8 pp. / Information to help reduce the occurrence of show ring fiascos. Focus is on proper preparation, selection, and the necessary time commitment that youth participants can expect.

Durant les últimes dècades, hi ha hagut gran interès en l'exploració de noves tècniques per modular l'absorció d’un fàrmac a través de la pell. Aquests estudis apunten a la necessitat d'obtenir vehicles de mida adequada, alta estabilitat i biocompatibilitat. Els sistemes bicel•lars són nanoagregats constituïts per fosfolípids de cadena alquílica llarga i fosfolípids de cadena curta. Depenent de la composició i de la temperatura aquests sistemes poden tenir diferents formes sent les més comunes les nanoestructures discoïdals anomenades bicel•les, on els fosfolípids de cadena llarga estan ordenats com una bicapa plana i els fosfolípids de cadena curta s’organitzen en les vores, tancant l’estructura. Tenint en compte l'estructura, composició i nanodimensions d'aquests sistemes, el seu ús com a sistemes tòpics d’ alliberació pot ser interessant. El diclofenac de dietilamina (DDEA) i l'àcid flufenàmic (FFA) són potents fàrmacs antiinflamatoris no esteroides (AINEs) amb efectes analgèsics. DDEA i FFA poden provocar efectes secundaris quan s'administren per via oral o per injecció intramuscular. Per tant, la identificació d'estratègies per reduir la toxicitat i augmentar l'efecte farmacològic dels AINEs pot ser de gran rellevància. A més, el FFA és insoluble en aigua i els dissolvents orgànics que són capaços de solubilitzar aquesta droga podrien afectar a la pell. A causa d'això, la inclusió del DDEA o del FFA en sistemes bicel•lars com a vehicle podria ser una bona alternativa. Normalment, els estudis d’absorció percutània de fàrmacs es realitzen en biòpsies de pell amb la funció barrera del estrat corni (SC) intacta. No obstant això, sota diferents condicions patològiques, la funció de barrera del SC es veu afectada. Es per això que s’ha cregut interessant el fer estudis d’absorció percutània tan en pell sana com en pell amb la funció barrera deteriorada. Anteriorment als estudis d’absorció percutània in vitro amb pell porcina s’ha fet una caracterització fisico-química exhaustiva dels sistemes bicel•lars estudiats amb i sense fàrmac. Aquesta caracterització s’ha dut a terme mitjançant diverses tècniques específiques com ara: DLS, DSC, Cryo-TEM, FFEM, SAXS i WAXS. Posteriorment als estudis de permeació cutània, s’ha estudiat els efectes produïts pels sistemes bicel•lars a la pell mitjançant les tècniques de FS-TEM, ATR-FTIR i SAXS-SR. Els resultats obtinguts en la caracterització fisico-química indiquen que els sistemes bicel•lars són capaços d’incorporar tant un principi actiu amfifílic (DDEA) com un lipofílic (FFA). La inclusió de DDEA en els sistemes bicel•lars ocasiona una disminució del seu tamany de partícula i de l’amplada de la bicapa, i un empaquetament lateral ortoròmbic. En canvi la inclusió de FFA indueix un augment del tamany de l’estructura bicel•lar. S’ha visualitzat la formació de nous agregats, com grans estructures multilaminars, estructures ondulades, discoïdals o tubulars, en funció de la temperatura. Els resultats de SAXS indiquen que a 25 °C aquests nanoagregats formen làmines apilades i a 32.5 i 37 °C no es detecta cap apilament ni reducció del tamany de la bicapa respecte als sistemes sense fàrmac. Dels resultats de WAXS es va deduir que la incorporació del FFA indueix un desordre en l’empaquetament lateral passant d’ortoròmbic a hexagonal. En ambdós casos els resultats d’absorció percutània indiquen un efecte retardant de l’absorció del fàrmac quan aquest és inclòs en els sistemes bicel•lars. En canvi quan es fa un pretractament de la pell amb sistemes bicel•lars sense fàrmac i després s’aplica una solució aquosa de DDEA, l’efecte és de potenciador de l’absorció percutània. S’ha dissenyat un protocol in vitro d’absorció percutània utilitzant com a compostos de referència l’àcid salicílic i la cafeïna, que permet simular el comportament d’una pell patològica amb la seva funció barrera deteriorada. Aquest mètode d’absorció percutània contempla unes condicions més realistes per obtenir un perfil d’absorció percutània més rigorós en el cas d’una pell patològica. Utilitzant aquest protocol específic d’absorció percutània, s’ha pogut constatar que els sistemes bicel•lars que contenen DDEA poden exercir un efecte protector sobre la funció barrera de la pell. A més, l’efecte retardant dels sistemes bicel•lars podria afavorir l’acció antiinflamatòria del DDEA a nivell de l’epidermis i la dermis i disminuiria el possible efecte toxicològic a nivell sistèmic. Considerant conjuntament els resultats es pot deduir que els sistemes bicel•lars poden ser bones estratègies de vehiculització de principis actius per a la seva aplicació tòpica.

Many high schools have shifted from comprehensive graduation exams to a focus on College and Career Readiness. A common method used to determine when a student is college and career ready is a Career Readiness Indicator (CRI). Many CRIs demonstrate a benchmark learning goal for students. Among academic-based CRIs are Career and Technical Education (CTE) industry credentials. Credentials are just one way that agriculture classrooms contribute to student success. This study compiled existing research on CRIs and employability skills in CTE students to determine how the State FFA Degree could potentially fit into this category as well as highlight specific employability aspects of FFA members that coincide with the three-circle model of agricultural education. Data were collected and analyzed to compare FFA members to non-FFA members. FFA members who have earned their State FFA Degree were additionally compared to FFA members who did not earn the State FFA Degree.

Secondary agricultural education programs provide students an opportunity to gain a wide variety of knowledge about agriculture, as well as, the career opportunities within agriculture. The National FFA Organization is available for all youth enrolled in a secondary agricultural education program with a mission to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success. In order to continue to have youth interested in agricultural colleges and the potential for pursuing agricultural careers, students must be educated about those program areas. Student perceptions of these program areas can greatly influence their motivation enroll in secondary agricultural education programs, join the National FFA Organization, and pursue agricultural career. This study used a survey method to determine the perceptions of students not enrolled in a high school agricultural program of secondary agricultural education programs, the National FFA Organization, and agricultural careers, as well as, determine the demographic characteristics of those students.

This work seeks to examine the relationship between intercultural effectiveness and the number of global experiences among secondary agricultural education youth in Kentucky. The study utilizes Mere Exposure Theory and considers the importance of global experiences in increasing their levels of global competence and their performance on the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES). The results indicate that students with a higher number of global experiences and exposures are more open to other cultures and score higher on the IES. In addition, these students are more likely to be self-aware and interested in exploring new cultures and making connections with individuals who are culturally different from them.

Despite the explosion of popularity of UASs, and the recognition that such systems must find a way to safely operate alongside manned aviation, a literature review by this author as well as interviews with three commercial aerial photography companies in Tampa Bay, Florida, indicate that regulatory restrictions are still the greatest obstacle to law abiding commercial UAS operators. It can take six to eight months with a backlog of 12,000 waiver applications to get either a Part 333 or Part 107 exemption, which grants FAA permission for a commercial operator to fly a UAS inside controlled airspace (Gardner, 2018). A manned pilot can file a flight plan and hover a helicopter over the same area in just a few hours. The purpose of this research was to determine what industry experts perceive the future of UAS regulations hold, and how the industry will be impacted in both the short term of 5 years and less, and long-term of 5 years or more. UAS industry expert interviews were conducted in the “reflection of the meaning”, semi-structured style, with each interviewee given the latitude to discuss topics as they came to mind. A preset approved bank of questions helped to guide the interview, but in many cases as experts in the field, the interviewees naturally discussed the topics covered in the preset questions and the interview adapted to avoid unnecessary repetition. One interview was conducted in-person, but the rest were via phone calls due to geographical separation.

Energy and vegetable oil prices have caused many biodiesel producers to turn to waste cooking oils as feedstocks. These oils contain high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) which make them difficult or impossible to convert to biodiesel by conventional production methods. Esterification is required for ultra-high FFA feedstocks such as Brown Grease. In addition, ultrasonic irradiation has the potential to improve the kinetics of the esterification reaction. 2-level, multi-factor DOE experiments were conducted to characterize the esterification reaction in ultra-high FFA oils as well as determine whether ultrasonic irradiation gives any benefit besides energy input. The study determined that sulfuric acid content had the greatest effect followed by temperature and water content (inhibited reaction). Methanol content had no effect in the range studied. A small interaction term existed between sulfuric acid and temperature. The study also concluded that sonication did not give any additional benefit over energy input.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第22657号 / 工博第4741号 / 新制||工||1741(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科原子核工学専攻 / (主査)教授 中島 健, 教授 村上 定義, 准教授 石 禎浩 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Southern region state FFA nominating committees utilize adults and students to elect state FFA officers. However, the role of the adult nominating committee members is up to the discretion of the state FFA nominating committee coordinators. In the nine states studied in the southern FFA region, five states utilized adults as voting members of the nominating committee, and four states utilized them as consultants. Adults completed a modified version of the Inventory of Adult Attitudes and Behaviors instrument, and the majority’s preferred style of working with students was “regarding youth as resources.” However, students had mixed feelings about working with adults. They explained they were excited to work with them, but as they began the nominating committee process, they felt their thoughts were not being heard by the adults. No statistically significant relationship existed between adult preferred styles and student character and connection.

The researcher focused on the numerous elements that led to an organized state supported system of Agricultural Education in South Carolina. Emphasis was placed upon the secondary school program, but the various contributing events leading to the formal study of Agricultural Education were identified and examined. Many historical studies of 20th century Agricultural Education focus on the impact of the Smith-Hughes legislation. Upon deeper investigation, the Palmetto State can credit numerous influential factors that provided forms of agricultural instruction prior to 1917. The 18th and 19th century agricultural societies provided a clearinghouse for the socialization and sharing of experimental farming techniques by progressive agriculturalists. John C. Calhoun and his son-in-law Thomas Green Clemson, benefactors of Clemson Agricultural College, were members of the Pendleton Farmers Society. Support for agricultural research came one year prior to the federal Hatch Act. The Hatch Act of 1887, followed by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, assisted in providing fertile conditions for community recognition and need for Agricultural Education. Prior to the Smith-Lever Act, South Carolina was active in attempts to infuse Agricultural Education into the public school system and rural communities. A series of demonstration trains traversed the state providing first hand opportunities for individuals to examine the revelations in agricultural techniques. A series of agricultural clubs, including boy's corn clubs, pig clubs, and even demonstration farms on schoolhouse grounds linked Agricultural Educators with school students. Prior to the Smith-Hughes method of vocational agriculture, students in sections of the state received textbook-based instruction in agriculture. Passage of the Smith-Hughes legislation in February 1917 was the catalyst that created a form of Agricultural Education recognized even in the 21st century. The rapid propagation of high school programs throughout the state created an immediate demand for teachers of Agricultural Education. Clemson College, still in its infancy, quickly arose to provide a new program to train collegiate students to become what were then referred to as "Smith-Hughes men." Specific objectives investigated and analyzed by the researcher included: 1. Describing the development of Agricultural Education in South Carolina prior to 1900. 2. Documenting the development of Agricultural Education in South Carolina from 1900-1945. 3. Documenting the redefining of Agricultural Education in South Carolina from 1946-1990. 4. Describing the development of the teacher-training program for Agricultural Education in South Carolina. 5. Documenting the development of administrative and supervisory provisions for the vocational agriculture programs for South Carolina. 6. Describing the historical events that led to the founding of the Future Palmetto Farmers and evolution of the Future Farmers of America in South Carolina. / Ph. D.