Lies, damned lies and storytelling: an exploration of the contribution of principals’ anecdotes to research, teaching and learning about the management of schools and colleges

This article investigates the extent to which story telling can be an acceptable and effective presentation of experience which facilitates research, teaching and learning in education management. Stories, written by school principals about real events which influenced their practice, are interspersed with discussion first, on the art of storytellers and how their magic can be distinguished from that of actors and of management gurus. Secondly, story telling is suggested as a method of research since it records authoritative experience, can lead to categorisation. is documentary in source, recreates the past from participant observation and offers easy access to data. Thirdly, storytelling is an effective teaching method, stimulating imagination, offering learning stimuli from varying sources, linking teacher and taught through shared experiences, allowing relaxation in the learning process and opening up opportunities for frank exchanges of feelings. The three stories included in the article offer the reader the chance to test the ideas presented

Successful minimally-invasive management of a case of giant prostatic hypertrophy associated with recurrent nephrogenic adenoma of the prostate

BACKGROUND: Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) is said to affect at least a third of men over 60. However, the literature contains fewer than 200 reports of prostates over 200g in mass - Giant Prostatic Hypertrophy (GPH). Nephrogenic adenomas are benign lesions of the urinary tract that are believed to represent the local proliferation of shed renal tubular cells implanting at sites of urothelial injury. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the first case in the literature of these two rare pathologies co-existing in the same patient and the successful management and 36-month follow-up of the patient’s symptoms with minimally invasive therapy, including the still-uncommon selective prostatic artery embolisation. We also briefly discuss the role of PAX2 in injured renal tissues and nephrogenic adenomas. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic Giant Prostatic Hypertrophy (GPH) can be successfully managed with a combination of serial TURPs, 5 α-reductase inhibition and selective prostatic artery embolisation (SPAE)

Controlling a mobile robot with a biological brain

The intelligent controlling mechanism of a typical mobile robot is usually a computer system. Some recent research is ongoing in which biological neurons are being cultured and trained to act as the brain of an interactive real world robot�thereby either completely replacing, or operating in a cooperative fashion with, a computer system. Studying such hybrid systems can provide distinct insights into the operation of biological neural structures, and therefore, such research has immediate medical implications as well as enormous potential in robotics. The main aim of the research is to assess the computational and learning capacity of dissociated cultured neuronal networks. A hybrid system incorporating closed-loop control of a mobile robot by a dissociated culture of neurons has been created. The system is flexible and allows for closed-loop operation, either with hardware robot or its software simulation. The paper provides an overview of the problem area, gives an idea of the breadth of present ongoing research, establises a new system architecture and, as an example, reports on the results of conducted experiments with real-life robots

The Stellar Populations and Evolution of Lyman Break Galaxies

Using deep near-IR and optical observations of the HDF-N from the HST NICMOS and WFPC2 and from the ground, we examine the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at 2.0 < z < 3.5. The UV-to-optical rest-frame SEDs of the galaxies are much bluer than those of present-day spiral and elliptical galaxies, and are generally similar to those of local starburst galaxies with modest amounts of reddening. We use stellar population synthesis models to study the properties of the stars that dominate the light from LBGs. Under the assumption that the star-formation rate is continuous or decreasing with time, the best-fitting models provide a lower bound on the LBG mass estimates. LBGs with ``L*'' UV luminosities are estimated to have minimum stellar masses ~ 10^10 solar masses, or roughly 1/10th that of a present-day L* galaxy. By considering the effects of a second component of maximally-old stars, we set an upper bound on the stellar masses that is ~ 3-8 times the minimum estimate. We find only loose constraints on the individual galaxy ages, extinction, metallicities, initial mass functions, and prior star-formation histories. We find no galaxies whose SEDs are consistent with young (< 10^8 yr), dust-free objects, which suggests that LBGs are not dominated by ``first generation'' stars, and that such objects are rare at these redshifts. We also find that the typical ages for the observed star-formation events are significantly younger than the time interval covered by this redshift range (~ 1.5 Gyr). From this, and from the relative absence of candidates for quiescent, non-star-forming galaxies at these redshifts in the NICMOS data, we suggest that star formation in LBGs may be recurrent, with short duty cycles and a timescale between star-formation events of < 1 Gyr. [Abridged]Comment: LaTeX, 37 pages, 21 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Professional Learning with Action Research in Innovative Middle Schools

This article illustrates how action research can be used as a model for professional development with middle grades educators in rapidly changing and technology-intensive schools. Drawing upon ten years of using this model, the authors present three examples of educator action research to highlight five characteristics of effective projects: (1) appropriate scope, (2) a collaborative approach, (3) accountability, (4) various data sources, and (5) a clear link to practice. Action research with these characteristics can help middle grades educators address emergent problems in 21st-century class- rooms and respond to the evolving needs of young adolescents

Revealing ensemble state transition patterns in multi-electrode neuronal recordings using hidden Markov models

In order to harness the computational capacity of dissociated cultured neuronal networks, it is necessary to understand neuronal dynamics and connectivity on a mesoscopic scale. To this end, this paper uncovers dynamic spatiotemporal patterns emerging from electrically stimulated neuronal cultures using hidden Markov models (HMMs) to characterize multi-channel spike trains as a progression of patterns of underlying states of neuronal activity. However, experimentation aimed at optimal choice of parameters for such models is essential and results are reported in detail. Results derived from ensemble neuronal data revealed highly repeatable patterns of state transitions in the order of milliseconds in response to probing stimuli

Metabolic Heat: A New Way of Looking at How Controlled Atmospheres Kill Insects

The use of calorimetry as a tool to understand the effects of controlled atmospheres (CA) on insects is briefly reviewed. A variety of data are presented to illustrate the various types of information that calorimetry can make available to researchers. The use of a calorimeter connected to a mass spectrometer to determine the occurrence of anaerobic respiration is described and reported. We conclude that calorimetry is a useful tool to simplify the experimental options when developing new insecticidal CA treatments. It can also be used for development of other treatments such as fumigants

Collaborative Action Research for Middle Grades Improvement

Technology’s rapid evolution applies constant pressure to educational organizations, suggesting a need to continually re-envision schools for the digital age. Yet educators often struggle to understand the growing chasm between students’ out-of-school and in-school technology lives. This gap is particularly noticeable during the middle grades years, when home technology use increases dramatically. The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of teachers and students engaged in collaborative action research for middle school improvement in technology-rich settings. We begin by outlining our theoretical framework, emphasizing Fletcher’s Ladder of Student Involvement. We then describe our case-study design and methods. Findings are organized by action research components and a discussion of key themes follows. Finally, we consider the implications of this stud