Leading school networks, hybrid leadership in action?

A range of different constructs are used to describe and define the way that leadership operates in education settings. This range can be presented as binary categories of leadership, in which either one, or the other form of leadership is preferred, but not both. An example of this is the contrast made between solo and distributed leadership. A more sophisticated alternative has been proposed, which is to consider leadership as a hybrid activity, one which entails a range of approaches inspired by varying ideals. Taking this ‘hybrid’ notion of leadership this article explores the nature of leadership in networks of schools. Illustrated with data from three case studies of school networks this article highlights some of the issues and tensions in the enactment of the hybrid forms of leadership encountered in these networks. This article concludes with some reflections on the adoption of hybrid notions of leadership in researching and enacting educational leadership and specifically on the place of school networks in that consideration

Primary uncleansed 2D versus primary electronically cleansed 3D in limited bowel preparation CT-colonography. Is there a difference for novices and experienced readers?

The purpose of this study was to compare a primary uncleansed 2D and a primary electronically cleansed 3D reading strategy in CTC in limited prepped patients. Seventy-two patients received a low-fibre diet with oral iodine before CT-colonography. Six novices and two experienced observers reviewed both cleansed and uncleansed examinations in randomized order. Mean per-polyp sensitivity was compared between the methods by using generalized estimating equations. Mean per-patient sensitivity, and specificity were compared using the McNemar test. Results were stratified for experience (experienced observers versus novice observers). Mean per-polyp sensitivity for polyps 6 mm or larger was significantly higher for novices using cleansed 3D (65%; 95%CI 57–73%) compared with uncleansed 2D (51%; 95%CI 44–59%). For experienced observers there was no significant difference. Mean per-patient sensitivity for polyps 6 mm or larger was significantly higher for novices as well: respectively 75% (95%CI 70–80%) versus 64% (95%CI 59–70%). For experienced observers there was no statistically significant difference. Specificity for both novices and experienced observers was not significantly different. For novices primary electronically cleansed 3D is better for polyp detection than primary uncleansed 2D

A violência contra mulheres: demandas espontâneas e busca ativa em unidade básica de saúde

Acolher demandas e assistir mulheres que sofrem violência é parte dos direitos em saúde, embora a assistência não esteja estruturada e ocorra pouca detecção de casos. Buscou-se um diagnóstico de situação em serviços, avaliando-se a emergência de demandas referidas à violência por parte das usuárias de uma unidade básica da rede pública, contrastando-se a demanda espontânea com a busca ativa de casos. Realizou-se um primeiro estudo por técnicas de observação participante, seguida de estudo de prontuário, com 142 mulheres sendo acompanhadas; num segundo estudo, em uma amostra de 322 usuárias, aplicou-se entrevista. Em atividades grupais observou-se relatos espontâneos e nos prontuários médicos registros de demandas espontâneas; o mesmo não ocorreu em consultas individuais. A entrevista detectou uma prevalência de casos muito maior. Então, a possibilidade de detecção de casos, seu acolhimento e algumas respostas do serviço, requer especificidade de abordagem e cuidados próprios para que a violência contra mulheres possa emergir como parte da demanda usual na saúde

Toxic cyanobacteria in the lakes located in R- lga (the capital of Latvia) and its surroundings: present state of knowledge

The intensity and toxicity of cyanobacterial blooms in lakes located near R-lga (the capital of Latvia) were investigated between 1998 and 2004. These lakes are shallow eutrophic water bodies with a high surface todepth ratio and are widely used for recreational and fishing activities. Intense cyanobacterial blooms were associated with calm weather, high water temperatures (>20°C), and low oxygen saturation in surface (40–70%) and bottom (1–30%) waters. The maximum biomass of harmful cyanobacteria occurred during August–September. Cyanobacterial blooms were dominated by Anabaena spp., Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Microcystis spp. A significant decrease of the Shannon-Wiener species diversity index was observed during bloom periods. Hepatotoxins (microcystins) were detected in 50% of the surveyed lakes. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of algal biomass indicated the presence of microcystins MC-LR, MC-YR, MCRRand MC-LA. The most abundant was MC-LR, contributing on average 43% of the total microcystins. Microcystin concentrations showed a significant interannual variation. The highest concentration of microcystins was observed in Lake Lielais Baltezer