Backtalk: Harnessing the power of career changers to address teacher shortages

School administrators across the country have been facing a worsening teacher shortage. Programs that attempt to fill gaps by promoting teaching among current high school students are helpful but cannot fill vacancies as quickly as is needed. Alan Mather of Golden Apple describes how their Accelerators program has begun inviting career changers and current college seniors who aren’t on an education track into their 15-month residency and licensure program. The program attracts professionals who are interested in teaching but lack the time or money for traditional preparation programs and puts them on a quicker path to teaching jobs in schools with high needs.

Effects of the drying method for flowers of Cynara cardunculus var. Altilis on milk coagulating properties

In the production of some traditional cheeses from vegetable rennet, raw extracts of Cynara cardunculus flowers are used as the coagulant. During the preparation of this rennet, there are many factors that can influence its coagulation activity. We studied the flowers of Cynara cardunculus var. altilis to evaluate the effects of some of these factors: ripening stage of the flower at harvest, type of drying, part of the flower subjected to drying, toasting of the pistils, and maceration time of the pistils. The results show that it is possible to improve the coagulation activity of the traditional preparation of Cynara cardunculus flowers through some practices such as the rapid drying of the flowers/pistils at a controlled temperature, the toasting treatment of the pistils carried out after the slow drying of the flowers, and the extension of the extraction time to 24 h.

Nanofiber template-induced preparation of ZnO nanocrystal and its application in photocatalysis

Traditional preparation of ZnO nanocrystal requires heating zinc acetate to a temperature over 350 °C, whereas in this work, zinc acetate was first electrospun with PVDF to form a nanofiber, followed by thermal treatment at only 140 °C to give nanocrystalline ZnO. The much lower temperature required in thermal treatment is attributed to the high reactivity of zinc acetate at nano dimension. The as-prepared ZnO-doped PVDF nanofiber mat shows excellent effect in the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B, comparable to ZnO particle thermally treated at 600 °C. Highly-oriented ZnO nanorods were obtained by further hydrothermal synthesis of the electrospun nanofiber mat, giving nanostructured ZnO of different morphologies well-aligned on the surface of organic nanofiber. Notably, the hydrothermal synthesis of the successful preparation of these nanostructured ZnO requires a processing temperature below 100 °C at atmospheric pressure, showing great potential to be scaled up for vast manufacturing.

Traditional Preparation of Baba Neagra, a Moldovan Culinary Treasure

It is known that food itself reflects the identity and culture of a region; becoming an important component of local heritage. Baba Neagra is an iconic dessert for Republic of Moldova, which has been passed down from generation to generation to Moldovan housewives, but forgotten by many, especially restaurants. In this sense, the aim of the current study is to emphasize some technological and cultural aspects attached to Baba Neagra in Republic of Moldova. The paper presents the full preparation of the Baba Neagra as it is traditionally carried out in north of Moldova and lists the main ingredients.

Ethnic preparation of Chubitchi, an alcoholic beverage of the Garo tribe of Meghalaya: a sociocultural analysis

The Garo community living in Meghalaya has always relied on fermented rice liquor known as Chubitchi as a main beverage in their everyday life. Chubitchi is celebrated by the Garos during feasts and ceremonies. The indigenous populations of North-East India prepare alcoholic beverage in their traditional ways, almost always using rice as the base for those drinks. Chubitchi is a popular traditional alcoholic beverage prepared by the Garo tribe of Meghalaya, India. It is consumed during festive occasions such as Wangala (harvest festival), Do.si Do.doka (wedding festivities) and religious rituals, and also served as refreshments for weary field labourers and guests. It has a great significance in the social and cultural life of the Garos. This paper deals with the traditional preparation of Chubitchi by the Garo tribe, which is a vital part of their culture, and also examines the sociocultural significance of the beverage.

XPS Study for Chemical Basis of Silver Based Bhasmas

This review concerns the appropriate study of X-ray Photo-electron Spectroscopy to analyze oxidation states in the herbo-mineral drugs. It describes multivalent forms of silver and silver based drugs. Silver exhibits multivalent forms with various phases like AgO, Ag2O and Ag2O3 etc. Silver Bhasma is one of the potent Ayurvedic drug from herbo-metallic combinations. This traditional preparation is used for treating various ailments such as disorders related to eye and nerve, brain functioning and tuberculosis etc. Mixture of silver metal and herbal ingredients passes through Bhasmikarana method and then gets converted into organo-metallic complex i.e. silver Bhasma. The preparation method of Bhasmas aims at removing injurious substances which are foreign to the body from metals. The process of Bhasmikarana transferred the material from its inorganic state to the organic; therefore the assimilation of the substances for their therapeutic use will be easier in the human body. Silver Bhasma plays an essential role in Ayurvedic therapeutics due to its versatile qualities. Therefore, if a Bhasma is to be considered as a standard one, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy should be one of the essential methods. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) technique was used to detect morphology of silver based Bhasmas and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) detected elemental analysis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is the useful platform to detect important chemical constituents as per their required oxidation states which are essential part in therapeutic use.

Screening of Volatile Compounds in Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Tea—Brazilian Chimarrão Type—By HS-SPDE and Hydrodistillation Coupled to GC-MS

The volatile fraction of mate (Ilex paraguariensis) tea—specifically Brazilian chimarrão type, which has an odor profile comprising distinctive fresh, green, grass, and herbal notes—was investigated. Hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus was employed in order to extract volatiles from the tea matrix. Headspace–solid-phase dynamic extraction (HS-SPDE) was employed to extract the volatiles from two types of infusions of this tea—a simple single infusion and a traditional preparation of consecutive infusions. Volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection/mass spectrometry (GC-FID/MS). In total, 85 compounds were either identified or tentatively identified and semi-quantified. Semi-quantification comprised peak area integration of all the peaks (including the unidentified ones) in the chromatogram. Results obtained by hydrodistillation and by HS-SPDE were distinct, covering mostly different ranges of volatility and showing only 15 compounds in common. The identified compounds had their respective average and minimum odor thresholds and odor characteristics compiled from the literature. Several major compounds considered as key odorants in other mate tea products were not detected or only present at low levels in the samples of this research. Approximately half of the odorants identified in these samples were commonly reported in different mate tea types; the remaining 41 molecules—predominantly terpenoids (isoprenoids)—could be listed as specific to the Brazilian chimarrão type and are suggested to underlie its typical freshness.

Tutor and tutoring in modern education and Ukraine

In the article the problems of tutoring, as component individualization of studies, are considered. Authors estimate the attempts of some Ukrainian scientists to equate the functions of tutor and of counsel known yet from soviet times of academic group critically. Moreover, the current Ukrainian legislation does not give determination of concept "counsel" and does not envisage this activity. Implementation of tutor functions needs certain knowledge and abilities, forming of that is not envisaged by maintenance of traditional preparation of teacher and personality internalss that today does not have support in the legislative field of Ukraine. Therefore that is why logically to lean against western scientific and practical revisions from this object. Actuality and necessity of tutoring, – here authors support opinion of some other scientists, - are conditioned by the primary purpose of British education – by the development of ability to think, that is realized in mainly due to independent work of student at accompaniment of tutor. Authors pay attention to that in Oxford and Cambridge of tutors occupy important position as regular units, providing a feed-back between a student and concrete teacher and all faculty advisors. Tutor here is a tutor that is fastened after every student, and conducts him to the end of studies. He elects the programs for a ward student, recommends him the certain algorithm of study, and controls all process. Due to the role of counsels of studies in Oxford becomes individual in a great deal. The German model of education, that envisaged no freedom and choice and only hard discipline and limitation, was used in Ukraine, This model was brought yet in the days of tsar's Russia by М. Lomonosov. But present time requires from education new approaches, methods and facilities. One from such systems and there is tutoring. Thus, there is an urgent requirement in bringing of profession of tutor to the National classifier of Ukraine SK 003: a 2010 «Classifier of professions».

A comparative study of chemical constituents and safety of Thai herbal medicated oil formula and traditional medicated oil

Objectives Medicated oil has been traditionally used as an analgesic medicine to relieve pain by applying to the skin over painful muscles, and has been established in The National List of Essential Medicines (2556 B.E.). Traditional Medicated oil (TMO) consists of cassumunar ginger, Wan En Lueang, and Wan Ron Thong. It is prepared by frying herbs in coconut oil which is a traditional method. Thai Herbal Medicated oil formula (MOF) comprises cassumunar ginger, sweet flag, lesser galangal, wild turmeric, Wan En Lueang, and Wan Ron Thong. Its preparation by maceration with methyl salicylate is modified method to avoid the heat in the traditional preparation. Since both recipes have different methods of extraction and compositions, it is necessary to determine the chemical constituents and acute skin irritation potential of MOF and TMO. Methods This study applied Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for quality assessment of MOF extract and TMO extract. The mass spectra of the compounds matched with authentic standards from the NIST library. The compounds were identified by comparing their retention time and peak area, and the percentage of matched factor was more than 80%. The safety assessment on acute skin irritation used the 4 h human patch test (4 h HPT) in 36 healthy subjects. Results The 37 compounds were found in MOF extract. The most common chemical constituents were terpene derivatives; monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, and others, namely benzene derivatives, ester, phenylpropanoid, and other compounds. The 33 compounds were found in TMO extract and the chemical groups were similar to MOF extract. The 4 h HPT demonstrated that the MOF extract, TMO extract, methyl salicylate solvent, and coconut oil solvent, did not induce skin irritation. However, the vehicle of the formulae and the whole formulae as MOF and TMO clinically induced skin irritation and accorded with rubefacient. The characteristic as mild erythema or dryness, but not erythema with edema, could appear after the use of rubbing skin products. Conclusions The chemical constituents found in MOF and TMO extracts were partially different and their acute skin irritation reactions were not significantly different. A study on the efficacy of both remedies should be performed in the future, as well as a study on active chemical constituents. This study provides scientific evidences of quality and safety, including GC-MS condition for poly-herbal medicated oil standardization.

Dual Antibacterial Effect of In Situ Electrospun Curcumin Composite Nanofibers to Sterilize Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Bacterial infection especially caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria still endangers human life. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can effectively kill bacteria, and nanofiber-based PDT can effectively reduce damage to normal tissues. However, current photosensitizers coated on the surfaces of fibers would release to the wound, causing some side effects. And nanofibers prepared by traditional method exhibit poor adhesion on the wound, which severely reduces the PDT effect due to its short-range effect. Herein, core–shell curcumin composite nanofibers are prepared by in situ electrospinning method via a self-made portable electrospinning device. The obtained composite nanofibers show superior adhesiveness on different biological surface than that of traditional preparation method. Upon 808-nm irradiation, these composite nanofibers effectively produced singlet oxygen (1O2) without curcumin falling off. After these composite nanofibers’ exposure to drug-resistant bacteria, they exhibit dual antibacterial behaviors and efficiently kill the drug-resistant bacteria. These dual antibacterial nanofiber membranes with excellent adhesiveness may benefit the application of wound infection as antibacterial dressing.