Lactobacillus acidophilus Protected Organs in Experimental Arthritis by Regulating the Pro-inflammatory Cytokines

Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of joints. Exact etiology of the disease is not understood yet; but histopathological examination of vital organs like liver, kidney, ovary and knee joint can anticipate immune mediated damage. In this study, Lactobacillus acidophilus was administered orally by both prophylactic and curative protocol in freund’s complete adjuvant induced arthritic rats. Indomethacin was used as standard anti-arthritic drug. Histopathology of liver, kidney, ovary and right hind knee joint were done. Cytokine concentrations were determined by using ELISA. Effects shown by L. acidophilus were comparable with indomethacin. Histopathological analysis of liver, kidney, ovaries and knee joints of L. acidophilus fed groups revealed significantly less damage as compared with other counterparts. Lactobacillus treatment has down-regulated pro-inflammatory level and up-regulated anti-inflammatory cytokines level in serum samples. L. acidophilus managed organs damage associated with arthritis. It has significantly down regulated the pro-inflammatory cytokines.     

The logic of equity practice in Queensland state education—2010

This paper reports on an interview‐based study which explored the implementation of a major policy initiative in Queensland, Australia, with particular attention to social justice issues. Interviews were conducted with key policy actors in three sections of the bureaucracy: strategic directions, performance and measurement; curriculum and assessment; workforce and professional development. We were interested in the ways in which the tensions between redistributive and recognitive approaches to social justice were being managed in the bureaucracy. We drew on Bourdieu’s concepts of field, logic of practice, political discourse, habitus, capital, and symbolic power struggles to theorize the politics of discourse associated with such policy implementation processes within bureaucracies. The interview data revealed differences in approach to equity issues and in the language used in the three sections of the bureaucracy. We argue that these differences, associated with the different priorities of the three sections and their differing roles in the implementation processes, reflect the different logics of practice operating within the different sections. The final section of the paper discusses the implications of the analysis for theorizing equity and difference in education policy in new times and considers the value of Bourdieu’s concepts for theorizing policy implementation processes.     

Transition and Reformation of Indian Agricultural Libraries in the Digital and Collaborative Era: Challenges,Opportunities, and Sustainability

The article discusses how the Indian agricultural libraries have transformed through various innovative projects in the recent past. Libraries in the National Agricultural Research and Education network have connected and collaborated to deliver information resources as per the changing needs of the academic community. The author describes the initiatives made through projects for upgrading libraries and moving them to virtual environment and digital platforms like IDEAL and central digital repositories like Krishikosh. Collaborative projects like CeRA–consortiums and union catalogue–AgriCat developed on Koha have made a breakthrough in transformation. Sustainable development of digital platforms is important; how the various platforms have been sustained and continued is interesting. Some of the challenges and constraints in institutional repositories, open access, and digital accessibility of e-resources for new, developing universities and bridging the digital divide are also addressed. Through describing these transformations, the author concludes that attention of academicians and librarians is required to facilitate and popularize use of e-resources and bring greater dependency on e-text in light of the changing technological scenario.     

Restructuring Teacher Education,the National Interest and Globalisation

This paper argues that the repositioning of Asian countries as new ‘centres’ for world trade and commerce and the transformation of Australian society and economy to accord with this global consolidation, includes a general restructuring of all levels of Australia's ‘education industry’ and specifically the (re)forming of its initial teacher and professional‐education programmes. The need for such reformation arises in part from the restructuring of the work of teaching based on a broader definition of the people and educational settings that are involved in the teaching/learning process, a reworking of this teaching/learning process, the higher status given to certain substantive areas of study, such as languages other than English, and the management of education along corporatist lines. This paper suggests further that teacher‐education programmes should also provide students with the resources to critically analyse these changes, giving consideration to issues such as identity, the impact of new technologies on culture and learning, the use of language in promoting particular discourses, and the repositioning of education as a tool for economic reform.     

The effect of working condition on math teacher effectiveness: value-added scores and student satisfaction in teaching

The purpose of this study is to better understand how math teachers’ effectiveness as measured by value-added scores and student satisfaction with teaching is influenced by school’s working conditions. The data for the study were derived from 2009 to 2010 Teacher Working Condition Survey and Student Perception Survey in Measures of Effective Teaching Project. Using the structural equation modeling and other related methods, several models of teacher effectiveness were estimated. The findings indicate that among the examined working condition factors, support for instruction and for student conduct management have significant effects on teachers’ value-added scores in mathematics. Moreover, the student satisfaction with teaching seems to have a mediating effect on value-added scores. The findings of the study significantly contribute to a better understanding of the effects of working environment on math teachers’ effectiveness and how improvement in working conditions can enhance math teachers’ performance.