Using value added feedback for accountability and school improvement purposes: evidence from China

Paper Presented at 11th UKFIET international conference on education and development : Global Challenges for Education: Economics, Environment and Emergency, Theme: Education for good governance and sustainability and Subtheme: Governance, incentives and accountability in education: tackling poor performance and corruption Oxford 13 - 15 September 2011.This paper examines the potential use of Value Added measures of school effectiveness and other related data for the purpose of informing and enhancing the impact of strategies to raise educational quality in China. In particular new approaches to accountability and school improvement are explored as a way of tackling poor school and student performance. Evidence is drawn from two recent DFID/ESRC funded projects: “Improving Educational Evaluation and Quality in China” and “Improving Teacher Development and Educational Quality in China”. Qualitative interviews with key stakeholders have been conducted and quantitative evidence of statistically significant differences in senior school effectiveness has been demonstrated in three eastern and western regions. The findings indicate that Value Added measures can provide a valid and relevant measure of educational quality in China, similar to the conclusions drawn from equivalent evidence in other countries such as UK. Moreover, the Value Added concept and measurement approach are seen as a more scientific and welcome addition to current methods of evaluating Chinese schools and teachers, although nevertheless it is essential to take account of local priorities and contexts in China when considering any new evaluation systems. The key question of whether Value Added measures of school effectiveness would be most useful or appropriate within a public accountability framework or as a means to enhance confidential feedback for school selfevaluation and improvement initiatives, or alternatively for both purposes is discussed. The challenges and barriers to introducing new accountability and school improvement measures and reforms in China is also discussed

Emerging perceptions of teacher quality and teacher development in China

This paper focuses on the work of senior high school teachers in three representative local authority regions of mainland China. It discusses interview and focus group data collected as part of an ESRC/DfID-funded project which examined notions of quality as experienced by key stakeholders (national and local authority policy makers, teachers, head teachers and students). Building on previous international literature this paper gives a more nuanced understanding of quality and effectiveness in teaching by re-examining the dimensions of professional characteristics, classroom practice, school culture and classroom climate from the perceptions of Chinese teachers. Barriers to quality included changing societal patterns, the demands of curriculum reform, and common concerns with structural and funding constraints, which in poorer rural areas are typically reported to lead to low levels of teacher quality, shortages of specialised teachers and a lack of opportunity for good quality professional development

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Ethanolic Extract of Artemisia morrisonensis Hayata in Mice

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the ethanolic extract of A. morrisonensis Hayata (AM EtOH ). Two models were employed for evaluation of the analgesic effects: acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced paw licking. The results demonstrated that AM EtOH decreased writhing response for both the acetic acid assay and the licking time in the formalin test. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by paw edema of mice induced by λ-carrageenan. AM EtOH significantly decreased induced paw edema three to four hours after λ-carrageenan injection. Additionally, the results indicated that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of AM EtOH may be due to the declined levels of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the edematous paw. Furthermore, AM EtOH decreased the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, leading to the reduction of prostaglandins and subsequently alleviated edema. Isolation and purification of the AM EtOH extract determined p-hydroxyacetophenone to be a major component at 130 mg/g of extract. No mortality was observed in the acute toxicity test given at the dose of 10 g/kg. This study demonstrated the possible mechanisms for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of AM EtOH for mice and provided evidence for the ethnobotanical uses of A. morrisonensis in treating inflammatory diseases

Oxygen Reduction Reaction Promotes Li+ Desorption from Cathode Surface in Li-O2 Batteries

Li-O2 batteries are claimed to be one of the future energy storage technologies. Great number of scientific and technological challenges should be solved first to transform Li-O2 battery from a promise to real practical devices. Proposed mechanisms for oxygen reduction assume a reservoir of solved Li+ ions in the electrolyte. However, the role that adsorbed Li+ on the electrode surface might have on the overall oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has not deserved much attention. Adsorbed Li+ consumption is monitored here using impedance measurements from extended electrochemical double layer capacitance, which depends on the carbon matrix surface area. The presence of O2 drastically reduces the amount of adsorbed Li+, signaling the kinetic competition between Li+ surface adsorption and its consumption, only for potentials corresponding to the oxygen reduction reaction. Noticeably double layer capacitance remains unaltered after cycling. This fact suggests that the ORR products (Li2O2 and Li2CO3) are not covering the internal electrode surface, but deposited on the outer electrode-contact interface, hindering thereby the subsequent reaction. Current results show new insights into the discharge mechanism of Li-O2 batteries and reveal the evidence of Li+ desorption from the C surface when the ORR starts.We thank financial support from Generalitat Valenciana (ISIC/ 2012/008 Institute of Nanotechnologies for Clean Energies). The authors acknowledge Dr. Conchi Ania from National Institute of Carbon for providing PSCo and AG carbons and their characterization

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Methanol Extract of Cissus repens

The aim of this study was to investigate possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the CRMeOH. Analgesic effect was evaluated in two models including acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced paw licking. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by λ-carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema and histopathologic analyses. The results showed that CRMeOH (500 mg/kg) decreased writhing response in the acetic acid assay and licking time in the formalin test. CRMeOH (100 and 500 mg/kg) significantly decreased edema paw volume at 4th to 5th hours after λ-carrageenan had been injected. Histopathologically, CRMeOH abated the level of tissue destruction and swelling of the edema paws. These results were indicated that anti-inflammatory mechanism of CRMeOH may be due to declined levels of NO and MDA in the edema paw through increasing the activities of SOD, GPx, and GRd in the liver. Additionally, CRMeOH also decreased IL-1β, IL-6, NFκB, TNF-α, COX-2, and iNOS levels. The contents of two active ingredients, ursolic acid and lupeol, were quantitatively determined. This paper demonstrated possible mechanisms for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of CRMeOH and provided evidence for the classical treatment of Cissus repens in inflammatory diseases

A False Positive 18F-FDG PET/CT Scan Caused by Breast Silicone Injection

We present here the case of a 40-year-old woman with a greater than 10 year prior history of bilateral breast silicone injection and saline bag implantation. Bilateral palpable breast nodules were observed, but the ultrasound scan was suboptimal and the magnetic resonance imaging showed no gadolinium-enhanced tumor. The 18F-FDG PET/CT scan showed a hypermetabolic nodule in the left breast with a 30% increase of 18F-FDG uptake on the delayed imaging, and this mimicked breast cancer. She underwent a left partial mastectomy and the pathology demonstrated a siliconoma

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Methanol Extract from Pogostemon cablin

Pogostemon cablin (PC) is a herbal medicine traditionally applied to treat not only common cold, nausea and diarrhea but also headache and fever. The aim of this study was to investigate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of standardized PC methanol extract (PCMeOH) in vivo. Investigations were performed in mice with two analgesic models. One was acetic acid-induced writhing response and the other formalin-induced paw licking. The anti-inflammatory effect was tested by λ-carrageenan (Carr)-induced mice paw edema. These analgesic experimental results indicated that PCMeOH (1.0 g/kg) decreased the acetic acid-induced writhing responses and PCMeOH (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) decreased the licking time in the second phase of the formalin test. Moreover, Carr-induced paw edema inflammation was significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner when PCMeOH (0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) was administered 3 and 4 h after the Carr injection. Mechanistic studies showed that PCMeOH decreased the levels of malondialdehyde in the edema paw by increasing the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, in the liver and decreasing the cyclooxygenase 2 and tumor necrosis factor-α activities in the edema paw. This study has demonstrated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of PCMeOH, thus verifying its popular use in traditional medicine