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An organic solar cell fabrication kit has been developed for demonstration in both undergraduate teaching classes and high school laboratories to promote the growing field of renewable energy and to facilitate empirical comprehension of solar technology. The laboratory focuses on fabricating organic photovoltaics (solar cells) and testing the efficiency of power generation. By restricting substances to nontoxic coating inks, and a Pb-free alloy for the cathode, chemical hazards are minimized. Usually, organic solar cell fabrication requires the use of expensive laboratory equipment only found in a university or an industry environment, such as fume hoods, large spin coaters, nitrogen glove boxes, and metal evaporation systems. Importantly, the solar cell kit has been specifically developed to remove the need for accessing this large and expensive equipment: nontoxic inks are used such that fume hoods are not necessary, a portable miniature spin coater has been developed such that large spin coaters with a vacuum connection are not required, and a low-melting-point (62°C) Pb-free alloy has been trialed such that access to high-vacuum metal evaporation equipment is not necessary. The exercise utilizes a pedagogical framework of preliminary predictive exercises, practical verification of device optimization and engineering to illuminate the key working principles of a solar cell, and a post-exercise quiz to provide feedback and assess embedded knowledge. This experiment is an introductory lesson in renewable energy and gives students exposure to the chemistry, physics, and materials science concepts of organic electronics.

Several previous studies have reviewed the literature surrounding the use of technology in teacher education. This literature review takes a specific focus as it addresses the use of social media in initial teacher education (ITE). It seeks to explore what constitutes effective use of social media in supporting the development of new teachers in all sectors of ITE, including primary, secondary, English language teaching and lifelong learning. The authors seek to develop and share a deeper understanding of the relationship between social media and the participation and collaboration of pre-service teachers in ITE. The findings of the review include issues surrounding community, pedagogy and design, and this synthesis provides a significant exploratory contribution to the development of effective teacher education and training across the UK curriculum.

Aspergillosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in penguins, with triazole antifungal drugs being commonly used for prophylaxis and treatment. This report describes 15 cases of fatal hemolysis associated with liquid itraconazole and voriconazole formulations administered to African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) from four institutions. All penguins underwent stressful events (e.g. relocation, induced molt) and were administered commercial liquid itraconazole formulations or compounded voriconazole liquid suspension. Observed clinical signs in affected penguins prior to death included hyporexia, weight loss, lethargy, dyspnea, red-tinged droppings, and obtunded mentation. Intra- and extravascular hemolysis and hemoglobinuric nephrosis were the primary pathologic manifestations on postmortem examination. The concentration-dependent hemolytic potentials of itraconazole, voriconazole, and commercial and compounded vehicle suspensions were evaluated in vitro by exposing chicken whole blood as a surrogate for penguin blood. Hemoglobin content in blood plasma was then measured by spectrophotometry. Neither itraconazole nor voriconazole alone induced hemolysis in vitro. The vehicle ingredients sorbitol and hydromellose induced hemolysis, but not at predicted plasma levels in chicken erythrocytes, suggesting neither the azole antifungals nor their major vehicles alone were likely to contribute to hemolysis in vivo in these penguins. Potential mechanisms of toxicosis include generation of an unmeasured reactive metabolite causing hemolysis, preexisting erythrocyte fragility, or species-specific differences in hemolytic thresholds that were not assessed in the chicken erythrocyte model. More research is needed on the potential for toxicosis of azole antifungal drugs and carrier molecules in this and other avian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the relationship between confidence and risk in relation to the initial education and continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers. The context for this examination is the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) in England, which sits between secondary schools and universities, and the discussion is illustrated with data gathered from trainee teachers in this sector. Understandings of confidence are considered and it is argued that the inculcation of confidence through risk-taking is important for new teachers in their journey to praxis. The article concludes by arguing that the transformative potential of critical engagement with professional knowledge on teacher education courses and through work-based learning (WBL) should be balanced with the need for the good and appropriate time necessary for the risky political act of reflection, not merely the immediate technical evaluation of practice.

Purpose: This paper seeks to suggest that the most appropriate way to construe the concept of enterprise education is from a pedagogical viewpoint. Enterprise education as pedagogy is argued to be the most appropriate way to think about the concept and serves to demarcate it from entrepreneurship education, which is very much about business start-up and the new venture creation process. Design/methodology/approach: Enterprise education is underpinned by experiential action learning that can be in, outside and away from the normal classroom environment. It can be delivered across a range of subject areas throughout different phases of education. Findings: Enterprise and entrepreneurship education are perceived to be conflated terms that for many in the education and business communities mean much the same thing. Adopting an enterprise education approach allows greater pupil/student ownership of the learning process. Practical implications: Enterprise education as pedagogy advocates an approach to teaching where specific learning outcomes differ across and between different educational phases and subject areas but which has a clear and coherent philosophical underpinning. Originality/value: Enterprise education should not be equated solely with business, as it is a broader, deeper and richer concept. The theoretical import of the paper is in part a plea for a more rigorous, practically informed analysis of the different strands (pedagogy, entrepreneurship, citizenship and civic responsibility) that make up enterprise education. The paper also sets out the case for a more critical analysis of enterprise education. (Contains 4 notes.)

The international mobility of teachers is gaining increased attention as particular developing countries become significant sources of supply for more developed countries that have shortages. Most attention so far has focused on Africa's contribution to the United Kingdom workforce. This article examines the patterns of teacher migration for Australia and New Zealand generally, with the aim of providing a context within which to view Pacific Island teacher mobility. Australia and New Zealand are potentially important as destinations for Pacific Island teachers, as sources of teachers to these countries and as partners in the development process, which involves the training and support of teachers. Three quite different cases, the Cook Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu, are used as examples to begin to understand what is happening in the Pacific. While Vanuatu has little international mobility of teachers, Fiji does experience quite an outflow but this is mainly linked to the political instability which has racked the country since the 1980s. The Cook Islands is quite unique in its overall level of out-migration but the outflow of teachers is not a significant issue. Neither Australia nor New Zealand recruit explicitly from these three countries but they do benefit from the inflow of small numbers of teachers in their general migration programs. (Contains 1 note, 4 tables, and 3 figures.)

In the final paragraph of his 1984 book "From knowledge to wisdom, a revolution in the aims and methods of science," the philosopher Nicholas Maxwell boldly declared that an intellectual revolution was underway in the aims and methods of science, and academic inquiry in general, from what he termed knowledge-inquiry to wisdom-inquiry. Twenty years later, this article discusses to what extent this revolution has taken place. (Contains 1 note.)

Successive governments in the UK have increasingly stressed the need for a more enterprising society. Much of the emphasis has been placed upon educationalists to introduce more elements of enterprise into the school curriculum at all levels, and new and innovative ways to initiate the subject matter is increasingly being sought. This article describes a summer school that is part of this initiative. It stresses the difference between Traditional and Enterprise modes of learning and contests that compared with traditional methods of teaching and learning, enterprise education requires a different pedagogical approach and aims to qualitatively change the educational experience. It is suggested that traditional teaching is better suited to the needs of the "old" economy with the enterprising approach being more conducive to the needs of the new flexible market economy. While providing an explanation, description and analysis of the workings and operations of an entrepreneurial life skills summer school, the article also provides a systematic and rigorous exploration not only of the summer school itself but also of the policy and regional development context. It describes how the methodology and approach adopted is rooted in the framework and context that shaped and informed the venture as well as contributing to the article itself. (Contains 2 notes and 1 figure.)

A government study reveals that many students of non-English-speaking background in New South Wales (Australia) miss out on instruction in English as a Second Language, that their community languages are allowed to lapse, and that the relationships among different groups in the schools are not given the attention they deserve. (SLD)

Background: Emraclidine is a novel, highly selective positive allosteric modulator of M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors currently in development for the treatment of schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease psychosis. By selectively activating M4 receptors, emraclidine may reduce excess dopamine signaling in the striatum, potentially leading to a reduction in psychotic symptoms. Unlike current antipsychotics, emraclidine does not interfere with signaling at dopamine, serotonin, or histamine receptors, which can lead to adverse events. A previous phase 1b study supports further investigation of emraclidine. The phase 2 EMPOWER program will fully evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and dose-range of once-daily (QD) emraclidine in schizophrenia. Methods: EMPOWER-1 and EMPOWER-2 are two adequately powered, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group, 6-week inpatient studies of emraclidine monotherapy (10 mg QD, 15 mg QD, 30 mg QD). The trials are enrolling adult participants with schizophrenia who are experiencing an acute exacerbation of psychosis. Eligible participants will have a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Total Score between ≥85 and ≤120 and a Clinical Global Impression – Severity (CGI-S) score ≥4 at baseline. Both de novo participants and those who complete EMPOWER-1 or EMPOWER-2 will be eligible to participate in EMPOWER-3, a 52-week open label extension trial to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of emraclidine in adult participants with stable schizophrenia. Results: Detailed study designs for the EMPOWER program will be presented. Primary outcome measure for EMPOWER 1 and 2 is change from baseline in PANSS total score at week 6. Other outcome measures include change from baseline in CGI-S score at week 6. Data from EMPOWER-3 will contribute to the overall evaluation of safety and tolerability of emraclidine in adult participants with schizophrenia. Conclusions: The development of emraclidine is promising, as it selectively activates M4, a novel target that has been implicated in reducing psychotic symptoms while potentially avoiding many of the side effects currently associated with antipsychotics. The EMPOWER program aims to establish the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and appropriate dose-range of emraclidine in the treatment of schizophrenia. Funding: Cerevel Therapeutics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the problems and potentials of nonformal education in India by reviewing a number of booklets, surveys, speeches, and government documents which analyze directions of nonformal education over the past three decades. (KC)

Objectives: Talent identification traditionally relies on the knowledge and perceptions of expert coaches to identify and predict potential future elite athletes. Experiential coach knowledge is a valuable source of information to guide research in this ill-defined and under-researched area. This review aims to synthesize current empirical understanding of coach knowledge as it relates to decision making in talent identification.Design: This systematic review and meta-synthesis used the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to identify relevant literature.Methods: Eligible studies were critically appraised for quality, and key findings from the 14 studies were integrated to allow for thematic analysis.Results: The meta-synthesis revealed the key theme of 'instinct' as the primary contributor to coach decisions during talent identification. Subordinate themes informing coach instinct were 'drive and ambition', 'game intelligence' and 'physical and technical skills'.Conclusions: Coaches appear to make decisions about talent based on their tacit knowledge or instinct. Understanding how coaches develop these instinctual 'feelings' may guide future research into talent identification and enhance our understanding of how experiential coach knowledge is developed and utilised in the daily training environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United Kingdom; however, figures show that the uptake for bowel cancer screening lags behind other cancer screening programmes. Methods This is a report of a multi-staged development of an outreach colorectal clinical community service provided through a Mobile Unit (a Bowel Bus). The unit delivers a one-stop colorectal clinic that provides a rapid access pathway to members of the public who have concerns about, or symptoms of, bowel cancer. The aims of the project were to increase public awareness about colorectal cancer and to provide an outreach clinic as a supplement to the hospital based colorectal clinic. This service is a result of collaborative efforts between Tenovus Cancer Care (TCC) and the colorectal surgery department of the local NHS Hospital. Results During one year, the Bowel Bus has provided services to 772 members of the local community. 244 patients were examined by the colorectal nurse specialist including 66 drop-in patients and 135 patients referred by the GPs. The service led to decrease in the waiting list for routine referrals to be seen in the colorectal clinic at the hospital from a mean of 10.5 weeks–5.9 weeks. A feedback questionnaire from 180 patients, used to audit the quality of the service, has confirmed an overwhelming satisfaction with the service. Conclusion The Mobile Unit is a novel solution to addressing the ever increasing demand for specialist outpatient services without compromising the quality of care whilst enhancing the patient experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of much high skilled migration research has tended to be on health and IT professionals. This chapter addresses the mobility of school teachers in a geographic region that has received little attention, the Pacific. Unlike the Caribbean Islands and South Africa, the Pacific has not been the focus of much research into the demographic, economic and geographic factors impacting mobility, nor into the social, economic and demographic consequences of mobility. Given the teacher shortages that are occurring in many industrialised countries on the Pacific Rim, (including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US) and the tailoring of immigration and long term visitor policies to attract highly skilled workers in areas of shortage, the Pacific could be affected. The article demonstrates that of three countries studied as part of a comparative project, only Fiji has been losing teachers to an extent that has been harmful to the country's education system. Most mobility has been related to political events but, nevertheless, the negative consequences are a matter for concern. Australia has benefited from the immigration of highly skilled Fijian teachers and its aid policies could be used as one way of addressing the loss of skilled human resources from Fiji. This could alleviate some of the tension and go some way towards meeting the demands for compensation. Many of the debates surrounding skilled migration and brain drain are investigated in relation to Fiji where political instability makes this an even more interesting case to examine. On the other hand, the Cook Islands and Vanuatu experience low levels of international teacher emigration and this situation will remain as long as many of their teachers continue to be trained to levels that are not acceptable in the labour markets of industrialised countries. This has mainly been a matter of a shortage of resources rather than a deliberate policy of 'under-training'. If an upgrading of training does occur, however, the situation could change. This introduces a dilemma for these countries as they strive to upgrade qualifications and skills, as per the Millennium Development Goals, but seek to retain their own teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maintaining stable differentiated somatic cell function in culture is essential to a range of biological endeavors. However, current technologies, employing, for example, primary hepatic cell culture (essential to the development of a bio-artificial liver and improved drug and toxicology testing), are limited by supply, expense, and functional instability even on biological cell culture substrata. As such, novel biologically active substrates manufacturable to GMP standards have the potential to improve cell culture-based assay applications. Currently hepatic endoderm (HE) generated from pluripotent stem cells is a genotypically diverse, cheap, and stable source of “hepatocytes”; however, HE routine applications are limited due to phenotypic instability in culture. Therefore a manufacturable subcellular matrix capable of supporting long-term differentiated cell function would represent a step forward in developing scalable and phenotypically stable hESC-derived hepatocytes. Adopting an unbiased approach we screened polymer microarrays and identified a polyurethane matrix which promoted HE viability, hepatocellular gene expression, drug-inducible metabolism, and function. Moreover, the polyurethane supported, when coated on a clinically approved bio-artificial liver matrix, long-term hepatocyte function and growth. In conclusion, our data suggest that an unbiased screening approach can identify cell culture substrate(s) that enhance the phenotypic stability of primary and stem cell-derived cell resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Australia has a long history of migration of medical practitioners and nurses. This paper will provide an overview of the current situation regarding the supply of and demand for doctors and nurses and Australia's immigration policies and regulatory framework. Trends in training numbers and the relationship to demand will be analyzed and it will be shown that a continuation of widespread shortages can be expected. In recent years, Australia has been the forerunner, among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, in its overt policy initiatives to attract overseas-trained doctors. It has shown little concern for the negative consequences on some sending countries that lose their doctors and nurses. Also, it has not entered into the spirit of international attempts to try to ameliorate the potential effects of developing-to-developed country health professional migration and trade, where there are negative consequences for the sending country. It will be argued that Australia could become a better global "citizen." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nursing profession needs to have a greater appreciation of how techniques such as Citizens' Juries can be used in nursing research. This paper explains the concept of Citizens' Juries and how it is being used as a form of social research, that can simultaneously increase public participation in policy making. Participation has become a key component of the discourse in policy making, and public participation initiatives can be one way of bridging the democratic deficit. For nursing, Citizens' Juries offer a way of discovering lay people's considered judgment on key policy issues, while also providing a potentially powerful platform for citizens to express their concerns and priorities, thereby influencing the services they receive. A Citizens' Jury brings together a small group of people over a period of time and presents them with a policy question. The jurors listen to expert witnesses, examine the evidence, deliberate on the issues and arrive at a policy decision or set of recommendations. In this paper we argue that any ordinary person given the opportunity, enough time and the necessary resources can make decisions about complex policy matters. Key findings from two Citizens' Juries on genetics in Wales are offered as case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The migration of skilled workers is increasing rapidly in Pacific Island countries including Fiji and the Cook Islands. This paper focuses on teachermigration because of the potentially far-reaching implications of this migration for educational systems and development. The situation in Fiji and the Cook Islands is compared and contrasted. Based on a survey of teachers inselected schools in Fiji and the Cook Islands, the paper examines factors related to intentions to migrate or stay. Findings from the study provide insights on how the government in Fiji and the Cook Islands can retain a competent teaching force. The paper also discusses the vulnerability of theeducation systems in Pacific Island countries in the light of high rates of international teacher migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims Bone marrow (BM) cells may transdifferentiate into or fuse with organ parenchymal cells. BM therapy shows promise in murine models of cirrhosis, and clinical trials of bone marrow stem cell therapy for organ healing are underway. However, the BM may contribute to scar-forming myofibroblasts in various organs including the liver. We have studied this axis of regeneration and scarring in murine models of cirrhosis, including an assessment of the temporal and functional contribution of the BM-derived myofibroblasts. Methods Female mice were lethally irradiated and received male BM transplants. Carbon tetrachloride or thioacetamide was used to induce cirrhosis. BM-derived cells were tracked through in situ hybridization for the Y chromosome. BM transplants from 2 strains of transgenic mice were used to detect intrahepatic collagen production. Results In the cirrhotic liver, the contribution of BM to parenchymal regeneration was minor (0.6%); by contrast, the BM contributed significantly to hepatic stellate cell (68%) and myofibroblast (70%) populations. These BM-derived cells were found to be active for collagen type 1 transcription in 2 independent assays and could influence the fibrotic response to organ injury. These BM-derived myofibroblasts did not occur through cell fusion between BM-derived cells and indigenous hepatic cells but, instead, originated largely from the BM’s mesenchymal stem cells. Conclusions The BM contributes functionally and significantly to liver fibrosis and is a potential therapeutic target in liver fibrosis. Clinical trials of BM cell therapy for liver regeneration should be vigilant for the possibility of enhanced organ fibrosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]