It’s not only about the teacher! A qualitative study into the role of school climate in primary schools’ implementation of self-regulated learning

Teachers play a key role in the implementation of self-regulated learning (SRL). Nevertheless, research has found that SRL implementation in primary schools remains limited. This qualitative study investigates the role of school climate, the SRL implementation history, and the role of the principal school leader in the school-wide development of SRL implementation as an educational innovation. A comparative analysis between 2 successful and 2 less successful schools as to the implementation of SRL was carried out. Interviews were administered with 15 school members. The results reveal that successful SRL schools distinguish themselves by a shared vision, sufficient and focused opportunities for professional development, and regular collaboration and communication among colleagues resulting in a collective feeling of responsibility for SRL implementation. Moreover, this is influenced by the school's SRL development history and the supportive role of the school leader. The results underline the need for more school-wide interventions regarding SRL implementation

Data-driven summarization of broadcasted cycling races by automatic team and rider recognition

The number of spectators for cycling races broadcasted on television is decreasing each year. More dynamic and personalized reporting formats are needed to keep the viewer interested. In this paper, we propose a methodology for data-driven summarization, which allows end-users to query for personalized stories of a race, tailored to their needs (such as the length of the clip and the riders and/or teams that they are interested in). The automatic summarization uses a combination of skeleton-based rider pose detection and pose-based recognition algorithms of the team jerseys and rider faces/numbers. Evaluation on both cyclocross and road cycling races show that there is certainly potential in this novel methodology

Development and validation of the teacher self-efficacy scale to implement self-regulated learning

This paper describes the development of a self-report instrument: the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale to implement Self-Regulated Learning (TSES-SRL). This instrument measures teachers' perceived ability to integrate activities promoting self-regulated learning in classroom practice as a specific instructional domain. Such a teacher self-efficacy scale is currently missing in the SRL research field. The process of the item and scale development is presented. Exploratory factor analysis suggests a four-factor structure. Next, confirmatory factor analysis was performed and goodness of fit estimates were calculated, indicating an acceptable fit. Furthermore, this instrument also shows noticeable differences in results from a more general teacher self-efficacy scale, which shows us that the process of teaching self-regulated learning is different from more general classroom instruction and corroborates the use of a specific measure. Overall, the TSES-SRL is considered a useful instrument to measure teachers' feelings of competence regarding SRL implementation

Desflurane-induced and ischaemic postconditioning against myocardial infarction are mediated by Pim-1 kinase

BackgroundAnaesthetic-induced (APOST) and ischaemic postconditioning (IPOST) against myocardial infarction are mediated via phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt. Pim-1 kinase is acting downstream of Akt and has recently been demonstrated to enhance cardiomyocyte survival. We tested the hypothesis that both APOST and IPOST are mediated by Pim-1 kinase.MethodsPentobarbital-anaesthetized male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 45-min coronary artery occlusion (CAO) and 3-h reperfusion. Animals received either no intervention, the Pim-1 kinase inhibitor II (10??g/g intraperitoneally) or its vehicle dimethy sulfoxide (10??l/g intraperitoneally). Three minutes prior to the end of CAO, 1.0 minimum alveolar concentration desflurane was administered for 18?min alone or in combination with Pim-1 kinase inhibitor II. IPOST was induced by three cycles of each 10-s ischaemia/reperfusion, and animals received either IPOST alone or in combination with Pim-1 kinase inhibitor II. Infarct size was determined with triphenyltetrazolium chloride and area at risk with Evans blue. Protein expression of Pim-1 kinase, Bad, phospho-BadSer112 and B-cell lymphoma 2 was determined using Western immunoblotting analysis.ResultsInfarct size in control animals (CON) was 46?±?3%. Dimethylsulfoxide (47?±?3%) and Pim-1 kinase inhibitor II (44?±?5%) did not significantly reduce infarct size. Desflurane (16?±?2%*; *P?<?0.05 vs. CON) and IPOST (21?±?2%*) significantly reduced infarct size compared with CON. Inhibition of Pim-1 kinase abolished desflurane-induced postconditioning (46?±?4%) and IPOST (44?±?5%). Western blot analysis revealed that only desflurane enhances phosphorylation of Bad at serine 112 that was abrogated by Pim-1 kinase inhibitor II.ConclusionThese data suggest that Pim-1 kinase mediates both desflurane-induced postconditioning and IPOST in mice

Prostate cancer cell malignancy via modulation of HIF-1 alpha pathway with isoflurane and propofol alone and in combination

BACKGROUND: Surgery is considered to be the first line treatment for solid tumours. Recently, retrospective studies reported that general anaesthesia was associated with worse long-term cancer-free survival when compared with regional anaesthesia. This has important clinical implications; however, the mechanisms underlying those observations remain unclear. We aim to investigate the effect of anaesthetics isoflurane and propofol on prostate cancer malignancy. METHODS: Prostate cancer (PC3) cell line was exposed to commonly used anaesthetic isoflurane and propofol. Malignant potential was assessed through evaluation of expression level of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and its downstream effectors, cell proliferation and migration as well as development of chemoresistance. RESULTS: We demonstrated that isoflurane, at a clinically relevant concentration induced upregulation of HIF-1α and its downstream effectors in PC3 cell line. Consequently, cancer cell characteristics associated with malignancy were enhanced, with an increase of proliferation and migration, as well as development of chemoresistance. Inhibition of HIF-1α neosynthesis through upper pathway blocking by a PI-3K-Akt inhibitor or HIF-1α siRNA abolished isoflurane-induced effects. In contrast, the intravenous anaesthetic propofol inhibited HIF-1α activation induced by hypoxia or CoCl(2). Propofol also prevented isoflurane-induced HIF-1α activation, and partially reduced cancer cell malignant activities. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that modulation of HIF-1α activity by anaesthetics may affect cancer recurrence following surgery. If our data were to be extrapolated to the clinical setting, isoflurane but not propofol should be avoided for use in cancer surgery. Further work involving in vivo models and clinical trials is urgently needed to determine the optimal anaesthetic regimen for cancer patients

Localization of high-affinity glutamate transporters in different regions of the murine central nervous system

Um das Transmittersignal von Glutamat zu beenden und eine neurotoxische Anreicherung zu verhindern, muss Glutamat aus dem Extrazellularraum des ZNS entfernt werden. Dafür sind die hochaffinen Glutamattransporter in Gliazellen und Neuronen zuständig, die Glutamat aus dem Extrazellularraum aufnehmen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die regionale und zelluläre Verteilung der Glutamattransporter GLT1, GLAST und EAAC1 in Hippocampus, Kleinhirn und Rückenmark von Maus und Ratte untersucht. Als Nachweismethoden wurden Western Blot-Analysen und immunhistochemische Nachweise an fixierten Kryostatschnitten und Semidünnschnitten von gefriergetrockneten Geweben eingesetzt.L-glutamate is the major excitatory transmitter in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS). Glutamate is removed from the extracellular space by high-affinity transporters (e.g. GLT1, GLAST, EAAC1). In this study the regional and cellular distribution of these glutamate transporters has been examined in the CNS of mouse and rat using immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting methods