Special and inclusive education in Israel

The present paper aims to describe the Israeli special education system historically and currently, as related in particular to the 1988 National Special Education Law, and to appraise future systemic trends. Discussion focuses on three major aspects: (a) changes in specia! education concepts and ideological perceptions, (b) systemic structural changes locally and nationally; and (c) curricular and intervention perspectives. The conceptual/ideological review includes changes in theoretical approaches to definitions and classifications, which influenced implementation issues such as diagnostic and intervention planning. The discussion of systemic structural changes focuses on the expanding process of inclusion for children with special needs into the regular education system and on the growing process of decentralisation in resource distribution toward local and regional support centres. Diverse solutions are examined to resolve the enduring major conflict between the need to provide the optimal help and support to meet the special needs of each individual child and at the same time to strive for the highest level of inclusion. Developments in curricula and intervention are described, consisting of revised goals. modified definitions, and new approaches to remedial education and intervention. including the integration of new technologies. In appraising future trends, the importance is highlighted of appropriate modifications in teacher training. student skill development. and setting design, as well as the evaluating and supervising resource distribution and treatment efficacy.peer-reviewe

Influence of the initial imperfections with regard to the webs thicknesses of cold-formed compressed steel members

Local stability requirements related to unfavorable buckling effects of compressed parts of cold-formed profiles are highly significant. Favorable effects related to their post-critical behavior are also important. The paper deals with resistance of these type of members, taking into account the influence of initial imperfections with regard to the thicknesses of their webs. The paper also presents information about experimental and theoretical-numerical research to determine the resistance of cold-formed compressed steel members with closed cross-sections. Obtained results are very extensive; therefore the paper presents results of part of tested and analyzed member

Reproducibility of species recognition in modern planktonic foraminfera

Abstrac

Novel, male-produced aggregation pheromone of the cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina, a priority species of European conservation concern.

Several recent studies have demonstrated the great potential for exploiting semiochemicals in ecology and conservation studies. The cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina represents one of the flagship species of saproxylic insect biodiversity in Europe. In recent years its populations appear to have declined substantially, and its range has shrunk considerably as a result of forest management and urbanization. Here, we collected volatile chemicals released by males and females of R. alpina. Analyses of the resulting extracts revealed the presence of a single male-specific compound, identified as a novel alkylated pyrone structure. In field bioassays in Slovenia, traps baited with the synthesized pyrone captured both sexes of R. alpina, indicating that the pyrone functions as an aggregation pheromone. Our results represent the first example of a new structural class of pheromones within the Cerambycidae, and demonstrate that pheromone-baited traps can provide a useful tool for sampling R. alpina. This tool could be particularly useful in the ongoing development of conservation strategies for the iconic but endangered Alpine longicorn

Climate change legislation in South Korea

노트 : An Excerpt from The 2015 Global Climate Legislation StudyA Review of Climate Change Legislation in 99 Countrie

Calreticulin regulates Src kinase in osteogenic differentiation from embryonic stem cells

Calreticulin, the major Ca2+ buffer of the endoplasmic reticulum plays an important role in the choice of fate by embryonic stem cells. Using the embryoid body method of organogenesis, we showed impaired osteogenesis in crt−/− cells vis-à-vis calreticulin-containing osteogenic WT cells. In the non-osteogenic crt−/− cells, c-Src- a non-receptor tyrosine kinase- was activated and its inhibition rescued osteogenesis. Most importantly, we demonstrated that calreticulin-containing cells had lower c-Src kinase activity, and this was accomplished via the Ca2+-homeostatic function of calreticulin. Specifically, lowering cytosolic [Ca2+] in calreticulin-containing osteogenic WT cells with BAPTA-AM, activated c-Src and impaired osteogenic differentiation. Conversely, increasing cytosolic [Ca2+] in crt−/− cells with ionomycin deactivated c-Src kinase and restored osteogenesis. The immediate effector of calreticulin, the Ser/Thr phosphatase calcineurin, was less active in crt−/− cells, however, its activity was rescued upon inhibition of c-Src activity by small molecule inhibitors. Finally, we showed that higher activity of calcineurin correlated with increased level of nuclear Runx2, a transcription factor that is the master regulator of osteogenesis. Collectively, our work has identified a novel pathway involving calreticulin regulated Ca2+ signalling via c-Src in osteogenic differentiation of embryonic stem cells