Middle and high school science teacher identity considered through the lens of the social identity approach: a systematic review of the literature

Studies which consider science teacher identity continue to be a focus for education researchers, particularly given the persistent challenges to retain specialist science teachers. The proliferation of research in this area, without a unifying theoretical framework, has meant the literature is diverse, methodologies are varied, and coverage is patchy. This review article considers to what extent and in which ways the social identity approach (SIA) might provide a useful lens through which to consider middle and/or high school science teacher identity. In doing so, we synthesise the findings from 79 empirical and theoretical publications on science teacher identity in middle and/or high school settings, published since 2000. This review highlights the important role that shared identity and group membership play in developing and sustaining positive identities. We argue that the SIA provides education researchers with a greater understanding of how and why some middle and/or high school science teachers are able to form positive professional identities, whilst others are not. This understanding of both the importance of group membership in the social construction of identities and the processes through which memberships form could helpfully inform teacher education and professional development programmes

Scoparia dulcis reduces the severity of Trypanosoma bruceiinduced hyperlipidaemia in the rabbit

We investigated the effect of oral administration of the herb, Scoparia dulcis, on Trypanosoma bruceiinduced changes in plasma lipid profile in rabbits over a period of twenty eight days. Results obtained show that infection with T. brucei resulted in significant increases in plasma total cholesterol,trriacylglycerol, and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, while the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was also significantly reduced. Further comparative analysis of data revealed that these lesions were significantly less severe (

Serum total protein, albumin and globulin levels in Trypanosoma brucei-infected rabbits: Effect of orally administered Scoparia dulcis

The effect of orally administered Scoparia dulcis on Trypanosoma brucei-induced changes in serum total protein, albumin and globulin were investigated in rabbits over a period of twenty eight days. Results obtained show that infection resulted in hyperproteinaemia, hyperglobulinaemia and hypoalbuminaemia. However these lesions were less severe (p<0.05) in the infected and treated group relative to their untreated counterparts. We speculate that the herb may be involved in modulating the severity of these trypanosome associated lesions by some yet undefined mechanisms

The Soil Erosion Risk Map of the Sicilian Region (1:250,000 Scale)

Assessing the risk areas of soil erosion by water at the regional level is relevant for current and future land planning of environmental actions to combat land degradation. The gravity of the risk is not only depending on the rate of soil erosion by water, but also on other factors, primarily soil depth and rock weatherability. The map of the soil erosion risk in the Sicilian region, expressed in terms of years to a complete loss of the fertile soil cover, is here presented as a methodological model. The degree of risk was not only estimated in function of the rate of soil erosion by water, but also of the depth of the fertile part of the profile, and of the weatherability degree of the underlying bedrock

Biometric Indices of Arachis hypogaea Plant Grown in Kutchalli Waste Pit Materials (Soils) in Borno State, Nigeria

Kutchalli drilling waste pit materials (WPM) in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, exploration site in Borno State of Nigeria was evaluated for systemic toxicity to inhabitants (man, animal and plants) via the food chain. In this experiment, biometric indices were analysed using standard methods. Results obtained showed that thecontrol soil (group 1) had plant height of 27cm ±0.2, leaf length 2.8cm ±0.3, while those of the wpm soils of group 5 had plant height of 25cm ±0.2, leaf length 2.3cm ±0.1 and group 7 plant height of 19cm ±0.3 and 1.6cm ±0.2 with a significant difference at

Factors Influencing Soil Organic Carbon Stock Variations in Italy During the Last Three Decades

Soils contain about three times the amount of carbon globally available in vegetation, and about twice the amount in the atmosphere. However, soil organic carbon (SOC) has been reduced in many areas, while an increase in atmospheric CO2 has been detected. Recent research works have shown that it is likely that past changes in land use history and land management were the main reasons for the loss of carbon rather than higher temperatures and changes of precipitation resulting from climate change. The primary scope of this work was to estimate soil organic carbon stock (CS) variations in Italy during the last three decades and to relate them to land use changes. The study was also aimed at finding relationships between SOC and factors of pedogenesis, namely pedoclimate, morphology, lithology, and land use, but also at verifying the possible bias on SOC estimation caused by the use of data coming from different sources and laboratories. The soil database of Italy was the main source of information in this study. In the national soil database is stored information for 20,702 georeferentiated and dated observations (soil pro- files and minipits) analysed for routine soil parameters. Although the observations were collected from different sources, soil description and analysis were similar, because all the sources made reference to the Soil Taxonomy and WRB classification systems, and soil analyses followed the Italian official methods. Besides horizon description and analysis, soil observations had a set of site information including topography, lithology, and land use. The SOC and bulk density referred to the first 50 cm, thus CS was calculated on the basis of the weighted percentage of SOC, rock fragments volume, and bulk density. A set of geographic attributes were considered to spatialize point information, in particular, DEM (100 m) and derived SOTER morphological classification, soil regions (reference scale 1:5,000,000) and soil systems lithological groups (reference scale 1:500,000), soil moisture and temperature regimes (raster maps of 1 km pixel size), land cover (CORINE project, reference scale 1:100,000) at three reference dates: years 1990 and 2000, and an originalupdate to 2008, obtained with field point observations. The interpolation methodology used a multiple linear regression (MLR). CS was the target variable, while predictive variables were the geographic attributes. Basic statistical analysis was performed first, to find the predictive variables statistically related to CS and to verify the bias caused by different laboratories and surveys. After excluding the biased datasets, the best predictors were selected using a step-wise regression method with Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) as selection and stop criterion. The obtained MLR model made use of the following categorical attributes: (i) decade, (ii) land use, (iii) SOTER morphological class, (iv) soil region, (v) soil temperature regime, (vi) soil moisture regime, (vii) soil system lithology, (viii) soil temperature, (ix) soil aridity index (dry days per year), and, (x) elevation. The interaction between decade and land use variables was also considered in the model. Results indicated that CS was highly correlated with the kind of main type of land use (forest, meadow, arable land), soil moisture and temperature regimes, lithology, as well as morphological classes, and decreased notably in the second decade but slightly increased in the third one, passing form 3.32 Pg, to 2.74 Pg and 2.93 Pg respectively. The bias caused by the variables like “laboratory” and “survey source” could be as large as the 190%

SOILS WITH HIGH ORGANIC CARBON STORAGE CAPACITY IN DEPTH

Most studies about soil organic carbon (OC) stock focus on the topsoil storage capacity, however, it has been proved that OC can reach relatively high values also in depth. The aim of this work was a preliminary investigation of the soil types with a high OC content in depth and the relationship with the main pedogenetic factors. The dataset was the 1,414 Italian National Soil Typologies (STU). The selected attributes were: mean value of OC in the superficial functional horizon (L1); weighted average value between 50 and 100 cm (L2) and under 100 cm (L3); WRB classification; main lithology, morphology and land-use. About 92% of typologies had more than 0.58% of OC in L1, about 30% in L2, and 10% in L3. The highest OC contents were in L2 of Histosols, Umbrisols, Podzols, Vertisols, Andosols, and in L3 of Vertisols, Andosols, Fluvisols. STU on volcanic rocks, slope and residual deposits showed relatively higher accumulation in L2; soils on delta plane, lacustrine and alluvial deposits, both in L2 and L3. STU on upland plains, transitional areas with plateau in the mountain, high gradient mountains and low plains, showed higher OC content. Land-use was not significantly connected with OC content in depth. About 65% of the studied territory (47% of Italian surface) had a relatively high CO content in L2, and about 2% in L3. The main processes connected to soil CO storage capacity in depth were morphological, namely colluvium and alluvium, as well as pedological, in particular, podzolization and andisolization

USING A.R.P. PROXIMAL SURVEY TO MAP CALCIC HORIZON DEPTH IN VINEYARDS

The investigation of spatial variability of soil water retention capacity and depth is essential for a correct and economical planning of water supply of a vineyard. The advantage of measuring soil electrical properties by proximal sensors is the ability to operate with mobile and non-destructive tools, quicker than the traditional soil survey. A.R.P. (Automatic Resistivity Profiling) is a mobile soil electrical resistivity (ER) mapping system conceived by Geocarta (Paris, France), and it is comprised by a couple of transmitter sprocket-wheels, which inject current within the soil, and three couples of receiver sprocket-wheels, which measure the voltage-drop at three different depths, about 0-50, 0-100 and 0-170 cm. Ten vineyards of “Villa Albius” farm in Sicily region (southern Italy) were chosen to carry out the A.R.P. survey, for a overall surface of 45 hectares. The vineyards were located in a wide Plio-Pleistocene marine terrace, characterized by a few meters level of calcarenite, overlying partially cemented by calcium carbonate yellow sands. During the A.R.P. survey, 12 boreholes were described and sampled for the laboratory analysis and other 6 boreholes were carried out to validade the map. All soils showed a calcic horizon (Bk, BCk or Ck) with the upper limit at variable depths. The depth of calcic horizon (Dk) of each boreholes resulted significantly correlated to ER, especially with the ER0-100 (R2 = 0.83). Dk map was interpolated using the regression kriging and validated by the boreholes (R2 = 0.71) and with a NDVI map of the same vintage (R2 = 0.95)