students were more likely to leave charter schools prematurely. In addition, schools with a more experienced faculty had lower early departure rates than did those with less experienced teachers.
Contextual Influences on Superintendents' Time Usage
Authors: Jones Kim , Howley Aimee
Published: January 2016

Using data from a survey of superintendents in four states, this study explored how contextual factors and the real and perceived stringency of accountability measures influence the attention superintendents pay to the different roles comprising their work. A major concern was the extent to which stringent accountability was associated with superintendents’ tendency to emphasize educational leadership rather than managerial functions. Recognizing that other circumstances also might contribute to superintendents’ decisions about how to balance their work, the study included five contextual variables: enrollment, locale, SES, funding, and percentage minority. From a sample of 941 superintendents, 68% returned questionnaires. Findings: although superintendents’ perceptions of the stringency of state accountability measures were related to their location in high- or low-stringency states, contextual factors and especially enrollment and the location of a district in a rural region had the most pronounced effects on their attention to managerial tasks. Allocation of time varied by state; however, across states very few superintendents’ devoted the majority of their time to educational leadership.
Within-district resource allocation and the marginal costs of providing equal educational opportunity: Evidence from Texas and Ohio.
Authors: Baker Bruce D.
Published: January 2016

This study explores within-district fiscal resource allocation across elementary schools in Texas and Ohio large city school districts and in their surrounding metropolitan areas. Specifically, I ask whether districts widely reported as achieving greater resource equity through adoption of Weighted Student Funding (WSF) have in fact done so. I compare Houston Independent School District (a WSF district) to other large Texas cities and Cincinnati (also using WSF) to other large Ohio cities. Using a conventional expenditure function approach, I evaluate the sensitivity of elementary school budgets to special education populations, poverty rates, and school size. Next, I estimate two-stage least squares cost functions across schools to evaluate the relative costs of achieving average outcomes with respect to varied poverty rates within and across school districts within metropolitan areas. I use these estimates to evaluate whether urban core schools on average spend sufficient resources to compete with neighboring schools in other districts in the same Core Based Statistical Area. I find first that widely reported WSF success stories provide no more predictable funding with respect to student needs than other large urban districts in the same state. I also find that in some cases, resource levels in urban core elementary schools are relatively insufficient for competing with schools in neighboring districts to achieve comparable outcomes.
The Changing Distribution of Teacher Qualifications Across Schools: A Statewide Perspective Post-NCLB
Authors: DeAngelis Karen J. , White Bradford R. , Presley Jennifer B.
Published: January 2016

A number of recent policy initiatives, including NCLB's highly qualified teacher provisions, have sought to improve the qualifications of teachers and their distribution across schools. Little is known, however, about the impact of these policies. In this study, we use population data on teachers and schools in Illinois to examine changes in the level and distribution of teacher qualifications from 2001 to 2006. We find that schools in Chicago, especially those serving the highest percentages of low-income and minority students, experienced the greatest improvements in teacher qualifications during the period. In addition, high-poverty schools in most other locales in the state registered small to moderate improvements, which narrowed the gap in teacher qualifications between high- and low-poverty schools across Illinois. Improvements in the certification status of experienced teachers and the recruitment of new teachers with stronger academic qualifications both contributed to these gains. The results reveal a tradeoff for disadvantaged schools seeking to improve both teacher qualifications and teacher experience levels, thereby calling into question the near-term feasibility of NCLB provisions that aim to simultaneously eliminate inequities across schools in both.
The STEM Pipeline: The Role of Summer Research Experience in Minority Students' Graduate Aspirations
Authors: Pender Matea , Marcotte Dave E. , Sto. Domingo Mariano R. , Maton Kenneth I.
Published: January 2016

Practical research experience has been seen as an important tool to enhance learning in STEM fields and shape commitment to science careers. Indeed, this was a prominent recommendation of the Boyer Commission. Further, there is evidence this is especially important for minority students. In this paper, we examine the role of practical research experience during the summer for talented minority undergraduates in STEM fields. We focus on the link between summer research and STEM PhD program matriculation.  We examine evidence on this question using detailed data on students participating in the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program over a 14 year period at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Our results provide evidence of strong positive effects of summer research on participation in STEM PhD programs. Further, we show that the effects of summer research vary with the frequency and timing of these experiences. The evidence that educational strategies such as summer research experiences improve academic outcomes of minorities is vital, given concern about the science pipeline in the U.S. and the continuing growth in the racial/ethnic diversity of the college-age population.
Asignación Universal por Hijo, condiciones de vida y educación. Las política sociales y la inclusión escolar en la provincia de Buenos Aires.
Authors: Gluz Nora Beatriz , Rodriguez Moyano Inés
Published: January 2016

El trabajo presenta los resultados de un estudio sobre la política de Asignación Universal por Hijo (AUH) en el sistema educativo de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. El objetivo del artículo es presentar los sentidos que asume la política en el marco de las instituciones escolares a partir del análisis de los procesos de apropiación de la AUH a nivel de la cartera educativa y de los actores escolares. Los hallazgos sugieren que, más allá de los avances que representa en términos de ampliación de derechos, el diseño de la AUH conserva mecanismos de control que, en el campo escolar, potencian esquemas de percepción propios de las medidas asistenciales que obturan los procesos de inclusión escolar y las aspiraciones universalistas de la política.
Exploring different perspectives of Social Pedagogy: towards a complex and integrated approach.
Authors: Úcar Xavier
Published: January 2016

Some characterizations describe social pedagogy as a broad, complex, ambiguous and problematic concept that applies to very different things. This is due to the simplicity of the tools used to approach such a complex area. A change of perspective to interpret social pedagogy as a hybrid and complex subject may transform the alleged deficiencies into strengths and promise. This paper provides elements that enable such a change. To this end, some misunderstandings regarding social pedagogy are presented. These misunderstandings are scenarios and factors that have contributed (1) to the generation of inaccuracies and confusions about what social pedagogy is, could, or should do, and (2) to the projection of an inconsistent and poorly defined image of social pedagogy, i.e. a discipline without method and an ineffective and inefficient practice for solving social problems. The social pedagogy that emerges from the six misunderstandings (cognitive, policy-related, scientist, action-related, normative and social) is complex. From the new perspective, it is more of a hybrid subject (a concept, a discipline and a practice) that is complex, open, dynamic and ever changing.
The Social(ist) Pedagogies of the MST: Towards New Relations of Production in the Brazilian Countryside
Authors: Tarlau Rebecca Senn
Published: January 2016

This article explores the social(ist) pedagogies of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST), a large agrarian social movement that fights for socialism in the Brazilian countryside, meaning that workers own their own means of production and collectively produce the food and other products necessary for their communities’ survival. Over the past three decades, activists in the movement have developed an alternative educational proposal for rural schooling that supports these new social relations of production. Drawing on major theories of reproduction, cultural production, and resistance in the field of education, I argue that three theorists—Paul Willis, Paulo Freire, and Antonio Gramsci—are critical in assessing the role of schools in processes of social reproduction. I examine four components of the MST’s social(ist) pedagogy: the incorporation of manual labor into public schools; the promotion of collective learning; counter-cultural production; and linking schools to concrete political struggles. Drawing on Willis, Freire, and Gramsci, I argue that the MST’s educational proposal is a limited but real attempt to interrupt dominant social relations of production in the Brazilian countryside, thus representing a unique example of social pedagogy in the 21 century.
Social pedagogy in modern times
Authors: Rosendal Jensen Niels
Published: January 2016

The article identifies several key concepts used to describe and categorize social pedagogy. The first section of the paper establishes a framework for considering the diversity that characterizes the field, including reflection on social pedagogy’s theoretical, political and social dimensions. This is followed by a discussion based on a holistic understanding of the interaction between individuals and society, which leads to recognition of the profession’s tendency to present itself with a “Janus face.” The paper concludes by pointing out prospects for further development of social pedagogy in the dialectic between theory/research and pedagogical practice.
Linguicism and Racism in Massachusetts Educational Policy
Authors: Viesca Kara Mitchell
Published: January 2016

This paper presents a critically conscious policy analysis conducted on Massachusetts state policy regarding the education of secondary multilingual learners and their teachers through the lens of critical race theory (CRT).  My analysis suggests that even though current policy in Massachusetts is framed in terms of the overarching goals of educational quality and equality, in reality it substantively sanctions inequitable practices. This paper demonstrates that racism and linguicism (or language-based discrimination) towards multilingual learners are legally sanctioned in Massachusetts public schools as a consequence of state policy, thus contributing to educational disparities.
Addressing the inclusion imperative: an urban school district’s responses
Authors: DeMatthews David Edward , Mawhinney Hanne
Published: January 2016

Over the past forty years, schools across the United States have become more inclusive for students with disabilities.  However, in many high-poverty urban school districts, a disproportionate number of minority children with disabilities are segregated from their non-disabled peers.  This article presents findings from a qualitative case study of one urban school district implementing special education-related inclusion reform over the course of four years.  The district had a history of segregating students and numerous compliance issues with special education mandates; however, the arrival of a new superintendent brought new hopes for change.  The authors argue that existing research regarding inclusion has typically ignored the policy implementation processes employed by school districts in establishing more inclusive schools and improved special education programs.  This article provides a case description of a district’s special education inclusion policy implementation process, the challenges district administrators were confronted with, and the positive and negative outcomes of the district’s policies. The findings inform next-generation policy initiatives and future lines of inquiry.
How Universities Work: Understanding Higher Education Organization in Northwest China
Authors: Berger Joseph B. , Hudson Katherine E. , Blanco Ramírez Gerardo
Published: January 2016

This study explores models of educational management used in postsecondary institutions in the five northwestern provinces of the People’s Republic of China (Shaanxi, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia). As higher education in the People’s Republic of China expands and undergoes significant changes, a nuanced understanding of the organizational structures in Chinese higher education is increasingly important. This qualitative study included group interviews with university administrators from institutions in each of the five northwestern provinces. Drawing on Birnbaum’s (1988) seminal work describing models of organization in higher education in the United States, the findings suggest four models of organization that are for the Chinese context. These models are: Tiao-Kuai Xitong (Vertical-Horizontal system), Confucian Guanxi, Authoritarian, and Dialectical. The study explores the complexity and diversity that characterizes Chinese higher education with important implications for the ongoing educational reform within China, as well as for developing a more sophisticated contextualized notion of Chinese higher education in the West.
Contextos, perguntas, respostas: o que há de novo na educação de jovens e adultos?
Authors: Sales Sandra Regina , Paiva Jane
Published: January 2016

O artigo intenta compor-se a partir do conjunto de questões provocadoras do dossiê e dos modos como os pesquisadores a elas responderam, tratando-as com base em investigações e estudos por eles empreendidos. Estabelecem-se reflexões sobre aprendizagem de jovens e adultos como tema candente, diante da complexidade das exigências contemporâneas e da aceleração do tempo, que transformam o significado de aprender e os modos como a diversidade de sujeitos adultos e jovens aprende nas práticas sociais, o que inclui a condição de trabalhadores em permanente formação para um novo tempo. Revelam-se vivências de tempoespaços diversos, inundados por identidades, linguagens e imagens conformadoras de modos de ver a realidade, em movimento de constituição e atribuição de sentidos e compreensão de um mundo. Trançam-se, dessa forma, contatos, formam-se redes, disseminam-se ideias e instituem-se vínculos, alargando o diálogo entre pesquisadores de três continentes.
“It’s Our Best Choice Right Now”: Examining the Choice Options of Charter School Parents
Authors: Villavicencio Adriana
Published: January 2016

One of the underlying premises of the charter school movement is that quality drives consumer choice. As educational consumers, parents are viewed as rational actors who, if given the choice, will select better performing school. In examining the choice processes of charter school parents, however, this study calls into question the extent to which some parents can make optimal choices. Interviews with parents enrolled in two different charter schools indicate that charter parents do not necessarily choose higher performing charter schools; nor do they necessarily leave low performing charter schools. The study also provides evidence that parent “choice sets” (Bell, 2009) vary depending on networks and social capital. Thus, choice alone does not necessarily ensure that parents will have better, more equal options.
Intervention Using AAC for a Preschool Child with Communication Disorder : A Case Study
Authors: Jeon Kyung Hea ,   Korean Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Published: January 2016

Background and Objectives: To facilitate much more effective communication for young children with communication disorders, a technology called Augmentative and Alternative Communication(AAC) was used. Children who have limited or no verbal expression can benefit from AAC. Nevertheless, intervention using AAC is rarely used in the clinical settings. AAC mainly has been used to school age children in Korea. Method: In this study, a preschool child with communication disorder was involved in expressive language intervention using AAC. Results: The results from the present study showed that intervention using AAC have positive impact on communicative ability of child with communication disorder. The child can be expressed most target word to verbal expression or AAC after intervention. Notably, the participant spontaneously expressed more than half of target word in verbal expression. Conclusion: Result of parents survey, they answered that AAC intervention had positive impact on ability of expressive language. In addition, they wanted to continue to use AAC for expressive language intervention.
Testing three proposed DNA barcodes for the wood identification of Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen and Dalbergia tonkinensis Prain
Authors: Yu Min , Liu Kai , Zhou Liang , Zhao Lei , Liu Shengquan
Published: January 2016

Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen is a first-grade state protected plant in China. However, it is difficult to distinguish it from the closely related species Dalbergia tonkinensis Prain, which is less important in economic value, by wood anatomical features. In this study, three potential DNA barcode sequences, namely rpoC1, trnH-psbA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS), were used to differentiate wood of D. odorifera from D. tonkinensis. The average quantities of DNA extracts from twigs, sapwood and heartwood were 16.3, 11.5 and 6.0 ng mg-1, respectively. The success rates for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification for three loci, namely ITS, trnH-psbA and rpoC1, were 62.5, 100 and 81.25%, respectively. The success rate for bidirectional sequencing of amplified products was 100% for all the three loci. The identification power of the three proposed DNA barcodes has been calculated by the BLAST, tree-based method and the TAXONDNA method. The interspecific differences of the trnH-psbA region were greater than intraspecific variations. Moreover, the identification power of trnH-psbA was higher than that of ITS and rpoC1 regions at the species level. Finally, the trnH-psbA region is proposed as a DNA barcode for wood identification between D. odorifera and D. tonkinensis.