1,702 research outputs found
Exploring leadership and entrepreneurship in Polish supplementary schools in England: A pilot study
There is an extensive network of supplementary schools in the UK, yet the nuances related to the way they operate, are led and bring benefits to related communities and the public has not been well researched. There are between 3000 and 5000 supplementary schools in Britain (Ives and Wyvil, 2008) of which around 140 are Polish supplementary schools (PSS) (Pedrak, 2022). The Centre for the Development of Polish Education Abroad runs a database where PSS can register themselves to apply for support from the Polish government. Currently, 1129 PSS are registered worldwide; 20% are based in the UK (ORPEG, 2023). In England, Polish (1.1%, 591,000) was found to be the most common main language for those who did not speak English as a main language (ONS, 2021).
PSS are largely set up by ethnic minority communities and offer educational programmes (mostly on Saturdays) focused on language and bilingual development, culture, history and traditions of the minority. The oldest PSS date back to the post WW II forced migration, for example St Joseph's PSS, established in 1947 in Amersham (ORPEG, 2023) 1950 (PSPO, 2022).
Our interest in these schools stems from devoting the last 15 years of leading and teaching in two PSS â one set up by post WW II migration and the other after 2004 Polandâs accession to EU â as well as supporting the wider PSSâ networks, influencing curricula and working with Polish and British national exam bodies. We would like to gain deeper insight into this unique entrepreneurial ecosystem with a view of bringing deeper understanding about how they are led, establish closer collaborations with mainstream schools and influence relevant governmental policies.
This paper explores leadership and entrepreneurship within PSS in England, employing semi-structured interviews and entrepreneurial auto reflection in a pilot study. Focusing on legal forms, leadership styles, and various challenges and opportunities, our research provides insights into the dynamic landscape of well-established minority-language supplementary education. It analyses leadership styles and legal structures that reveal diverse approaches and motivations with implications for organisational effectiveness and adaptability. The study also addresses challenges these schools face, exploring how leadership strategies have evolved pre- and post- COVID-19. This research contributes to understanding leadership and entrepreneurial practices in the context of supplementary education for the Polish diaspora, exploring nuanced strategies that drive innovation and sustainability. Preliminary research findings are expected to reveal additional themes for future studies and assist policymakers and school leaders and enhance leadership and entrepreneurial capacities within multicultural communities
More on the Narrowing of Impact Broadened Radio Recombination Lines at High Principal Quantum Number
Recently Alexander and Gulyaev have suggested that the apparent decrease in
impact broadening of radio recombination lines seen at high principal quantum
number n may be a product of the data reduction process, possibly resulting
from the presence of noise on the telescope spectra that is not present on the
calculated comparison spectra. This is an interesting proposal. However, there
are serious problems with their analysis that need to be pointed out. Perhaps
the most important of these is the fact that for principal quantum numbers
below n = 200, where the widths are not in question, their processed generated
profile widths do not fit the widths of the processed lines obtained at the
telescope. After processing, the halfwidths of the generated and telescope
profiles must agree below n = 200 if we are to believe that the processed
generated linewidths above n = 200 are meaningful. Theirs do not. Furthermore,
we find that after applying the linewidth reduction factors found by Alexander
and Gulyaev for their noise added profiles to our generated profiles to
simulate their noise adding effect, the processed widths we obtain still do not
come close to explaining the narrowing seen in the telescope lines for n values
in the range 200 < n < 250. It is concluded that what is needed to solve this
mystery is a completely new approach using a different observing technique
instead of simply a further manipulation of the frequency-switched data.Comment: Six pages with 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics
and Space Scienc
Doping dependent Irreversible Magnetic Properties of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 Single Crystals
We discuss the irreversible magnetic properties of self-flux grown
Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystals for a wide range of concentrations covering
the whole phase diagram from the underdoped to the overdoped regime, x=0.038,
0.047, 0.058, 0.071, 0.074, 0.10, 0.106 and 0.118. Samples were characterized
by a magneto-optical method and show excellent spatial uniformity of the
superconducting state. The overall behavior closely follows classical Bean
model of the critical state. The field-dependent magnetization exhibits second
peak at a temperature and doping - dependent magnetic field, Hp. The evolution
of this fishtail feature with doping is discussed. Magnetic relaxation is
time-logarithmic and unusually fast. Similar to cuprates, there is an apparent
crossover from collective elastic to plastic flux creep above Hp. At high
fields, the field dependence of the relaxation rate becomes doping independent.
We discuss our results in the framework of the weak collective pinning and show
that vortex physics in iron-based pnictide crystals is much closer to high-Tc
cuprates than to conventional s-wave (including MgB2) superconductors.Comment: for the special issue of Physica C on iron-based pnictide
superconductor
Soil organic matter and the extracellular microbial matrix show contrasting responses to C and N availability
AbstractAn emerging paradigm in soil science suggests microbes can perform âN miningâ from recalcitrant soil organic matter (SOM) in conditions of low N availability. However, this requires the production of extracellular structures rich in N (including enzymes and structural components) and thus defies stoichiometric expectation. We set out to extract newly synthesised peptides from the extracellular matrix in soil and compare the amino acid (AA) profiles, N incorporation and AA dynamics in response to labile inputs of contrasting C/N ratio. Glycerol was added both with and without an inorganic source of N (10% 15N labelled NH4NO3) to a soil already containing a large pool of refractory SOM and incubated for 10 days. The resulting total soil peptide (TSP) and extracellular pools were compared using colorimetric methods, gas chromatography, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. N isotope compositions showed that the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) contained a greater proportion of products formed de novo than did TSP, with hydrophobic EPS-AAs (leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, hydroxyproline and tyrosine) deriving substantially more N from the inorganic source provided. Quantitative comparison between extracts showed that the EPS contained greater relative proportions of alanine, glycine, proline, phenylalanine and tyrosine. The greatest increases in EPS-peptide and EPS-polysaccharide concentrations occurred at the highest C/N ratios. All EPS-AAs responded similarly to treatment whereas the responses of TSP were more complex. The results suggest that extracellular investment of N (as EPS peptides) is a microbial survival mechanism in conditions of low N/high C which, from an evolutionary perspective, must ultimately lead to the tendency for increased N returns to the microbial biomass. A conceptual model is proposed that describes the dynamics of the extracellular matrix in response to the C/N ratio of labile inputs
Optimally squeezed spin states
We consider optimally spin-squeezed states that maximize the sensitivity of
the Ramsey spectroscopy, and for which the signal to noise ratio scales as the
number of particles . Using the variational principle we prove that these
states are eigensolutions of the Hamiltonian
and that, for large , the states become equivalent to the quadrature
squeezed states of the harmonic oscillator. We present numerical results that
illustrate the validity of the equivalence
Permissive norms and young adults' alcohol and marijuana use: The role of online communities
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106614/1/Permissive norms and young adults' alcohol and marijuana use The role of online communities.pd
Electromagnetic wave propagation inside a material medium: an effective geometry interpretation
We present a method developed to deal with electromagnetic wave propagation
inside a material medium that reacts, in general, non-linearly to the field
strength. We work in the context of Maxwell' s theory in the low frequency
limit and obtain a geometrical representation of light paths for each case
presented. The isotropic case and artificial birefringence caused by an
external electric field are analyzed as an application of the formalism and the
effective geometry associated to the wave propagation is exhibited.Comment: REVTeX file, 6 pages. Version to appear in Phys. Lett.
Efficacy of pimobendan in the prevention of congestive heart failure or sudden death in doberman pinschers with preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (the PROTECT study)
<p>Background: The benefit of pimobendan in delaying the progression of preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dobermans is not reported.</p>
<p>Hypothesis: That chronic oral administration of pimobendan to Dobermans with preclinical DCM will delay the onset of CHF or sudden death and improve survival.</p>
<p>Animals: Seventy-six client-owned Dobermans recruited at 10 centers in the UK and North America.</p>
<p>Methods: The trial was a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group multicenter study. Dogs were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive pimobendan (Vetmedin capsules) or visually identical placebo.</p>
<p>The composite primary endpoint was prospectively defined as either onset of CHF or sudden death. Time to death from all causes was a secondary endpoint.</p>
<p>Results: The proportion of dogs reaching the primary endpoint was not significantly different between groups (PÂ =Â .1). The median time to the primary endpoint (onset of CHF or sudden death) was significantly longer in the pimobendan (718Â days, IQR 441â1152Â days) versus the placebo group (441Â days, IQR 151â641Â days) (log-rank PÂ =Â 0.0088). The median survival time was significantly longer in the pimobendan (623Â days, IQR 491â1531Â days) versus the placebo group (466Â days, IQR 236â710Â days) (log-rank PÂ =Â .034).</p>
<p>Conclusion and Clinical Importance: The administration of pimobendan to Dobermans with preclinical DCM prolongs the time to the onset of clinical signs and extends survival. Treatment of dogs in the preclinical phase of this common cardiovascular disorder with pimobendan can lead to improved outcome.</p>
Limited Lifespan of Fragile Regions in Mammalian Evolution
An important question in genome evolution is whether there exist fragile
regions (rearrangement hotspots) where chromosomal rearrangements are happening
over and over again. Although nearly all recent studies supported the existence
of fragile regions in mammalian genomes, the most comprehensive phylogenomic
study of mammals (Ma et al. (2006) Genome Research 16, 1557-1565) raised some
doubts about their existence. We demonstrate that fragile regions are subject
to a "birth and death" process, implying that fragility has limited
evolutionary lifespan. This finding implies that fragile regions migrate to
different locations in different mammals, explaining why there exist only a few
chromosomal breakpoints shared between different lineages. The birth and death
of fragile regions phenomenon reinforces the hypothesis that rearrangements are
promoted by matching segmental duplications and suggests putative locations of
the currently active fragile regions in the human genome
Anisotropic London Penetration Depth and Superfluid Density in Single Crystals of Iron-based Pnictide Superconductors
In- and out-of-plane magnetic penetration depths were measured in three
iron-based pnictide superconducting systems. All studied samples of both 122
systems show a robust power-law behavior, , with the
sample-dependent exponent n=2-2.5, which is indicative of unconventional
pairing. This scenario could be possible either through scattering in a state or due to nodes in the superconducting gap. In the Nd-1111 system, the
interpretation of data may be obscured by the magnetism of rare-earth ions. The
overall anisotropy of the pnictide superconductors is small. The 1111 system is
about two times more anisotropic than the 122 system. Our data and analysis
suggest that the iron-based pnictides are complex superconductors in which a
multiband three-dimensional electronic structure and strong magnetic
fluctuations play important roles.Comment: submitted to a special issue of Physica C on superconducting
pnictide
- âŠ