The challenges of leading and managing Polish Saturday schools in the United Kingdom.

An extensive network of supplementary schools in the UK presents a significant yet under-researched area. There are between 3000 and 5000 supplementary schools in Britain (Ives and Wyvil, 2008), of which around 140 are Polish supplementary schools (PSS) (Pedrak, 2022)). Notably, Polish is the third most common first language in England and Wales, after English and Welsh, representing 1.1% of the population, or 591,000 individuals (ONS, 2021). Polish supplementary schools, like many others set up by ethnic minority communities, focus on educational programmes based either on a curriculum provided by the Polish government or AQA’s GCSE and A-level specifications. The education is conducted primarily at weekends and focuses on language acquisition and bilingual development, as well as the culture, history, and traditions of the minority community. The establishment of these schools dates back to the post-World War II era, with one of the oldest, St Joseph's PSS, being founded in 1947 in Amersham (ORPEG, 2023). Due to lack of appropriate regulations and affiliations, the schools vary in size, organisational and management structures as well as leadership styles. Our interest stems from devoting the last 15 years to leading and teaching in two PSS, one set up by post WW II migration and the other after Poland’s 2004 accession to the EU, as well as supporting the wider PSS networks, influencing curricula and working with Polish and British national exam bodies. We would like to gain deeper insight into this unique entrepreneurial ecosystem with a view of bringing a deeper understanding into how they are led, the challenges they face, how they establish partnerships with other supplementary schools, collaborations with mainstream schools and influence on relevant governmental policies. This paper investigates leadership and entrepreneurship within two supplementary schools (PSSs) in England, using an autoethnographic approach and entrepreneurial self-reflection. By examining legal forms, leadership styles, and challenges and opportunities faced by these social enterprises, we aim to shed light on the dynamic landscape of well-established minority-language supplementary education that at first glance seems both attached and detached from the mainstream education. Our analysis of leadership styles and legal structures reveals diverse approaches and motivations, with implications for organizational effectiveness and adaptability. This preliminary exploration is intended to inform a larger study and assist policymakers and the government in supporting minority communities in the effective governance of supplementary schools, ultimately contributing to the education and development of minority communities and society at large

Exploring leadership and entrepreneurship in Polish supplementary schools in England: A pilot study

There is an extensive network of supplementary schools in the UK, yet the nuances related to the way they operate, are led and bring benefits to related communities and the public has not been well researched. There are between 3000 and 5000 supplementary schools in Britain (Ives and Wyvil, 2008) of which around 140 are Polish supplementary schools (PSS) (Pedrak, 2022). The Centre for the Development of Polish Education Abroad runs a database where PSS can register themselves to apply for support from the Polish government. Currently, 1129 PSS are registered worldwide; 20% are based in the UK (ORPEG, 2023). In England, Polish (1.1%, 591,000) was found to be the most common main language for those who did not speak English as a main language (ONS, 2021). PSS are largely set up by ethnic minority communities and offer educational programmes (mostly on Saturdays) focused on language and bilingual development, culture, history and traditions of the minority. The oldest PSS date back to the post WW II forced migration, for example St Joseph's PSS, established in 1947 in Amersham (ORPEG, 2023) 1950 (PSPO, 2022). Our interest in these schools stems from devoting the last 15 years of leading and teaching in two PSS – one set up by post WW II migration and the other after 2004 Poland’s accession to EU – as well as supporting the wider PSS’ networks, influencing curricula and working with Polish and British national exam bodies. We would like to gain deeper insight into this unique entrepreneurial ecosystem with a view of bringing deeper understanding about how they are led, establish closer collaborations with mainstream schools and influence relevant governmental policies. This paper explores leadership and entrepreneurship within PSS in England, employing semi-structured interviews and entrepreneurial auto reflection in a pilot study. Focusing on legal forms, leadership styles, and various challenges and opportunities, our research provides insights into the dynamic landscape of well-established minority-language supplementary education. It analyses leadership styles and legal structures that reveal diverse approaches and motivations with implications for organisational effectiveness and adaptability. The study also addresses challenges these schools face, exploring how leadership strategies have evolved pre- and post- COVID-19. This research contributes to understanding leadership and entrepreneurial practices in the context of supplementary education for the Polish diaspora, exploring nuanced strategies that drive innovation and sustainability. Preliminary research findings are expected to reveal additional themes for future studies and assist policymakers and school leaders and enhance leadership and entrepreneurial capacities within multicultural communities

More on the Narrowing of Impact Broadened Radio Recombination Lines at High Principal Quantum Number

Recently Alexander and Gulyaev have suggested that the apparent decrease in impact broadening of radio recombination lines seen at high principal quantum number n may be a product of the data reduction process, possibly resulting from the presence of noise on the telescope spectra that is not present on the calculated comparison spectra. This is an interesting proposal. However, there are serious problems with their analysis that need to be pointed out. Perhaps the most important of these is the fact that for principal quantum numbers below n = 200, where the widths are not in question, their processed generated profile widths do not fit the widths of the processed lines obtained at the telescope. After processing, the halfwidths of the generated and telescope profiles must agree below n = 200 if we are to believe that the processed generated linewidths above n = 200 are meaningful. Theirs do not. Furthermore, we find that after applying the linewidth reduction factors found by Alexander and Gulyaev for their noise added profiles to our generated profiles to simulate their noise adding effect, the processed widths we obtain still do not come close to explaining the narrowing seen in the telescope lines for n values in the range 200 < n < 250. It is concluded that what is needed to solve this mystery is a completely new approach using a different observing technique instead of simply a further manipulation of the frequency-switched data.Comment: Six pages with 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Doping dependent Irreversible Magnetic Properties of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 Single Crystals

We discuss the irreversible magnetic properties of self-flux grown Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystals for a wide range of concentrations covering the whole phase diagram from the underdoped to the overdoped regime, x=0.038, 0.047, 0.058, 0.071, 0.074, 0.10, 0.106 and 0.118. Samples were characterized by a magneto-optical method and show excellent spatial uniformity of the superconducting state. The overall behavior closely follows classical Bean model of the critical state. The field-dependent magnetization exhibits second peak at a temperature and doping - dependent magnetic field, Hp. The evolution of this fishtail feature with doping is discussed. Magnetic relaxation is time-logarithmic and unusually fast. Similar to cuprates, there is an apparent crossover from collective elastic to plastic flux creep above Hp. At high fields, the field dependence of the relaxation rate becomes doping independent. We discuss our results in the framework of the weak collective pinning and show that vortex physics in iron-based pnictide crystals is much closer to high-Tc cuprates than to conventional s-wave (including MgB2) superconductors.Comment: for the special issue of Physica C on iron-based pnictide superconductor

Soil organic matter and the extracellular microbial matrix show contrasting responses to C and N availability

AbstractAn emerging paradigm in soil science suggests microbes can perform ‘N mining’ from recalcitrant soil organic matter (SOM) in conditions of low N availability. However, this requires the production of extracellular structures rich in N (including enzymes and structural components) and thus defies stoichiometric expectation. We set out to extract newly synthesised peptides from the extracellular matrix in soil and compare the amino acid (AA) profiles, N incorporation and AA dynamics in response to labile inputs of contrasting C/N ratio. Glycerol was added both with and without an inorganic source of N (10% 15N labelled NH4NO3) to a soil already containing a large pool of refractory SOM and incubated for 10 days. The resulting total soil peptide (TSP) and extracellular pools were compared using colorimetric methods, gas chromatography, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry. N isotope compositions showed that the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) contained a greater proportion of products formed de novo than did TSP, with hydrophobic EPS-AAs (leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, hydroxyproline and tyrosine) deriving substantially more N from the inorganic source provided. Quantitative comparison between extracts showed that the EPS contained greater relative proportions of alanine, glycine, proline, phenylalanine and tyrosine. The greatest increases in EPS-peptide and EPS-polysaccharide concentrations occurred at the highest C/N ratios. All EPS-AAs responded similarly to treatment whereas the responses of TSP were more complex. The results suggest that extracellular investment of N (as EPS peptides) is a microbial survival mechanism in conditions of low N/high C which, from an evolutionary perspective, must ultimately lead to the tendency for increased N returns to the microbial biomass. A conceptual model is proposed that describes the dynamics of the extracellular matrix in response to the C/N ratio of labile inputs

Permissive norms and young adults' alcohol and marijuana use: The role of online communities

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106614/1/Permissive norms and young adults' alcohol and marijuana use The role of online communities.pd

Optimally squeezed spin states

We consider optimally spin-squeezed states that maximize the sensitivity of the Ramsey spectroscopy, and for which the signal to noise ratio scales as the number of particles $N$. Using the variational principle we prove that these states are eigensolutions of the Hamiltonian $H(\lambda)=\lambda S_z^2-S_x,$ and that, for large $N$, the states become equivalent to the quadrature squeezed states of the harmonic oscillator. We present numerical results that illustrate the validity of the equivalence

Individual job redesign:job crafting interventions in healthcare

In two quasi-experimental studies – Study 1 among medical specialists (N = 119) and Study 2 among nurses (N = 58) – we tested the impact of a general and a specific job crafting intervention on health care professionals’ well-being and (objective and subjective) job performance. Both groups of participants received training and then set personal job crafting goals for a period of three weeks. The results of a series of repeated measures analyses showed that both interventions were successful. Participation in the job crafting intervention groups were associated with increases in job crafting behaviors, well-being (i.e., work engagement, health, and reduced exhaustion), and job performance (i.e., adaptive, task, and contextual performance) for the medical specialists and nurses relative to the control groups. Though we did not find a significant intervention effect for objective performance, we conclude that job crafting is a promising job redesign intervention strategy that individual employees can use to improve their well-being and job performance.</p

Electromagnetic wave propagation inside a material medium: an effective geometry interpretation

We present a method developed to deal with electromagnetic wave propagation inside a material medium that reacts, in general, non-linearly to the field strength. We work in the context of Maxwell' s theory in the low frequency limit and obtain a geometrical representation of light paths for each case presented. The isotropic case and artificial birefringence caused by an external electric field are analyzed as an application of the formalism and the effective geometry associated to the wave propagation is exhibited.Comment: REVTeX file, 6 pages. Version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Efficacy of pimobendan in the prevention of congestive heart failure or sudden death in doberman pinschers with preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (the PROTECT study)

&lt;p&gt;Background: The benefit of pimobendan in delaying the progression of preclinical dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dobermans is not reported.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hypothesis: That chronic oral administration of pimobendan to Dobermans with preclinical DCM will delay the onset of CHF or sudden death and improve survival.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Animals: Seventy-six client-owned Dobermans recruited at 10 centers in the UK and North America.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods: The trial was a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group multicenter study. Dogs were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive pimobendan (Vetmedin capsules) or visually identical placebo.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The composite primary endpoint was prospectively defined as either onset of CHF or sudden death. Time to death from all causes was a secondary endpoint.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Results: The proportion of dogs reaching the primary endpoint was not significantly different between groups (P = .1). The median time to the primary endpoint (onset of CHF or sudden death) was significantly longer in the pimobendan (718 days, IQR 441–1152 days) versus the placebo group (441 days, IQR 151–641 days) (log-rank P = 0.0088). The median survival time was significantly longer in the pimobendan (623 days, IQR 491–1531 days) versus the placebo group (466 days, IQR 236–710 days) (log-rank P = .034).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusion and Clinical Importance: The administration of pimobendan to Dobermans with preclinical DCM prolongs the time to the onset of clinical signs and extends survival. Treatment of dogs in the preclinical phase of this common cardiovascular disorder with pimobendan can lead to improved outcome.&lt;/p&gt