The Influence of Teacher Development on Secondary Content Area Supervision Among Preservice Teachers

This study addresses the issues and challenges faced by university supervisors when providing content-specific and general pedagogical feedback to preservice teachers. Study data highlight the perspectives of six preservice teachers as they reflect on their supervisory experiences over the course of a licensure year. Survey, interview, and written observation data from preservice teachers and university supervisors reveal the influence of teacher development and content area conventions on how preservice teachers view their teaching abilities and their expectations of university supervisors. Findings will inform how others may approach mentoring, support, and the evaluation of beginning teachers.     

Schools and informal science settings: collaborate, co-exist, or assimilate?

In this metalogue we build on the arguments presented by Puvirajah, Verma and Webb to discuss the nature of authentic science learning experiences in context of collaborations between schools and out-of-school time settings. We discuss the role of stakeholders in creating collaborative science learning practices and affordances of out of school time and formal science learning contexts. We contend that authentic science learning experiences are those where science learning happens within a social milieu and advocate for true collaborations between schools and informal settings in ways that emphasize the goals of the collaboration and strengths of each setting.     

Savouring Rajasthan's Shiksha Karmi in a remote village: the prospect of dismantling the student-teacher divide

The Shiksha Karmi Project in Rajasthan, one of the most educationally challenged states, is at the frontiers of alternative models of primary education in India. The key ideas underlying this model are: (i) the taking over of ‘sick’ schools in remote regions of the state and turning them around, (ii) creating new schools driven by demand from the ground, (iii) human resource investments to train local village teachers, (iv) strong linkages between the school and the community built upon a spirit of voluntarism, (v) an explicit movement toward gender equity and (vi) a bold attempt at the universalization of primary education through a combination of formal and non-formal institutions. This article provides a grounded feel for the Shiksha Karmi Project in a stellar school, Meena Dant Ka Pura. While the case highlights the shortage of locally based female teachers in the entire Shiksha Karmi Project, it also suggests the very real possibility of employing Shiksha Karmi Project alumni and higher grade students in teaching roles. Overall, primary education in India has much to learn from the Shiksha Karmi Project experience.     

The legacy of Nikola Tesla

Electrical power supply has grown enormously during this century. In 1950 the total capacity of generators producing electricity in India was less than 3000 MW. Today, the power generating capacity is around 120,000 MW. The polyphase AC system, which is to a large extent the legacy of Nikola Tesla, is central to all power generation. Power systems these days are complex interconnected networks spread across the country. How are they structured? How have we been doing in India?     

Spurious Hyperphosphatemia in a Case of Multiple Myeloma

A 50 year old male was admitted in our hospital with anemia and impaired renal function. He was subsequently found to have extremely elevated serum phosphate level (24 mg/dL, reference interval: 2.5–4.5 mg/dL) with normal serum calcium when assayed on a Beckman Coulter AU 480^® analyser. Clinico-biochemical discrepancy led to the suspicion of spurious hyperphosphatemia. Serum total protein was grossly elevated with gross reversal of albumin to globulin ratio. Serum electrophoresis revealed a large M band and was confirmed as Ig G-Kappa type on immunofixation. Subsequently a bone marrow aspiration biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. The patient serum was then reassayed for phosphate on a Vitros^® 250 Dry Chemistry platform and the result was within normal reference interval. Paraproteinemias are a common cause of analytical interference in clinical biochemistry laboratories and as multilayered film technology platforms like Vitros^® assay most routine analytes on a protein free filtrate they are unaffected by paraprotein interference. Clinically discordant patient results should always be interpreted keeping such interferences in mind.     

DNA translocation through short nanofluidic channels under asymmetric pulsed electric field

Investigation of single molecule DNA dynamics in confined environments has led to important applications in DNA analysis, separation, and sequencing. Here, we studied the electrophoretic transport of DNA molecules through nanochannels shorter than the DNA contour length and calculated the associated translocation time curves. We found that the longer T4 DNA molecules required a longer time to traverse a fixed length nanochannel than shorter λ DNA molecules and that the translocation time decreased with increasing electric field which agreed with theoretical predictions. We applied this knowledge to design an asymmetric electric pulse and demonstrate the different responses of λ and T4 DNA to the pulses. We used Brownian dynamics simulations to corroborate our experimental results on DNA translocation behaviour. This work contributes to the fundamental understanding of polymer transport through nanochannels and may help in designing better separation techniques in the future.     

The institute of Ethiopian studies library and its documentation services

During the last few decades research activities have grown rapidly in Ethiopia. Introduction of higher education and foreign assistance for this purpose have led the Ethiopian Government to set up several research institutes in the country. The Institute of Ethiopian Studies is one of them, set up to enable research activities in various areas of Ethiopian culture as well as to provide a documentation centre for them. Information and documentation are considered to be the infrastructure of research work. The present state of information and documentation services of the Institute is briefly described along with its history, activities and sections. The importance of introducing some new devices, such as compiling bibliographies, cumulative indexes, book lists and starting a newsletter to keep the researchers abreast of new developments at the Institute.     

Potential Biochemical Markers for Preterm Labor: A Pilot Study in North India

Preterm delivery is a major contributor for neonatal mortality. Intensive research is underway to establish a reliable biomarker that can ascertain the risk of preterm delivery in pregnant women. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of various biochemical parameters as potential biomarker for risk assessment for preterm labor. Forty women presenting with preterm labor and 40 women who delivered at term were included in the study. Parameters that were evaluated include corticotrophin (ACTH), prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), ferritin and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP). Serum ACTH, ferritin, ALP and Ferritin/Iron ratio were significantly higher in the subjects who delivered prematurely as compared to the controls. Comparison of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, positive and negative predictive values for different cut offs for ACTH, ferritin, ALP and ferritin/iron ratio was carried out. Ferritin emerged as the best marker with area under curve of 0.96 as compared to 0.88 for ACTH, 0.825 for ALP and 0.735 for ferritin/iron ratio. Our study establishes the superiority of ferritin as a predictive biomarker for preterm labor as compared to the rest of the parameters evaluated.