The importance of collegiality and reciprocal learning in the professional development of beginning teachers

This paper discusses factors which enhance induction experiences for beginning teachers. It reports the findings from case studies which explore the impact of new entrants to the teaching profession in Scotland. The data suggest that the most supportive induction processes mix both formal and informal elements, but that the informal elements such as collegiality, good communication and a welcoming workplace environment should not be underestimated. The study also highlights the potential benefits of a more collegiate environment for teachers across the career phases. Experienced teachers and new entrants had a range of experience to offer each other, thus creating more cohesive professional working which was supportive of early career teachers while encouraging reflection on practice among the more experienced professionals

Policy, curriculum and the teaching of English language in the primary school

This thesis sets out to examine the ways in which changes in political thinking affect policy in respect of the teaching of English language in the primary school. In particular, there is examination of the impact of liberal/progressive and New Right thinking in this area. It also examines how and to what extent these views appear in curricular documentation at national level in both Scotland and in England and Wales. In order to accomplish these tasks, the study is dependent on data and methods of investigation from a number of different disciplines. Firstly, there is the consideration of the historical dimension, in which there is examination of the ways in which curricular policy in primary English language (within the context of broader issues affecting primary education in general) has evolved in the two macrosystems under discussion. Secondly, there is investigation of the linguistic dimension - the ways in which changes and developments in language theory have permeated - or perhaps just as revealingly - have not permeated national guidelines. Thirdly, the ideologies and philosophies which have proven to be powerful drivers in the formulation of policy with respect to this field are examined. Lastly, there is the empirical dimension, in which key players in the formulation of the 5-14 national guidelines in English language in Scotland are interviewed, using an open ended interview format. (DXN 006, 358)

Does use of touch screen computer technology improve classroom engagement in children?

Many studies have shown that the use of technology in the classroom may influence pupil engagement. Despite the recent widespread use of tablet technology, however, very little research has been carried out into their use in a primary school setting. We investigated the use of tablet computers, specifically Apple’s ‘iPad’, in an upper primary school setting with regard to children’s engagement. Cognitive, emotional and general engagement was higher in lessons based on iPads than those which were not. There was no difference in behavioral engagement. Of particular significance was the increase in engagement seen in boys, which resulted in their engagement levels increasing to levels comparable to those seen in girls. These findings suggest that tablet technology has potential as a tool in the classroom setting

Automorphism groups of countable algebraically closed graphs and endomorphisms of the random graph

We establish links between countable algebraically closed graphs and the endomorphisms of the countable universal graph $R$. As a consequence we show that, for any countable graph $\Gamma$, there are uncountably many maximal subgroups of the endomorphism monoid of $R$ isomorphic to the automorphism group of $\Gamma$. Further structural information about End $R$ is established including that Aut $\Gamma$ arises in uncountably many ways as a Sch\"{u}tzenberger group. Similar results are proved for the countable universal directed graph and the countable universal bipartite graph.Comment: Minor revision following referee's comments. 27 pages, 3 figure

Spatial distribution of copepods in fast ice of eastern Antarctica

The distribution and abundance of sympagic copepods in fast ice of the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) were investigated between October and December 1995. Copepods were collected from six sites between the northern Vestfold Hills (Murphy Rocks) and Mawson Station, a distance of approximately 650km. Nine species of copepods were identified from the ice cores, however, of these only three were recorded regularly : Paralabidocera antarctica, Drescheriella glacialis and Stephos longipes. The density of copepods was highest in the bottom few cm of ice, with abundances reaching up to 147l^. The highest concentrations of chlorophyll α were also found in the bottom portion of ice, suggesting that the copepods congregated in regions of high food availability. All developmental stages of Drescheriella glacialis were observed during this study, often from within a single core. In contrast, Paralabidocera antarctica occurred mainly as early copepodite stages, and Stephos longipes mainly as nauplii. These observations were consistent with the documented life cycles for each species. Drescheriella glacialis appears to reproduce and breed within the ice, Paralabidocera antarctica overwinters in the ice but enters a pelagic phase as late-stage copepodids, while nauplii of Stephos longipes are the predominant stages which associate closely with sea ice

The Development of a Research Technique for Low Speed Aeroacoustics

The aerodynamic sound generated by wind turbines was identified as a growing concern within the industry. Prior to performing wind turbine aeroacoustic research, however, a technique suitable for studying low speed airfoils needed to be designed, serving as the primary research objective. A review of aeroacoustic theory and literature indicated that low speed flows are best studied using experimental methods, leading to the design of a near field pressure measurement technique. To facilitate the near field pressure measurements, a custom piezoelectric sensor was developed, exhibiting a pressure and frequency range of approximately 67 to 140[dB], and 100 to 10000[Hz], respectively. As a secondary research objective, a series of experiments were performed to validate the designed technique. The experiments were performed in a non-anechoic wind tunnel using a cylindrical test specimen. Using the near field pressure measurements, as well as a simple far field measurement, the sources of aerodynamic sound were effectively resolved. The Strouhal numbers corresponding to the contributing flow structures were generally within 1.5[%] of correlation based predictions. The near field pressures were consistently 10 to 15[dB] higher than the far field, quantifying the benefit of the near field technique. The method was also effective in detecting the decreasing coherence of the aeroacoustic sources with increasing Reynolds number. A minor deficiency was observed in which the ability to localize aeroacoustic sources was impeded, however, the cylinder experiments were particularly vulnerable to such a deficiency. Although the near field pressure measurements were shown to be effective in characterizing the aeroacoustic sources, a number of recommendations are presented to further improve the flexibility and measurement uncertainty of the experimental technique

Comparison of MRI and DXA to measure muscle size and age-related atrophy in thigh muscles.

OBJECTIVES Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) were used to examine the thigh lean mass in young and old men and women. METHODS A whole-body DXA scan was used to estimate thigh lean mass in young (20 men; 22.4±3.1y; 18 women; 22.1±2.0y) and older adults (25 men; 72.3±4.9y; 28 women; 72.0±4.5y). Thigh lean mass determined with a thigh scan on the DXA or full thigh MRI scans were compared. RESULTS Although the thigh lean mass quantified by DXA and MRI in young and older participants were correlated (R(2)=0.88; p<0.001) the magnitude of the differences in thigh lean mass between young and old was smaller with DXA than MRI (old vs. young men 79.5±13.1% and 73.4±11.2%; old vs. young women 88.6±11.8% and 79.4±12.3%, respectively). Detailed analysis of MRI revealed 30% smaller quadriceps muscles in the older than young individuals, while the other thigh muscles were only 18% smaller. CONCLUSIONS DXA underestimates the age-related loss of thigh muscle mass in comparison to MRI. The quadriceps muscles were more susceptible to age-related atrophy compared with other thigh muscles

The Evidential Value of Electronic Communications Data in Rape and Sexual Offence Cases

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version

Inhibition of release of inflammatory in primary and cultured cells by a Chinese herbal medicine formula for allergic rhinitis

BACKGROUND - We demonstrated that a Chinese herbal formula, which we refer to as RCM-101, developed from a traditional Chinese medicine formula, reduced nasal and non-nasal symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). The present study in primary and cultured cells was undertaken to investigate the effects of RCM-101 on the production/release of inflammatory mediators known to be involved in SAR. METHODS - Compound 48/80-induced histamine release was studied in rat peritoneal mast cells. Production of leukotriene B4 induced by the calcium ionophore A23187 was studied in porcine neutrophils using an HPLC assay and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated prostaglandin E2 production was studied in murine macrophage (Raw 264.7) cells by immune-enzyme assay. Expression of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was determined in Raw 264.7 cells, using western blotting techniques. RESULTS - RCM-101 (1-100 microg/mL) produced concentration-dependent inhibition of compound 48/80-induced histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells and of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated prostaglandin E2 release from Raw 264.7 cells. Over the range 1 - 10 microg/mL, it inhibited A23187-induced leukotriene B4 production in porcine neutrophils. In addition, RCM-101 (100 microg/mL) inhibited the expression of COX-2 protein but did not affect that of COX-1. CONCLUSION - The findings indicate that RCM-101 inhibits the release and/or synthesis of histamine, leukotriene B4 and prostaglandin E2 in cultured cells. These interactions of RCM-101 with multiple inflammatory mediators are likely to be related to its ability to reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis