Beyond the middle: A report about literacy and numeracy development of target group students in the middle years of schooling: Volume 1

The report was commissioned by the Department of Education, Science and Training to investigate the perceived efficacy of middle years programmes in all States and Territories in improving the quality of teaching, learning and student outcomes, especially in literacy and numeracy and for student members of particular target groups. These target groups included students from lower socio-economic communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, students with a language background other than English, rural and remote students, and students struggling with the transition from middle/upper primary to the junior secondary years. The project involved large scale national and international literature reviews on Australian and international middle years approaches as well as an analysis of key literacy and numeracy teaching and learning strategies being used. In the report, there is emergent evidence of the relative efficacy of a combination of explicit state policy, dedicated funding and curriculum and professional development frameworks that are focused on the improvement of classroom pedagogy in the middle years. The programs that evidenced the greatest current and potential value for target group students tended to have developed in state policy environments that encouraged a structural rather than adjunct approach to middle years innovations. The authors conclude that in order to translate the gains made into sustainable improvement of educational results in literacy and numeracy for target groups, there is a need for a second generation of middle years theorising, research, development and practice.

A Novel Approach to Intraoral Mandibular Nerve Anesthesia: Changing Reference Planes in the Gow-Gates Block Technique

Purpose: The Gow-Gates technique is said to have several advantages over traditional techniques to achieve mandibular nerve anesthesia; however, its routine use is quite limited, mainly due to complications during visual alignment of reference landmarks. The purpose of this study was to verify the validity and accuracy of a new method to reach the injection site. Material and Methods: Fifteen magnetic resonance images were captured. Distances from the ideal injection point in the condylar neck (puncture ideal) to the injection points located in the a and 0 plane intersection (Puncture Gow-Gates and puncture modified) were measured and compared. Results: Positive and significant (P <= .003) Pearson correlations between landmarks and injection points confirmed the validity of the modified technique. Paired t test showed that the segment line puncture ideal-puncture modified, 5.17 mm, was 3 times shorter (P < .001) than the segment line puncture ideal-puncture Gow-Gates, 17.91 mm. As calculated by linear regression, establishing the injection point of the modified technique depended only on the anteroposterior and lateromedial condyle positions. Conclusions: The modified technique proved to be valid and precise and has a determined and an effective injection site. (C) 2009 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 67:2609-2616, 2009

Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma. surgical approach using a transoral Le Fort I osteotomy following embolization: a case report

Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (NA) is a rare vascular benign nonencapsulated neoplasm, characterized by local aggressiveness and destructive potential, typically diagnosed in adolescent males. We report a case of NA affecting a 15-year-old male that presented with a persistent nasal obstruction and epistaxis with 1 year of evolution. Clinical and radiological patterns pointed out a differential diagnosis of NA. Arteriography demonstrates the vascular support of the tumor and evinces the embolization of the internal maxillary artery. The surgical approach was procedure by Le Fort I osteotomy exposing the tumor and promoting easy access for posterior removal. The surgery was carried out without hemorrhagic problems. The maxilla was fixed in the original position with 4 L-shape plaques. Histopathological findings supported the diagnosis of NA. The patient presented after 8 months of postoperative follow-up, without clinical signs of recurrence or residual tumor and without palatal or maxillary teeth paresthesia.

Major demographic changes in Bangladesh and their socio-economic correlates: Analysis of trends

Catalogues the demographic changes in Bangladesh during the period 1975-2000 and examines how they relate to key socio-economic attributes. Trends are examined in population growth, growth of the working age population, women’s workforce participation, age-dependency ratio, female-male ratio, longevity, fertility, mortality and mean age at first marriage. Bangladesh has made significant breakthroughs in all these areas, a feat not matched by most other South Asian countries, but comparable with the South-East Asia region as whole. The study isolates factors contributing to the changes in each attribute. It assesses the correlation between Bangladesh’s demographic changes and selected socio-economic indicators namely, its per capita GDP, female labour force participation, per capita public health expenditure and educational achievements by both men and women. All five socio-economic variables display statistically significant correlation, in varying degrees, with measures of the demographic changes. Per capita GDP is probably the most significant determinant of demographic changes in Bangladesh. The study observes that men’s education reinforces women’s education and with increased workforce participation contributed to reduced fertility. The study suggests that the role of family planning programs in curbing population growth in Bangladesh maybe overestimated.

Esthetic and functional restoration for an anterior open occlusal relationship with multiple diastemata: A multidisciplinary approach

An anterior open occlusal relationship and diastemata may negatively interfere with the harmony of the smile, often requiring a multidisciplinary intervention. This clinical report presents an integrated orthodontic, periodontal, and restorative solution for an anterior open occlusal relationship associated with multiple diastemata and discusses the most relevant aspects related to Its etiology and treatment planning.

Immunohistochemical approach reveals involvement of inducible nitric oxide synthase in rat late development

To better understand the role of nitric oxide (NO) in mammal development, specifically in the transition of the fetal stages at birth, we studied the timing of cell-specific expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) isoform during gestational periods of rats, mainly at the late stages of intra-uterine development. Before experimentation, the samples were collected (from 17th to 21st gestational days), fixed in 10% buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin for histological procedures. Hereafter, the sections (5 mu m thickness) obtained from different embryos were immunostained by avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase technique, by using antibody against iNOS isoform. The most of cell immunopositive was suggestive of granulocyte-like cells and those cells were resident close to the blood vessels in different organs, such as: lung, liver or bone marrow environment. Sometimes we noted immunopositive cells in the blood flow, as reported in the thymus. In agreement, iNOS expression, obtained by western blotting analysis, showed the same profile. Together, our data shows that iNOS expression increased gradually during the late stages of rat development (from E17 to E21) and it was executed by cells close to blood vessels. Thus, we can clearly to predict that this expression was finely modulated and it contributes for time-line dependent NO production during rat late development.