Not nearly enough geography! University provision for England's pre-service primary teachers

Research into geography provision in primary initial teacher education [ITE] courses in the United Kingdom and worldwide is very limited. England educates pre-service primary teachers of 5-11 year olds to be ‘generalists’ who teach the full range of curriculum subjects, including geography. This article identifies that the provision of teaching time for geography is low and declining in England’s primary initial teacher education courses. It presents a picture which may not seem dissimilar in other parts of the world. With only about half of pre-service primary teachers in England having studied geography after age 14, their subject knowledge appears weak. Universitybased ITE subject sessions rarely extend beyond introducing them to England’s primary geography requirements and to some approaches to teaching geography. Prospective primary teachers observe and teach limited, if any, geography in primary schools. Developing their geographical understanding and teaching capability is highly challenging for tutors. There are concerns that the current situation may well decline further. Encouragement exists to develop geography provision in primary ITE but the opportunities to achieve this appear increasingly constrained as the pre-service environment moves from university-led to school-led provision. International comparative research is essential to understand better pre-service primary teachers’ learning to teach geography

An Analysis of the Vascular Flora of Annapolis Heathlands, Nova Scotia

A description and analysis of the vascular plant composition of heathlands in the Annapolis valley were undertaken to provide a basis for biodiversity preservation within a system of protected sites. Species presence and abundance were recorded at 23 remnant sites identified using topographic maps, air photos, and Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources records. A total of 126 species was recorded, of which 94 were native and 31 introduced. The Annapolis heathland remnants are strongly dominated by Corema conradii with Comptonia peregrina, Vaccinium angustifolium and Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum. A number of species, including Solidago bicolor, Carex tonsa var. rugosperma, Dichanthelium depauperatum, Lechea intermedia, Melampyrum lineare, and Rubus hispidus, were characteristic of heathland remnants, although they usually contributed little to the total cover. The most frequent alien species were Hieracium pilosella and Festuca filiformis, but Pinus sylvestris, present at 7 of 18 sites, appeared to have the greatest impact in displacing native species. Species listed as at risk and sensitive in Nova Scotia, including Helianthemun canadense, Hudsonia ericoides and Viola sagittata var. ovata, occur in open disturbed sand in the Corema heathlands. Distinctive patterns of variation occur in several species and variation in crop relatives is noted with particular reference to the genera Rubus (blackberries), Amelanchier (Juneberries, Saskatoon) and Vaccinium (Blueberries). The available evidence suggests that the heathlands and sandy barrens in the Annapolis valley differ from those further west in Canada and from anthropogenic and coastal heathlands of Nova Scotia in their species composition including particularly the presence of Corema conradii, Hudsonia ericoides and Amelanchier lucida. The need to protect representative examples is supported

The St. George Homebirth Program: An evaluation of the first 100 booked women

Background: The St. George Homebirth Program was the first publicly funded homebirth model of care set up in New South Wales. This program provides access to selected women at low obstetric risk the option of having their babies at home. There are only four other publicly funded homebirth programs operating in Australia. Aims: To report the outcomes of the first 100 women booked at the St. George Homebirth Program. Methods: A prospective descriptive study was undertaken. Data were collected on the first 100 women who gave birth between November 2005 and March 2009. Two databases were accessed and missing data were followed up by review of the relevant charts. Results: Of the first 100 booked women, 63 achieved a homebirth, 30 were transferred to hospital or independent midwifery care in the antenatal period and seven were transferred intrapartum. Two women were transferred to hospital in the early postnatal period, one for a postpartum haemorrhage and one for hypotension. One baby suffered mild respiratory distress, was treated in the emergency department and was discharged home within four hours. Conclusion: The St. George Hospital homebirth program has provided reassuring outcomes for the first 100 women it has cared for over the past four years. Wider availability of this service could be achieved provided there is the appropriate close collaboration between providers and effective processes for consultation, referral and transfer. The outcomes of women and babies in publicly funded homebirth programs deserve further study, and the development of a national prospective database of all planned homebirths would contribute to this knowledge. © 2009 The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

The evolution of solar flux from 0.1 nm to 160 μm : quantitative estimates for planetary studies

Understanding changes in the solar flux over geologic time is vital for understanding the evolution of planetary atmospheres because it affects atmospheric escape and chemistry, as well as climate. We describe a numerical parameterization for wavelength-dependent changes to the non-attenuated solar flux appropriate for most times and places in the solar system. We combine data from the Sun and solar analogs to estimate enhanced UV and X-ray fluxes for the young Sun and use standard solar models to estimate changing visible and infrared fluxes. The parameterization, a series of multipliers relative to the modern top of the atmosphere flux at Earth, is valid from 0.1 nm through the infrared, and from 0.6 Gyr through 6.7 Gyr, and is extended from the solar zero-age main sequence to 8.0 Gyr subject to additional uncertainties. The parameterization is applied to a representative modern day flux, providing quantitative estimates of the wavelength dependence of solar flux for paleodates relevant to the evolution of atmospheres in the solar system (or around other G-type stars). We validate the code by Monte Carlo analysis of uncertainties in stellar age and flux, and with comparisons to the solar proxies κ1 Cet and EK Dra. The model is applied to the computation of photolysis rates on the Archean Earth.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Group Clinical Supervision for midwives and burnout: a cluster randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background There are major shortfalls in the midwifery workforce which has been exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic. Midwives have high levels of burnout and many, often early career midwives, are planning to leave the profession. There are reports of a poor workplace culture in maternity units, including bullying. Support is essential for the welfare of the workforce to be able to cope with the demands of their jobs. Supportive strategies, such as Clinical Supervision, a recognised approach in healthcare, enable reflection in a facilitated, structured way, and can enhance professional standards. The purpose of this research is to study burnout levels in midwives, those exiting their workplace and perceptions of workplace culture in relation to access to, and attendance of, monthly Clinical Supervision. Methods This study will be a cluster randomised controlled trial of maternity sites within Sydney and the surrounding districts. Twelve sites will be recruited and half will receive monthly Clinical Supervision for up to two years. Midwives from all sites will be requested to complete 6-monthly surveys comprising validated measurement tools: the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), the Australian Midwifery Workplace Culture (AMWoC) tool and the Clinical Supervision Evaluation Questionnaire (CSEQ) (the latter for intervention sites only). Primary outcomes are the levels of burnout in midwives (using the CBI). Secondary outcomes will be the quality of the intervention (using the CSEQ), perceptions of workplace culture (using the AMWoC tool) and midwives’ intention to stay in their role/profession, as well as sick leave rates and numbers of exiting staff. We will also determine the dose effect – ie the impact in relation to how many Clinical Supervision sessions the midwives have attended, as well as other supportive workplace strategies such as mentoring/coaching on outcomes. Discussion Through attending monthly Clinical Supervision we hypothesise that midwives will report less burnout and more positive perceptions of workplace culture than those in the control sites. The potential implications of which are a productive workforce giving high quality care with the flow-on effect of having physically and psychologically well women and their babies. Trial registration The ACTRN Registration number is ACTRN12621000545864p, dated 10/05/2021,  </jats:sec

Suppression of Raf-1 kinase activity and MAP kinase signalling by RKIP

Raf-1 phosphorylates and activates MEK-1, a kinase that activates the extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERK). This kinase cascade controls the proliferation and differentiation of different cell types. Here we describe a Raf-1-interacting protein, isolated using a yeast two-hybrid screen. This protein inhibits the phosphorylation and activation of MEK by Raf-1 and is designated RKIP (Raf kinase inhibitor protein). In vitro, RKIP binds to Raf-1, MEK and ERK, but not to Ras. RKIP co-immunoprecipitates with Raf-1 and MEK from cell lysates and colocalizes with Raf-1 when examined by confocal microscopy. RKIP is not a substrate for Raf-1 or MEK, but competitively disrupts the interaction between these kinases. RKIP overexpression interferes with the activation of MEK and ERK, induction of AP-1-dependent reporter genes and transformation elicited by an oncogenically activated Raf-1 kinase. Downregulation of endogenous RKIP by expression of antisense RNA or antibody microinjection induces the activation of MEK-, ERK- and AP-1-dependent transcription. RKIP represents a new class of protein-kinase-inhibitor protein that regulates the activity of the Raf/MEK/ERK modul

Deep space 2: The Mars Microprobe Mission

The Mars Microprobe Mission will be the second of the New Millennium Program's technology development missions to planetary bodies. The mission consists of two penetrators that weigh 2.4 kg each and are being carried as a piggyback payload on the Mars Polar Lander cruise ring. The spacecraft arrive at Mars on December 3, 1999. The two identical penetrators will impact the surface at similar to 190 m/s and penetrate up to 0.6 m. They will land within 1 to 10 km of each other and similar to 50 km from the Polar Lander on the south polar layered terrain. The primary objective of the mission is to demonstrate technologies that will enable future science missions and, in particular, network science missions. A secondary goal is to acquire science data. A subsurface evolved water experiment and a thermal conductivity experiment will estimate the water content and thermal properties of the regolith. The atmospheric density, pressure, and temperature will be derived using descent deceleration data. Impact accelerometer data will be used to determine the depth of penetration, the hardness of the regolith, and the presence or absence of 1.0 cm scale layers

Atmospheric Evolution

Earth's atmosphere has evolved as volatile species cycle between the atmosphere, ocean, biomass and the solid Earth. The geochemical, biological and astrophysical processes that control atmospheric evolution are reviewed from an "Earth Systems" perspective, with a view not only to understanding the history of Earth, but also to generalizing to other solar system planets and exoplanets.Comment: 34 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted as a chapter in "Encyclopaedia of Geochemistry", Editor Bill White, Springer-Nature, 201