Producing the docile body: analysing Local Area Under-performance Inspection (LAUI)

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED), declared a 'new wave' of Local Area Under-performance Inspections (LAUI) of schools 'denying children the standard of education they deserve'. This paper examines how the threat of LAUI played out over three mathematics lessons taught by a teacher in her first year in the profession. A Foucauldian approach is mobilised with regard to disciplinary power and 'docile bodies'. The paper argues that, in the case in point, LAUI was a tool mediating performative conditions and, ultimately, the docile body. The paper will be of concern to policy sociologists, teachers, school leaders, and those interested in school inspection

Review of critical success factors for the implementation of total quality management in the construction industry

Abstract: Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy that involves every organization in the industry in the effort to improve performance. The concept is an integrative management principle for continuously improving the quality of products and processes to achieve customer satisfaction. To achieve this concept required a clear establishment of Critical Success Factors (CSFs). However, lack of clear establishment of CSFs for the implementation of TQM in the construction industry has led to failure of the system. In the pursuit of performance excellence in the construction industry and with an increasing awareness of construction quality, construction firms have no option than to implement TQM with clear CSFs

Effects of the concentration of nutrient solution on lettuce growth in hydroponics-NFT system

Foi avaliado o crescimento da alface (Lactuca sativa L.) cv 'Vera' em um sistema hidropônico NFT com diferentes concentrações da solução nutritiva. O experimento foi realizado em casa de vegetação de abril a maio de 2000, na UFRRJ, Seropédica (RJ). Os tratamentos constaram de quatro soluções nutritivas, diferentes quanto à concentração de macronutrientes: 100; 50; 25 e 12,5% da concentração original proposta por Furlani (1997). A produção de massa seca (parte comercial) em solução nutritiva a 50% da concentração original, e condutividade elétrica em torno de 0,98 dS m-1, foi semelhante à solução a 100% da força iônica. As produções obtidas com 100 e 50% da força iônica estiveram dentro da faixa de 90% da produção máxima, calculada em 75±1% da força iônica da solução nutritiva, simulada por equação de regressão. Entretanto, o uso de concentrações menores resultou em redução no crescimento de 50% com a solução a 25% e 80% com a solução a 12,5% da força iônica, nas condições de luz e temperatura em que o experimento foi conduzido. A redução da concentração da solução nutritiva permite uma economia de pelo menos 50% no custo da solução nutritiva básica, reduzindo-se a solução inicial para 1,00 dS m-1, sem comprometer a produtividade.The growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cv 'Vera' was evaluated in a NFT hydroponic system with different nutrient solution concentrations. An experiment was carried out in a greenhouse from April to May, 2000 in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Four treatments were used differing in macro nutrient concentration: 100; 50; 25 and 12.5% of the original concentration of the solution proposed by Furlani (1997). Using 50% of the original concentration with electric conductivity around 0,98 dS m-1, plants produced the same shoot dry mass as using 100% of the ionic strength. In this trial, the phytomass yield using 100 and 50% of the ionic strength was within the range of 90% of the maximum production, calculated at 75±1% of the ionic strength to the nutrient solution, simulated by a regression equation. However, the use of smaller concentrations resulted in reduction of the growth of 50% with the solution at 25% and 80% with the solution at 12.5% of the ionic strength, under the light and temperature conditions which the experiment was carried out. Decreasing the nutrient solution concentration one can reduce up to 50% of the basic nutrient solution costs, if nutrient solution concentration is reduced and electric conductivity kept close to 1.00 dS m-1

Water relations of obligate riparian plants as a function of streamflow diversion on the Bishop Creek watershed

We investigated the water relations of obli-gate riparian plants on paired diverted and undiverted reaches on Bishop Creek, Eastern Sierra Nevada. Ri-parian plants on diverted reaches had reduced stomatal conductance and water potential compared to plants on undiverted reaches in a dry year, but not in a high runoff year. Juvenile plants on diverted reaches had reduced stomatal conductance and lower midday water potentials relative to surrounding mature trees, a trend that was not observed on undiverted reaches. Plants on diverted reaches possessed significantly smaller, thicker leaves and a reduced total leaf area relative to trees on streamside reaches. Reduced community leaf area and effective stomatal control of water loss may allow ripar-ian corridors on diverted reaches to retain their canopies in low runoff years. However, a long term consequence of partial streamflow diversion may be selective mortal-ty of juvenile plants because of the elimination of floods and high flows

Functional integral over velocities for a spinning particle with and without anomalous magnetic moment in a constant electromagnetic field

The technique of functional integration over velocities is applied to the calculation of the propagator of a spinning particle with and without anomalous magnetic moment. A representation for the spin factor is obtained in this context for the particle in a constant electromagnetic field. As a by-product, we also obtain a Schwinger representation for the first case.Comment: latex, 19 page

Investigating bacteriophages targeting the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

The multi-drug resistance of the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii is of growing concern, with many clinical isolates proving to be resistant to last resort as well as front line antibiotic treatments. The use of bacteriophages is an attractive alternative to controlling and treating this emerging nosocomial pathogen. In this study, we have investigated bacteriophages collected from hospital wastewater in Thailand and we have explored their activity against clinical isolates of A. baumannii. Bacteriophage vB_AbaM_PhT2 showed 28% host range against 150 multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates and whole genome sequencing did not detect any known virulence factors or antibiotic resistance genes. Purified vB_AbaM_PhT2 samples had endotoxin levels below those recommended for preclinical trials and were not shown to be directly cytotoxic to human cell lines in vitro. The treatment of human brain and bladder cell lines grown in the presence of A. baumannii with this bacteriophage released significantly less lactate dehydrogenase compared to samples with no bacteriophage treatment, indicating that vB_AbaM_PhT2 can protect from A. baumannii induced cellular damage. Our results have also indicated that there is synergy between this bacteriophage and the end line antibiotic colistin. We therefore propose bacteriophage vB_AbaM_PhT2 as a good candidate for future research and for its potential development into a surface antimicrobial for use in hospitals. View Full-Tex

Comparing Soil Compaction under Different Grazing Systems with a Virgin Forest Soil to Determine Optimal Stocking Rates

The understanding of how soil physical properties respond to differing grazing practices may help explain the main causes of pasture degradation. Soil compaction has been shown to be a main degradation form of soil and the knowledge of techniques to quantify and rectify this are necessary to maintain optimal yields. This research aims to measure the rupture lines of red yellow latossol under differing pasture grazing practices compared to cropping and a natural forest. With this information it is aimed to calculate the correction factor for stocking rates and traffic of tillage tools. The differing soil management practices examined was, pasture grazed by sheep, and dairy cattle, a maize crop in no tillage cover-crop system and a natural forest. To quantify the soil physical changes, the direct shear test was used, which calculated the resultant force of a load. The resultant forces of the natural forest were compared against pasture systems and crop system, and a correction factor for stocking rates was calculated. The samples of Red yellow Latossol were equilibrated in the matrix potential (ψ): -6 kPa. In the shear test, the normal stress used was the 450kPa. The correction factor (CF) indicates whether the soil has structural degradation compared to natural forest. Values less than 1 indicated soil degradation. The pastures grazed by sheep and dairy cattle had values observed to be less than 1, excessive loads at high soil moisture may be attributed to this soil structural deformation. For these systems, grazing management and stocking rates should be corrected. The correction factor gives an indication of the magnitude of management change that is required (i.e. the stocking rate decreased). The crop area was found to have no soil strength issues, using the stress test

Ordered nano-scale domains in lithium niobate single crystals via phase-mask assisted all-optical poling

We report the formation of directionally-ordered nanoscale surface domains on the +z face of undoped congruent lithium niobate single crystals by using UV illumination through a phase mask with an energy fluence between ~90mj/cm2 and 150 mJ/cm2 at lambda = 266 nm. We clearly show here that the UV-induced surface ferroelectric domains nucleate and then propagate along the maxima of laser intensity produced by the phase mask, thus enabling a degree of control over this all-optical poling process. Acid etching of the illuminated crystal faces was employed to reveal the induced domain nature and the spatial structure of the formed nanoscale domains