Growth of sheets in 3D confinements - A model for the C-S-H meso structure

A numerical model for the growth of amorphous quasi-two-dimensional structures in three-dimensional confinements is presented. Application of this model to the formation of calcium-silicate-hydrates by reaction of anhydrous cement and water, within the interstitial pore space of cement grains, leads to structures with growth and morphological properties consistent with a range of experimental data.This is the final published manuscript. It is published by Elsevier and can be found online here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0008884614000994

Being and Belonging: Student-Teachers’ Contextual Engagement in Schools

While School Placement is long established as a central component of Initial Teacher Education programmes, there is an increasing awareness that these placement experiences should go beyond the practical activities most directly associated with teaching. This paper considers how engagement in a school placement period with a focus on non-teaching activities contributes to the professional and personal development of student-teachers, and to their sense of ‘belonging’ while on placement. Drawing primarily on the analysis of data obtained from online logs maintained by student-teachers during this predominantly non-teaching placement, it establishes the activities that they engaged in, and their reflections and opinions about the value of these experiences and this practicum placement. Findings include an increased sense of belonging to the school community, greater confidence and a stronger sense of identity as teacher

Molecular genetics of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a congenital malformation and neuropsychiatric disorder caused by meiotic chromosome rearrangements. One of the goals of this review is to summarize the current state of basic research studies of 22q11.2DS. It highlights efforts to understand the mechanisms responsible for the 22q11.2 deletion that occurs in meiosis. This mechanism involves the four sets of low copy repeats (LCR22) that are dispersed in the 22q11.2 region and the deletion is mediated by nonallelic homologous recombination events. This review also highlights selected genes mapping to the 22q11.2 region that may contribute to the typical clinical findings associated with the disorder and explain that mutations in genes on the remaining allele can uncover rare recessive conditions. Another important aspect of 22q11.2DS is the existence of phenotypic heterogeneity. While some patients are mildly affected, others have severe medical, cognitive, and/or psychiatric challenges. Variability may be due in part to the presence of genetic modifiers. This review discusses current genome‐wide efforts to identify such modifiers that could shed light on molecular pathways required for normal human development, cognition or behavior

The Role of the Teacher as Assessor: Developing Student Teacher’s Assessment Identity.

The closure of schools across the globe due to the Covid-19 pandemic had the potential to have a catastrophic impact on a fundamental pillar of initial teacher education: school placement. This paper maps a new “site” of professional practice for “school placement” called “Teacher Online Programme” (TOP) using Xu and Brown’s (2016) conceptual framework of teacher assessment literacy in practice. Its main focus lies in the integration of the assessment baseline knowledge into the programme under the seven elements proposed by the framework. A case study methodology informed the approach taken. Data was collected and analysed in three phases: the Teaching Online Programme Year 3 (TOP3) initiative; Student-teacher and Tutor Questionnaires and Student-teacher and Tutor focus group interviews. The findings highlight the complex and multifaceted process of building teacher assessment identity which nests in the larger purposes for education. They encourage an emergentist and collaborative approach to assessment knowledge and view working in communities of practice as a threshold for creativity and innovation

Electrochemically-triggered spatially and temporally resolved multi-component gels

Spatial control over gelation with low molecular weight gelators is possible using an electrochemically-driven pH triggering method. Gelation occurs at the electrode surface. We show here that composition control in multi-component low molecular weight hydrogels can also be achieved, allowing simultaneous spatial, temporal and compositional control

Pain severity predicts depressive symptoms over and above individual illnesses and multimorbidity in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Multi-morbidity in older adults is commonly associated with depressed mood. Similarly, subjective reports of pain are also associated with both physical illness and increased depressive symptoms. However, whether pain independently contributes to the experience of depression in older people with multi-morbidity has not been studied. METHODS: In this study, participants were 1281 consecutive older adults presenting to one of 19 primary care services in Australia (recruitment rate = 75%). Participants were asked to indicate the presence of a number of common chronic illnesses, to rate their current pain severity and to complete the Geriatric Depression Scale. RESULTS: Results confirmed that the number of medical illnesses reported was strongly associated with depressive symptoms. Twenty-six percent of participants with multi-morbidity scored in the clinical range for depressive symptoms in comparison to 15% of participants with no illnesses or a single illness. In regression analyses, the presence of chronic pain (t = 5.969, p < 0.0005), diabetes (t = 4.309, p < 0.0005), respiratory (t = 3.720, p < 0.0005) or neurological illness (t = 2.701, p = 0.007) were all independent contributors to depressive symptoms. Even when controlling for each individual illness, and the overall number of illnesses (t = 2.207, p = 0.028), pain severity remained an independent predictor of depressed mood (F change = 28.866, p < 0.0005, t = 5.373, p < 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should consider screening for mood problems amongst those with multi-morbidity, particularly those who experience pain

Being and belonging: Student-teachers’ contextual engagement in schools

While School Placement is long established as a central component of Initial Teacher Education programmes, there is an increasing awareness that these placement experiences should go beyond the practical activities most directly associated with teaching. This paper considers how engagement in a school placement period with a focus on non-teaching activities contributes to the professional and personal development of student-teachers, and to their sense of ‘belonging’ while on placement. Drawing primarily on the analysis of data obtained from online logs maintained by student-teachers during this predominantly non-teaching placement, it establishes the activities that they engaged in, and their reflections and opinions about the value of these experiences and this practicum placement. Findings include an increased sense of belonging to the school community, greater confidence and a stronger sense of identity as teacher