Researching creatively with pupils in Assessment for Learning (AfL) classrooms on experiences of participation and consultation

This paper reports on an ESRC TLRP project, Consulting Pupils on the Assessment of their Learning (CPAL). The CPAL project provides an additional theoretical perspective to the ‘educational benefits’ perspective of engaging pupil voice in learning and teaching (Rudduck et al., 2003) through its exploration of pupil rights specifically in relation to assessment issues presently on the policy agenda in the Northern Ireland context – notably Assessment for Learning (AfL). An emergent framework for assessing pupil rights, based on Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Lundy, 2007), is being used to explore the ways in which AfL classroom practice creates the conditions for increased pupil participation and consultation. Pupil views on their AfL classroom experiences and participation are explored by means of a variety of pupil-centred, creative research methods that engage and stimulate pupils to observe, communicate and analyse their learning and assessment experiences and give meaning to them. This presentation highlights preliminary data based on a sample of 11-14 years pupils' experiences of participation and consultation in classrooms adopting AfL pedagogical principles, and identifies characteristics that support or inhibit pupil participation in their learning and the expression of their views about such matters

Who are our nomads today?: Deleuze's political ontology and the revolutionary problematic

This paper will address the question of the revolution in Gilles Deleuze's political ontology. More specifically, it will explore what kind of person Deleuze believes is capable of bringing about genuine and practical transformation. Contrary to the belief that a Deleuzian program for change centres on the facilitation of 'absolute deterritorialisation' and pure 'lines of flight', I will demonstrate how Deleuze in fact advocates a more cautious and incremental if not conservative practice that promotes the ethic of prudence. This will be achieved in part through a critical analysis of the dualistic premises upon which much Deleuzian political philosophy is based, alongside the topological triads that can also be found in his work. In light of this critique, Deleuze's thoughts on what it is to be and become a revolutionary will be brought into relief, giving rise to the question of who really is Deleuze's nomad, his true revolutionary or figure of transformation

Water sensitive urban design in the city of the future

With timeframes for addressing the issues of the City of the Future (CotF) rapidly approaching (e.g. 2020, 2025, 2050), this paper integrates international research knowledge and expertise from four continents. It critically evaluates the role of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) in the CotF in terms of overlapping theory and practice. The aspirations of water sensitive cities are reviewed and multiple drivers for applying WSUD are described from developing and developed country perspectives In addition, the potential for WSUD to support cities in ‘leap-frogging’ towards their visions are explored. The role of WSUD within the wider context of achieving sustainable living objectives (e.g. greater resilience, low carbon living, sustainable transportation, local food supply and social stability) is debated and the concept of the ‘multi-objective city’ introduced. Conclusions are drawn regarding opportunities for the WSUD process to provide a framework within which professionals from many disciplines can support landscape architects and urban planners in achieving multiobjective liveable cities are identified

Café Mesoamericano: desarrollo de una estrategia de adaptación al cambio climático

La producción de café en Mesoamérica es parte importante de la economía y la sociedad, al ser eje del bienestar de miles de familias y contribuir significativamente al PIB agrícola de diversos países. Pero las proyecciones indican que es en México y América Central donde el cambio climático tendrá los impactos más severos. Los modelos climáticos y los indicadores de aptitud climática del nicho en relación con el cultivo muestran cambios considerables, tanto en la calidad del café como en las zonas altitudinales apropiadas para la producción. Si hoy no se hacen esfuerzos para fortalecer la capacidad adaptativa, probablemente habrá grandes pérdidas económicas en toda la cadena de abastecimiento de café, así como la desaparición de importantes servicios ambientales

Respiratory virus infection up-regulates TRPV1, TRPA1 and ASICS3 receptors on airway cells.

Receptors implicated in cough hypersensitivity are transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), transient receptor potential cation channel, Subfamily A, Member 1 (TRPA1) and acid sensing ion channel receptor 3 (ASIC3). Respiratory viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and measles virus (MV) may interact directly and/or indirectly with these receptors on sensory nerves and epithelial cells in the airways. We used in vitro models of sensory neurones (SHSY5Y or differentiated IMR-32 cells) and human bronchial epithelium (BEAS-2B cells) as well as primary human bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) to study the effect of MV and RSV infection on receptor expression. Receptor mRNA and protein levels were examined by qPCR and flow cytometry, respectively, following infection or treatment with UV inactivated virus, virus-induced soluble factors or pelleted virus. Concentrations of a range of cytokines in resultant BEAS-2B and PBEC supernatants were determined by ELISA. Up-regulation of TRPV1, TRPA1 and ASICS3 expression occurred by 12 hours post-infection in each cell type. This was independent of replicating virus, within the same cell, as virus-induced soluble factors alone were sufficient to increase channel expression. IL-8 and IL-6 increased in infected cell supernatants. Antibodies against these factors inhibited TRP receptor up-regulation. Capsazepine treatment inhibited virus induced up-regulation of TRPV1 indicating that these receptors are targets for treating virus-induced cough

The Taxation of E-Commerce: The Inapplicability of Physical Presence Necessitates an Economic Presence Standard

The explosive growth of electronic commerce has served as a catalyst for immense economic growth. Virtually every aspect of traditional commerce now has some presence on the Internet. As such, the way people shop for clothing, cars, airline tickets, and even groceries, has been changed forever. However, these developments may also have drawbacks. As more and more traditional brick-and-mortar stores transfer their operations to the Internet, there are many unintended consequences. The traditional infrastructure of retail stores may slowly begin to erode. Similarly, jobs in the retail industry may be eliminated in favor of more efficient, more cost-effective Internet technology

Land Market Trends in South Dakota 1941-1955, Supplement to Bulletin No. 413: Land Market Trends in South Dakota 1941-1950

Data for this report were secured from the offices of the Register of Deeds in each of eight counties in South Dakota. These counties were Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Clay, Faulk, Haakon, Hand and Spink. Supplementary information was secured from the records of the County Auditors as well as from records available at the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation offices in each of the counties included in the study. This report, as a supplement to Station Bulletin 413, furnishes a continuous record of farm land sales in each of the eight counties over a period of fifteen years, 1941-1955. Beadle, Faulk, Hand and Spink counties are within the prospective irrigation area in central South Dakota. These counties were selected in order to secure a record of farm land prices during the development of the prospective irrigation of that area. Comparisons can easily be made with sales prices in the other counties outside this area. Eventually a complete history of land prices during the entire development of that project will be secured. In 1941, at the start of this study, counties had acquired title to considerable acreage of farm land through foreclosure of farm loans extended from state school endowment funds as well as considerable acreage acquired by the counties through delinquent tax statutes. With few exceptions county owned lands have been sold and returned to the tax rolls. The Federal Land Bank and insurance companies as well as other corporations had acquired title to farm land through foreclosure of loans they had extended on farm land. During the early years of this study loaning agencies and counties were the chief sellers of farm land. Only 2119 acres or 1.4 percent of the total land sold in 1955 in these eight counties was sold by loaning agencies