It's better than catching frogs: exploring inclusion in relation to local context in Lao PDR and Thailand

This thesis examines the applicability of pre-dominantly Western theories of inclusive school development in countries of the Global South. Firstly, the findings of a review of research literature are used to develop a typology to describe the common features of inclusive schools, incorporating ways in which they might be supported. This typology was then used to explore the ways in which schools in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand developed inclusive practices. Engagement with school systems in these countries over a period of six years between 2003 and 2009 provided opportunities to work at several different levels with schools that in some way defined themselves as being 'inclusive'. Using data generated through field work with schools in an Inclusive Education Project in Laos and one school in Thailand, tensions were identified between the theoretical framework and my initial research findings. A revision of the typology was undertaken, drawing on a wider literature to take account of additional factors such as local and national culture and the impact of the policy context in these countries. The researcher often had the role of consultant, creating tensions in the way he constructed his position and also in the schools’ response. Reflecting on these tensions became a productive process in terms of understanding the factors which effectively promoted the development of inclusion in these different contexts. In particular, the process highlighted the relatively neglected significance of local context and knowledge and the way in which these factors impact on inclusive school development. In order to explore these issues in greater detail, further research was then undertaken in one school in Laos, creating a case study developed over four years. This detailed engagement revealed more clearly the limits of typologies in general and of Western theories in particular. Whilst they may offer a lens for examining inclusive school development they do not 'adequately' account for variable factors rooted in the local context. In conclusion, policy initiatives designed to support the development of more inclusive schools must allow for the creation of space at local levels for meanings to be constructed which will support teachers in developing their own sense of agency and making changes in their practice of which they have ownership

A quality education for all: a history of the Lao PDR Inclusive Education Project 1993-2009

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) Inclusive Education (IE) Project is one of the longest running projects of its kind internationally. In May 2009, funding for the project came to an end, bringing to a close a 16 year long journey, during which many challenges had been faced and lessons learned. The aim of this publication is to share some of those challenges and lessons with a wider audience

Start/stop switches for testing detonation velocity of explosives

Printed-circuit process produces ordnance-initiated start/stop switches. Method is faster and less costly than fabriction by hand, and produces switches of uniform quality

Resolving the structure of TiBe12_{12}

There has been considerable controversy regarding the structure of TiBe$_{12}$, which is variously reported as hexagonal and tetragonal. Lattice dynamics simulations based on density functional theory show the tetragonal phase space group $I4/mmm$ to be more stable over all temperatures, while the hexagonal phase exhibits an imaginary phonon mode, which, if followed, would lead to the cell adopting the tetragonal structure. We then report the predicted ground state elastic constants and temperature dependence of the bulk modulus and thermal expansion for the tetragonal phase.Comment: In press at Acta Crystallographica B. Supplementary material appende

Imagining inclusive teachers: contesting policy assumptions in relation to the development of inclusive practice in schools

In this paper we reflect on data from two research projects in which inclusive practice in schools is at issue, in the light of wider field experience (our own and others’) of school and teacher development. We question what we understand to be relatively common, implicit policy assumptions about how teachers develop, by examining the way in which teachers are portrayed and located in these projects. The examples discussed in this paper draw on experience in Lao PDR and Bangladesh, critically exploring teachers’ roles, position and agency in practice. Similarities and differences rooted in cultural, political and institutional contexts highlight in a very productive way the significance and potential dangers of policy assumptions about teachers within the process of development. In Bangladesh, a success story is presented: the case of a group of schools in which an institutional context for learning appears to sustain teachers’ commitment and motivation, with the effect of creating meaningful outcomes for young people who were previously outside the education system. These data raise questions about the significance of institutional context to teachers’ practices, and questions about approaches to teacher development which omit consideration of that context by, for example, focusing inadvertently on features of individual teachers. We then consider teachers’ responses to the movement for inclusive education in a school in the Lao PDR since 2004. Inclusion here was understood to require a significant shift in teacher identity and a movement away from authoritative pedagogy towards the facilitation of a pedagogy which aimed to encourage the active participation of all students. Through a longitudinal study of teachers in one school, the conditions for such change were identified and again cast doubt on some of the assumptions behind large-scale attempts at teacher development. Reflecting on these experiences and the evidence they provide, we suggest that teacher development programmes are more likely to be effective where teachers are considered not as individuals subject to training but as agents located in an influential institutional context

Redox Bulk Energy Storage System Study, Volume 2

For abstract, see N77-33608

Internal friction peaks observed in explosively deformed polycrystalline Mo, Nb, and Cu

Explosive deformation (50 kbar range) induced, in Cu, Mo and Nb, internal friction peaks identical to those observed after large normal deformation. The variation of the peaks with pressure for Mo and Nb lead to an explanation of these processes in terms of double kink generation in screw and edge dislocations

miR-137, schizophrenia and sleep regulation in Drosophila melanogaster.

Introduction – microRNAs are non-coding DNA sequences, which regulate gene expression by promoting the destruction of target mRNAs. The evolutionarily conserved miR-137 is expressed in invertebrate and mammalian neuronal tissue and there is experimental evidence for mir-137 regulating neurological development, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive function. Other genes likely regulated by miR-137 include members of the dopamine signalling pathway. Furthermore, genome wide association studies (GWAS) have linked SNPs in mir-137 with schizophrenia (SZ). Modulation of dopaminergic signalling and SZ are associated with abnormal sleep quality, suggesting that miR-137 may mediate sleep-wake behaviour. Method – This prediction was tested by assessing the diurnal and circadian sleep-wake behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster homozygous for a null miR-137 allele (miR-137KO) or in flies where miR-137 expression had been silenced (miR-137sponge). Further investigation involved reintroduction of miR-137 expression in selected brain regions through use of the Drosophila UAS/Gal4 genetic construct. Sleep-wake behaviour was monitored and quantified using a well characterised Drosophila activity monitoring system (DAMS). Locomotor behaviour was assessed by video tracking flies and quantifying climbing ability in a negative geotaxis assay. For gene expression, qualitative PCR (qPCR) Taqman assays were used, and PCR genotyping was completed with custom designed primer sets and gel electrophoresis. A total transcriptomics assay was conducted and analysed using bioinformatical tools, then compared to GWAS datasets. Results – miR-137 null and knockdown genotypes had an extreme sleep phenotype characterised by increased total sleep amount. The phenotype was attributed to the homeostatic sleep control pathway through activation of the fan- shaped and mushroom bodies in the brain. Successful knockdown of miR-137 expression in the brain by the miR-137sponge was verified in qPCR, and PCR genotyping confirmed the replacement of miR-137 locus with an inserted wmW.hs sequence. There was also a moderate locomotor defect, though this did not account for the severity of the sleep phenotype. Additionally, there was a developmental delay along with an increased mortality in the pupal stage. There was no evidence for circadian disruption or shortening of lifespan because of mir-137 loss of function. Comparison of the transcriptome expression changes with sleep and psychiatric disorder related GWAS identified a select set of genes which provide putative mechanisms for miR-137 function. Conclusion – miR-137 is an important conserved microRNA with alleles already significantly associated with a major psychiatric disorder in humans. Currently, this research demonstrates that miR-137 is responsible for regulating pathways ultimately controlling sleep amount, and causing a slight locomotor phenotype, both of which are synonymous with some symptoms in the human SZ disorder. The project also acts to validate the high efficiency and ability of using Drosophila melanogaster as a model for future research into conserved microRNAs