Inclusion of pupils perceived as experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) : affordances and constraints

This paper takes as its principal theme barriers to the inclusion of pupils perceived as experiencing social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and how these might be overcome. It draws upon an evaluative case study of an initiative, devised by the author, to support pupils - the Support Group Initiative (SGI) - which was conducted over a five-year period in a Scottish Secondary School situated in an area of multiple deprivation. The central focus of the discussion is the range of variables that impacted upon pupil outcomes, illustrating the ways in which these variables acted as affordances or constraints in the pursuit of inclusive practice. The paper takes as its starting point the contested nature of inclusion and introduces, briefly, the Scottish policy context as it pertains to inclusion before exploring the nature of the problem - the barriers to the inclusion of and the difficulties presented by the inclusion of pupils perceived as having SEBD, as discussed in the literature. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to central themes - the ethos of the Support Group; the process of re-signification through which pupils are enabled to effect improvement; the classroom context; and wider variables relating to school policy, practice, ethos and the management of change. The paper concludes by exploring what inclusion has meant to the pupils involved within the intervention, summarising the affordances and constraints to its realisation, before reflecting upon the significance of the study

Using support groups to improve behaviour : an evaluation of an intervention to support pupils perceived as having SEBD

This article focuses upon the evaluation of an intervention, designed by the author (Depute (Scottish context) Headteacher and Project Leader), to provide support to pupils who had been identified by their pastoral care teachers as either having SEBD or being at risk of developing it

Janus-like monocytes regulate postoperative ileus

No abstract available

The effects of economic incentives in controlling pollution in the South African Leather Industry

Pollution of the environment is becoming an increasingly serious problem. A large contributor to this is industry which generates effluent as a by-product of its production process. Two methods of controlling the pollution generated by industry are the so-called “command and control†techniques and economic incentives. In theory, economic incentives promise a more economically efficient and equitable means of pollution control. This paper sets out to ascertain whether this would hold in practice by applying environmental economic theory to the practical problem of controlling the effluent generated by one particular industry, viz the South African leather industry.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Character, Culture and Values Conference Report

This conference, the first of its kind in Scotland, represents a significant achievement for Character Scotland which, since its inception has made an impact in Scotland reaching out to a wide range of constituencies and key organisations, such as Education Scotland, the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, amongst others, a credit to the dynamic and committed team behind it. However, what perhaps distinguishes the organisation, as represented within the conference itself, is its wide reach both in geographical terms (national, UK, international) but, more importantly, its extension beyond traditional schooling to encompass the pre-5 sector, further and higher education, the 3rd (charitable) sector, parents’ organisations, policy makers, industry and business, bringing together an eclectic mix of people to the conference. However, true to its ideals, at the forefront of the conference were young people themselves, with the contribution from the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) of particular note. All young people presenting at the conference were a credit to themselves, their schools, their families and, more broadly, the nation

Prior in vitro exposure to voriconazole confers resistance to amphotericin B in aspergillus fumigatus biofilms

Triazoles are the mainstay of treatment for aspergillosis, although resistance to these antifungal agents may be associated with treatment failure. Refractory infections often necessitate a switch to other antifungal agents, including amphotericin B (AmB), although these infections may not resolve. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of prior azole exposure on AmB sensitivity in Aspergillus fumigatus biofilms. It was hypothesised that sequential antifungal therapy has the potential to impact adaptive resistance mechanisms. Antifungal sensitivity was determined for each isolate against AmB ± voriconazole (VRZ) exposure by a broth microdilution method and an XTT metabolic assay. To analyse the role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) and Hsp90 activation, sensitivity to AmB ± DNA-digesting enzyme (DNase) or Hsp90 inhibitor [geldanamycin (GDA)] was also tested. Finally, scanning electron microscopy was performed to assess phenotypic changes. The in vitro data revealed that A. fumigatus sensitivity to AmB was decreased when it was tested in combination with VRZ. In addition, a two- to four-fold decreased sensitivity to AmB was recorded against VRZ-exposed germlings compared with controls. It was also shown that depletion of eDNA by DNase treatment enhanced AmB activity against VRZ-exposed cells by eight-fold, which visually could be explained by destabilisation of the biofilm when examined microscopically. Pharmacological inhibition of Hsp90 by GDA significantly improved biofilm susceptibility to AmB by four- to eight-fold. In conclusion, A. fumigatus pre-exposure to VRZ concomitantly induces eDNA release and activates the stress response, which collectively confers AmB resistance in vitro

Biofiltration Application at Ethanol Plants: Analysis of Aqueous Streams and Treatment of VOCs

The United States used 14.5 billion gallons of the biofuel ethanol in 2019 produced primarily (82%) in dry-mill corn ethanol plants. These plants produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — some of which are hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) — during production. Traditional treatment methods for gaseous emissions use a large quantity of water or natural gas. Thus, a bio-trickling filter (BTF) is considered an innovative alternative treatment method. A lab-scale BTF was used in this study to look at the effect of ethanol concentration and temperature on the treatment of a HAPs mixture. Gaseous and aqueous testing were performed on the influent and effluent from the BTF. These tests were also completed on select aqueous streams from within two Nebraska ethanol plants (Plants A and B). This thesis concluded that a mesophilic (21ºC) BTF column had a higher removal efficiency for the mixtures tested than a thermophilic (60ºC) column due to pH and VOC solubility. As the concentration of ethanol increased the treatment of acetaldehyde decreased and ethanol removal increased by around 25-35%. This increase may be due to the microbial culture increasing its affinity to ethanol and/or an increase in internal mass transfer of ethanol. It was also found that the microbes had an affinity for VOCs in this order: formaldehyde, ethanol, acetaldehyde, and then methanol. From the aqueous sampling at the two ethanol plants, it was determined that neither of the plants had a stream that met the exact target C:N:P ratio of 200:4:1 that is necessary for use as a nutrient solution in a BTF. Many of the streams also contained chlorine or excess levels of ethanol— both of which are toxic to microbes. Therefore, the nutrient solution used will be either wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, a waste stream with nutrients added, or well water with nutrients added. Finally, this thesis concluded that in order for Plant B to meet the impurity limits as set by the federal drug administration (FDA) for ethanol plants transitioning into the production of alcohol-based disinfectants, the column tops or the final product process streams will need to be treated further. Advisors: Bruce Dvorak and Ashraf Aly Hassa

Synthetic Approaches to Complex Naturally Occurring Coumarins

Synthetic routes to the naturally occurring coumarins glabralactone and the more complex dentatin have been developed to provide unequivocal proof of their structures. The structure assigned to angelicone, an isomer of glabralactone, has also been synthesised, by an unambiguous pathway. As a consequence of this work, the published structure of angelicone has been shown to be incorrect. A key step in each of these syntheses has been the base-catalysed retro-Michael opening of a chrom-anone ring, to generate a phenolic coumarin containing an ortho senecioyl grouping. Additionally, base treatment in this manner has provided, by coumarin ring opening and alternative reclosure, a method for the efficient synthesis of both 6- and 8-senecioyl-5,7-dioxygenated coumarins. The above described chromanone ring opening and coumarin ring Isomerisation processes have also been utilised in the synthesis of dentatin, a linear chromenocoumarin whose structure had been based on spectroscopic data only. The 1,1-dimethylallyl group at C-8 was introduced by the ortho-Claisen rearrangement of the 7-O-(3,3-dimethylallyl) ether derived from a readily available phenolic chromanocoumarin. The further rearrangements to which this type of alkenyl is prone, were deliberately prevented by having a senecioyl group at C-6. The rapid intramolecular cyclisation of this group with the 7-hydroxyl liberated during the Claisen rearrangement, resulted, in high yield, in the formation of a linear chromanocoumarin having the correct carbon skeleton and oxygenation pattern of the natural product. Further careful reduction and dehydration proceeded smoothly to give pure dentatin. Preliminary investigations have been directed towards the syntheses of some structurally complex natural 4-alkyl coumarins which have recently been shown to possess important physiological activity. The reaction of 2,2-dimethy1-5,7-dihydroxychroman-4-one with acetylene dicarboxylic acid dimethyl ester has given two new isomeric 4-carbomethoxy chromanocoumarins The structures of these have been assigned on both spectroscopic and chemical evidence. Attempts to modify the carbomethoxy group and to induce chromanone ring opening have been made. The corresponding 4-methyl analogues have been prepared and shown to be resistant to oxidation