9,472 research outputs found

    Action research in physical education: focusing beyond myself through cooperative learning

    Get PDF
    This paper reports on the pedagogical changes that I experienced as a teacher engaged in an action research project in which I designed and implemented an indirect, developmentally appropriate and child‐centred approach to my teaching. There have been repeated calls to expunge – or at least rationalise – the use of traditional, teacher‐led practice in physical education. Yet despite the advocacy of many leading academics there is little evidence that such a change of approach is occurring. In my role as teacher‐as‐researcher I sought to implement a new pedagogical approach, in the form of cooperative learning, and bring about a positive change in the form of enhanced pupil learning. Data collection included a reflective journal, post‐teaching reflective analysis, pupil questionnaires, student interviews, document analysis, and non‐participant observations. The research team analysed the data using inductive analysis and constant comparison. Six themes emerged from the data: teaching and learning, reflections on cooperation, performance, time, teacher change, and social interaction. The paper argues that cooperative learning allowed me to place social and academic learning goals on an even footing, which in turn placed a focus on pupils’ understanding and improvement of skills in athletics alongside their interpersonal development

    The changing patterns of group politics in Britain

    Get PDF
    Two interpretations of ways in which group politics in Britain have presented challenges to democracy are reviewed: neo-corporatism or pluralistic stagnation and the rise of single issue interest groups. The disappearance of the first paradigm created a political space for the second to emerge. A three-phase model of group activity is developed: a phase centred around production interests, followed by the development of broadly based 'other regarding' groups, succeeded by fragmented, inner directed groups focusing on particular interests. Explanations of the decay of corporatism are reviewed. Single issue group activity has increased as party membership has declined and is facilitated by changes in traditional media and the development of the internet. Such groups can overload the policy-making process and frustrate depoliticisation. Debates about the constitution and governance have largely ignored these issues and there is need for a debate

    Effect of axillary brachial plexus blockade on baroreflex-induced skin vasomotor responses: Assessing the effectiveness of sympathetic blockade

    Get PDF
    Background: The combination of laser Doppler flowmetry and non-invasive blood pressure monitoring allows the continuous observation of cutaneous vascular resistance (CVR). Continuous recording of unmodulated skin blood flow (SBF) is very sensitive to artefacts, rendering the method unreliable. In contrast, intermittent short lasting challenges of the CVR by cardiovascular autonomic reflexes may provide information about the responsiveness of the sympathetic nervous system in the skin. Methods: Eleven patients with below-wrist hand surgery (six males and five females; aged 35.2 ± 7.1 years) performed Valsalva maneuver following axillary blockade. Skin blood flow was continuously monitored on the forearm of the side axillary blockade, as well as on the contra-lateral forearm, which was used as the control. The responses were expressed as changes compared with the baseline level derived from a resting period of 30s. The maxima

    The Original Issue Discount Deduction In Bonds-for-Noncash Property Exchanges

    Get PDF
    The first codification of the United States Internal Revenue laws gave a corporation a deduction from income of [a]ll interest paid or accrued within the taxable year on its indebtedness. ...This same language is presently in force in the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The statutory language authorizing the interest deduction has never dealt explicitly with the deductibility of discount arising upon a corporation\u27s original issuance of bonds. Treasury Regulations promulgated pursuant to the interest deduction sections, however, have recognized continually that the statutory language embodies a deduction for original issue discount. \u27The latest pre-1969 regulation, which limits itself to bonds issued on or before May 27, 1969 states: If bonds are issued by a corporation at a discount, the net amount of such discount is deductible and should be prorated or amortized over the life of the bonds. For purposes of this section, the amortizable bond discount equals the excess of the amount payable at maturity . . .over the issue price of the bond (as defined in paragraph (b)(2) of § 1.1232-3). The definition of issue price is generally that price at which the bonds were first sold by the corporation. The pre-1969 regulations, however, did not explicitly single out for different treatment those situations in which a corporation issues a bond in exchange for noncash property. This absence of specific regulatory authority did not impede the attempted taking of discount deductions by corporations that had issued bonds in exchange for some of their own outstanding equity securities in recapitalizations or by corporations that had utilized bonds directly to acquire tangible property for use in their business. In these instances corporations have claimed that amortizable bond discount was present when the maturity value of the issued bonds exceeded the value of the noncash property received. The same absence of specificity in the statute and regulation has allowed the Commissioner of Internal Revenue to argue that amortizable bond discount could not arise in such instances. The most significant forum for these conflicting arguments has been the federal judiciary,and this Note devotes substantial space to a consideration of the judiciary\u27s handling of this problem. Inasmuch as one of the primary goals of this Note is to evaluate the appropriateness of the 1969 legislative response to the bonds-for-noncash property question, a study of the pre-1969 cases provides the background and a framework necessary for such an evaluation. Furthermore, the pre-1969 case law is still timely because it should govern the question for bonds issued prior to May 27, 1969

    Envelope Determinants of Equine Lentiviral Vaccine Protection

    Get PDF
    Lentiviral envelope (Env) antigenic variation and associated immune evasion present major obstacles to vaccine development. The concept that Env is a critical determinant for vaccine efficacy is well accepted, however defined correlates of protection associated with Env variation have yet to be determined. We reported an attenuated equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) vaccine study that directly examined the effect of lentiviral Env sequence variation on vaccine efficacy. The study identified a significant, inverse, linear correlation between vaccine efficacy and increasing divergence of the challenge virus Env gp90 protein compared to the vaccine virus gp90. The report demonstrated approximately 100% protection of immunized ponies from disease after challenge by virus with a homologous gp90 (EV0), and roughly 40% protection against challenge by virus (EV13) with a gp90 13% divergent from the vaccine strain. In the current study we examine whether the protection observed when challenging with the EV0 strain could be conferred to animals via chimeric challenge viruses between the EV0 and EV13 strains, allowing for mapping of protection to specific Env sequences. Viruses containing the EV13 proviral backbone and selected domains of the EV0 gp90 were constructed and in vitro and in vivo infectivity examined. Vaccine efficacy studies indicated that homology between the vaccine strain gp90 and the N-terminus of the challenge strain gp90 was capable of inducing immunity that resulted in significantly lower levels of post-challenge virus and significantly delayed the onset of disease. However, a homologous N-terminal region alone inserted in the EV13 backbone could not impart the 100% protection observed with the EV0 strain. Data presented here denote the complicated and potentially contradictory relationship between in vitro virulence and in vivo pathogenicity. The study highlights the importance of structural conformation for immunogens and emphasizes the need for antibody binding, not neutralizing, assays that correlate with vaccine protection. © 2013 Craigo et al

    Characterisation of the pathogenic effects of the in vivo expression of an ALS-linked mutation in D-amino acid oxidase: Phenotype and loss of spinal cord motor neurons

    Get PDF
    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult-onset neuromuscular disorder characterised by selective loss of motor neurons leading to fatal paralysis. Current therapeutic approaches are limited in their effectiveness. Substantial advances in understanding ALS disease mechanisms has come from the identification of pathogenic mutations in dominantly inherited familial ALS (FALS). We previously reported a coding mutation in D-amino acid oxidase (DAOR199W) associated with FALS. DAO metabolises D-serine, an essential co-agonist at the N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid glutamate receptor subtype (NMDAR). Using primary motor neuron cultures or motor neuron cell lines we demonstrated that expression of DAOR199W, promoted the formation of ubiquitinated protein aggregates, activated autophagy and increased apoptosis. The aim of this study was to characterise the effects of DAOR199W in vivo, using transgenic mice overexpressing DAOR199W. Marked abnormal motor features, e.g. kyphosis, were evident in mice expressing DAOR199W, which were associated with a significant loss (19%) of lumbar spinal cord motor neurons, analysed at 14 months. When separated by gender, this effect was greater in females (26%; p< 0.0132). In addition, we crossed the DAOR199W transgenic mouse line with the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS to determine whether the effects of SOD1G93A were potentiated in the double transgenic line (DAOR199W/SOD1G93A). Although overall survival was not affected, onset of neurological signs was significantly earlier in female double transgenic animals than their female SOD1G93A littermates (125 days vs 131 days, P = 0.0239). In summary, some significant in vivo effects of DAOR199W on motor neuron function (i.e. kyphosis and loss of motor neurons) were detected which were most marked in females and could contribute to the earlier onset of neurological signs in double transgenic females compared to SOD1G93A littermates, highlighting the importance of recognizing gender effects present in animal models of ALS

    Slavery in the Economy of Rusk County 1843-1860

    Get PDF
    In light of the suspicions of the writer with reference to the labor theory of plantation slavery as stated in the above problem, it is the purpose of this paper to try and give a more logical reason for the fanatical cleaverage to slavery, since it has been proven to be both unethical end unprofitable. This writer shall attempt to answer for his benefit and the benefit of the reader the following questions: 1. What was the actual market value of slaves with reference to age and sex? 2. What was the role of the slave in the acquisition of public land? 3. What was the role of the slave in the socio-economic status of the southern planter? 4. What was the role of the slave in the probate transactions in the plantation system? 5. Why there was such a fanatical cleaverage to slavery knowing that it was unprofitable from the start? 6. Where did the land-poor agrarian planter turn for liquid capital in an emergency transaction, which involved a large sum of money? 7. What was the value of the slave in comparison to the other holdings of the plantation owner? The scope of this paper will begin around 1843, which is the date on which the First Legislature of the Republic of Texas passed an Act creating Rusk County, and will close around 1860, which is considered the beginning of the end for the slave plantation system in the south. The material for this paper consists of around one hundred and thirty-eight cases, gathered from archives of old newspapers, county Probate Records, Deed Records, Diaries, maps and Tax Records, having dates corresponding with the scope dates
    corecore