"Into the Woods": The Experiences and Preparation of Teachers Who Direct Secondary School Musical Theatre

This study examines the personal investment of four NSW Independent secondary school music and drama teachers who direct musical theatre productions. It considers these teachers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the social and educational value of such productions, and the manner in which these productions exist within the schools that produce them. Through semi-structured interviews with these four teachers, this study outlines their experiences in producing and directing these musical theatre productions and their preparation for such involvement. By examining the relationship between the preparation and experiences of these teachers in relation to their beliefs and opinions regarding available training, this study also considers the implications of this data in regard to music education degrees

Islamic Feminism: A Discourse of Gender Justice and Equality

This paper examines Islamic feminism using structural methodology and the phenomenological approach to examine the component of Muslim feminists\u27 activism that utilizes ijtihad and tafsir to reinterpret patriarchal rhetoric and highlight Islamic discourses that validate gender equality. These scholars and activists critically analyze Islamic theology by employing hermeneutics in order to produce Islamic exegeses that affirm social justice, gender equality, and liberation. Religion plays a critical role in building collective cultural identities; therefore, examining sacred texts\u27 representation and prescription of gender roles and mores generates an understanding of the gender order in the community of believers, while simultaneously exposing contextual patriarchal inaccuracies that result in gender inequities. Muslim scholar-activists engage in this work to re-appropriate their cultural self-definition by emphasizing the socio-political environments that shaped the interpretations of the Qur’an and Hadiths in order to promote justice and affirm gender equality within an Islamic paradigm. A liberatory theology legitimized by Islamic sacred texts not only confronts systemic and systematic repressive practices against women but also mandates reflexive change in Islamic societies. Muslims\u27 collective identity is couched within an Islamic discourse; therefore, Muslim scholar-activists\u27 reinterpretation of sacred texts has the potential to enable a genuine cultural paradigm shift that can establish the necessary milieu for progressive women’s rights to not only be proposed but also implemented successfully in Islamic societies. This paper evaluates the growing academic literature on reform-oriented Muslim scholar-activists and specifically focuses on the ways in which Islamic feminists reinterpret the Qur’an by employing ijtihad and tafsir to 1) contextualize verses and revelations; 2) search for the best meaning as charged by the Qur’an; 3) compare specific words or ayats with the syntactical composition elsewhere in the sacred text; and, 4) read ayat and suras in a holistic manner with the Qur’an’s broader thematic message in mind. Their reinterpretations set the foundation for Islamic feminists\u27 activism in broader society that seeks to eliminate social discrimination, promote social justice, and progress human equality and dignity. This examination of Muslim scholar-activists\u27 hermeneutics illustrates that Islamic feminism is a viable avenue to empower Muslim women and foster grass-roots cultural transformation in Muslim societies towards more gender egalitarian attitudes and practices. I argue that Islamic feminist scholars’ hermeneutics unshackles Islam’s liberatory theology and egalitarian message from patriarchal inaccuracies

Escaping the middle income trap

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Esophageal atresia: Long-term morbidities in adolescence and adulthood

Survival rates in esophageal atresia (EA) patients have reached 90%. In long-term follow-up studies the focus has shifted from purely surgical or gastrointestinal evaluation to a multidisciplinary approach. We evaluated the long-term morbidity in adolescent and adult EA patients and discussed mainly nonsurgical issues. Dysphagia is common and reported in up to 85% of patients. In young adults gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs frequently with development of Barrett esophagus in 6% reported in different series. It is difficult to estimate respiratory morbidity from the literature because many different definitions, questionnaires, and study designs have been used. However, many patients seem to suffer from respiratory problems even into adulthood. In conclusion, morbidity is not only restricted to surgical problems but many different domains are involved. These are all related and together determine to a large extent the quality of life of EA patients and also of their families. We assume that a multidisciplinary care approach seems best to address their special needs

Characteristics of muscle fiber type are predictive of skeletal muscle mass and strength in elderly men

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between skeletal muscle fiber type-specific characteristics, circulating hormone concentrations, and skeletal muscle mass and strength in older men. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses. SETTING: University research center. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-one community dwelling elderly men (>/= 65). MEASUREMENTS: Leg strength (1-repetition maximum, 1RM) and whole-body and limb muscle mass were determined, and muscle fiber type composition, cross-sectional area (CSA), myonuclear content, and satellite cell (SC) content were assessed in skeletal muscle biopsy samples. In addition, blood samples were collected to determine serum testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, insulinlike growth factor (IGF)-1, and IGF binding protein-3 concentrations. RESULTS: Muscle mass correlated with muscle strength (0.41 </= correlation coefficient (r) </= 0.72; P < .01). Muscle fiber CSA, myonuclear content, and SC content were significantly lower in type II than in type I muscle fibers. Myonuclear and SC content were positively correlated with muscle fiber CSA. Furthermore, greater muscle fiber CSA (type I and II) was associated with greater thigh muscle area and muscle strength (0.30 </= r </= 0.45; P < .05). Testosterone concentration was positively correlated with muscle mass and muscle fiber CSA. Regression analysis showed that SC content, myonuclear content, and testosterone concentration are predictive of muscle fiber CSA. Furthermore, muscle mass and type II muscle fiber CSA are predictive of muscle strength. CONCLUSION: Skeletal muscle mass and strength in elderly men are positively correlated with muscle fiber type-specific CSA, myonuclear content, and SC content. These findings support the assumption that a decline in SC content plays an important role in age-related decline in muscle mass and strength

First-Time Parents Are Not Well Enough Prepared for the Safety of Their Infant

Background: Unintentional falls and poisonings are major causes of death and disability among infants. Although guidelines are available to prevent these injuries, safety behaviours are not performed by parents, causing unnecessary risks. Little is known about safety behaviours of first-time parents and whether they behave according to these guidelines. Aims/Objectives/Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare safety behaviours of first-time parents with those of non-first-time parents and to determine correlates of unsafe behaviour of parents of infants. We used self-report questionnaires to assess safety behaviours in a cross-sectional study sample. Methods: A total of 1439 parents visiting a preventive youth healthcare centre in the Netherlands were invited to complete a questionnaire with regard to the prevention of falls and poisonings. Parents were categorized into first-time parents and non-first-time parents. Correlates of parents' child safety behaviours were determined using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results/Outcome: Most respondents were mothers (93.2%); 48.2% of families were first-time parents. The mean age of the infants was 7.2 months (SD 1.1; range 4-12), 51.8% were boys, and 34.5% of infants could crawl. First-time parents were more likely not to have a stair gate installed (OR 16.46; 95% CI 12.36-21.93); were more likely to store cleaning products unsafely (OR 4.55; 95% CI 3.59-5.76); and were more likely to store medicines unsafely (OR 2.90; 95% CI 2.31-3.63) than non-first-time parents. First-time parents were more likely to not have a window guard installed (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.08-2.15) (all P<0.05). Discussion/Conclusion: First-time parents are not well prepared for the safety of their infant, causing unnecessary risks. The various parents' safety behaviours were influenced by different variables, for example, age of the infant, crawling of the infant, mother's educational level, mother's ethnicity, self-efficacy, vulnerability, severity

Estimation of aerosol water and chemical composition from AERONET Sun–sky radiometer measurements at Cabauw, the Netherlands

Remote sensing of aerosols provides important information on atmospheric aerosol abundance. However, due to the hygroscopic nature of aerosol particles observed aerosol optical properties are influenced by atmospheric humidity, and the measurements do not unambiguously characterize the aerosol dry mass and composition, which complicates the comparison with aerosol models. In this study we derive aerosol water and chemical composition by a modeling approach that combines individual measurements of remotely sensed aerosol properties (e.g., optical thickness, single-scattering albedo, refractive index and size distribution) from an AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) Sun–sky radiometer with radiosonde measurements of relative humidity. The model simulates water uptake by aerosols based on the chemical composition (e.g., sulfates, ammonium, nitrate, organic matter and black carbon) and size distribution. A minimization method is used to calculate aerosol composition and concentration, which are then compared to in situ measurements from the Intensive Measurement Campaign At the Cabauw Tower (IMPACT, May 2008, the Netherlands). Computed concentrations show good agreement with campaign-average (i.e., 1–14 May) surface observations (mean bias is 3% for PM₁₀ and 4–25% for the individual compounds). They follow the day-to-day (synoptic) variability in the observations and are in reasonable agreement for daily average concentrations (i.e., mean bias is 5% for PM₁₀ and black carbon, 10% for the inorganic salts and 18% for organic matter; root-mean-squared deviations are 26% for PM₁₀ and 35–45% for the individual compounds). The modeled water volume fraction is highly variable and strongly dependent on composition. During this campaign we find that it is >0.5 at approximately 80% relative humidity (RH) when the aerosol composition is dominated by hygroscopic inorganic salts, and <0.1 when RH is below 40%, especially when the composition is dominated by less hygroscopic compounds such as organic matter. The scattering enhancement factor (f(RH), the ratio of the scattering coefficient at 85% RH and its dry value at 676 nm) during 1–14 May is 2.6 ± 0.5. The uncertainty in AERONET (real) refractive index (0.025–0.05) is the largest source of uncertainty in the modeled aerosol composition and leads to an uncertainty of 0.1–0.25 (50–100%) in aerosol water volume fraction. Our methodology performs relatively well at Cabauw, but a better performance may be expected for regions with higher aerosol loading where the uncertainties in the AERONET inversions are smaller

Ontogeny of milky spots in the human greater omentum: an immunochemical study

BACKGROUND: The adrenal gland is a key organ for hibernation (a condition characterized by striking reduction of body functions). Very limited information is available on the fine structure of the gland during hibernation and on the periodical arousal from hibernation. METHODS: Dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) were maintained in an external animal house and allowed to hibernate spontaneously (November). Arousal was induced in March by exposure to daylight. Euthermic, active dormice were captured in June. The adrenals were taken from four hibernating, three arousing, and four euthermic dormice and processed for resin embedding. The ultrastructure of the adrenal cortex was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: In the zona glomerulosa of hibernating and arousing dormice, the smooth endoplasmic reticulum was prominent in comparison with euthermic animals, and mitochondria showed abundant vesicular cristae. The zona fasciculata and zona reticularis did not show consistent differences, apart from a lower cell lipid content in the outer portion of zona fasciculata of arousing dormice. CONCLUSIONS: The zona glomerulosa showed signs of increased activity during hibernation. This finding is supported by previous biochemical data demonstrating increased production of renin and aldosterone during such extreme physiological conditions. Activation of the zona glomerulosa in hibernation is probably adaptive to a condition of drastically reduced salt intake

Zuiver water en biomassa dankzij algenteelt

Algenteelt heeft grote toekomstmogelijkheden, maar welke soorten en welke teeltsystemen zijn technisch en economisch haalbaar en ecologisch interessant in Noordwest-Europa? Dit wordt de komende jaren binnen het project Energetic Algae onderzocht. In dit dossier 4 artikelen over algenteelt: 1) Is algenteelt bij ons een haalbare kaart? 2) van micro tot macro, van zoet tot zout. 3) Op bezoek bij Nederlandse algentelers, o.a. het onderzoekscentrum AlgaePARC, algenvijvers van het landbouwbedrijf Kelstein en het praktijkcentrum Acrres. 4) Eerste Vlaamse algenvijver gestart

Enrichment and characterization of dendritic cells from human bronchoalveolar lavages

In the present study about 0.3% to 1.6% of human bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells were identified as typical dendritic cells (DC), having an irregular outline, lobulated nucleus, and clear distinguishable acid phosphatase activity or EBM11 (anti-CD68) reactivity in a spot near the nucleus. After DC enrichment, using transient adherence to plastic, FcR-panning, and a density metrizamide gradient, a population containing 7-8% typical DC was obtained. This DC-enriched low density fraction, containing the highest percentages of DC, very strongly induced T cell proliferation in an allogeneic mixed leucocyte reaction (MLR), which was significantly higher than that induced by other partly (un)fractionated BAL cells. These data indicate that DC seem to be the major accessory cells in the BAL fluid, and therefore may be important in the regulation of T cell immune responses in the lung