Belonging in the land: land, landscape, and image in southern African missionary encounters ca. 1840-1915

To choose a missionary life is to become a stranger at home and abroad, whilst at the same time attempting to construct new networks of belonging. Missionaries have at times identified profoundly with the “foreign,” through economic and political solidarity, or linguistic and cultural immersion, but mission conversely necessitates the attempt to draw the foreign Other into the sphere of Christian fraternal belonging. This paper employs primary textual and visual sources to explore the complex theme of missionary identity and belonging through the lens of landscape. Landscape and its images influenced and were utilized by missionaries, functioning as tokens of belonging, interpretative tools, and sites of territorial possession for example through burial. For indigenous peoples, missionary images of place could also betoken otherness, and conflict with alternative expressions of rooted belonging, for instance in the use of earth as part of the physical substance of indigenous religious art

The Effect of Class Size on the Teaching of Pupils Aged 7-11 Years

There is still little consensus on whether and how teaching is affected by small and large classes, especially in the case of students in the later primary years. This study investigated effects of class size on teaching of pupils aged 7-11 years. We used a multi-method approach, integrating qualitative information from teachers’ end-of-year accounts and data from case studies with quantitative information from systematic observations. Results showed that there was more individual attention in smaller classes, a more active role for pupils and beneficial effects on the quality of teaching. It is suggested that teachers, in both large and small classes, need to develop strategies for more individual attention but to also recognize the benefits of other forms of learning, e.g., group work

Generating hair follicle inductive dermal papillae cells from adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells

Current management options for cutaneous burn wounds, including split thickness skin grafts and cultured epithelial autografts, generate an epithelial barrier which lacks a dermal layer and skin adnexae including hair follicles and sebaceous glands. This results in a loss of pliability and contractures that cause functional and cosmetic impairment. Embryological hair follicle morphogenesis results from a complex series of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions and to date a method of generating de novo folliculogenesis from human cells has yet to be accomplished. Existing models rely on combining 'inductive’ dermal and 'receptive’ epithelial components and placing them within a suitable model. Epithelial cells are easily obtainable from skin biopsies therefore obtaining sufficient quantities of 'trichogenic’ dermal cells remains the most significant challenge of this approach. The main aim of this project is to contribute to the achievement of de novo folliculogenesis by generating dermal papillae (DP) like-spheroids using adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) that, when combined with responsive epithelial cells, would be capable of inducing hair follicle formation. ASCs were directed towards a hair follicle DP-like fate by culture using the hanging drop method and exposure to Wnt, mimicking signalling and mesenchymal condensation in embryological hair follicle induction. Gene expression analysis using RT-PCR showed that the DP-cell marker Versican is expressed at high levels in ASCs under routine culture conditions and the exposure of ASCs to Wnt results in a more than threefold increase in this expression. These results suggest that Wnt/β-catenin signalling may regulate DP cell aggregative growth through modifying versican expression possibly through binding of β-catenin to the TCF transcription factor complex. Culture of ASCs using the hanging drop method produces spheroids similar in size to human hair follicle DP. Histology of these spheroids demonstrates viable cells that flatten around the outside. The spheroids grow out when replated onto Matrigel in a 3D culture model and exhibit a morphology similar to that of primary hair follicle DP cells. Analysis of mRNA expression demonstrates that Versican expression is significantly upregulated in DP-like spheroids in the absence or presence of Wnt demonstrating that Versican may be responsible for both induction and maintenance of mesenchymal cell condensates. Alpha smooth muscle actin is expressed in low levels in ASC spheroids compared to ASCs in a monolayer and this may reflect a 'migratory’ myofibroblast like phenotype of ASCs in a monolayer similar to cells with the hair follicle dermal sheath. The addition of Wnt to ASC spheroids has no additional effect on Versican expression possibly reflecting a negative feedback loop resulting from high local concentrations of endogenous Wnt expression from ASCs. The results of this study show that spheroid cell culture and exposure to Wnt of ASCs results in cell clusters with similar morphology and gene expression to hair follicle DP cells. The novel method of DP-like cell generation described in this study makes use of cells that are readily obtainable from patients and require minimal time and manipulation in culture and therefore could potentially be rapidly translatable to clinical trials

Plate tectonics: When ancient continents collide

The geological record preserves scant evidence for early plate tectonics. Analysis of eclogites — metamorphic rocks formed in subduction zones — in the Trans-Hudson mountain belt suggests modern-style subduction may have operated 1,800 million years ago

The Effects of an Intervention to Foster a Caring and Task-Involving Climate at a University Recreation Center

Specific links between social contexts, physical activity motivation and psychological outcomes have received minimal attention in the exercise domain, yet might help explain individuals' decisions whether to engage in exercise. Two theoretical frameworks that may further an understanding of exercise behavior are Achievement Goal Perspective Theory (AGPT; Nicholls, 1984; 1989) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991); however little research has combined the theoretical tenants of each to explore how they influence each other. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to combine AGPT and SDT by examining participants' experiences while exercising at a campus recreation center both before and after an intervention with the recreation center staff .The intervention was designed to enhance members' perceptions of a caring and task-involving environment at the recreation center. The pre/post questionnaires completed by members (N= 779, M = 20.33, sd = 3.31) included measures of the following: a) climate (e.g. perceptions of the caring, task-, and ego-involving climates), b) psychological needs (e.g. autonomy, competence, and relatedness), c) motivational responses (e.g. extrinsic and intrinsic motivation), d) commitment to exercise and e) psychological well-being (e.g. satisfaction with life, positive and negative mood states and satisfaction-dissatisfaction with body image). The research questions and hypotheses were presented in three different papers, each targeting a different aspect of the overall study design. The purpose of Study 1 was to validate the psychometric properties of a newly created instrument, known as the Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Settings (PMCEQ; Huddleston, Fry & Brown, 2011), designed to assess motivational climates in exercise settings. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the factor structure of the PMCEQ was established. In addition, both the caring climate and positive and negative mood states were used to establish concurrent validity with the instrument. Results revealed support for a 27-item version of the PMCEQ. The purpose of Study 2 was to (a) test a model examining whether psychological needs mediated the relationship between exercise participants perceptions of the climate to their self-determined motivation and (b) test whether self-determined motivation for exercise predicted the basic psychological needs and commitment to exercise, body image and satisfaction with life. Results revealed support for the model, with the change in climate predicting the basic psychological needs, the change in basic psychological needs predicting self-determined motivation and finally the change in self-determined motivation predicting the well-being measures. The final structural model demonstrated a tenable fit (χ2 (1928, n = 779) =6205.722, p <.001, RMSEA = .053, SRMR = .061, TLI = 0.876, CFI = 0.888). Results suggest that theoretical tenants of AGPT might be an antecedent to SDT and provide insight into the mechanisms by which well-being is influenced by exercise climates. The purpose of Study 3 was to assess the relationship between perceptions of staff behaviors and members' behaviors in a recreation center facility. Perceptions of a caring, task-involving climate were examined as the mediator between staffs' and members' behaviors. The staff and members' behaviors were considered from the members' perspective. Results revealed that the intervention did increase perceptions of the caring and task-involving climate while reducing perceptions of the ego-involving climate. The final model demonstrated acceptable fit (χ2 (378, n = 779)= 1462.277, p = <.001, RMSEA = .061, SRMR=.045, TLI = 0.948, CFI = 0.955), and indicated that staff behaviors predicted perceptions of the task-involving (β = .32, p = .00), ego-involving (β = .19, p = .00) and caring climates (β= .30, p = .00). Likewise, perceptions of the ego-involving climate negatively predicted members behaviors (β= -1.01, p = .00). Neither perceptions of the task-involving, caring climate nor staff behaviors significantly predicted members' post-intervention behaviors. Results offer suggestions for recreation center staff behaviors to influence members' exercise experiences

Deployment and impact of support staff in schools : characteristics, working conditions and job satisfaction of support staff in schools (strand 1, waves 1-3 in 2004, 2006 and 2008)

This study was designed to obtain up to date and reliable data on the deployment and characteristics of support staff and the impact of support staff on pupil outcomes and teacher workloads. The study covered schools in England and Wales. It involved large scale surveys (Strand 1), followed by a multi method and multi informant approach (Strand 2).It provided detailed baseline data by which to assess change and progress over time. It sought to understand the processes in schools which lead to the effective use of support staff. This report presents results from the three waves of Strand 1 which took place in 2004, 2006 and 2008. At each wave there were three questionnaires: the Main School Questionnaire (MSQ), the Support Staff Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Teacher Questionnaire (TQ). The DISS project was funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Welsh Assembly Government

Perceptions of the pastoral care worker role and its effectiveness

This thesis discusses the pastoral care worker role as defined by Schools Outreach. Schools Outreach is a charitable Christian organisation who recruit, train and manage the provision of pastoral support in selected schools. The research aims to explore perceptions of the role in two junior schools and the extent to which the interventions of the pastoral care workers are successful. The research methods chosen include interviews, questionnaires, dairy entries and observations. The roles of the two pastoral care workers are researched as are the effectiveness of some of the programmes and activities they are involved with. Findings from the research are considered in the light of proposed national developments in multi-agency work. The author believes that issues encountered during this research are fundamental to the involvement of support services in schools