'Creative Little Scientists' Project: Mapping and Comparative Assessment of Early Years Science Education Policy and Practice

Creative Little Scientists was a 30-month (2011–2014) EU/FP7-funded research project focusing on the synergies between early years science and mathematics education and the development of children’s creativity, in response to increasing interest in these areas in European educational policy. Using a variety of methods, including desk research, a teacher survey and classroom-based fieldwork, the research provided insights into whether and how children’s creativity is fostered and appropriate learning outcomes, including children’s interest, emerge. Based on these, the project proposed changes in policy and teacher education encompassing curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. This paper focuses on the results from the first research phase, where existing policies and reported practices in early years science and mathematics education in the sample countries were mapped and compared, by means of a) desk research examining national policies, curricula and assessments and b) a survey aiming to gain insights into teachers’ conceptualisations of their own practice. Findings across the varied contexts in partner countries indicate potential for inquiry and creativity but also suggest a number of areas for policy development and attention in early years teacher education

Live cell dynamics of production, explosive release and killing activity of phage tail-like weapons for Pseudomonas kin exclusion.

Interference competition among bacteria requires a highly specialized, narrow-spectrum weaponry when targeting closely-related competitors while sparing individuals from the same clonal population. Here we investigated mechanisms by which environmentally important Pseudomonas bacteria with plant-beneficial activity perform kin interference competition. We show that killing between phylogenetically closely-related strains involves contractile phage tail-like devices called R-tailocins that puncture target cell membranes. Using live-cell imaging, we evidence that R-tailocins are produced at the cell center, transported to the cell poles and ejected by explosive cell lysis. This enables their dispersal over several tens of micrometers to reach targeted cells. We visualize R-tailocin-mediated competition dynamics between closely-related Pseudomonas strains at the single-cell level, both in non-induced condition and upon artificial induction. We document the fatal impact of cellular self-sacrifice coupled to deployment of phage tail-like weaponry in the microenvironment of kin bacterial competitors, emphasizing the necessity for microscale assessment of microbial competitions

Creative little scientists: exploring pedagogical synergies between inquiry-based and creative approaches in Early Years science

In this chapter Teresa Cremin from the Open University and the research team involved in the 'Creative Little Scientists' project report on a study exploring the teaching, learning and assessment of science with young children aged three to eight. Taking in settings across nine European countries the project provides insights into the connections between inquiry based science education and creative approaches in Early Years practice. It reports on how teachers developed rich physical environment for scientific exploration often linked to children's interests and everyday events

Quality of life in greek patients with autoimmune bullous diseases assessed with ABQOL and TABQOL indexes

Abstract is missing (Short communication

New onset pemphigus foliaceus during pregnancy: A rare case

Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune disease during pregnancy. Among the different pemphigus types, pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is even rarer than pemphigus vulgaris. We present a case of PF in a 36-year-old female patient who presented with PF onset during pregnancy in the form of a disseminated, erythematosquamous rash. A diagnosis was made on the basis of histologic, immunofluorescence, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results. A complete remission was recorded a month after steroid treatment initiation. The patient delivered a premature (33 weeks) but otherwise healthy baby girl. Only three cases of PF have been reported in two retrospective studies found in the English-language bibliography. Although pemphigus during pregnancy is a rare disease and treatment guidelines have not yet been elucidated, the management of these cases is individually evaluated. In all cases, the primary goal should be the control of the maternal disease along with the safety of the fetus