The results of a large-scale randomized controlled trial of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) on student outcomes and teacher-parent relationships in rural schools are presented. CBC is an indirect service delivery model that addresses concerns shared by teachers and parents about students. In the present study, the intervention was aimed at promoting positive school-related social-behavioral skills and strengthening teacher-parent relationships in rural schools. Participants were 267 students in grades K-3, their parents, and 152 teachers in 45 Midwest rural schools. Results revealed that, on average, improvement among students whose parents and teachers experienced CBC significantly outpaced that of control students in their teacher-reported school problems and observational measures of their inappropriate (off-task and motor activity) and appropriate (on-task and social interactions) classroom behavior. In addition, teacher responses indicated significantly different rates of improvement in their relationship with parents in favor of the CBC group. Finally, the teacher-parent relationship was found to partially mediate effects of CBC on several student outcomes. Unique contributions of this study, implications of findings for rural students, study limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

We show that oxidation of protective thiol ligands and the exothermic reduction of surface area are important factors in the sintering of thiol-stabilized gold nanoparticle films. We also present a chemical treatment to achieve sintering of gold nanoparticles at room temperature. The process is facilitated by the remarkable enthalpy of reaction arising from the reduction of the surface area of the nanoparticles.

Methods for measuring homework performance have been limited primarily to parent reports of homework deficits. The Homework Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) was developed to assess the homework functioning of students in Grades 1 to 8 from the perspective of both teachers and parents. The purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity of teacher and parent versions of this scale, and to evaluate gender and grade-level differences in factor scores. The HPQ was administered in 4 states from varying regions of the United States. The validation sample consisted of students (n = 511) for whom both parent and teacher ratings were obtained (52% female, mean of 9.5 years of age, 79% non-Hispanic, and 78% White). The cross-validation sample included 1,450 parent ratings and 166 teacher ratings with similar demographic characteristics. The results of confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the best-fitting model for teachers was a bifactor solution including a general factor and 2 orthogonal factors, referring to student self-regulation and competence. The best-fitting model for parents was also a bifactor solution, including a general factor and 3 orthogonal factors, referring to student self-regulation, student competence, and teacher support of homework. Gender differences were identified for the general and self-regulation factors of both versions. Overall, the findings provide strong support for the HPQ as a multi-informant, multidimensional measure of homework performance that has utility for the assessment of elementary and middle school students.

No abstract

We examine the mechanism by which thiol-protected gold nanoparticle inks can sinter at surprisingly low temperatures. At room temperature the sample is comprised of randomly close-packed gold nanoparticles of about 2.3 nm diameter with a ligand shell of about 0.2 nm effective thickness. As the particles are heated through 80 °C they begin to coarsen, reaching about 10 nm diameter at 180 °C. Upon further heating, rapid sintering and grain growth occurs at a temperature that depends on environment and heating rate. Sintering in vacuum requires a higher temperature than in oxidizing environments. Mass spectrometry in the former case is consistent with volatile species such as C4H9, C2SH, and C2H4 being displaced, whereas XPS shows that the exposed surface of the Au is rich in C and S. However, when sintering is performed in the presence of even trace O2, it is the Au–S bond that is cleaved, and the sintering temperature is lowered by up to 50 °C. In this case mass spectrometry shows the generation of alkane and thiol fragments, some S2 and H2S, and oxidized sulfur-containing species, whereas XPS shows that C and S on the Au surface is much reduced.