Exploring the Experiences of Preschool Teachers Working with Children Living with Parental Mental Illness

Early Childhood Education Journal - Children exposed to the risk factors associated with parental mental illness are seen to be at risk of developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioural...     

A Laplace pressure based microfluidic trap for passive droplet trapping and controlled release

Here, we present a microfluidic droplet trap that takes advantage of the net Laplace pressure force generated when a droplet is differentially constricted. Mathematical simulations were first used to understand the working range of the component; followed by finite element modeling using the CFD software package to further characterize the behavior of the system. Controlled release of the trapped droplets is also demonstrated through both a mechanical method and a chemical method that manipulates the total pressure exerted on the trapped droplet. The unique design of this trapping device also provides the capability for selection of a single droplet from a train, as well as droplet fusion.     

A feminist poststructuralist examination into the President’s Challenge Physical Fitness Awards Program

The purpose of this viewpoint is to systematically synthesise the intersection of research that focuses on poststructuralism as related to a physical education discourse (namely President’s Challenge Physical Fitness Awards Program). A feminist poststructuralist framework will be used to investigate the ways in which the hegemonic design of norm‐referenced youth fitness tests influence students’ gendering of the body through the notion of the normalised body. We propose that the tests and qualifying standards that are markedly different for prepubescent girls and boys fosters a gendered continuum that forces some students into dominant positions, while others are pushed to the margins.     

Examining Secondary Special Education Teachers’ Literacy Instructional Practices

This study presents findings from a survey of secondary special education teachers who teach reading. Respondents were 577 special education teachers from a large Midwestern state who completed an online or mail survey. Results based on quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate predominant foci of secondary special education teachers’ reading instructional practices were teaching vocabulary and comprehension, engaging in ongoing formative assessment, and incorporating technology into instruction. Major themes included the widespread use of commercial reading programs and a bifurcation of instructional roles. These findings are discussed in relation to the national discourse on adolescent literacy and current schooling initiatives including the Common Core State Standards and Multi-tiered Systems of Support.     

A Framework for Defining Contextual Features of Training and Coaching Practices

Training and coaching are cited frequently to achieve different goals, by different people, across different fields. Who provides training and coaching and where and how they are provided may influence the effectiveness of the training and coaching efforts, making the clear identification of these contextual features of paramount importance to successful implementation and dissemination of training and coaching programs. First, we propose a framework for elucidating these contextual features, and then we apply this framework to a circumscribed review of the literature on parent training and coaching in early intervention services to assess its utility. We discuss the extent to which contextual features have been described in this body of research, offer additional considerations for applying the framework based on this review, and propose possible implications of our findings for implementation, dissemination, and future research efforts.     

Self–Injury and Suicide: Practical Information for College Counselors

The relationship between self–injury (SI) and suicide is largely unclear. However, researchers have suggested that clients who self–injure are at a heightened risk of suicide (Chapman & Dixon–Gordon, 2007 ; Toprak, Cetin, Guven, Can, & Demircan, 2011 ). Thus, it is important that college counselors be knowledgeable about both SI and suicide. In this article, the authors provide an overview of SI and suicide, as well as practical information for college counselors.     

The first 'molecular disease': a story of Linus Pauling, the intellectual patron

In November 1949, chemist Linus Pauling and three colleagues published an article on sickle-cell anemia, a study that opened up new and exciting possibilities for research into such 'molecular diseases'. Even before this celebrated publication appeared in Science, Pauling foresaw its potential benefits and announced it as a medical breakthrough: '... our structural chemistry and understanding of molecules is getting to the point where it should be of assistance in converting medicine into a real science' [Guiles, R. (1949) Discovery of blood disease called key to cancer research. The Detroit Times 13 Sep 1949, Newspaper Clippings 1949n.18, Pauling Papers.]. Their discovery--that this debilitating disorder was caused by an abnormal form of hemoglobin--was borne out of a rich mix of expertise, from Pauling's remarkable intuition to the careful experimental chemistry of his student Harvey A. Itano. It also relied upon technological innovation: a custom-made electrophoresis machine housed at the California Institute of Technology was the perfect tool to reveal fundamental chemical differences between normal and abnormal forms of hemoglobin. Not only did this work establish a new way of looking at inherited diseases, it also stimulated the mass production of the electrophoresis machine as an essential investigative and diagnostic tool. A close inspection of this case study illustrates just how Pauling ran his laboratory and helps to explain how one man could achieve so much over his lifetime.     

Functional impact of emotions on athletic performance: comparing the IZOF model and the directional perception approach

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of emotions on athletic performance within the frameworks of the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model and the directional perception approach. Intensity, functional impact, and hedonic tone of trait and state anxiety, self-confidence, idiosyncratic emotions, and bodily symptoms were assessed in high-level Italian swimmers and track and field athletes (N = 56). Three standards of performance (poor, average, and good), derived from retrospective self-ratings across one to three competitions (a total of 90 observations), were used as independent variables in the analysis of variance of intensity, intra-individual, and direction scores of anxiety, self-confidence, idiosyncratic emotions, and bodily symptoms. Subsequently, intra-individual scores were categorized as near to or distant from optimal/dysfunctional zones and entered as the independent variable in the analysis of direction scores. The results provided support for the predictions stemming from both the IZOF model and the directional approach, as well as help in interpreting direction of anxiety and other idiosyncratic emotions within the IZOF framework. Athletes tended to perceive emotional levels approximating an individual's optimal zone as facilitative-pleasant, and emotional levels approximating an individual's dysfunctional zone as debilitative-unpleasant.     

Combining Career and Couples Counseling for College Students: A Narrative Approach

Career and personal counseling have been dichotomized as distinct practices in much of the counseling literature. However, many college students seek counseling for career development and romantic relationship issues occurring concomitantly. A model for addressing career and relationship issues with heterosexual college couples in a group format is presented. An approach grounded in narrative theory is described, and case examples are provided to illustrate the model.