Alcohol abuse represents major societal problems, an unmet medical need resulting from our incomplete understanding of the mechanisms underlying alcohol's actions in the brain. To uncover these mechanisms, animal models have been proposed. Here, we explore the effects of acute alcohol administration in zebrafish, a promising animal model in alcohol research. One mechanism via which alcohol may influence behavior is the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system. As a proof-of-concept analysis, we study how D1 dopamine-receptor antagonism may alter the effects of acute alcohol on the behavior of adult zebrafish and on whole brain levels of neurochemicals. We conduct these analyses using a quasi-inbred strain, AB, and a genetically heterogeneous population SFWT. Our results uncover significant alcohol x D1-R antagonist interaction and main effects of these factors in shoaling, but only additive effects of these factors in measures of exploratory behavior. We also find interacting and main effects of alcohol and the D1-R antagonist on dopamine and DOPAC levels, but only alcohol effects on serotonin. We also uncover several strain dependent effects. These results demonstrate that acute alcohol may act through dopaminergic mechanisms for some but not all behavioral phenotypes, a novel discovery, and also suggest that strain differences may, in the future, help us identify molecular mechanisms underlying acute alcohol effects.

ABSTRACTOver the past 15 years, assessment for learning (AfL) has emerged as a key area of teacher practice with policy mandates around the world supporting teachers’ implementation of the underlying components of this pedagogical approach. While procedural and selective implementation of AfL strategies has been observed within research (i.e., implementing the letter of AfL), promoting a spirit of AfL appears far more challenging. There is a critical need to better understand how teachers develop AfL capacity within their practice to effectively cultivate a spirit of AfL in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to describe a learning continuum for teachers’ implementation of AfL as based on data from 88 teachers. Specifically, interview and observational data were analyzed to describe five developmental stages demarcating shifts in teachers’ conceptual understandings and enacted AfL practices. The resulting learning continuum provides an empirical foundation for responsive teacher education that facilitates teachers’ continued learning toward more meaningful AfL implementation.

The goal of this research was to assess outcomes of the Ontario On-line Research Co-op course, by showing whether this course: 1. leads to a conceptual change in the under­standing of the nature of science (recognizing the goal of science as the construction of ever-deeper explanations of the natural world) 2. leads to a significant increase in academic stu­dent achievement in science; 3. helps students to establish a concept of scien­tific standards close to that of their mentors, and 4. enables to foster students’ scientific investiga­tion skills.

This paper presents the basic principles of the Bulgarian Electronic Governance Act and the regulation of the obligations for interoperability and information security

The recent Canadian experience in promoting social accountability and social responsiveness of medical schools has been one of steady improvement in certain institutions, against a background lacking overall national policy direction. Canada has several distinct advantages in trying to devise means of enhancing social accountability of medical training and health services, including a strong national system of publicly supported and financed health care of high quality, a network of excellent academic medical centers, and well-established accreditation bodies. A review of the literature, complemented by a new survey of Canadian medical schools, confirms that some of the centers, conscious of the need to promote social responsiveness, are developing innovative programs to do so. Future progress toward the goal of social responsiveness of medical schools on a pan-Canadian basis will require a more cohesive approach involving systematic sharing of best practices among academic health centers, effective alliances with other health professionals to promote these objectives, and support by federal and provincial ministries of health. Canadian awareness of an international movement tending to similar objectives would support the efforts of Canadian health professionals engaged in practices of enhanced accountability.

The permanent representatives of the Council of Ministers of the Georgian SSR to the USSR Council of Ministers have the specific responsibility of maintaining daily liaison between the republic's government and the government of the USSR. Within the limits of their competence, the permanent representatives participate in the drafting of decrees and regulations on state, economic, and sociocultural construction and examine proposals of the plan-and-budget and other standing committees of the USSR Supreme Soviet and USSR Council of Ministers pertaining to the Georgian SSR. They participate directly in the review of the draft plans of the USSR State Planning Committee, ministries, state committees, and other organs of the USSR for economic and social development, the state budget, material and technical supply, the most important national, interbranch, and regional programs, and other questions that relate to the Georgian SSR.