Excavating the Foundations of a Homogenous Primary School Teaching Force in Ireland.

The school teaching workforce in Ireland has been characterised as White, Heterosexual, Irish-born, Settled and Catholic or WHISCS (Tracy, 2000 cited in Bryan, 2010. See also Clarke, 2009; Coolahan, 2003; Devine, 2005; Heinz, 2011; Hyland, 2012; Schmidt and Mc Daid, 2015). Data on those entering undergraduate and post-graduate initial teacher education programmes in Ireland (Keane & Heinz, 2015) and those seeking to enter the profession from abroad (Schmidt & Mc Daid, 2015; Mc Daid & Walsh, forthcoming) provide little evidence that this situation will change in the immediate future. This situation is not unique. Nevertheless, while it is accurate to claim that homogeneity is relatively consistent internationally (see Cochran- Smith, 2004), there exist a particular set of historical underpinnings to the development and maintenance of this phenomenon in the Irish context. Commencing with a brief overview of emerging qualitative and quantitative data establishing a stubborn homogeneity within the primary teaching workforce in Ireland, and further work which situates the Irish context within the wider European experience, this paper moves quickly to explain how the two most entrenched controlling factors maintaining this situation, religion and language, have deep historical trajectories. Drawing on critical documentary analysis, situated within a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework, the authors argue that even since before the establishment of the national system of education in 1831, power brokers at various points in Irish history (e.g., British government, Irish government and various church authorities) have worked hard to control inclusion and exclusion from the primary teaching workforce. Through an indepth interrogation of legislation, state policy documents and ecclesiastical publications, the paper excavates very clear antecedents of, at various times, government and church authorities exercising strict regulatory authority over those to be imbued with the right to perform the highly moral act of reproduction of Irish society. In the context of an international landscape within which calls for a more heterogeneous primary workforce gain traction (see, for example, Schmidt & Block, 2010), this work has particular importance. Certain analyses (see, for example, Santoro, 2015; Keane & Heinz, 2015) emphasise paying attention to the complexities of teacher identity within the context of this broader push for diversification. This paper seeks to add another lay of understanding to this debate through unearthing pertinent historical technologies which secure the status quo

Using Tracer Injection and Synoptic Sampling, and Salt Dilution Flow to Gauge Metal Fluxes in a Temperate Watershed in the UK

Nantymwyn Lead Mine has substantial subterranean workings, surface mine waste tips, collapsed adits and two streams which cross the workings and waste. One of >1,300 abandoned metal mines in Wales, it causes elevated levels of lead and zinc in the streams, and in flora and fauna near the mine site. Two methods of measuring pollutant f luxes were used; a constant rate injection and synoptic sampling at a constant flow, and monthly flow gauging and sampling over a year. These show surface and subsurface pollutant inputs, attenuation, and temporal changes in flow and the proportion of pollution from source areas

Co-located Retail Clinics and Pharmacies: An Opportunity to Provide More Primary Care.

This paper proposes that co-located retail clinics (RCs) and community pharmacies can increase opportunities to provide more accessible, affordable, and patient-friendly primary care services in the United States. RCs are small businesses of about 150-250 square feet with a clientele of about 10-30 patients each day and most frequently staffed by nurse practitioners (NPs). Community pharmacies in the U.S. at ~67,000 far outnumber RCs at ~2800, thereby opening substantial opportunity for growth. Community pharmacies and pharmacists have been working to increase on-site clinical services, but progress has been slowed by the relative isolation from other practitioners. An ideal merged facility based on an integrated platform is proposed. NPs and pharmacists could share functions that fulfill documented consumer preferences and still maintain separate practice domains. Potential benefits include a broader inventory of clinical services including laboratory tests, immunizations, patient education, and physical assessment, as well as better patient access, interprofessional training opportunities, and economies related to the use of resources, day-to-day operations, and performance metrics. Challenges include the availability of sufficient, appropriately trained staff; limitations imposed by scope of practice and other laws; forging of collaborative relationships between NPs and pharmacists; and evidence that the merged operations provide economic benefits beyond those of separate enterprises

The same, only different: what can responses to music in autism tell us about the nature of musical emotions?

This article discusses how musical responses can convey the nature of musical emotions in individuals with autism. The logical first step is to enquire how far these responses resemble naturalistic emotions, that is, those that are not specifically musical, but have ordinary non-musical content. Many authors suggest that whilst certain emotions are exclusive to music there is considerable overlap between musical and naturalistic emotions, while others deny that musically induced emotions are naturalistic. Perhaps consideration of music’s origins might clarify the issue. If the universality of music in human society were the consequence of biological selection, this would support the naturalistic interpretation. Taking the longitudinal view, and focusing on just one musical sub-culture, that of Western music, its development during the past millennium from Gregorian plainchant to modern electronic music illustrates that the evolution of music operates several orders of magnitude faster than human evolution. The authors conclude that musical emotions, if they are emotions at all in the conventional sense, are fast track emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

Effectiveness of conventional versus virtual reality based vestibular rehabilitation in the treatment of dizziness, gait and balance impairment in adults with unilateral peripheral vestibular loss: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Unilateral peripheral vestibular loss results in gait and balance impairment, dizziness and oscillopsia. Vestibular rehabilitation benefits patients but optimal treatment remains unkown. Virtual reality is an emerging tool in rehabilitation and provides opportunities to improve both outcomes and patient satisfaction with treatment. The Nintendo Wii Fit Plus (R) (NWFP) is a low cost virtual reality system that challenges balance and provides visual and auditory feedback. It may augment the motor learning that is required to improve balance and gait, but no trials to date have investigated efficacy. METHODS: In a single (assessor) blind, two centre randomised controlled superiority trial, 80 patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular loss will be randomised to either conventional or virtual reality based (NWFP) vestibular rehabilitation for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure is gait speed (measured with three dimensional gait analysis). Secondary outcomes include computerised posturography, dynamic visual acuity, and validated questionnaires on dizziness, confidence and anxiety/depression. Outcome will be assessed post treatment (8 weeks) and at 6 months. DISCUSSION: Advances in the gaming industry have allowed mass production of highly sophisticated low cost virtual reality systems that incorporate technology previously not accessible to most therapists and patients. Importantly, they are not confined to rehabilitation departments, can be used at home and provide an accurate record of adherence to exercise. The benefits of providing augmented feedback, increasing intensity of exercise and accurately measuring adherence may improve conventional vestibular rehabilitation but efficacy must first be demonstrated. Trial registration Clinical trials.gov identifier: NCT01442623