Senior Teacher Classification for Teacher-Librarians in Western Australian Catholic Schools : An Investigation

This research study utilised the principles of Survey Research to determine the current knowledge base and status of teacher-librarians employed in Western Australian Catholic schools in relation to Senior Teacher classification. It also examines the perceived barriers to achieving Senior Teacher classification. The questionnaire Senior Teacher Classification for Teacher-Librarians (STCTL) was constructed and mailed to every Catholic primary and secondary school throughout Western Australia for completion by the teacher-librarian. A 70.45 per cent response rate was received (93 respondents). The primary statistical analysis method used was descriptive statistics; frequencies, percents, means, modes and standard deviations. Based on the data analysis the research concluded that 22.8 per cent of respondents were unaware of the classification before completing the questionnaire. Only 41 per cent of eligible teacher-librarians had applied for Senior Teacher One classification and 53.8 per cent for Senior Teacher Two. Of those that had applied all applications for Senior Teacher Two and 96 per cent of applications for Senior Teacher One were successful. The explicit barriers that eligible teacher-librarians reported that were preventing them from applying for either classification were the effort required to put an application together in relation to the remuneration and the rigours of the assessment procedure itself. The implied barriers included being employed on a part-time basis and working in a primary school. It is hoped then that this research will affect both policy and current practice on an issue regarded as highly significant to the development of a career path for teacher-librarians in Western Australian Catholic schools

The metal tolerance profile of Thlaspi goesingense is mimicked in Arabidopsis thaliana heterologously expressing serine acetyl-transferase

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Heavy Quark Parameters and Vcb from Spectral Moments in Semileptonic B Decays

We extract the heavy quark masses and non-perturbative parameters from the Delphi preliminary measurements of the first three moments of the charged lepton energy and hadronic mass distributions in semileptonic B decays, using a multi-parameter fit. We adopt two formalisms, one of which does not rely on a 1/mc expansion and makes use of running quark masses. The data are consistent and the level of accuracy of the experimental inputs largely determines the present sensitivity. The results allow to improve on the uncertainty in the extraction of Vcb.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Mechanical Demands on the Lower Back in Patients with Non-Chronic Low Back Pain During a Symmetric Lowering and Lifting Task

There is limited information in the literature related to the lower back loading in patients with LBP, particularly those with non-chronic LBP. Toward addressing such a research gap, a case-control study was conducted to explore the differences in lower back mechanical loads between a group of females (n=19) with non-chronic, non-specific LBP and a group of asymptomatic females (n=19). The differences in lower back mechanical loads were determined when participants completed one symmetric lowering and lifting of a 4.5 kg load at their preferred cadence. The axial, shearing, and moment components of task demand at the time of peak moment component as well as measures of peak trunk kinematics were analyzed. Patient vs. asymptomatic group performed the task with smaller peak thoracic rotation and peak lumbar flexion. While no differences in the moment component of task demand on the lower back between the patients and controls were found, the shearing (40–50 age group) and axial components of task demand were, respectively, larger and smaller in patients vs. controls. Whether alterations in lower back loads in patients with non-chronic LBP are in response to pain or preceded the pain, the long-term exposure to abnormal lower back mechanics may adversely affect spinal structure and increase the likelihood of further injury or pain. Therefore, the underlying reason(s) as well as the potential consequence(s) of such altered lower back mechanics in patients with non-chronic LBP should to be further investigated

The evolution of gregariousness in parasitoid wasps

Data are assembled on the clutch-size strategies adopted by extant species of parasitoid wasp. These data are used to reconstruct the history of clutch-size evolution in the group using a series of plausible evolutionary assumptions. Extant families are either entirely solitary, both solitary and gregarious, or else clutch size is unknown. Parsimony analysis suggests that the ancestors of most families were solitary, a result which is robust to different phylogenetic relationships and likely data inadequacies. This implies that solitariness was ubiquitous throughout the initial radiation of the group, and that transitions to gregariousness have subsequently occurred a minimum of 43 times in several, but not all lineages. Current data suggest that species-rich and small-bodied lineages are more likely to have evolved gregariousness, and contain more species with small gregarious brood sizes. I discuss the implications of these data for clutch-size theory

Enhanced root-to-shoot translocation of cadmium in the hyperaccumulating ecotype of Sedum alfredii

Sedum alfredii (Crasulaceae) is the only known Cd-hyperaccumulating species that are not in the Brassica family; the mechanism of Cd hyperaccumulation in this plant is, however, little understood. Here, a combination of radioactive techniques, metabolic inhibitors, and fluorescence imaging was used to contrast Cd uptake and translocation between a hyperaccumulating ecotype (HE) and a non-hyperaccumulating ecotype (NHE) of S. alfredii. The Km of 109Cd influx into roots was similar in both ecotypes, while the Vmax was 2-fold higher in the HE. Significant inhibition of Cd uptake by low temperature or metabolic inhibitors was observed in the HE, whereas the effect was less pronounced in the NHE. 109Cd influx into roots was also significantly decreased by high Ca in both ecotypes. The rate of root-to-shoot translocation of 109Cd in the HE was >10 times higher when compared with the NHE, and shoots of the HE accumulated dramatically higher 109Cd concentrations those of the NHE. The addition of the metabolic inhibitor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) resulted in a significant reduction in Cd contents in the shoots of the HE, and in the roots of the NHE. Cd was distributed preferentially to the root cylinder of the HE but not the NHE, and there was a 3–5 times higher Cd concentration in xylem sap of the HE in contrast to the NHE. These results illustrate that a greatly enhanced rate of root-to-shoot translocation, possibly as a result of enhanced xylem loading, rather than differences in the rate of root uptake, was the pivotal process expressed in the Cd hyperaccumulator HE S. alfredii

Comparison of Lumbo-Pelvic Kinematics During Trunk Forward Bending and Backward Return Between Patients with Acute Low Back Pain and Asymptomatic Controls

Background—Prior studies have reported differences in lumbo-pelvic kinematics during a trunk forward bending and backward return task between individuals with and without chronic low back pain; yet, the literature on lumbo-pelvic kinematics of patients with acute low back pain is scant. Therefore, the purpose of this study was set to investigate lumbo-pelvic kinematics in this cohort. Methods—A case-control study was conducted to investigate the differences in pelvic and thoracic rotation along with lumbar flexion as well as their first and second time derivatives between females with and without acute low back pain. Participants in each group completed one experimental session wherein they performed trunk forward bending and backward return at self-selected and fast paces. Findings—Compared to controls, individuals with acute low back pain had larger pelvic range of rotations and smaller lumbar range of flexions. Patients with acute low back pain also adopted a slower pace compared to asymptomatic controls which was reflected in smaller maximum values for angular velocity, deceleration and acceleration of lumbar flexion. Irrespective of participant group, smaller pelvic range of rotation and larger lumbar range of flexion were observed in younger vs. older participants. Interpretation—Reduced lumbar range of flexion and slower task pace, observed in patients with acute low back pain, may be the result of a neuromuscular adaptation to reduce the forces and deformation in the lower back tissues and avoid pain aggravation

BRUTUS and its paralogs, BTS LIKE1 and BTS LIKE2, encode important negative regulators of the iron deficiency response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Iron (Fe) is required for plant health, but it can also be toxic when present in excess. Therefore, Fe levels must be tightly controlled. The Arabidopsis thaliana E3 ligase BRUTUS (BTS) is involved in the negative regulation of the Fe deficiency response and we show here that the two A. thaliana BTS paralogs, BTS LIKE1 (BTSL1) and BTS LIKE2 (BTSL2) encode proteins that act redundantly as negative regulators of the Fe deficiency response. Loss of both of these E3 ligases enhances tolerance to Fe deficiency. We further generated a triple mutant with loss of both BTS paralogs and a partial loss of BTS expression that exhibits even greater tolerance to Fe deficient conditions and increased Fe accumulation without any resulting Fe toxicity effects. Finally, we identified a mutant carrying a novel missense mutation of BTS that exhibits an Fe deficiency response in the root when grown under both Fe-deficient and Fe-sufficient conditions, leading to Fe toxicity when plants are grown under Fe-sufficient conditions