Contractual termination of leases: lessons from the Commonwealth: Pt. 2

This, the second part of a three-part article on contractual termination of leases, considers the extent to which English courts have allowed the contract law principles of frustration and acceptance of a repudiatory breach to be applied to leaseholds. Distinguishes cases involving a repudiatory breach by a landlord from those where the tenant is the one in breach.

Continuing Professional Development: rhetoric and practice in the NHS

This article explores the experience of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by supervisory-level clinical staff in the National Health Service. Four main themes are highlighted in the literature, namely the nature and experience of CPD, its relationship with human resource management practices and in particular in career development and planning. These themes are examined utilising sources of (triangulated) empirical data based on a 2500 sample survey conducted across five NHS Trusts. A key finding was that responsibility for learning and development was perceived as belonging to the individual rather than the organisation. Other findings concern a lack of resource-based commitment by the organisation to CPD for clinical staff undertaking supervisory-level roles and evidence of 'credentialism' with its emphasis on seeking certificated qualifications. The findings raise concerns about the potential for clinical staff to become disillusioned and to perceive a potential breach in their psychological contract because of problems in reconciling their own interests with those of their professional body, and that of their employer in relation to CPD.

Fostering 'habits of reflection, independent study and free inquiry': an analysis of the short-lived phenomenon of General/Liberal Studies in English vocational education and training

In 1957, 12 years after the end of World War II, the Ministry of Education issued Circular 323 to promote the development of an element of ‘liberal studies’ in courses offered by technical and further education (FE) colleges in England. This was perceived to be in some ways a peculiar or uncharacteristic development. However, it lasted over 20 years, during which time most students on courses in FE colleges participated in what were termed General or Liberal Studies classes that complemented and/or contrasted with the technical content of their vocational programmes. By the end of the 1970s, these classes had changed in character, moving away from the concept of a ‘liberal education’ towards a prescribed diet of ‘communication studies’. The steady decline in apprenticeship numbers from the late 1960s onwards accelerated in the late 1970s, resulting in a new type of student (the state-funded ‘trainee’) into colleges whose curriculum would be prescribed by the Manpower Services Commission. This paper examines the Ministry’s thinking and charts the rise and fall of a curriculum phenomenon that became immortalised in the ‘Wilt’ novels of Tom Sharpe. The paper argues that the Ministry of Education’s concerns half a century ago are still relevant now, particularly as fresh calls are being made to raise the leaving age from compulsory education to 18, and in light of attempts in England to develop new vocational diplomas for full-time students in schools and colleges.

Phenotypical characterization in "Plasmopara halstedii" (sunflower downy mildew) isolates of several races

Phenotypic variation (morphological and pathogenic characters), and genetic variability were studied in 50 isolates of seven Plasmopara halstedii (sunflower downy mildew) races 100, 300, 304, 314, 710, 704 and 714. There were significant morphological, aggressiveness, and genetic differences for pathogen isolates. However, there was no relationship between morphology of zoosporangia and sporangiophores and pathogenic and genetic characteristics for the races used in our study. Also, our results provided evidence that no relation between pathogenic traits and multilocus haplotypes may be established in P. halstedii. The hypothesis explaining the absence of relationships among phenotypic and genetic characteristics is discussed.

Pl2 resistance gene differentiates the pathogenicity in four "Plasmopara halstedii" (sunflower downy mildew) races 304, 704, 314 and 714

In order to clarify the role of Pl2 resistance gene in differentiation the pathogenicity in Plasmopara halstedii (sunflower downy mildew), analyses were carried out in four pathotypes: isolates of races 304 and 314 that do not overcome Pl2 gene, and isolates of races 704 and 714 that can overcome Pl2 gene. Based on the reaction for the P. halstedii isolates to sunflower hybrids varying only in Pl resistance genes, isolates of races 704 and 714 were more virulent than isolates of races 304 and 314. Index of aggressiveness was calculated for pathogen isolates and revealed the presence of significant differences between isolates of races 304 and 314 (more aggressive) and isolates of races 704 and 714 (less aggressive). There were morphological and genetic variations for the four P. halstedii isolates without a correlation with pathogenic diversity. The importance of the Pl2 resistance gene to differentiate the pathogenicity in sunflower downy mildew was discussed.

Biomonitoring of air pollutants by using lichens (Evernia prunastri) in areas between Kenitra and Mohammedia cities in Morocco.

In this study, Evernia prunastri, a lichen growing in its natural habitat in Morocco was analysed for the concentration of five heavy metals (Fe, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cr) from eleven sites between Kenitra and Mohammedia cities. The control site was Dar Essalam, an isolated area with low traffic density and dense vegetation. In the investigated areas, the concentration of heavy metals was correlated with vehicular traffic, industrial activity and urbanization. The total metal concentration was highest in Sidi Yahya, followed by Mohammedia and Bouznika. The coefficient of variation was higher for Pb and lower for Cu, Zn and Fe. The concentrations of most heavy metals in the thalli differed significantly between sites (p<0.01). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a significant correlation between heavy metal accumulation and atmospheric purity index. This study demonstrated also that the factors most strongly affecting the lichen flora were traffic density, the petroleum industry and paper factories in these areas. Overall, these results suggest that the index of atmospheric purity and assessment of heavy metals in lichen thalli are good indicators of the air quality at the studied sites.

Using idiothetic cues to swim a path with a fixed trajectory and distance: Necessary involvement of the hippocampus but not the retrosplenial cortex.

Rats rapidly learned to find a submerged platform in a water maze at a constant distance and angle from the start point, which changed on every trial. The rats performed accurately in the light and dark, but prior rotation disrupted the latter condition. The rats were then retested after receiving cytotoxic hippocampal or retrosplenial cortex lesions. Retrosplenial lesions had no apparent effect in either the light or dark. Hippocampal lesions impaired performance in both conditions but spared the ability to locate a platform placed in the center of the pool. A hippocampal deficit emerged when this pool-center task was run in the dark. The spatial effects of hippocampal damage extend beyond allocentric tasks to include aspects of idiothetic guidance.

Transition region velocity oscillations observed by EUNIS-06

Spectroscopic measurements of NOAA AR 10871, obtained with the Extreme Ultraviolet Normal Incidence Spectrograph (EUNIS) sounding rocket instrument on 2006 April 12, reveal velocity oscillations in the He II 303.8 angstrom emission line formed at T approximate to 5; 10(4) K. The oscillations appear to arise in a bright active region loop arcade about 25 '' wide which crosses the EUNIS slit. The period of these transition region oscillations is 26 +/- 4 s, coupled with a velocity amplitude of +/- 10 km s(-1), detected over four complete cycles. Similar oscillations are observed in lines formed at temperatures up to T approximate to 4; 10(5) K, but we find no evidence for the coupling of these velocity oscillations with corresponding phenomena in the corona. We interpret the detected oscillations as originating from an almost purely adiabatic plasma, and infer that they are generated by the resonant transmission of MHD waves through the lower active region atmospheres. Through the use of seismological techniques, we establish that the observed velocity oscillations display wave properties most characteristic of fast body global sausage modes.

Polynuclear metal complexes obtained from the task-specific ionic liquid betainium bistriflimide

The task-specific ionic liquid betainium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [Hbet][Tf2N], was used to dissolve metal oxides and hydroxides. The crystal structures of the resulting metal betaine bistriflimide complexes exhibit a rich structural variety. A trimeric structure was found for the cobalt(II) compound, [Co-3(bet)(8)(Hbet)(2)(H2O)(2)][Tf2N](9)[Hbet], a tetrameric structure for the manganese(II) and zinc(II) compound, [Mn-4(bet)(10)(H2O)(4)][Tf2N](8) and [Zn-4(bet)(10)(H2O)(2)][Tf2N](8), respectively, a pentameric structure for the nickel(II) compound, [Ni-5(bet)(12)(H2O)(6)][Tf2N](10), an oxo-hydroxo-cluster formation for the lead(II) compound, [(Pb4O)Pb(OH)(bet)(8)(Tf2N)3] [Tf2N](4)center dot MeOH, and a polymeric structure for the silver(I) compound, [Ag-2(bet)(2)(Tf2N)Ag-2(bet)(2)][Tf2N](3). The zwitterionic nature of the betaine ligand and the weakly coordinating ability of the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [Tf2N]- anion facilitates the incorporation of metal ions into oligonuclear and polynuclear metal complexes.