Pedagogical leadership: A comparative study from England, Greece and Sweden

Current international research addresses the complexities, challenges and barriers that impact formal accountable leadership in the field of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) as well as its conceptualisations (e.g. Nicholson and Maniates 2016, Caroll-Lind et al 2016, Nicholson et al 2020). For example, a literature review of English ECEC found that there is a distinction between organisational leadership and pedagogical leadership (Pascal et al 2020). Pedagogical leaders are the ones who might not have any organisational responsibilities but lead the direct interactions between children and adults and the educational elements that constitute the pedagogy. They also highlight that in England there is no clear route to a leadership qualification for staff in ECEC

Cystadenocarcinoma of the appendix: an incidental imaging finding in a patient with adenocarcinomas of the ascending and the sigmoid colon

BACKGROUND: Primary adenocarcinomas of the appendix are uncommon. Mucoceles that result from mucinous adenocarcinomas of the appendix may be incidentally detected on imaging. CASE PRESENTATION: A case of a mucocele of the appendix, due to cystadenocarcinoma, is presented as an incidental imaging finding in a female, 86-year-old patient. The patient was admitted due to rectal hemorrhage and underwent colonoscopy, x-ray, US and CT. Adenocarcinoma of the ascending colon, adenomatous polyp of the sigmoid colon and a cystic lesion in the right iliac fossa were diagnosed. The cystic lesion was characterized as mucocele. The patient underwent right hemicolectomy, excision of the mucocele and sigmoidectomy. She recovered well and in two-year follow-up is free from cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative diagnosis of an underlying malignancy in a mucocele is important for patient management, but it is difficult on imaging studies. Small lymph nodes or soft tissue stranding in the surrounding fat on computed tomography examination may suggest the possibility of malignancy

Conventional and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging findings of benign fibromatous paratesticular tumor: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The vast majority of paratesticular masses are benign. Magnetic resonance imaging of the scrotum may provide valuable information in the pre-operative work-up of scrotal masses, by allowing the precise localization of the lesion and helping in characterizing its nature. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging is an evolving technique that can be used to improve tissue characterization, when interpreted with the findings of conventional magnetic resonance sequences. We present the case of an adenomatoid tumor of the tunica albuginea, with abundant fibrosis evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging of the scrotum, including both conventional and diffusion-weighted sequences. To the best of our knowledge, there are very few reports in the English literature regarding the magnetic resonance imaging features of this rare benign paratesticular tumor and no report on the diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance findings. We discuss the value of magnetic resonance imaging in the pre-operative diagnosis of benign fibromatous paratesticular tumors and differential diagnosis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 45-year-old Caucasian man was referred to us with a palpable left scrotal mass. Magnetic resonance imaging of his scrotum revealed the presence of a multilobular left paratesticular mass, mainly detected with very low signal intensity on T2-weighted images and restricted diffusion on apparent diffusion coefficient maps. These findings were suggestive of a fibrous component, and were confirmed on histology following lesion excision.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Magnetic resonance imaging of the scrotum, by using both conventional and diffusion-weighted sequences, could have a potential role in the evaluation of scrotal masses.</p

Controversial aspects of imaging in child abuse: a second roundtable discussion from the ESPR child abuse taskforce

This second roundtable discussion was convened at the 56th European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR) 2022 Annual Meeting in Marseille, France, to discuss controversial aspects of imaging in child abuse. The following topics were discussed: Fracture dating—the published literature is broadly similar with respect to the identification of the radiographic stages of bony healing. The non-expert/general radiologist is encouraged to use broad descriptors of fracture healing (acute, healing or old) within their reports, rather than attempting to date fractures. The more experienced/expert radiologist, who may provide a timeframe/range to assist the courts, should be aware that any published timeframes are not absolute and that recent research indicates that the rate of healing may differ according to the bone affected and the age of the patient. Whole spine imaging in suspected abusive head trauma—this is recommended to enable a complete assessment of the neuraxis when abusive head trauma is suspected or diagnosed, particularly in the presence of intracranial and cervical subdural haemorrhage and cervical ligamentous injury. Cranial imaging in suspected physical abuse—both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remain complimentary depending on the clinical context in which they are used with CT remaining first-line in the assessment of children with (suspected abusive) head trauma prior to an early MRI. MRI is superior in its assessment of parenchymal injury and may be employed as first-line in age appropriate asymptomatic siblings of a child with suspected physical abuse

Benign enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces and subdural collections—when to evaluate for abuse

In infants without a history of trauma, subdural haemorrhages should raise the concern for an abusive head injury, particularly when they are associated with bridging vein clotting/rupture or with septations. However, non-haemorrhagic, fluid-appearing subdural collections (also called hygromas) may also be the result of abuse. Subdural collections have also been uncommonly observed in patients with benign enlargement of the subarachnoid spaces (BESS) and a few large-scale studies accurately investigate the incidence and the significance. Currently, there is a wide variation of practices in children with BESS and subdural collections. Due to the social risks associated with abuse evaluation and the perceived risk of radiation exposure, there might be a reluctance to fully evaluate these children in some centres. The diagnosis of physical abuse cannot be substantiated nor safely excluded in infants with BESS and subdural collection(s), without investigation for concomitant traumatic findings. The exact prevalence of occult injuries and abuse in these infants is unknown. In macrocephalic infants with subdural collections and imaging features of BESS, thorough investigations for abuse are warranted and paediatricians should consider performing full skeletal surveys even when fundoscopy, social work consult, and detailed clinical evaluation are unremarkable

Ir-Catalysed Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Decomposition:Effect of Ir Particle Size and Metal–Support Interactions

The effect of the morphology of Ir particles supported on γ-Al2O3, 8 mol%Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ), 10 mol%Gd2O3-doped CeO2 (GDC) and 80 wt%Al2O3–10 wt%CeO2–10 wt%ZrO2 (ACZ) on their stability on oxidative conditions, the associated metal–support interactions and activity for catalytic decomposition of N2O has been studied. Supports with intermediate or high oxygen ion lability (GDC and ACZ) effectively stabilized Ir nanoparticles against sintering, in striking contrast to supports offering negligible or low oxygen ion lability (γ-Al2O3 and YSZ). Turnover frequency studies using size-controlled Ir particles showed strong structure sensitivity, de-N2O catalysis being favoured on large catalyst particles. Although metallic Ir showed some de-N2O activity, IrO2 was more active, possibly present as a superficial overlayer on the iridium particles under reaction conditions. Support-induced turnover rate modifications, resulted from an effective double layer [Oδ−–δ+](Ir) on the surface of iridium nanoparticles, via O2− backspillover from the support, were significant in the case of GDC and ACZ

Effect of support oxygen storage capacity on the catalytic performance of Rh nanoparticles for CO2 reforming of methane

The effects of the metal oxide support on the activity, selectivity, resistance to carbon deposition and high temperature oxidative aging on the Rh-catalyzed dry reforming of methane (DRM) were investigated. Three Rh catalysts supported on oxides characterized by very different oxygen storage capacities and labilities (γ-Al 2O 3, alumina-ceria-zirconia (ACZ) and ceria-zirconia (CZ)) were studied in the temperature interval 400–750 °C under both integral and differential reaction conditions. ACZ and CZ promoted CO 2 conversion, yielding CO-enriched synthesis gas. Detailed characterization of these materials, including state of the art XPS measurements obtained via sample transfer between reaction cell and spectrometer chamber, provided clear insight into the factors that determine catalytic performance. The principal Rh species detected by post reaction XPS was Rh 0, its relative content decreasing in the order Rh/CZ(100%)>Rh/ACZ(72%)>Rh/γ-Al 2O 3(55%). The catalytic activity followed the same order, demonstrating unambiguously that Rh 0 is indeed the key active site. Moreover, the presence of CZ in the support served to maintain Rh in the metallic state and minimize carbon deposition under reaction conditions. Carbon deposition, low in all cases, increased in the order Rh/CZ < Rh/ACZ < Rh/γ-Al 2O 3 consistent with a bi-functional reaction mechanism whereby backspillover of labile lattice O 2− contributes to carbon oxidation, stabilization of Rh 0 and modification of its surface chemistry; the resulting O vacancies in the support providing centers for dissociative adsorption of CO 2. The lower apparent activation energy observed with CZ-containing samples suggests that CZ is a promising support component for use in low temperature DRM

Ideal cardiovascular health and inflammation in European adolescents: The HELENA study

Background and aims Inflammation plays a key role in atherosclerosis and this process seems to appear in childhood. The ideal cardiovascular health index (ICHI) has been inversely related to atherosclerotic plaque in adults. However, evidence regarding inflammation and ICHI in adolescents is scarce. The aim is to assess the association between ICHI and inflammation in European adolescents. Methods and results As many as 543 adolescents (251 boys and 292 girls) from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study, a cross-sectional multi-center study including 9 European countries, were measured. C-reactive protein (CRP), complement factors C3 and C4, leptin and white blood cell counts were used to compute an inflammatory score. Multilevel linear models and multilevel logistic regression were used to assess the association between ICHI and inflammation controlling by covariates. Higher ICHI was associated with a lower inflammatory score, as well as with several individual components, both in boys and girls (p < 0.01). In addition, adolescents with at least 4 ideal components of the ICHI had significantly lower inflammatory score and lower levels of the study biomarkers, except CRP. Finally, the multilevel logistic regression showed that for every unit increase in the ICHI, the probability of having an inflammatory profile decreased by 28.1% in girls. Conclusion Results from this study suggest that a better ICHI is associated with a lower inflammatory profile already in adolescence. Improving these health behaviors, and health factors included in the ICHI, could play an important role in CVD prevention