An examination of the nature and purpose of drama in the special school curriculum: based on the analysis of a research project carried out in a sample of Scottish schools for severely and profoundly mentally handicapped children

The research was prompted by the anomaly which appeared to exist between the view of drama as it is presented in the literature, and its representation in special schools curricula. In the literature drama is presented as a desirable curricular element which can be a valuable means of benefiting pupils over a variety of learning areas. In practice, many special schools make no provision for drama, and in only a small proportion of schools is it taught on any regular or systematic basis. The project established that the extent of the neglect of drama in special education was considerable, and that the reasons for the neglect lay more in staff's ignorance of its educational potential than in their perception of its value or lack of value. Analysis suggested that it would be necessary for staff to experience, at first hand in their own classrooms, the teaching of drama and the outcomes of that teaching in order that they might arrive at a personal assessment of its value to them in their work. In order to achieve this, a curriculum research and development project was carried out. This involved: a) the analysis of the educational justification for drama in special educational curricula, its possible aims, the methods appropriate to teaching it, the activities it may comprise, and the role of the teacher in the drama lesson; b) an examination of the extent to which theory was bourne out in practice under a variety of classroom conditions within schools for severely and profoundly mentally handicapped pupils, and in collaboration with staff within the schools; c) the development of lesson plans and teaching materials which would embody the principles outlined and which could be disseminated for use and critical testing to a wider cross-section of schools. The following are the main conclusions: 1. Although it may be crucial to the development of profoundly mentally handicapped pupils to ensure that they have adequate stimulation through the provision of activities in movement and music, the provision of regular drama lessons by general staff may be less essential since a) many of the pupils may not be sufficiently developed to comprehend the symbolic aspects of drama as an imaginative, enactive means of representing and interpreting experience; b) the pupils who can respond to the process of drama wAy be those autistic or behaviourally disturbed children who may need specialist help if drama is to be made accessible to them on a regular and systematic basis. 2. Severely mentally handi"capped pupils can benefit from drama in a variety of important ways, depending on the nature of the drama provision offered. Staff within the present project were more willing to learn and use the simpler drama techniques. While the more complex techniques can be used as a means of stimulating problem-solving abilities and imaginative development, the simpler techniques are useful in stimulating language development, in improving social skills, in reducing passivity in the more lethargic pupils, and in encouraging the emergence and development of corporate imagir.ative play. 3. The pupils who appeared to benefit most from the provision of drama in the present project were those lively Down's Syndrome children who appear to have a natural aptitude for dra~A, and some of the more passive or withdrawn children. Host noticeable benefits were in the development of communication abilities, in the extension of dramatic play, and in the reduction of passivity. 4. In this project, behaviourally disturbed and hyperactive, severely mentally handicapped pupils appeared to benefit least from normal classroom drama provision. There may be a need to make specialist provision for such pupils. There is a need for further research to clarify their reactions and the reactions of profoundly handicapped pupils with similar problems. 5. As a result of their involvement in the project, staff from over forty schools were enabled to try out drama on a systematic and regular basis, and to arrive at a personal assessment of its value to them in their teaching.. Over two.thirds have gone on to include drama in their curricular schemes. 6. staff involved in the collaborative research have acquired a degree of expertise in the curriculum research and development process, and in the teaching of drama. The author recommends that this expertise be utilised and exploited by encouraging such staff to regard their schools as resource centres and to be willing to help staff from other schools in the development and planning of lessons. Skill-sharing of this kind might go same way towards compensating for the lack of specialist drama teachers in this field of education. The anomaly between the neglect of drama and its value as represented in the literature is largely explained by a lack of appropriate teaching materials, staff's lack of knowledge of drama and its practices, and staff's unwillingness to attempt the more complex drama techniques. Skill-sharing might also help reduce some of these barriers to the adoption of drama in schools. The author also re-examines, in the concluding sections of the thesis, the rationale underpinning the method of curriculum research and development adopted in the project. She attempts to illuminate some of the strengths and weaknesses of this methodology by reference to the practical difficulties experienced in the course of the project •. She argues that these reflect a more general disquiet in the research literature about the methods applicable to curricul~~ research, development and evaluation. She suggests that there maybe a .need for a reappraisal of curriculum theory to encompass the kind of practical difficulties which appear to be concomitants to collaborative research in education. And she argues that this reappraisal may be particularly important where, as was the case in this project, the research design incorporates the development of teaching materials and the dissemination of these for field testing within a sample of schools which have not been involved in the initial research and development

Synthesis and Biosynthesis of Quinolizidine Alkaloids With Enzyme Work

The research presented in this thesis can be divided into two main areas: a) the biosynthesis of quinolizidine alkaloids; b) enzyme work involving the synthesis and testing of diamines and polyamines as substrates and inhibitors of pea seedling diamine oxidase, and experiments involving the feeding of N-alklycadaverines to transformed root cultures of Nicotiana rustica and Datura stramonium. Biosynthesis of Quinolizidine Alkaloids Previous work has revealed that cadaverine is a good precursor of quinolizidine alkaloids. (R)- and (S)-[1-2H]Cadaverines were synthesised by a known route and isolated as their dihydrochloride salts. Samples of these labelled precursors were fed with a radioactive tracer, by the wick method, to Sophora microphylla plants in order to study the biosynthesis of matrine. After ten to fourteen days the plants were macerated and the alkaloids extracted. The alkaliod extract contained matrine, anagyrine, N-methylcytisine and cytisine. Levels of incorporation, established by 2H and NMR spectroscopy. were comparable to those obtained in a similar experiment by a previous researcher. Attempts were made to synthesise (R)- and (S)-[2-2H]cadaverine dihydrochlorides by the route devised by a previous researcher. Problems were experienced in the early stages of the synthesis and repeated attempts were made to obtaine pure pentane-1,2,5-triol for use in the later stages of the synthesis. Various methods were attempted with varying degrees of success. An alternative synthesis, avoiding the need for extraction and purification of triol from the aluminium complex is proposed. The Synthesis and Testing of Diamines and Polyamines as Substrates and Inhibitors of Diamine Oxidase. Diamine oxidase catalyses the oxidative deamination of diamines to their corresponding aminoaldehydes. Cadaverine and putrescine have been shown to be the best substrates of diamine oxidase. The cadaverine and putrescine analogues N-methylcadaverine and N-methylputrescine have also been shown to be good substrates. A series of N-alkylcadaverines were synthesised by a new, improved route and were tested as substrates of diamine oxidase. Also tested were a series of N-alkylputrescines. The assay used in the testing was Stoner's spectrophotomeric assay which involves the measurement of hydrogen peroxide produced as a byproduct of the enzymic reaction. From this assay KM and Vmax values were obtained for the oxidation of these substrates using diamine oxidase. The Km is a measure of the strength of the enzyme-substrate complex and determines the binding efficiency of the substrate to the enzyme. The Vmax is the maximal rate and is related to the turnover number of an enzyme. Analysis of results provided information on the steric constraints of the active site and showed that as the steric bulk of the alkyl group increases the Vmax decreases. Several of these compounds were also tested as inhibitors of diamine oxidase, and Ki values obtained The Ki is the dissociation constant of the enzyme-inhibitor complex. Most of the compounds did inhibit the diamine oxidase catalysed reaction. The best inhibitors of the compounds tested were N-cyclohexylcadaverine and N-benzylputrescine, both of which were shown to be apparent competitive inhibitors. A series of N-ethylpolyamines were also synthesised and tested as inhibitiors and substrates of diamine oxidase using the same assay as before. Since N-ethylpolyamines can interfere with polyamine metabolisism and may have useful biological activity, selected compounds were tested by other workers for biological activity against cancer and fungi. Two compounds were also used to confirm the identity of certain natural compounds extracted by other workers from plants and fungi. The synthesised compounds proved to be the same as the natural compounds. The Feeding of N-Alkylcadaverines to Transformed Root Cultures of N. rustica and D. stramonium. It has been established that feeding certain modified precursors of a natural precursor to biological systems may result in new or modified alkaloids being produced. Transformed root cultures of Nicotiana rustica have been shown to produce mainly nicotine, with smaller quantities of anabasine, nomicotine and anatabine. Datura stramonium produces hygrine and hyoscamine. N-Alkylcadaverines were fed to both species with the aim of discovering whether any new alkaloid analogues were formed. No new alkaloid analogues appeared to be produced from the compounds fed to D. stramonium. N-Ethylanabasine appeared to be a new alkaloid analogue formed in response to the feeding of N-ethylcadaverine to N. rustica. The N-propylcadaverine feed to N. rustica appeared to stimulate the formation of the new alkaloid analogue, N-propylanabasine

Calcium in Mercury's Exosphere: Modeling MESSENGER Data

Mercury is surrounded by a surface-bounded exosphere comprised of atomic species including hydrogen, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and likely oxygen. Because it is collisionless. the exosphere's composition represents a balance of the active source and loss processes. The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) on the MErcury Surface. Space ENvironment. GEochemistry. and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft has made high spatial-resolution observations of sodium, calcium, and magnesium near Mercury's surface and in the extended, anti-sunward direction. The most striking feature of these data has been the substantial differences in the spatial distribution of each species, Our modeling demonstrates that these differences cannot be due to post-ejection dynamics such as differences in photo-ionization rate and radiation pressure. but instead point to differences in the source mechanisms and regions on the surface from which each is ejected. The observations of calcium have revealed a strong dawn/dusk asymmetry. with the abundance over the dawn hemisphere significantly greater than over the dusk. To understand this asymmetry, we use a Monte Carlo model of Mercury's exosphere that we developed to track the motions of exospheric neutrals under the influence of gravity and radiation pressure. Ca atoms can be ejected directly from the surface or produced in a molecular exosphere (e.g., one consisting of CaO). Particles are removed from the system if they stick to the surface or escape from the model region of interest (within 15 Mercury radii). Photoionization reduces the final weighting given to each particle when simulating the Ca radiance. Preliminary results suggest a high temperature ( I-2x 10(exp 4) K) source of atomic Ca concentrated over the dawn hemisphere. The high temperature is consistent with the dissociation of CaO in a near-surface exosphere with scale height <= 100 km, which imparts 2 eV to the freshly produced Ca atom. This source region and energy are consistent with data from the three MESSENGER flybys; whether this holds true for the data obtained in orbit is under investigation

Modeling the Low State Spectrum of the X-Ray Nova XTE J1118+480

Based on recent multiwavelength observations of the new X-ray nova XTE J1118+480, we can place strong constraints on the geometry of the accretion flow in which a low/hard state spectrum, characteristic of an accreting black hole binary, is produced. We argue that the absence of any soft blackbody-like component in the X-ray band implies the existence of an extended hot optically-thin region, with the optically-thick cool disk truncated at some radius R_{tr} > 55 R_{Schw}. We show that such a model can indeed reproduce the main features of the observed spectrum: the relatively high optical to X-ray ratio, the sharp downturn in the far UV band and the hard X-ray spectrum. The absence of the disk blackbody component also underscores the requirement that the seed photons for thermal Comptonization be produced locally in the hot flow, e.g. via synchrotron radiation. We attribute the observed spectral break at 2 keV to absorption in a warm, partially ionized gas.Comment: 6 pages, including 1 figure; LaTeX (emulateapj5.sty), to appear in Ap

MESSENGER Searches for Less Abundant or Weakly Emitting Species in Mercury's Exosphere

Mercury's exosphere is composed of material that originates at the planet's surface, whether that material is native or delivered by the solar wind and micrometeoroids. Many exospheric species have been detected by remote sensing, including H and He by Mariner 10, Na, K, and Ca by ground-based observations, and H, Na, Ca, Mg, and Ca+ by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft. Other exospheric species, including Fe, AI, Si, 0, S, Mn, CI, Ti, OH, and their ions, are expected to be present on the basis of MESSENGER surface measurements and models of Mercury's surface chemistry. Here we report on searches for these species made with the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) channel of the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS). No obvious signatures of the listed species have yet been observed in Mercury's exosphere by the UVVS as of this writing. It is possible that detections are elusive because the optimum regions of the exosphere have not been sampled. The Sun-avoidance constraints on MESSENGER place tight limits on instrument boresight directions, and some regions are probed infrequently. If there are strong spatial gradients in the distribution of weakly emitting species, a high-resolution sampling of specific regions may be required to detect them. Summing spectra over time will also aid in the ability to detect weaker emission. Observations to date nonetheless permit strong upper limits to be placed on the abundances of many undetected species, in some cases as functions of time and space. As those limits are lowered with time, the absence of detections can provide insight into surface composition and the potential source mechanisms of exospheric material

Black Hole and Neutron Star Transients in Quiescence

We consider the X-ray luminosity difference between neutron star and black hole soft X-ray transients (NS and BH SXTs) in quiescence. The current observational data suggest that BH SXTs are significantly fainter than NS SXTs. The luminosities of quiescent BH SXTs are consistent with the predictions of binary evolution models for the mass transfer rate if (1) accretion occurs via an ADAF in these systems and (2) the accreting compact objects have event horizons. The luminosities of quiescent NS SXTs are not consistent with the predictions of ADAF models when combined with binary evolution models, unless most of the mass accreted in the ADAF is prevented from reaching the neutron star surface. We consider the possibility that mass accretion is reduced in quiescent NS SXTs because of an efficient propeller and develop a model of the propeller effect that accounts for the observed luminosities. We argue that modest winds from ADAFs are consistent with the observations while strong winds are probably not.Comment: LateX, 37 pages, 7 figures; Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Mercury's Sodium Exosphere: Observations during the MESSENGER Orbital Phase

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft entered into orbit about Mercury on March 18,2011. We now have approximately five Mercury years of data from orbit. Prior to the MESSENGER mission, Mercury's surface-bounded exosphere was known to contain H, He, Na. K, and Ca. The Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) began routine orbital observations of both the dayside and nightside exosphere on March 29. 2011, measuring altitude profiles for all previously detected neutral species except for He and K. We focus here on what we have learned about the sodium exosphere: its spatial, seasonal, and sporadic variation. Observations to date permit delineation of the relative roles of photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) and impact vaporization (IV) from seasonal and spatial effects, as well as of the roles of ions both as sputtering agents and in their possible role to enhance the efficiency of PSD. Correlations of Mercury's neutral sodium exosphere with measurements from MESSENGER's Magnetometer (MAG) and Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer (EPPS) provide insight into the roles of ions and electrons. Models incorporating MAG observations provide a basis for identifying the location and area of the surface exposed to solar wind plasma, and EPPS observations reveal episodic populations of energetic electrons in the magnetosphere and the presence of planetary He(+), 0(+), and Na(+)

Advection-Dominated Accretion and the Spectral States of Black Hole X-Ray Binaries: Application to Nova Muscae 1991

We present a self-consistent model of accretion flows which unifies four distinct spectral states observed in black hole X-ray binaries: quiescent, low, intermediate and high states. In the quiescent, low and intermediate states, the flow consists of an inner hot advection-dominated part extending from the black hole horizon to a transition radius and an outer thin disk. In the high state the thin disk is present at all radii. The model is essentially parameter-free and treats consistently the dynamics of the accretion flow, the thermal balance of the ions and electrons, and the radiation processes in the accreting gas. With increasing mass accretion rate, the model goes through a sequence of stages for which the computed spectra resemble very well observations of the four spectral states; in particular, the low-to-high state transition observed in black hole binaries is naturally explained as resulting from a decrease in the transition radius. We also make a tentative proposal for the very high state, but this aspect of the model is less secure. We test the model against observations of the soft X-ray transient Nova Muscae during its 1991 outburst. The model reproduces the observed lightcurves and spectra surprisingly well, and makes a number of predictions which can be tested with future observations.Comment: 68 pages, LaTeX, includes 1 table (forgotten in the previous version) and 14 figures; submitted to The Astrophysical Journa