Rocks and Hard Places: Exploring Educational Psychologists’ Perspectives on “Off-Rolling” or Illegal Exclusionary Practices in Mainstream Secondary Schools in England

Research being undertaken by the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth is exploring educational psychologists’ knowledge of, and perspectives on, exclusionary practices in schools in England, particularly illegal practices referred to as “off-rolling”. Preliminary findings from the survey element of a mixed methods research project are reported here. The role of business models in the provision of educational psychology services to schools is considered through the conceptual lens of Giroux, Agamben and Ball to highlight ambiguities around the client relationship and to recast individualised ethical dilemmas as systemic features that inhibit direct challenges to school practices relating to inclusion. It is suggested that traded and privatised services risk implicating educational psychologists in schools’ management of the (in)visibility of “off-rolling” and the manufactured legitimacy of varied exclusionary practices

The 3′–5′ proofreading exonuclease of archaeal family-B DNA polymerase hinders the copying of template strand deaminated bases

Archaeal family B polymerases bind tightly to the deaminated bases uracil and hypoxanthine in single-stranded DNA, stalling replication on encountering these pro-mutagenic deoxynucleosides four steps ahead of the primer–template junction. When uracil is specifically bound, the polymerase–DNA complex exists in the editing rather than the polymerization conformation, despite the duplex region of the primer-template being perfectly base-paired. In this article, the interplay between the 3′–5′ proofreading exonuclease activity and binding of uracil/hypoxanthine is addressed, using the family-B DNA polymerase from Pyrococcus furiosus. When uracil/hypoxanthine is bound four bases ahead of the primer–template junction (+4 position), both the polymerase and the exonuclease are inhibited, profoundly for the polymerase activity. However, if the polymerase approaches closer to the deaminated bases, locating it at +3, +2, +1 or even 0 (paired with the extreme 3′ base in the primer), the exonuclease activity is strongly stimulated. In these situations, the exonuclease activity is actually stronger than that seen with mismatched primer-templates, even though the deaminated base-containing primer-templates are correctly base-paired. The resulting exonucleolytic degradation of the primer serves to move the uracil/hypoxanthine away from the primer–template junction, restoring the stalling position to +4. Thus the 3′–5′ proofreading exonuclease contributes to the inability of the polymerase to replicate beyond deaminated bases

Impact of tunable oligophosphonates on barium sulfate crystallization

Calixarenes can be used as well-defined scaffolds for investigating structure–activity relationships of additives and their impact on crystallization. In this work, we present the crystal growth modification of barium sulfate by p-phosphonic acid calix[n]arenes that vary in size (n = 4, 5, 6, and 8) and thus vary in the size of the internal cavity for the same functionality in the upper rim. The tetrameric, hexameric, and octameric macrocycles induce nanoparticle formation with clear superstructure. In the case of the hexameric calix[6]arene, the initial mesocrystalline superstructure fuses over time to form almost hollow spheres, while the mesocrystals formed in the presence of the tetramer and octamer are stable over an extended period. The pentameric calix[5]arene forms more disordered aggregates of single crystals. Thermogravimetric data shows that a significant proportion of the mass of the barium sulfate-containing solid is the macrocycle, regardless of the choice of macrocycle

Framing the Paralympic Games: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Spanish Media Coverage of the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games

In recent years, there has been an increased emergence of studies focusing on the media coverage of the Paralympic Games. Until recently, studies have predominately used quantitative content analyses that, although providing useful interrogation of observational patterns, limits the understanding of and appreciation for the contexts that may have shaped the production of information. By focusing exclusively on the ‘what’ and on the ‘how much’ it is difficult to reveal the ‘why’ and to identify the underlying motives of any changes. This paper recognizes the nuances of the editorial decision-making process by using a mixed methods approach; employing quantitative and qualitative data drawn from a case study focusing on the Spanish media coverage of the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. An initial content analysis of all news published in Spain’s twelve highest-circulation newspapers during Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games was undertaken. Subsequently, 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with journalists that were also sent to these two iterations of the Paralympic Games by Spanish media. Drawing on conceptualisations of media framing, the results highlight that the numerical data alone shed insufficient light on the complexity of the news-making process. The semi-structured interviews brought to light issues such as editorial management buoyed by commercial imperatives, and organisational interjection in journalists’ narratives and authorship, that also contoured coverage and content. In addition to further debate about the complexities of media coverage of Paralympic sport, the study also underscores the utility of incorporating and combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies within sport media and communication research

From old organisms to new molecules: integrative biology and therapeutic targets in accelerated human ageing

Understanding the basic biology of human ageing is a key milestone in attempting to ameliorate the deleterious consequences of old age. This is an urgent research priority given the global demographic shift towards an ageing population. Although some molecular pathways that have been proposed to contribute to ageing have been discovered using classical biochemistry and genetics, the complex, polygenic and stochastic nature of ageing is such that the process as a whole is not immediately amenable to biochemical analysis. Thus, attempts have been made to elucidate the causes of monogenic progeroid disorders that recapitulate some, if not all, features of normal ageing in the hope that this may contribute to our understanding of normal human ageing. Two canonical progeroid disorders are Werner’s syndrome and Hutchinson-Gilford progeroid syndrome (also known as progeria). Because such disorders are essentially phenocopies of ageing, rather than ageing itself, advances made in understanding their pathogenesis must always be contextualised within theories proposed to help explain how the normal process operates. One such possible ageing mechanism is described by the cell senescence hypothesis of ageing. Here, we discuss this hypothesis and demonstrate that it provides a plausible explanation for many of the ageing phenotypes seen in Werner’s syndrome and Hutchinson-Gilford progeriod syndrome. The recent exciting advances made in potential therapies for these two syndromes are also reviewed

Exploring School Motives, Parent Experiences, and the Consequences of ‘Off-Rolling’

This research explores the practice of ‘off-rolling’, defined by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) as: 'The practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without a formal, permanent exclusion or by encouraging a parent to remove their child from the school roll, when the removal is primarily in the interests of the school rather than in the best interests of the pupil' (Ofsted, 2018, p.8). News outlets have widely reported on off-rolling (e.g., Weale, 2018), however there is currently a paucity of academic research into the topic. Schools within England are expected to provide an appropriate and inclusive education, yet there is some evidence to suggest that students with additional needs and those looked after by their local authority are more likely to be removed from their school roll (Bradbury, 2018). Some emerging data from local authorities has indicted that off-rolling can lead to elective home education (Association of Directors of Children’s Services [ADCS], 2018) but little is known about the experiences of those who have encountered off-rolling. This study aims to explore why schools are turning to off-rolling; why they may be suggesting home education as an option; and the impact this is having on the parents who are now home educating their child. This study is made up of two phases: phase one includes vignette interviews with five secondary school staff, and phase two uses semi-structured interviews with 10 parents, all of whom were home educating their child, many as a direct result of off-rolling. The qualitative data for both phases has been analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, in line with Braun and Clarke’s (2019) recommendations. Findings for phase one indicate that the individual characteristics of a school’s culture and the senior leaders within it, can influence incidences of off-rolling, as can the pressure on schools to perform. Findings for phase two reveal that many parents who have encountered off-rolling have children with additional needs, including mental health difficulties. Parents report feeling isolated and alone, and the practice of off-rolling has had implications on their career, health, and household income. The findings of the research have been considered within the bioecological model (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), as well as in relation to existing research within the relevant fields. The research concludes with an overall discussion, which considers limitations of the study, implications for educational psychologists, and suggestions for future research

Faculty Perspectives in the Transition to Online Teaching

This study explores the experiences of faculty new to distance learning across two faculties within a mid-sized Canadian university. An interview and thematic analysis methodology produced results that identified six themes critical in the transition to online teaching. These include: instructors’ affect, organizational culture and context, multi- focused supports, time, instructor role identity, and coping strategies. The paper concludes with recommendations for the development of a national distance education framework for instructors transitioning from face-to-face to online teaching in Canadian colleges and universities. This study explores the experiences of faculty new to distance learning across two faculties within a mid-sized Canadian university. An interview and thematic analysis methodology produced results that identified six themes critical in the transition to online teaching. These include: instructors’ affect, organizational culture and context, multi- focused supports, time, instructor role identity, and coping strategies. The paper concludes with recommendations for the development of a national distance education framework for instructors transitioning from face-to-face to online teaching in Canadian colleges and universities

Air pollution climatology near Monroe, Michigan

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/5501/5/bac4559.0001.001.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/5501/4/bac4559.0001.001.tx