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This paper presents the effect of rigidity of plinth beam on a model building frame supported by pile groups embedded in cohesionless soil (sand) through the results of static vertical load tests. The effect of rigidity of plinth beam on displacements and rotation at the column base and also shears and bending moments in the building frame were investigated. In the analytical model, soil nonlinearity in the axial direction is characterized by nonlinear vertical springs along the length of the pile (t-z curves) and at the tip of the pile (Q-z curves) while in the lateral direction by the p-y curves. Results revealed that, shear force and bending moment values which were back calculated from the experimental results, showed considerable reduction with the reduction of the rigidity of the plinth beam. The response of the frame from the experimental results is in good agreement with that obtained by the nonlinear finite element analysis.

The complex field of education is often depicted as a static field governed by technocratic approaches to activities that characterise the field. Education change is equally viewed in such limited and positivistic ways and linear means-end processes (Hoban 2002). In such orientations to the field, educational research therefore, is about finding rule approaches and law like processes to enable change processes and renewal of the field. I argue that education, when viewed as a dynamic and complex system allows for change within boundaries and space that leads to meaningful and dynamic interactions between complex phenomena leading to open ended interactions and change possibilities that makes for a dynamic, self-renewing, rather than episodic bureaucratic change process. This in my view enables education activities to make meaningful professional and socioeconomic contributions often attributed as key functions of the field of education.

Changing times in teacher education has been a long mantra and many changes have been occurring globally in this sector of higher education. In South Africa teacher education change has been linked to changes in the broader education processes and includes policy changes and the development of regulatory frameworks which all impacted on practice of teacher educators. My own experiences as a teacher educator are based largely on my shift from school teacher to teacher educator has, almost paralleled the major shifts in teacher education in South Africa. In this article I sketch the development of my own practice as a teacher educator and highlight some of the changes that have affected my practice as a teacher educator in a faculty of education. In my opinion this process of almost a decade represents a tale of rigid practices in and around messy realities against a backdrop of shifting sands of national changes in teacher education. I present this mix of policy, institutional and personal practice as interconnected processes that are inextricably linked influencing and influenced by each other, in a sense what Robinson (2003) refers to as a tension between reform through legislation and reform through personal and institutional vision building. My main contention is that real change cannot be effected by policies alone or by changing approaches in terms of current practice and paradigmatic orientations but that more contextualised responses are necessary for reconceptualisation and not just tinkering for transformation of teacher education.

Proximal migration of double J (DJ) stent after pyeloplasty poses a difficult problem in infants whose small ureter renders retrograde ureteroscopic retrieval difficult. Previously described antegrade techniques used large access sheaths or blind removal under fluoroscopic guidance. We describe a technique for antegrade retrieval of the stent under direct vision. A 8F vascular access sheath is placed into the renal pelvis under ultrasound guidance. A 6F nephroscope with 3F forceps placed through the sheath grasps and retrieves the stent under direct visualization. This technique is simple, quick, avoids radiation exposure and was used by us successfully in 2 small infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poem "Very Strange Wants" by C. Narayana Reddy is presented. First Line: The ears that are tired of hearing; Last Line: He becomes a wrong man.

The present paper focus on the phytosociological survey carried out in North Andaman part of Andaman and Nicobarislands and enlists the plant species with their habit and forest types they belong. The study area showed five importantforest types viz., evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, mangroves and littoral. The survey in these islandsencountered 241 tree species, 119 climbers, 45 shrubs and 49 herbs from 62, 41, 24 and 23 families respectively from asample of 203 quadrats of 0.1 ha size. Euphorbiaceae is found to be dominant family represented by 34 species belongto 21 genera. The result of the survey indicates the potential species richness of the study site that encompasses a vividbiodiversity. It also provides a data base on North Andaman plant species which can be utilized in the context of speciesconservation and future inventories.

A checklist of all indigenous and naturalized trees of Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh State, India wasmade. There are as many as 510 taxa (73 families, 252 genera) in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh State which hereenumerated under family names alphabetically. The nomenclature of the taxa is updated. The popular name, tradename, tree height, vegetation type, and district-wise distribution to each taxon are provided in tabular form. Country oforigin / nativity was provided for exotic species. Of the total 510 indigenous/naturalised species, 40% are distributed ina wide variety of vegetation types.