Mechanisms of sensorineural cell damage, death and survival in the cochlea.

The majority of acquired hearing loss, including presbycusis, is caused by irreversible damage to the sensorineural tissues of the cochlea. This article reviews the intracellular mechanisms that contribute to sensorineural damage in the cochlea, as well as the survival signaling pathways that can provide endogenous protection and tissue rescue. These data have primarily been generated in hearing loss not directly related to age. However, there is evidence that similar mechanisms operate in presbycusis. Moreover, accumulation of damage from other causes can contribute to age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Potential therapeutic interventions to balance opposing but interconnected cell damage and survival pathways, such as antioxidants, anti-apoptotics, and pro-inflammatory cytokine inhibitors, are also discussed

Understanding sustainability through the lens of ecocentric radical-re?exivity : implications for management education

This paper seeks to contribute to the debate around sustainability by proposing the need for an ecocentric stance to sustainability that reflexively embeds humans in—rather than detached from—nature. We argue that this requires a different way of thinking about our relationship with our world, necessitating a (re)engagement with the sociomaterial world in which we live. We develop the notion of ecocentrism by drawing on insights from sociomateriality studies, and show how radical-reflexivity enables us to appreciate our embeddedness and responsibility for sustainability by bringing attention to the interrelationship between values, actions and our social and material world. We examine the implications of an ecocentric radically reflexive approach to sustainability for management education

School Choice Policies and Practices in The United States, South Africa, Spain and Canada

Introduction to International Perspectives on School Choice, Volume 3, No. 2 of Global Education Review.  An examination of fundamental questions regarding the purpose of public education and the philosophies that undergird different approaches to school choice in The United States, South Africa, Spain and Canad

The importance, challenges and prospects of taking work practices into account for healthcare quality improvement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to underline the importance of taking work practices into account for quality improvement (QI) purposes, highlight some of the challenges of doing so, and suggest strategies for future research and practice. Patient status at a glance, a Lean-inspired QI intervention designed to alleviate nurses of their knowledge mobilisation function, is deployed as an illustrative case. Design/methodology/approach – Ethnographic data and practice-based theories are utilised to describe nurses’ knowledge mobilisation work. The assumptions about knowledge sharing embedded in patient status at a glance white boards (PSAGWBs) are analysed drawing on actor network theory. Findings – There is a disparity between nurses’ knowledge mobilisation practices and the scripts that inform the design of PSAGWBs. PSAGWBs are designed to be intermediaries and to transport meaning without transformation. When nurses circulate knowledge for patient management purposes, they operate as mediators, translating diverse information sources and modifying meaning for different audiences. PSAGWBs are unlikely to relieve nurses of their knowledge mobilisation function and may actually add to the burdens of this work. Despite this nurses have readily embraced this QI intervention. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited by its focus on a single case and by the inferential (rather than the empirical) nature of its conclusions. Originality/value – This paper illustrates the importance of taking practice into account in healthcare QI, points to some of the challenges of doing so and highlights the potential of practice-based approaches in supporting progress in this field

Draft Genome Sequence of Botrytis cinerea BcDW1, Inoculum for Noble Rot of Grape Berries.

Botrytized wines are produced from grape berries infected by Botrytis cinerea under specific environmental conditions. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of B. cinerea BcDW1, a strain isolated from Sémillon grapes in Napa Valley in 1992 that is used with the intent to induce noble rot for botrytized wine production

An analysis of vocabulary variables at the college level

The strength and growth of vocabulary is one or the decisive factors in successful college work. Educators find it helpful to evaluate not only the general vocabulary ability of the college student, but also the more specialized directions which the development of the student \u27s vocabulary may take. The author\u27s interest in this problem grew out of the results obtained with fresh­men in the Westhampton College orientation program in September 1948. In working up the data from 119 freshmen \u27s scores on the Michigan Vocabulary Profile Test, results were such as to arouse interest in analysis of freshmen performance on the test as a whole, performance on the various subtests, and performance comparisons of seniors and freshmen

The perceptions of effects of a study skills course, Dynamics of Effective Study, on the academic achievement of African American students at a dedicated academic magnet high school

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of students, teachers, and administrators on the effectiveness of a study skills course, Dynamics of Effective Study, on the academic achievement of African American students at a dedicated academic magnet high school. Qualitative research methods were utilized in this study. Fifteen African American students who completed the study skills course, fifteen African American students who did not take or complete the study skills course, five former study skills teachers, and three administrators from the dedicated academic magnet high school volunteered to participate in the study. Open-ended interviews were conducted with the students, teachers, and administrators. The students were matched by gender, class, entrance GPAs and entrance reading stanine scores from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). Data were collected from written documents, transcripts, fieldnotes, and interviews, from the volunteers from the dedicated academic magnet high school and three other high schools in the school district in southeast Louisiana. Data were also collected from written documents from the school systems. Perceptions of students, teachers, and administrators of the effectiveness of the study skills course, Dynamics of Effective Study, on the academic achievement of African American students were varied. All student participants in the study skills course, eight out of fifteen student non-participants in the study skills course, and three out of five former study skills teachers indicated that they perceived the study skills course to be effective for African American students. All three administrators indicated tht they perceived the study skills course as ineffective for African American students as it was implemented in the curriculum

Quiet revolutions: neighborhood urban forestry programs

This study seeks to identify the key components that would enable neighborhoods to become responsible for the trees under which they dwell-their urban forest. Guidelines will be established for neighborhoods to use to compose a plan that allows them to create and sustain the tree population specific to their needs and desires. To develop these guidelines, this study is divided into two parts. The first section examines urban forestry. This review revealed several issues pertinent to urban forestry: (1) The urban forest is crucial to the health and beauty of the city and is directly linked to the well-being of the city\u27s inhabitants and, (2) there are simply too many trees in a city for municipal arbor crews to provide adequate care for them all. There are however, (3) other resources available to help citizens care for their urban forests. The second section presents case studies of three neighborhoods that have established successful urban forestry programs and projects. The case studies attempt to isolate the ideas, methods, and characteristics of urban forestry programs created and carried through at the neighborhood level. The case studies examine the neighborhood urban forestry projects of three southern neighborhoods: Boulevard Oaks in Houston, Texas; Inman Park in Atlanta, Georgia; and Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. The case studies examine these three different neighborhoods\u27 projects in terms of these specific components: project name, location, date created, progress to date, date completed, neighborhood description, project background, project goal, role of the project\u27s directors, role the neighborhood residents, maintenance, and lessons learned. As a result of the research and case study analysis, the necessary components were developed to help neighborhoods devise plans and implement urban forestry projects. The guidelines would enable interested neighborhoods to cultivate the urban forest that best meets their neighborhood needs

Self-Efficacy Development of Aspiring Principals: The Perceived Impact of Principal Preparation Programming

Good principals are the foundation of good schools and are important to student achievement. The principalship is becoming more complex due to increased student diversity, changing family dynamics, an increased reliance on technology, economic conditions, accountability measures, and changing cultural factors. At the same time there is an increased demand for principals due to retirement rates and a decreased number of applicants for the role. The purpose of this instrumental case study utilizing a mixed methods approach, was to investigate the impact of a school division’s principal preparation programming on the reported self-efficacy of participants preparing for their first principalship in a large urban division. A survey was distributed electronically to potential participants, all of whom had completed a division’s Aspiring Principal Development Program (APDP) over a three-year period. Of 85 potential participants, a return rate of 79% provided a final N value of 67 participants Twelve survey participants were chosen to participate in two focus group interviews. The findings of the study were summarized in three themes related to the development of self-efficacy by aspiring principals: (1) leadership identity, (2) process and content: critical components, and (3) context. These themes contain elements related to Bandura’s (1986) four sources of self-efficacy development and the tenants of Knowles’ (1972) Adult Learning Theory. This study informs the design of principal preparation programming to ensure that participants develop not only the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the principalship, but the self-efficacy to put the skills and knowledge into practice