The art curriculum in the first three years of secondary education, with particular reference to selected comprehensive schools in Durham education authority

The study is in two parts. Part One is a review of art In the first three years of secondary education In England, with particular reference to the period which has seen the expansion of comprehensive education throughout the country. The Issues reviewed include the crisis of adolescence, art teachers and the art room environment, and the rationales and Influences of art education In the early secondary years. The design education versus expressive education conflict Is also discussed, as Is the case for 'creative appreciation' In secondary art education. Part Two of the study Is a survey of twenty-seven comprehensive schools In County Durham Local Education Authority, the purpose of which Is to gain as complete an understanding as possible of the state and practice of art education at a time when new influences are likely to replace earlier ones. The survey Includes art teachers and departments, the art curriculum content and contribution to secondary education, the perceived value of the purposes and functions of art education and of the Influences upon It of public examinations, 'child art', 'basic design' and design education

Testing the efficiency of broadacre farms

A study of 93 broadacre farms has revealed that most farms display high levels of technical efficiency. On average, technical efficiency is improving, although a small proportion of farms remain relatively inefficient due to a number of factors

An improved 1080 paste for control of possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

A new 1080 paste (PTP) was developed by Pest-Tech Ltd. and then evaluated in a series of comparative trials with Pestoff possum paste (POP). The research indicated that PTP was significantly more palatable to captive possums than POP following 57 h of exposure to ‘hot’ conditions (hot conditions were 30°C for 6 h followed by 18 h at 13°C on a 24 h cycle). Acceptance by bees was low with significantly less PTP than POP removed by forager bees over a 30 h period. In the field, the control efficacy of both pastes was high (89%-94% kill), with no significant differences between treatments. Based on these results, it is recommend that PTP is registered for possum control in New Zealand

Ultrasonic Tracking of Migratory Fishes with an Internal Tag

First paragraph: A small ultrasonic tag, 9 mm by 40 mm in size, has been developed by members of the fish orientation group at the University of Wisconsin. The tag emits a continuous signal at approximately 65 kc/sec. The signal is received via a directional hydrophone and a high quality communications receiver. Tracking ranges of up to 1 km have been obtained. The placement of the tag is internal: either into the stomach or into the body cavity of the fish. The tags and tracking equipment have been successfully employed in studies on the open water movements and orientation of white bass during their spawning migration

Ultrasonic Tracking of Migratory Fishes with an Internal Tag

First paragraph: A small ultrasonic tag, 9 mm by 40 mm in size, has been developed by members of the fish orientation group at the University of Wisconsin. The tag emits a continuous signal at approximately 65 kc/sec. The signal is received via a directional hydrophone and a high quality communications receiver. Tracking ranges of up to 1 km have been obtained. The placement of the tag is internal: either into the stomach or into the body cavity of the fish. The tags and tracking equipment have been successfully employed in studies on the open water movements and orientation of white bass during their spawning migration

Selective Myeloid Depletion of Galectin-3 Offers Protection Against Acute and Chronic Lung Injury

Rationale: Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is an immune regulator and an important driver of fibrosis in chronic lung injury, however, its role in acute lung injury (ALI) remains unknown. Previous work has shown that global deletion of galectin-3 reduces collagen deposition in a bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model (MacKinnon et al., Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., 2012, 185, 537–46). An inhaled Gal-3 inhibitor, GB0139, is undergoing Phase II clinical development for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This work aims to elucidate the role of Gal-3 in the myeloid and mesenchymal compartment on the development of acute and chronic lung injury. Methods:LgalS3(fl/fl) mice were generated and crossed with mice expressing the myeloid (LysM) and mesenchymal (Pdgfrb) cre drivers to yield LysM-cre (+/-) /LgalS3 (fl/fl) and Pdgfrb-cre (+/-) /LgalS3 (fl/fl) mice. The response to acute (bleomycin or LPS) or chronic (bleomycin) lung injury was compared to globally deficient Gal-3 (−/−) mice. Results: Myeloid depletion of Gal-3 led to a significant reduction in Gal-3 expression in alveolar macrophages and neutrophils and a reduction in neutrophil recruitment into the interstitium but not into the alveolar space. The reduction in interstitial neutrophils corelated with decreased levels of pulmonary inflammation following acute bleomycin and LPS administration. In addition, myeloid deletion decreased Gal-3 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and reduced lung fibrosis induced by chronic bleomycin. In contrast, no differences in BAL Gal-3 levels or fibrosis were observed in Pdgfrb-cre (+/-) /LgalS3 (fl/fl) mice. Conclusions: Myeloid cell derived Galectin-3 drives acute and chronic lung inflammation and supports direct targeting of galectin-3 as an attractive new therapy for lung inflammation

Approaches to Sex Education: Peer-Led or Teacher-Led?

David Ross discusses a new study of school-based peer-led sex education in London and whether it reduced unintended teenage pregnancy

Breastfeeding history, pregnancy experience and risk of breast cancer.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that breastfeeding protects against breast cancer. Whether an effect of age at first breastfeeding is independent of an effect of age at first birth is unclear. We hypothesized that nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, which are associated with elevated serum oestradiol levels during pregnancy, may increase risk. Cases were 452 parous, premenopausal women, 40 years or younger, diagnosed with breast cancer in Los Angeles County from July 1983 to December 1988. Control subjects were matched to cases on age, race, parity and neighbourhood. Pregnancy and breastfeeding histories were obtained from in-person interviews. Odds of breast cancer among women who breastfed for at least 16 months relative to those among women who did not breastfeed was 0.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41-1.05]. Number of children breastfed was not associated with risk. Risk was lower in women who first breastfed at older ages. Having ever been treated for nausea or vomiting during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk, especially in women experiencing recent pregnancies (OR = 2.03, 95% CI 1.05-3.92). These results support a protective role of breastfeeding and an adverse role of nausea or vomiting during pregnancy in the development of premenopausal breast cancer, especially in the years immediately following pregnancy