Accelerated effect on Mitsunobu reaction via bis-N-tert-butoxycarbonylation protection of 2-amino-6-chloropurine and its application in a novel synthesis of penciclovir

Solubility of 2-amino-6-chloropurine in Mitsunobu solvents could be significantly improved after its exocyclic amino group is protected via N-tert-butoxycarbonylation. The bis-Boc protected 2-amino-6-chloropurine also shows excellent activity and N9 selectivity in the coupling with various alcohols by a Mitsunobu reaction. Then, a new practical and efficient method is established for the synthesis of penciclovir （PCV） from bis-Boc-2-amino-6-chloropurine 9 and the side chain of 5-（2-hydroxyethyl）-2,2-dimethyl-l,3-dioxane 5~the latter being a more easily prepared cyclic precursor of the diacetate side chain used in the conventional process. The coupling of 9 with 5 proceeded regioselectively at a N9 position of purine derivative for a good yield under Mitsunobu conditions.     

Re-embodying (preservice middle years) teachers? An attempt to reposition the body and its presence in teaching and learning

This four-part story is about one teacher educator’s attempt to embody praxis as a form of academic work, emphasizing the importance of the corporeal in learning and teaching. I describe the inter-related context (1) of my embodied self, the teacher education course I constructed, and theory employed in mediating course practices. Evidence of praxis in emergence (2) is illustrated through written text and visual artefacts of the operationalized assessment. I discuss (3) using embodied subjectivities, the importance of practice/praxis, and how we operationalize discourse in education to then pose questions (4) as flows for teacher educators, preservice teachers and teachers in their classpaces.     

Leading Change and Innovation in Teacher Preparation: A Blueprint for Developing TPACK Ready Teacher Candidates

When preparing TPACK ready teacher candidates, faculty must incorporate and model TPACK within the teacher education curriculum, which often requires an ongoing change process. But for change to take place we must consider the role leadership plays in the innovation of change. Leaders, deans and department heads must be an integral part of this process. The challenge for innovation, change and education technology leaders is to transform teacher preparation programs into fully realized TPACK environments and determine the necessary learning opportunities and support necessary to motivate college leaders and faculty to fully embrace the change process. This article outlines a collaborative ongoing process and blueprint that leaders should consider as they make plans for the effective integration of TPACK into their colleges. “Tomorrow’s teachers must be prepared to rethink, unlearn and relearn, change, revise, and adapt” (Niess, 2008, p.225). Leaders, deans and department heads must be an integral part of this process if it is to be successful. While technology can support changes in how teacher educators teach and future teachers learn to teach (Dilworth et al., 2012), teaching with technology is a “wicked problem” in that it has “incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements” (Koehler & Mishra, 2008, p.10). New and innovative ways of confronting this complexity must address core knowledge base components that include content, pedagogy, and technology. These components have been used as the foundation for a technology , pedagogy , and content knowledge (TPACK) framework known as technological pedagogical content knowledge, or TPCK (AACTE, 2008; Koehler & Mishra, 2008; Mishra & Koehler, 2006; Pierson, 1999). But what is the role of leaders where TPACK based processes are being implemented in university teacher preparation programs? Educational technology leaders often approach models for teacher preparation in collectives that examine them iteratively. The 2012 National Technology Leadership Summit brought together the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and its Innovation and Technology Committee. Representatives from college administrations met and examined leadership issues facing deans, directors and chairs as they work to support college-wide change facilitating faculty and teacher candidates in the task of becoming TPACK proficient. This work built upon a CITE (Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education) journal editorial focused on initial conversations around leadership needs for effective TPACK implementation (Dexter, Herring, & Thomas, 2012). A presentation at AACTE 2013 extended this work with teacher preparation and education technology leaders sharing “what worked” in their colleges around these processes. A panel presentation at the 2013 Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE) Conference also shared insights into a blueprint for key areas that leaders should consider as they make plans for the effective integration of TPACK into their colleges as well as several implementation case studies. This article compiles this iterative work from a leadership perspective. While the challenge is to transform teacher preparation programs into fully realized TPACK environments, leadership becomes the key in developing new ways of confronting this complex issue that must address core knowledge base components inclusive of content, pedagogy and technology. To accomplish this task, faculty are faced with incorporating modeling these ideas within a teacher education curriculum in concert with ongoing change processes. A solid understanding of the interactions of these components can result in effective teaching with technology in varied and diverse settings; but the critical role of leadership in making such changes must first be considered. The critical features of a blueprint for leaders is based upon the work of Leithwood and colleagues’ framework comprised of three key leadership functions associated with improved student outcomes (Day, Sammons, Leithwood, Kington, 2008; Leithwood, Harris & Hopkins, 2008; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2008; Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). The three major component of the Leithwood transformational leadership model are: (1) Building vision and setting direction (2) Developing people through understanding people and (3) Developing the organization through redesigning it. Leithwood, Begley and Cousins (1994) define transformational leadership as follows: The term ‘transform’ implies major changes in the form, nature, function and/or potential of some phenomenon; applied to leadership, it specifies general ends to be pursued although it is largely mute with respect to means. From this beginning, we consider the central purpose of transformational leadership to be the enhancement of the individual and collective problem-solving capacities of organizational members; such capacities are exercised in the identification of goals to be achieved and practices to be used in their achievement (p. 7). Transformational leaders can create significant change in both followers and the organization with which they are associated (Griffin, 2003). Transformational leaders also find common ground that allows them to enlist followers in processes of change. Fullan (2010) finds that for true reform to take place, resolute leadership that remains focused is critical when new ideas encounter serious difficulty, thereby sustaining and building on success. To achieve this task and create significant change, transformational education leaders realize that true technology integration means understanding and negotiating the relationships between the three components of knowledge and going beyond a “business” organizational model to create change in teacher preparation programs. Too often organizations start down the road to change without being clear on key factors that influence the outcomes of the initiative. Deans and educational leaders must develop a model for change based upon both the organizational culture and the environments they need a set of resources to help and guide them to integrate a framework like TPACK. Through ongoing collaboration and discussion the focus has been around the development of a leadership module which would help leaders establish a vision and set a direction for addressing TPACK. The purpose of a leadership module would be to provide Deans and other educational leaders with the tools they need for full-scale implementation and motivate them to redesign their programs while continuing to improve and sustain a developing / changing curriculum.     

Short-term retention in rats: The effect of goal-arm confinement on delayed alternation performance

Gordon and his associates (e.g., Gordon & Feldman, 1978,Learning and Motivation,9, 164–178; Feldman & Gordon, 1979,Learning and Motivation,10, 198–210; Gordon, Taylor, & Mower, 1981,American Journal of Psychology,94, 309–322) have reported that a reactivation treatment significantly enhances memory for prior forcings in delayed alternation using rats. The reactivation treatment consisted of placing the rat in the goal arm to which it had been forced previously on that trial. The confinement occurred in the absence of food and was 5 sec in duration. The present experiments explored the possibility that the treatment might influence performance by affording an opportunity for new information to be acquired during the confinement period. Evidence consistent with this view was found in that (1) accuracy was reduced on trials in which the initial event was a 5-sec confinement to the arm opposite that of the target forcing and (2) increasing the duration of the confinement from 5 to 15 to 45 sec increased the magnitude of this effect. It was concluded that the effectiveness of goal-arm confinement as a reactivation treatment does not necessarily implicate processes of retrieval in delayed alternation behavior.     

Asymmetric synthesis of N-protected 3-methylpiperidin-2-one and its diastereoisomer

This paper reports the asymmetric synthesis of an important pharmaceutical intermediate (3S)-1-[(1R)-2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl]-3-methylpiperidin-2-one (compound 1) from commercially available D-plenylglycinol and delta-valerolactone. During the alkylation process, the hydroxyl group can be protected or unprotected, resulting in a different consumption of s-BuLi, and leading to a different diastereomeric excess (de) of compound 1. When 1-[(1R)-2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl]-piperidin-2-one (compound 2) was alkylated with 2.5 eq. of s-BuLi, compound 1 was obtained as a single isomer detected by chiral high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns with an overall yield of 91%. With the hydroxyl group protected, (R)-1-(2-[(tert-butyldimethylsil) oxy]-1-phenylethyl) piperidine-2-one (compound 6) could be alkylated with 1.5 eq. of s-BuLi, giving compound 1 and its diastereoisomer 8 in a ratio of 1:2.5 and a yield of methylation of 90%. Compounds 1 and 8 could be separated completely and easily by flash chromatography. The absolute configuration of compound 8 was determined by singlecrystal X-ray analysis. The mechanism of the alkylation process is discussed based on experimental results.     

International co-operation in educational research

In the first part of the essay the authors discuss certain issues of international co-operation in educational research: objectives of co-operation; the ideal of universalism; language and culture differences; the organization of co-operation. The discussion draws upon the results of the authors' extensive literature reviews and of their inquiries among researchers, research directors and research financing agencies in several countries. The second part presents the authors' recommendations regarding the future development of international co-operation in educational research, pointing out that its development as a viable scientific discipline is a prerequisite for its successful utilization as an instrument of educational policy-making. It is suggested that three areas of co-operation be given the highest priority in the near future:

-retrieval and dissemination of information relevant to educational research;

-development of research methods and techniques and the training of researchers; and

-critical analysis and synthesis of research results with the aim of producing new, more reliable knowledge.

It is emphasized that the organisation needed in order to establish the proposed co-operation must both have strong support from national governments and enjoy considerable freedom in its implementation of a given policy of co-operation.     

Cam McRobbie: A man for all occasions

This article reviews the contributions of Campbell John McRobbie, Cam, to science education scholarship and research within the Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) and within the broader science education community. Cam provided strong leadership and vision across many spheres of science education and leaves a legacy to the field that includes, (a) long term administrative and academic support of ASERA as an organization and for its incorporation, (b) firm establishment of RISE as an international journal of high quality, and (c) strong collegial approach to supporting the research of his colleagues including early career researchers and research degree candidates.

Evaluating research-oriented teaching: a new instrument to assess university students’ research competences

Several concepts have been developed to implement research-oriented teaching in higher education in the last 15 years. The definition of research competences, however, has received minor attention so far. Some approaches to modeling research competences describe these competences along the research process but either focus on a specific academic discipline and/or specific facets or offer no empirical verification for cross-disciplinary approaches. We have developed a new approach to model research competences across various academic disciplines in form of a competence model—the RMRC-K-model. This model comprises five dimensions: skills in reviewing the state of research, methodological skills, skills in reflecting on research findings, communication skills, and content knowledge. In this study, we present an instrument (R-Comp) developed on the basis of this cross-disciplinary competence model. The factorial structure of the R-Comp was examined with data from 391 university students in three groups, either enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, or a PhD program. The sample represented various academic disciplines. Results from confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized structure of the R-Comp for the five dimensions in accordance with the RMRC-K-model. Additionally, results provided evidence for a more detailed differentiation of all dimensions with sub-dimensions reflecting theorized facets of the model. Both Cronbach’s α and construct reliability H indicated overall good reliability. Despite limitations to this study, there is some first evidence of a valid and reliable assessment of student research competences.     

Into the academy: preparing and mentoring international doctoral students

This qualitative case study was an examination of a team-based faculty/mentor-led International Doctoral Student Support Group (IDSSG) designed specifically around issues in preparing and mentoring international doctoral students for careers in academia. Twelve participants were selected to participate in a support/focus group that met twice a month for an academic year to attend workshops and discuss their lives as doctoral students. The data set was comprised of two pre- and post-surveys and two in-depth pre- and post-interviews. Findings in the themes of international doctoral students’ graduate school experiences and the impact of the faculty-led support group are presented and discussed.

An examination into some variables said to affect serial learning

In each of three serial learning investigations, rats in a runway were given varying numbers of 0.045-g food pellets in a fixed order. Serial learning was indexed by faster running to larger than to smaller reward quantities. It has been suggested by Hulse (Animal Learning & Behavior, 1980,8, 689–690) and by Roitblat (Behavioral Brain Sciences, 1982,5, 353–371) that differences between two or more serial learning groups that have been obtained under one set of specified experimental conditions may be completely reversed or eliminated under another set of specified experimental conditions. In each of the three investigations reported here, we examined series that had been compared in previous investigations, employing, however, experimental conditions that, according to Hulse and to Roitblat, should produce results different from those obtained previously. In each of the three investigations reported here, the groups differed as they had previously. The findings obtained in this report suggest that none of the following variables is critical to the results obtained in serial learning investigation in the sense suggested by Hulse and Roitblat: the number of items contained in the series, the number of times the series is presented each day, the temporal interval elapsing between items, and the temporal interval elapsing between series presentations. The implications of the present findings for the rule-encoding view of Hulse and his coworkers and for the memory-discrimination learning view of Capaldi and his coworkers are examined.     

Is higher education in really ‘internationalising’?

It is a widely accepted maxim that, like business generally, higher education is globalising. For many countries, higher education is now an important export sector, with university campuses attracting international students from around the world. Licensing production, in the form of franchising degree provision to international partners, is beginning to mutate into foreign direct investment as many universities set up campuses in other countries. While there are clearly parallels between the globalisation of business and higher education, this paper examines the supply- and demand-side drivers within the university sector. It argues that an alignment of special factors, rather than an inexorable trend towards commercialisation, has caused the recent internationalisation of higher education and concludes that current trends are unsustainable in the medium-term.

Reputation and reality: ranking major disciplines in Australian universities

League tables that rank universities may use reputational measures, performance measures, or both. Each type of measure has strengths and weaknesses. In this paper, we rank disciplines in Australian universities both by reputation, using an international survey of senior academics, and with actual performance measures. We then compare the two types of measures to see how closely they match. The criterion we use for both sets of measures is ‘international academic standing’. We find a high correlation between the survey results and the various measures of research performance. We also find a correlation between the quality of student intake and the survey rankings, but the satisfaction levels of recent graduates do not correlate well with the rankings by academics. We then construct an overall measure of performance, which gives very similar rankings to the survey results, especially for the top-ranked institutions.

The preference of Asian overseas students for the United States: An examination of the context

Asian students in increasing numbers have over the postwar period decided to go overseas for tertiary education, and an increasing proportion of those overseas students have selected the United States as their place of study. Eight elements of the changing context of Asian-American relations are identified which influence the Asian preference for American higher education:

1. The improving Asian-American political links
2. The increased volume of Asian-American economic exchange
3. The sharp increase in Asian immigration to the United States
4. The increasing similarity in the structure and content of Asian and American educational systems
5. The absorptive capacity of American higher education
6. The quality of American higher education
7. The complementarity of Asian demand and American supply
8. The opportunities provided in American higher education to cover educational costs through part-time work

     

Analysis of problem solving strategies on electricity problems in 12 to 13 year olds

Strategies implemented by 12–13 year olds to solve electricity problems are examined. Three factors account for observed strategies:

1. type of problem representation, itself dependent on the knowledge base;
2. cognitive personality dimensions;
3. form of problem statement.

Individual interviews were conducted. Each problem statement contained a perceptual ‘trap’ designed to induce contradictory responses. Strategies were coded for accuracy, latency, justification and control. Five types of problem solving strategies were observed:

1. a strategy based on misconceptions such as the vanishing current model;
2. a similar strategy but greater verbalization of doubt;
3. rush to use formulas;
4. sequential analysis of circuit;
5. application of principles learned in class.

Analysis shows that the target problems fell into two classes: problems that triggered automatic (canonical or calculatory) responses, and problems which were much more disruptive. The latter differentiated students who could handle contradictions and control their responses. Mention is also made of difficulties caused by the signified/signifier relationship.     

The Education for All Global Monitoring Report: a mid-term assessment

The Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report is six years old and seven reports have been produced (UNESCO, 2000–2008). It is a product of the outcomes of the World Education Forum in Dakar held in 2000. It is designed to track progress towards the realization of the six EFA goals and to hold governments and the international community to account for their promises and pledges. This short article reviews the genesis, evolution, characteristics, and influence of the GMR to the beginning of 2008. It concludes that the report is now a well established feature of annual international reporting and has helped to strengthen UNESCO’s voice. It is a reference point of some significance but it will need to adjust its reporting and its argument as 2015 approaches.

Implementing the 1981 Education Act

This article examines factors affecting the development and implementation of Education Policy with special reference to the 1981 Education Act for England and Wales. Research is reported about professional practice and administrative behaviour in special education assessment. Six professional and administrative factors are identified which may affect the implementation of the new special education legislation:

1. The nature of the professional domain of special education assessment;
2. The emergence of competing definitions of special educational need and good practice;
3. The concern for professional and administrative accountability;
4. The concern for the rights of users of special education provision;
5. The politicisation of special education through the development of interest groups;
6. The market relations between supply and demand in special education provision.

     

Some reflections on the link between education and employment

The ILO's World Employment Programme, launched officially in 1969, constitutes the major contribution of the International Labour Organisation to the Second Development Decade in the area of employment objectives and policies. The general aim of the World Employment Programme (WEP) is to provide concrete and specific guidelines to policy-makers and planners on policies and measures which enable them to choose those development strategies which have a greater weight attached to productive employment creation, and to assist in their implementation. The following activities have recently been undertaken to give practical effect to the World Employment Programme. First, so-called comprehensive employment strategy missions have been sent to Colombia, Ceylon, Iran and Kenya (ILO, 1970, 1971, 1972a, 1972b). In the light of a definition and diagnosis of the employment problem in these countries, these missions have proposed a long-term strategy based on fundamental changes in key areas of development policy, including education and training. They have also drawn up an immediate programme of action to face the most urgent problems. Second, regional teams have been established in Latin America and Asia, and several subregional teams are in the process of being constituted in Africa. Set up with a view to making a comprehensive investigation of employment problems in the countries of the region and assisting them in formulating employment policies and programmes, they are keeping under review the progress and obstacles encountered and identifying needs for further direct assistance. Third, a major research programme has been launched. The principal elements of the WEP's research programme are the following major projects which are currently being carried out or are about to start:

1. population and employment;
2. technology and employment;
3. income distribution and employment;
4. education and employment;
5. international trade and employment;
6. urban employment problems; and
7. feasibility of emergency employment schemes.

This article gives a brief account of the insights already gained and the work under way in the area of education and employment.