An exploration of teacher motivation: a case study of basic shool teachers in two rural districts in Ghana

Retaining motivated teachers is a major concern across countries. Ghana, like other Sub- Sahara African countries, has been trying to address challenges, such as the lack of teachers, particularly in rural areas, and the low levels of motivation among them. On the other hand, teachers in developing countries are not necessarily trained and, even if they are, they may not be competent, effective and efficient (Lockheed and Verspoor 1991). Mere enthusiasm and good intentions may not be enough to improve the quality of education. Nevertheless, motivation is necessary, since without it, teachers – especially those facing difficult circumstances – cannot persevere; and, no matter how skilled, without drive, teachers are unable to perform in the long term. As a consequence, without well-motivated teachers, children are less likely to attain the desired level of education. Moreover, if parents/guardians do not believe that education equips their children with the necessary skills and knowledge for a better life, access to and completion of basic education will not increase and government efforts to achieve EFA and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may be in vain. Teacher motivation is not a new area of research. Extensive quantitative and qualitative research has been carried out, especially in the UK and the US, but not in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, in the case of Ghana, most of the research is based on surveys and oneshot interviews and tends to describe why teachers have low job satisfaction and motivation. As working and living conditions for most teachers are challenging, studies into 'motivation' have tended to be superficial. More specifically, little research has been carried out into investigating why some teachers are able to stay motivated in conditions that others do not consider to be conducive to effective practice − or how they are able to manage. In addition, what research has been done has been concentrated in the southern part of the country, which is considered to be better off compared to the northern part according to many gauges. This study has aimed to investigate how basic school teachers‟ perception of teaching as a career is shaped by social and professional environment in rural Ghana. It has also intended to explore local realities with respect to the policy and its implementation for basic education. One-year field research from 2007 to 2008 was conducted by using a mixedmethods approach in two 'deprived'1 districts − one from the north and the other from the south − which are geographically, socio-culturally, and economically different. The methods of data collection involved survey, ethnographic research, interviews, and teacher focus group discussions. This research echoes previous research findings that physical disadvantages − such as the lack of conducive infrastructure, the shortage of teaching and learning materials, and poor salaries − are factors that contribute to a lower commitment to the profession. However, this research also suggests that two other key stakeholders at micro-level − in addition to the teachers themselves − play a role in teacher motivation. These are: colleague teachers, including head teachers; and the communities in which teachers live and work. Support at this level – both material such as the provision of accommodation and food and nonmaterial like morale support – can not only enhance teachers‟ well-being and self-esteem but also help them to see their current positions as a part of their goals. On the other hand, at macro-level, local authorities − the main implementers of policies and strategies formulated at central level and of teacher management − are particularly influential, as it affects teachers‟ long-term vision. They tend to discourage teachers in their operation, mainly due to its organisational culture that teachers perceive neither fair nor rational. With the same reason, strategies put in place to motivate teachers do not always produce the expected outcomes. Moreover, teachers are more likely to be subordinates to the authority even in school management and to feel powerless in the system. Too much emphasis on teacher motivation at school level may overlook the important role of the District Education Offices (DEOs), since teachers‟ lives are much more related to how the DEO manages them than is the case with similar hierarchical relationships in the West

The antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine suppresses lidocaine-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species production and cell death in neuronal SH-SY5Y cells

Analysis of cell apoptosis by FACS. Levels of cell apoptosis were measured using an Annexin V-FITC Apoptosis Detection Kit (BioVision, Milpitas, CA, USA), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For these analyses, SH-SY5Y cells were seeded into 6-well plates (3 × 105 cells/well) and incubated overnight. The following day, cells were treated with the indicated concentrations of the appropriate drug(s) for varying lengths of time and harvested by centrifugation at 1200 rpm for 3 min. The culture supernatants were discharged, and the resulting pellets were resuspended in a mixture comprised of 500 μl binding buffer, 5 μl Annexing V-FITC, and 5 μl propidium iodide (PI; 50 μg/ml) for 5 min at room temperature in the dark and analyzed using a FACSCalibur flow cytometer (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA). (PDF 2009 kb

Genetic variants of SLC17A1 are associated with cholesterol homeostasis and hyperhomocysteinaemia in Japanese men

Hyperuricaemia is an undisputed and highly predictive biomarker for cardiovascular risk. SLC17A1, expressed in the liver and kidneys, harbours potent candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms that decrease uric acid levels. Therefore, we examined SLC17A1 polymorphisms (rs1165196, rs1179086 and rs3757131), which might suppress cardiovascular risk factors and that are involved in liver functioning, via a large-scale pooled analysis of the Japanese general population in a cross-sectional study. Using data from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study, we identified 1842 participants of both sexes, 35–69-years-old, having the requisite data and analysed their SLC17A1 genotypes. In men, logistic regression analyses revealed that minor alleles in SLC17A1 polymorphisms (rs1165196 and rs3757131) were associated with a low-/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio >2.0 (rs1165196: odds ratio [OR], 0.703; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.536–0.922; rs3757131: OR, 0.658; 95% CI, 0.500–0.866) and with homocysteine levels of >10.0 nmol/mL (rs1165196: OR, 0.544; 95% CI, 0.374–0.792; rs3757131: OR, 0.509; 95% CI, 0.347–0.746). Therefore, these polymorphisms had dominant negative effects on cholesterol homeostasis and hyperhomocysteinaemia, in men, independent of alcohol consumption, physical activity, or daily energy and nutrition intake. Thus, genetic variants of SLC17A1 are potential biomarkers for altered cholesterol homeostasis and hyperhomocysteinaemia in Japanese men

膵β細胞と膵α細胞の分化表現型はホメオティック遺伝子発現の差異と関連する

To identify the genes that determine differentiation phenotypes, we compared gene expression of pancreatic islet β- and α-cells, which are derived from the common precursor and secrete insulin and glucagon, respectively. The expression levels of homeotic genes including Hox genes known to determine region specificity in the antero-posterior (AP) body axis, tissue-specific homeobox genes, and other 8,734 genes were compared in a β- and α-cell line of MIN6 and αTC1.6. The expression of homeotic genes were surveyed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using degenerate primers corresponding to invariant amino acid sequences within the homeodomain and subsequently with specific primers. Expression of Hoxc6, Hoxc9, Hoxc10, Pdx1, Cdx2, Gbx2, Pax4, and Hlxb9 genes in MIN6 was higher than those in αTC1.6, while expression of Hoxa2, Hoxa3, Hoxa5, Hoxa6, Hoxa7, Hoxa9, Hoxa10, Hoxa13, Hoxb3, Hoxb5, Hoxb6, Hoxb13, Hoxb8, and Brain4 genes in αTC1.6 was higher than those in MIN6. Out of 8,734 mouse genes screened with high-density mouse cDNA microarrays for MIN6- and αTC1.6-derived cDNA, 58 and 25 genes were differentially over- and under-expressed in MIN6, respectively. GLUTag, which is derived from a large bowel tumor and expresses the proglucagon gene, showed a comparatively similar expression profile to that of αTC1.6 in both homeotic and other genes analyzed in cDNA microarray. Our results are consistent with the interpretation that not only the tissue-specific homeotic genes, but also Hox genes are related to differentiation phenotypes of pancreatic β- and α-cells rather than their regional specification of the body in vertebrates

Upregulated Fcrl5 disrupts B cell anergy causes autoimmune disease

B cell anergy plays a critical role in maintaining self-tolerance by inhibiting autoreactive B cell activation to prevent autoimmune diseases. Here, we demonstrated that Fc receptor-like 5 (Fcrl5) upregulation contributes to autoimmune disease pathogenesis by disrupting B cell anergy. Fcrl5—a gene whose homologs are associated with human autoimmune diseases—is highly expressed in age/autoimmunity-associated B cells (ABCs), an autoreactive B cell subset. By generating B cell-specific Fcrl5 transgenic mice, we demonstrated that Fcrl5 overexpression in B cells caused systemic autoimmunity with age. Additionally, Fcrl5 upregulation in B cells exacerbated the systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease model. Furthermore, an increase in Fcrl5 expression broke B cell anergy and facilitated toll-like receptor signaling. Thus, Fcrl5 is a potential regulator of B cell-mediated autoimmunity by regulating B cell anergy. This study provides important insights into the role of Fcrl5 in breaking B cell anergy and its effect on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases

Abrogation of Autoimmune Diabetes in Nonobese Diabetic Mice and Protection against Effector Lymphocytes by Transgenic Paracrine TGF-β1

Paracrine effect of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) on autoimmune insulitis and diabetes was studied by transgenic production of the active form of porcine TGF-β1 (pTGF-β1) in pancreatic islet (islet) α cells in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice under the control of rat glucagon promoter (RGP) (NOD-RGP-TGF-β1). None of 27 NOD-RGP-TGF-β1 mice developed diabetes by 45 wk of age, in contrast to 40 and 71% in male and female nontransgenic mice, respectively. None of the NOD-RGP-TGF-β1 mice developed diabetes after cyclophosphamide (CY) administration. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes of NOD-RGP-TGF-β1 mice to neonatal NOD mice did not transfer diabetes after CY administration. Adoptive transfer of three types of diabetogenic lymphocytes to NOD-RGP-TGF-β1 and nontransgenic mice after CY administration led to the lower incidence of diabetes in NOD-RGP-TGF-β1 mice versus that in nontransgenic mice: 29 vs. 77% for diabetogenic splenocytes, 25 vs. 75% for islet β cell–specific Th1 clone cells, and 0 vs. 50% for islet β cell–specific CD8+ clone cells, respectively. Based on these, it is concluded that autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice is not a systemic disease and it can be completely prevented by the paracrine TGF-β1 in the islet compartment through protection against CD4+ and CD8+ effector lymphocytes