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This paper explores New Zealand teacher views of multi-level language classes, an increasingly common practice where learners at different curriculum and year levels are combined into a single class due to declining learner numbers. Findings from exploratory qualitative surveys and interviews show that the majority of teachers do not feel supported within their school and have not received professional development for this significant change to their practice which they feel devalues language learning. Teachers feel that multi-level classes are hard work, increase their workload, and negatively impact on their well-being, student learning and assessment grades.

Can-do statements are commonly used in language education to describe the level of a learner's proficiency. However, there is little research on whether they represent proficiency and progression for non-European languages, particularly non-Latin script or community languages. A self-assessment can-do survey was developed to investigate and compare secondary school learner self-assessments of reading proficiency in German, Japanese and Urdu for the multilingual assessment scheme Asset Languages in England. Findings show that the same three factors best represent learners' self-assessed reading proficiency across all three languages. However, differences were also found raising the need for further research in the way can-do statements represent progression for learners of Japanese and Urdu. Additionally, and in contrast to the findings for German and Japanese, results indicate that learners of Urdu and their teachers underestimated learner proficiency in relation to test scores. Finally, this research demonstrates that the construct of reading in the current National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages is not endorsed by the learners in this study.

Plastic production pellets sampled from four beaches along a stretch of coastline (south Devon, SW England) and accompanying, loosely adhered and entrapped material removed ultrasonically have been analysed for major metals (Al, Fe, Mn) and trace metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Mo, Sb, Sn, U) following acid digestion. In most cases, metal concentrations in composite pellet samples from each site were less than but within an order of magnitude of corresponding concentrations in the pooled extraneous materials. However, normalisation of data with respect to Al revealed enrichment of Cd and Pb in plastic pellets at two sites. These observations are not wholly due to the association of pellets with fine material that is resistant to ultrasonication since new polyethylene pellets suspended in a harbour for 8 weeks accumulated metals from sea water through adsorption and precipitation. The environmental implications and potential applications of these findings are discussed.

The annulus fibrosus of the human intervertebral disc is sparsely innervated, some of the fibers containing substance P. We could demonstrate, by autoradiography, binding sites for substance P localized on the endothelium of small blood vessels in the annulus fibrosus of human intervertebral discs removed during anterior fusion for back pain. In binding inhibition studies, binding of 125I-Bolton Hunter-substance P was inhibited by unlabeled substance P and the related tachykinins neurokinin A and neurokinin B with a rank order of potency substance PNKANKB. Specific binding was reduced75 percent by 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate, indicating G-protein coupling. These features are characteristic of an NK1 receptor through which vascular effects, i.e., vasodilation, plasma extravasation and angiogenesis of substance P, are mediated. The presence of NK1 receptors on blood vessels in the annulus fibrosus may indicate a role for substance P in tissue repair although acute proinflammatory effects may contribute to discogenic pain.

The role of active sodium transport in the partes rectae of subcortical and juxtamedullary proximal nephrons has not yet been established. Recent knowledge of the histotopographical positions of both types of pars recta has now enabled them to be accurately distinguished and isolated from freeze-dried sections. Na K ATPase activity was measured in single dissected tubular segments by an ultramicro method. No significant difference in Na K ATPase activity in the partes rectae from subcortical and juxtamedullary nephrons could be detected.