‘The International Teacher Leadership project,’ a case of international action research.

Copyright CARNThe paper arises from the International Teacher Leadership project, a research and development project involving researchers and practitioners in 14 European countries. The paper provides a conceptual exploration of the idea of teacher leadership and its role in educational reform, central to which is the idea that teachers, regardless of their level of power and organisational position, can engage in the leadership of enquiry-based development activity aimed at influencing their colleagues and embedding improved practices in their schools. The paper provides an outline of the project’s methodology which builds on that used in the Carpe Vitam Leadership for Learning project (Frost, 2008a). It is a form of collaborative action research which is highly developmental and discursive. It seeks to identify principles, strategies and tools that can be applied in a range of cultural settings. The paper includes a thematic analysis of the cultural contexts and policy environments of the participating countries in order to identify the obstacles to teacher leadership and to inform the nature of the support strategies employed

Distribution, frequency and occurrence of cereal nematodes on the Central Anatolian Plateau in Turkey and their relationship with soil physicochemical properties

The distribution of important plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes in the cereal production areas of the Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP) of Turkey was investigated with systematic surveys. Two important plant-parasitic nematode groups were found widely distributed; cereal-cyst nematodes (78.3%) and root-lesion nematodes (42.6%). Cereal cyst nematodes (CCN) were identified as Heterodera filipjevi in 18 provinces. Heterodera latipons was found in only one province. Pratylenchus thornei and P. neglectus were the most widely distributed species of root-lesion nematodes. Other frequently recorded plant-parasitic nematodes belonged to the genera Geocenamus (52.4%), Pratylenchoides (35.6%), Helicotylenchus (29.7%) and Paratylenchus (19.2%). Konya on the southern CAP had a significantly high incidence of P. neglectus as well as free-living nematodes. The incidence of CCN was greatest in areas of sandy soils on the CAP, with densities of up to 95 cysts (100 g soil)-1. Population densities of Geocenamus, Pratylenchus and Pratylenchoides were high in some locations. Soil physicochemical properties were investigated for their relationship to nematode distribution. There was a slight positive correlation of P. thornei and clay content; conversely, there was a significant negative correlation of P. neglectus with clay and a positive correlation with sand. Electrical conductivity (EC) was positively correlated with P. neglectus. Nematodes in the genera Helicotylenchus, Paratylenchus, Trophurus and Tylenchorhynchus were only recorded at low population densities in the sampled area. By contrast, nematodes in the genera Aphelenchus, Aphelenchoides, Ditylenchus, Dorylaimus, Tylenchus and bacterivorous genera had relatively high populations. Total free-living nematodes were positively correlated with EC and zinc (Zn) concentration. The Zn content of soil was generally at a level deficient for plant growt

Electrochemical characteristics of bioresorbable binary MgCa alloys in Ringer's solution: Revealing the impact of local pH distributions during in-vitro dissolution

Biodegradable magnesium-calcium (MgCa) alloy is a very attractive biomaterial. Two MgCa alloys below the solid solubility of Ca were considered, as to solely investigate the effect of Ca content on the behaviour of magnesium and the pH changes associated to metal dissolution. X-ray diffraction analysis and optical microscopy showed that both Mg-0.63Ca and Mg-0.89Ca alloys were solely composed of α(Mg) phase. Degradation characteristics and electrochemical characterization of MgCa alloys were investigated during exposure to Ringer’s solution at 37 ºC by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electrochemical microscopy. The impedance behaviour showed both capacitive and inductive features that are related to the alloy charge transfer reaction and the relaxation of the absorbed corrosion compounds, and can be described in terms of an equivalent circuit. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to view the surface morphology of the MgCa samples after 1 week immersion in Ringer’s solution showing extensive precipitation of corrosion products, whereas the substrate shows evidence of a non-uniform corrosion processes. Energy dispersive analysis showed that the precipitates contained oxygen, calcium, magnesium and chlorine, and the Mg:Ca ratios were smaller than in the alloys. Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was used to visualize local pH changes associated to these physicochemical processes with high spatial resolution. The occurrence of pH variations in excess of 3 units between anodic and cathodic half-cell reactions was monitored in sit

Yeast : the soul of beer’s aroma—a review of flavour-active esters and higher alcohols produced by the brewing yeast

Among the most important factors influencing beer quality is the presence of well-adjusted amounts of higher alcohols and esters. Thus, a heavy body of literature focuses on these substances and on the parameters influencing their production by the brewing yeast. Additionally, the complex metabolic pathways involved in their synthesis require special attention. More than a century of data, mainly in genetic and proteomic fields, has built up enough information to describe in detail each step in the pathway for the synthesis of higher alcohols and their esters, but there is still place for more. Higher alcohols are formed either by anabolism or catabolism (Ehrlich pathway) of amino acids. Esters are formed by enzymatic condensation of organic acids and alcohols. The current paper reviews the up-to-date knowledge in the pathways involving the synthesis of higher alcohols and esters by brewing yeasts. Fermentation parameters affecting yeast response during biosynthesis of these aromatic substances are also fully reviewed.Eduardo Pires gratefully acknowledges the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for the PhD fellowship support (SFRH/BD/61777/2009). The financial contributions of the EU FP7 project Ecoefficient Biodegradable Composite Advanced Packaging (EcoBioCAP, grant agreement no. 265669) as well as of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (project GACR P503/12/1424) are also gratefully acknowledged. The authors thank the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (MSM 6046137305) for their financial support

The Tumor-Immune Microenvironment and Response to Radiation Therapy

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) are standard therapeutic modalities for patients with cancer, including breast cancer. Historic studies examining tissue and cellular responses to RT have predominantly focused on damage caused to proliferating malignant cells leading to their death. However, there is increasing evidence that RT also leads to significant alterations in the tumor microenvironment, particularly with respect to effects on immune cells infiltrating tumors. This review focuses on tumor-associated immune cell responses following RT and discusses how immune responses may be modified to enhance durability and efficacy of RT

Effects of male postpartum depression on father-infant interaction: the mediating role of face processing

It is estimated that postpartum depression affects up to 25% of men. Despite such high prevalence, the majority of studies on postpartum depression are focused on mothers, and the role of paternal depression and its effects on infant development have been overlooked by researchers and clinicians. The present study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the effect of paternal postpartum depression on father–infant interactions. In addition, we examined whether differences in face recognition mediated the effects of paternal postpartum depression on father–infant interactions. A total of 61 father–infant dyads (17 postpartum depression, 44 controls) took part in the study. Results revealed that compared to controls, fathers with postpartum depression had a worse pattern of interaction with their infants on measures of responsiveness, mood, and sensitivity; they also had greater difficulty in recognizing happy adult faces, but greater facility in recognizing sad adult faces. Depressed fathers attributed greater intensities to sad adult and infant faces. The tendency to attribute greater intensity to sad adult faces was confirmed as a partial mediator of the effect of paternal postpartum depression on measures of father responsiveness and as a full mediator of the effects of paternal depression on father sensitivity. Clinical implications and suggestions for further studies are discussed