Narrowing the achievement gap : what and how schools learn through involvement in the specialist schools achievement programme – Part 1

This report was commissioned by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) to find out how schools used the Specialist Schools Achievement Programme (SSAP) to narrow the gap between the academic attainment and wider achievements of students from disadvantaged and more advantaged backgrounds. The study was undertaken by gathering short case studies from 70 schools participating in the programme and identifying 6 schools that had made notable progress for in-depth case study

Perturbation studies of excitable media

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) based systems are probably the most often studied polymer gels due to their dramatic change in volume, swelling and deswelling. Since this system has the best response to pH between 4 and 7, the ferrocyanide-iodate-sulfite (FIS) reaction, which exhibits pH oscillations between 4 and 7.5 in a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR), is a good candidate for studies of oscillatory gel systems.;This work also focused on two dynamical phenomena in the ruthenium catalyzed Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. One is self-organized criticality and the other is periodic forcing and how they can be studied with the BZ reaction. Self-organized criticality is the ability of a system to organize itself into a critical state as a response to random perturbations. Periodic forcing gives rise to waves being sustained in a subexcitable medium by imposing periodic perturbations above and below the excitability limit

87th Legislature of Texas

Report from the Sunset Commission regarding the Brazos River Authority, including decisions on statutory recommendations for the Texas Legislature and management recommendations for the agency, as well as information from the original staff report, such as the need for, performance by, and improvements to the Brazos River Authority

87th Legislature of Texas

Report from the Sunset Commission regarding the Brazos River Authority, including the Commission's decisions and the final actions taken by the Texas Legislature, along with information from the original staff report, such as the need for, performance by, and improvements to the Brazos River Authority

Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae): a decade of research towards a sustainable integrated pest management program

49restrictedInternationalInternational coauthor/editorDrosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) also known as spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), is a pest native to Southeast Asia. In the last few decades, the pest has expanded its range to affect all major European and American fruit production regions. SWD is a highly adaptive insect that is able to disperse, survive, and flourish under a range of environmental conditions. Infestation by SWD generates both direct and indirect economic impacts through yield losses, shorter shelf life of infested fruit, and increased production costs. Fresh markets, frozen berries, and fruit export programs have been impacted by the pest due to zero tolerance for fruit infestation. As SWD control programs rely heavily on insecticides, exceedance of maximum residue levels (MRLs) has also resulted in crop rejections. The economic impact of SWD has been particularly severe for organic operations, mainly due to the limited availability of effective insecticides. Integrated pest management (IPM) of SWD could significantly reduce chemical inputs but would require substantial changes to horticultural management practices. This review evaluates the most promising methods studied as part of an IPM strategy against SWD across the world. For each of the considered techniques, the effectiveness, impact, sustainability, and stage of development are discussed.restrictedTait, Gabriella; Mermer, Serhan; Stockton, Dara; Lee, Jana; Avosani, Sabina; Abrieux, Antoine; Anfora, Gianfranco; Beers, Elizabeth; Biondi, Antonio; Burrack, Hannah; Cha, Dong; Chiu, Joanna C; Choi, Man-Yeon; Cloonan, Kevin; Crava, Cristina M; Daane, Kent M; Dalton, Daniel T; Diepenbrock, Lauren; Fanning, Phillip; Ganjisaffar, Fatemeh; Gómez, Miguel I; Gut, Larry; Grassi, Alberto; Hamby, Kelly; Hoelmer, Kim A; Ioriatti, Claudio; Isaacs, Rufus; Klick, Jimmy; Kraft, Laura; Loeb, Gregory; Rossi-Stacconi, Marco Valerio; Nieri, Rachele; Pfab, Ferdinand; Puppato, Simone; Rendon, Dalila; Renkema, Justin; Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar; Rogers, Mary; Sassù, Fabiana; Schöneberg, Torsten; Scott, Maxwell J; Seagraves, Michael; Sial, Ashfaq; Van Timmeren, Steven; Wallingford, Anna; Wang, Xingeng; Yeh, D Adeline; Zalom, Frank G; Walton, Vaughn MTait, G.; Mermer, S.; Stockton, D.; Lee, J.; Avosani, S.; Abrieux, A.; Anfora, G.; Beers, E.; Biondi, A.; Burrack, H.; Cha, D.; Chiu, J.C.; Choi, M.; Cloonan, K.; Crava, C.M.; Daane, K.M.; Dalton, D.T.; Diepenbrock, L.; Fanning, P.; Ganjisaffar, F.; Gómez, M.I.; Gut, L.; Grassi, A.; Hamby, K.; Hoelmer, K.A.; Ioriatti, C.; Isaacs, R.; Klick, J.; Kraft, L.; Loeb, G.; Rossi-Stacconi, M.V.; Nieri, R.; Pfab, F.; Puppato, S.; Rendon, D.; Renkema, J.; Rodriguez-Saona, C.; Rogers, M.; Sassù, F.; Schöneberg, T.; Scott, M.J.; Seagraves, M.; Sial, A.; Van Timmeren, S.; Wallingford, A.; Wang, X.; Yeh, D.A.; Zalom, F.G.; Walton, V.M