Neoliberalism and primary education: Impacts of neoliberal policy on the lived experiences of primary school communities

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This special issue of Power and Education analyses the ways neoliberal policy agendas inflect and infect primary school communities. In recognising that ‘schools are complex and sometimes incoherent social assemblages’, this widened perspective – beyond a customary focus on just pupils and teachers – marks the particular contribution of the Special Issue. In examining how neoliberal logics thread through and organise relations between parts of primary school communities, the collection enables a critical view of the factious contemporary socio-political landscape through the lens of primary schooling. In doing so, the varied papers address what Piper and Sikes suggest are central concerns of the Power and Education journal: to interrogate ‘the general and specific imposition of crude discourses of neoliberalism and managerialism; the need to analyse carefully what is happening in particular contexts; and the possibility of constructing resistance and concrete alternatives’. Under scrutiny here is the evolution of a new educational ecosystem that reflects a re-engineering of the primary schooling terrain. This terrain might once have been characterised by the aims of nurturing children intellectually, emotionally and culturally, so that they can become socially aware, confident and critical citizens, actively able to contribute to communities that are inclusive and socially just. As these aims are re-engineered, their contested evolution can be witnessed in the tensions between: first, specific stakeholder groups like parents or teachers organising against curricula they view as dominated by metrics that damage self-actualisation; and second, policy intentions that stress the importance of security, safety and happiness. This is a crucial area of struggle, precisely because learning is increasingly governed by discourses of human capital and efficiency, where new school governance structures and tangible re-workings of teachers’ priorities have emerged to re-shape a vision of primary education. Are the proposed outcomes holistic child development with a capacity to stimulate community-oriented social justice, or productive, long-term economic activity, or something else? In this special issue, a range of authors seek to place primary educational policy in the global North in relation to the concrete experiences of teachers, senior leaders, parents, children and community members. The purpose of this is to reveal the tensions that erupt between policy drivers for productivity, human capital, efficiency, excellence and so on, in effect policy drivers for-value, against the impetus for education to frame humane values. One core terrain in which such tensions are played out is the school, and yet the school is more than a simple set of linear relationships. Such relationships emerge at the intersection of, for instance, family and caring responsibilities, educational engagements, faith-based interactions, racialized or gendered asymmetries, the public and the private, the communal and the corporate. As such, the definition and co-option of the idea of the school as a community or the school community is complex. In this collection, we seek to highlight this complexity and to demonstrate how the concrete, lived experiences of groups inside primary schools are affected by specific flavours of policy

Effects of stress on the immune system of fish

The effects of stress on the immune system of various fish species including dab Limanda limanda, flounder Platichthys flesus, sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax and gobies Zosterisessor ophiocephalus, were investigated from laboratory and field experiments, using various assays to measure immunocompetence, correlated with histological and ultrastructural observations. Modulation of the immune system was demonstrated at tissue, cellular and biochemical levels following exposure to various stressors. The spleen somatic index was depressed in dab stressed in the laboratory and gobies collected from polluted sites in the Venice Lagoon. Differential blood cell counts consistently showed an increase in phagocytes and decrease in thrombocytes in fish exposed to various stressors. Phagocytic activity from spleen and kidney adherent cells was stimulated in dab stressed by transportation but depressed in fish exposed to chemical pollutants. Respiratory burst activity in phagocytic cells was also stimulated in stressed dab but depressed in sea bass exposed to cadmium. The results are discussed in relation to current concepts on stress in fish and the regulation of the immune system

Historical nutrient usage in coastal Queensland river catchments adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

The land catchments of the North East Coast Drainage Division which is adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef, occupy about 42 million hectares, about 20% larger than the continental shelf which supports the reef. Land use practices in these catchments depend on landform, climate, availability of ilTigation, soil types and the economics of adapting natural conditions to produce various horticultural and agricultural crops. Most of the soils of the region, the exception being some recent alluvia, are naturally deficient in the major elements, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Addition of these has been neceSS31Y for large-scale crop production, particularly sugarcane and fruit and vegetable crops. Concell1 has been expressed that the movement of nutrients and eroded sediments from the adjacent land presents a serious threat to the complex ecosystem of the reef. Estimates indicate that the current movement of some nutrients from the terrestrial to the marine environment may be up to four times that which occurred pre-development. There is a need to quantify nutrient transfers at the catchment level, so that management practices can be modified where necessary, to prevent degradation of the reef environment

Pathology of parasitic infections in marine teleosts

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2011 on 10.04.2017 by CS (TIS)Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2867 on 13.03.2017 by CS (TIS)The cellular responses of Crenimugil labrosus and Pleuronectes platessa to tissue parasites have been investigated using metacercariae of Cryptocotyle lingua and Rhipidocotyle, johnstonei, and the myxosporidjan Myxobolus exiguus, The study was based on fish naturally infected with the parasites, and in addition experimental infections of C. lingua ' were established in grey mullet. The most intense response was induced by R. -johnstonel in plaice, and was composed mainly of cells of the macrophage series, which included epithelioid and giant cells. Fibroblasts and collagen deposition formed the periphery of the lesion which was Interpreted as a granuloma. Eggs released by this progenetic metacercaria did not produce separate granulomata. Fibrotic encapsulation and associated melanin deposition formed the host response to the encysted metacercariae of C. lingua in naturally infected plaice and mullet. infections of mullet produced only a fibrotic capsule. Sub-dermal cysts of M. exiguus produced a slight fibrosis and associated melanin deposition. Other sites produced little response. slight hyperplasia associated with interldmellar cysts. Haematological studies on mullet and turbot formed a basis for the Interpretation of the cellular responses to the parasites. Lymphocytes, monocytes, thrombocytes and granulocytes were identified from both species, and additionally plasma cells from mullet. Phagocytic capacity of circulating monocytes was demonstrated In turb-ot. Experimental infections of C. lingua in mullet were used additionally to study the formation of the parasitic cyst wall and related changes in the tegument during the metamorphosis from the cercarial to metacercarial stage. The two acellular layers of the parasitic cyst were formed from secretion bodies from the tegument and cystogenic gland cells. Breakdown of the tegument of the early metacercaria preceded replacement by the fully formed metacercarial ýegumentg which was initially microvillous and later contained secretion bodies. Variation in the strqcture of the plasmodial wall of bl. exiguus occurred with site of development, although sporogenesia was similar to other species. A hyperparasitic microsporidian Nosemoides M. was found in some plasmodia

Sliding wear behaviour of WC-Co reinforced NiCrFeSiB HVOAF thermal spray coatings against WC-Co and Al2O3 counterbodies

© 2020 The Authors NiCrFeSiB alloys reinforced with WC-Co are potentially useful composite coating materials for use in applications in which resistance to sliding wear, hot corrosion and high temperature is required. Furthermore these materials offer an advantage over WC-Co and WC-CoCr coatings in applications where a more ductile coating is required. A powder feedstock containing a 50/50 mixture of WC-Co/NiCrFeSiB was sprayed by a HVOAF (high velocity oxy-air fuel) thermal spray torch, which was developed by Monitor Coatings Castolin Eutectic for internal diameter applications, with two sets of spray parameters with the overall gas flowrate entering the torch changed. The powder feedstock and sprayed coatings were characterised using SEM imaging, XRD and measurement of mechanical properties such as microhardness and indentation fracture toughness. The specific wear rates of the coatings were measured when testing the coatings against WC-Co and Al2O3 counterbodies and it was determined that the coating sprayed at the higher gas flowrate wore out less against both counterbody materials, due to its superior microhardness. Tests against the Al2O3 counterbody led to increased material loss of both coatings in comparison to testing against WC-Co. This was due to the wear of the Al2O3 ball throughout the test leading to an increase in contact area between the coating and counterbody

Socioeconomic position and childhood sedentary time: evidence from the PEACH project.

notes: PMCID: PMC3844440© 2013 Pulsford et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Associations between socioeconomic position (SEP) and sedentary behaviour in children are unclear. Existing studies have used aggregate measures of weekly sedentary time that could mask important differences in the relationship between SEP and sedentary time at different times of the day or between weekdays and weekend days. These studies have also employed a variety of measures of SEP which may be differentially associated with sedentary time. This paper examines associations of multiple indicators of SEP and accelerometer-measured, temporally specific, sedentary time in school children.National Prevention Research InitiativeWorld Cancer Research Fund (WCRF UK

Promoting Cognitive Security among People with Dementia through Empathy, Person-centred Attitudes and a Compassionate Approach

This thesis seeks to make an original contribution to knowledge in the field of dementia care. It does this by presenting a model of the personal qualities required by carers (professional and informal) of people with dementia. This model is derived from and justified by insights and research findings from within my published work into aspects of care for people with dementia. I propose that the essential task for carers is to identify and enhance the person’s sense of cognitive security, which is linked to personhood and well-being. The qualities that carers need in order to achieve this are empathy, person-centred attitudes and a compassionate approach. I analyse each of these qualities in terms of their component features, citing evidence from my published work and related literature. I then discuss some of the implications of my ideas for dementia care practice and for education and training. I conclude by considering some possible directions for future research

Sedentary Behaviour and Health

The term sedentary refers to a distinct class of activities which involve sitting or reclining and which do not cause an increase in energy expenditure above resting levels. Observational studies have reported positive associations between both sedentary time and the number of hours spent sitting per day, with risk for a number of health outcomes that are independent of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The total time spent sitting can be amassed in different patterns (long and short bouts) and different types (watching TV, driving, working at a computer) that may have differential associations with health outcomes as well as different confounders that have yet to be properly explored. Further, limitations in current measures used to quantify sedentary behaviour and the possibility of residual confounding, mean that it is unclear whether the posture of sitting itself represents a risk to health or whether sitting is actually a proxy for low energy expenditure. This thesis aimed to examine; the associations between five separate sitting types with health risk, the prevalence of sitting behaviour in England, and the biological mechanisms which might underpin the observed negative health consequences of sitting. Using data from the Whitehall II cohort study the first four studies of this thesis examined prospective associations between sitting at work, TV viewing, non-TV leisure time sitting, total leisure time sitting (TV and non-TV leisure sitting combined) and total sitting from work and leisure, with four health outcomes; mortality, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and obesity. No association between any of the sitting indicators with risk for mortality or incident cardiovascular disease was found. TV viewing and total sitting were associated with an increase in risk for type II diabetes following adjustment for sociodemographic covariates and MVPA, but were attenuated following further adjustment for body mass index. None of the five sitting indicators were associated with incident obesity but being obese prior to the measurement of sitting was associated with the number of reported hours of daily TV viewing. The final study of this thesis examined the acute effect of sustained versus interrupted sitting on glucose and insulin metabolism. Interrupting sitting with repeated short bouts of light intensity walking significantly improved insulin sensitivity while repeated short bouts of standing did not. Sitting is a prevalent behaviour in English adults and varies by socio-demographic characteristics. Previously reported associations between sitting time and health risk may be confounded by light intensity physical activity and obesity. The absence of an effect of repeated standing bouts (a change in posture without a change in energy expenditure) suggests that promoting reductions in sitting without also promoting increases in movement are not likely to lead to improvements in metabolic health. New measures of sedentary behaviour are required that can be used in population studies, and can discriminate between the posture of sitting, standing and very low levels of physical activity of a light intensity. This would permit further studies that are needed to clarify the precise nature of the association between sitting and health

Application of HVOF WC-Co-Cr coatings on the internal surface of small cylinders: Effect of internal diameter on the wear resistance

Due to the restrictions and mediocre performance of current methods of coating complex shaped parts in which line of sight processes currently struggle, the development of new coating methods is essential, with High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF) thermal spray coatings being a good candidate. In this study, a new compact High Velocity Oxy-Air Fuel (HVOAF) thermal spray torch designed to coat internal surfaces was traversed within cylindrical pipes of internal diameters (IDs) of 70 mm, 90 mm and 110 mm and a WC-10Co-4Cr coating was applied with a commercially available powder feedstock. Powder and coating microstructures were analysed using SEM/EDX and XRD. Fracture toughness and microhardness of the coatings were measured, and dry sliding wear performance was investigated at two loads: 96 and 240 N. It was found that the coating sprayed at 90 mm (medium ID) had a lower specific wear rates at both test loads due to the highest fracture toughness and microhardness; whereas, the coating sprayed at 110 mm (high ID) showed the highest specific wear rates at both low and high conditions due to poor fracture toughness