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Teaching about curriculum and assessment through inquiry and problem-based learning methodologies: an initial teacher education cross-institutional study
Get PDFIt is well documented that the integration of inquiry-based learning (IBL) and problem-based learning (PBL) methodologies in initial teacher education (ITE) provides opportunities to enhance pre-service teachers’ research skills. However, few studies articulate the processes by which teacher educators implement and sustain these approaches in cross-institutional collaboration. This paper explores the journey of two teacher educators and their pre-service teachers, within a cross-institutional study on curriculum and assessment, problematising aspects of the longitudinal application of IBL and PBL methodologies. Dialogical reflections by the teacher educators and a critical friend, along with student questionnaires, were analysed in this three-year action research study. Findings demonstrate an increase in pre-service teachers’ research skills but limited transferability of learning to teaching. The papers’ central contribution proposes that as ITE reconfiguration evolves programmes can capitalise upon cross-institutional professional collaborations between teacher educators. Collaborative IBL and PBL learning spaces can be creatively explored to enhance transferability, developing pre-service teachers as researchers, a core element of initial teacher education programme accreditation.ye
An investigation into the development of an artificial intelligence to deliver real time reproductive management analysis.
Get PDFRising global temperatures, increased extreme weather events, shrinking
glaciers, rising sea levels and mass coral bleaching are some of the
increasing observable effects on the environment, associated with
climate change.
• The scientific consensus is that Green House Gases (GHG) are causing the
“greenhouse effect”, trapping heat which would have been emitted
towards space (NASA, 2019).
• The current world population is 7.6 billion and is expected to rise to 8.6
billion by 2030, an increase of over 13% in the next 10 years.
• Ireland has been set a target (Paris agreement (NDC)) of a 30% reduction
in GHG by 2030 (DCCAE, 2018)
Implications for the seafood industry, consumers and the environment arising from contamination of shellfish with pharmaceuticals, plastics and potentially toxic elements: a case study from Irish waters with a global orientation
Get PDFShellfish are a rich source of minerals, B-vitamins and omega-3 to the human diet. The global population is expected to reach 9.6 billion people by 2050 where there will be increased demand for shellfish and for sustained improvements in harvesting. The production of most consumed species of shellfish is sea-based and are thus susceptible to in situ environmental conditions and water quality. Population growth has contributed to expansion of urbanization and the generation of effluent and waste that reaches aquatic environments, potentially contaminating seafood by exposure to non-treated effluents or inappropriately discarded waste. Environmental contaminants as microplastics (MP), pharmaceuticals (PHAR) and potentially toxic contaminants (PTE) are being identified in all trophic levels and are a current threat to both shellfish and consumer safety. Immunotoxicity, genotoxicity, fertility reduction, mortality and bioaccumulation of PTE are representative examples of the variety of effects already established in contaminated shellfish. In humans, the consumption of contaminated shellfish can lead to neurological and developmental effects, reproductive and gastrointestinal disorders and in extreme cases, death. This timely review provides insights into the presence of MP, PHAR and PTE in shellfish, and estimate the daily intake and hazard quotient for consumption behaviours. Alternatives approaches for seafood depuration that encompass risk reduction are addressed, to reflect state of the art knowledge from a Republic of Ireland perspective. Review of best-published literature revealed that MP, PHAR and PTE contaminants were detected in commercialised species of shellfish, such as Crassostrea and Mytilus. The ability to accumulate these contaminants by shellfish due to feeding characteristics is attested by extensive in vitro studies. However, there is lack of knowledge surrounding the distribution of these contaminants in the aquatic environment their interactions with humans. Preventive approaches including risk assessment are necessary to safeguard the shellfish industry and the consumer.ye
Developing Writing Skills Through Weblogs
Get PDFMany students struggle with writing at one time or another
and find academic writing “daunting” (Carlse, 2019, p. 183).
One strategy I used previously while lecturing in the media
in two universities was to implement blogging into relevant
writing-related modules. Lasica (2003) argues that weblogs
(blog is short for weblog) provide an innovative way for people
to express opinions and promote two-way communication.
Many students complain that they have writer’s block and
cannot complete a particular writing assignment as they
face a mammoth task getting started. Freewriting or looping
(Edwards, 2021) are useful ways of getting the writing started
and when the topic is of interest to the writer, as in the form of
a blog, it is more likely that the writing will continue. Blogging
is very different to academic writing and adopts a more
relaxed style. Nevertheless, there are similarities across both
forms of writing: the discipline, planning and development
of ideas is consistent. A lot of students are initially not overly
enthusiastic about academic writing and referencing; however
blogging can potentially make the writing more enjoyable
Evidence of a range expansion in sunfish from 47 years of coastal sightings
Get PDFAlmost nothing is known about the historical abundance of the ocean sunfish. Yet as an ecologically and functionally important taxa, understanding changes in abundance may be a useful indicator of how our seas are responding to anthropogenic changes including overfishing and climate change. Within this context, sightings from a coastal bird observatory (51.26∘ N, 9.30∘ W) over a 47 year period (from April to October 1971–2017) provided the first long-term index of sunfish abundance. Using a general linear mixed effect model with a hurdle to deal with imperfect detectability and to model trends, a higher probability of detecting sunfish was found in the 1990s and 2000s. Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) phytoplankton color indices and the annual mean position of the 13 ∘C sea surface isotherm were significantly correlated with the probability of detecting sunfish. An increase in siphonophore abundance (as measured by the CPR) was also documented. However, this increase occurred 10–15 years after the sunfish increase and was not significantly correlated with sunfish abundance. Our results suggest that the observed increase in sunfish sightings is evidence of a range expansion because it was significantly correlated with the mean position of the 13 ∘C isotherm which moved northwards by over 200 km. Furthermore, the observed increase in sunfish occured 10 years before sunfish sightings are documented in Icelandic and Norwegian waters, and was concurrent with well-known range expansions for other fish species during the 1990s. This study demonstrates how sustained citizen science projects can provide unique insights on the historical abundance of this enigmatic species.ye
The effect of 60 days 6° head-down-tilt bed rest on the metabolic physiology of young, healthy males
Get PDFIntroduction. Six-degree head-down-tilt (HDT) bed rest is a valuable experimental
model for examining the physiological adaptations of gravity deprivation (spaceflight,
physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour, immobilisation and ageing) including muscle
atrophy, a shift in myofiber type composition, reduced cardiovascular and functional
capacity and metabolic dysfunction. Establishing an exercise prescription which
conserves time but mitigates these deleterious physiological adaptations is of profound
importance for life in space and life on Earth. The overall aim was to examine the changes
in physical characteristics, metabolic characteristics and circulating novel biomarkers of
insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance in healthy young males, pre- and post-60 days of
6° HDT bed rest, with and without reactive jump training (RJT), a novel low volume,
high-intensity jump training protocol.
Methodology. A total of 23 male subjects (29 ± 6 years, 181 ± 6 cm, 77 ± 7 kg) were
randomised to a control (CTRL, n = 11) or RJT (JUMP, n = 12) group and exposed to 60
days of 6° HDT bed rest. RJT was performed 6 days per week and on average, each
session consisted of 48 countermovement jumps and 30 hops, performed with maximal
effort at a load equal to 80 – 90% body weight in a sledge jump system (≤ 4 minutes total
exercise time). Body composition, V̇ O2peak, muscle strength were measured and an oral
glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed to estimate insulin sensitivity pre- and post HDT bed rest. Circulating lipids, fetuin-A, retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4), irisin,
adropin, adiponectin, acylation stimulating protein (ASP), apelin, apolipoprotein-J (apo J) and fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) were quantified in fasting serum. A
subanalysis was performed a posteriori to investigate individual metabolic response post HDT bed rest.
Results. Body weight, lean mass and V̇ O2peak decreased in both groups post-HDT bed
rest, with greater reductions observed in CTRL (p < 0.05). Significant main effects of
time were found for increases in triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and fetuin-A and
decreases were observed in HDL-cholesterol, whole-body insulin sensitivity (Matsuda
index) and tissue-specific insulin sensitivity, irisin, adropin, adiponectin and FGF-21
post-HDT bed rest (p < 0.05). In the subgroup with decreased insulin sensitivity, fetuin A, RBP4, fasting insulin and glucose increased and irisin, adropin, adiponectin, FGF-21
and liver and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity decreased post-HDT bed rest (p < 0.05).
In the subgroup with increased insulin sensitivity, adiponectin and FGF-21 decreased and
liver insulin sensitivity increased post-HDT bed rest (p < 0.05).
Discussion. RJT preserved muscle mass and function, but could not mitigate the decline
in insulin sensitivity or induce favourable changes in circulating novel biomarkers
following HDT bed rest. In the subgroup with decreased insulin sensitivity, blunted
insulin action and impaired peripheral glucose uptake were identified post-HDT bed rest.
In the opposing subgroup with increased insulin sensitivity, an improvement in liver
insulin sensitivity was found post-HDT bed rest. Fetuin-A, RBP4, irisin and adropin are
candidate biomarkers for examining changes in insulin sensitivity in response to
intervention.
Conclusion. This study provides insights into the physiological adaptation to HDT bed
rest, including whole-body and tissue-specific insulin sensitivity, and highlights the
importance of future studies to explore individual responses to obtain personalised
information for the optimisation of exercise prescription to maintain health in all
conditions of gravity deprivation in space and on Earth.ye
TUS iMac Orchestra: sound synthesis, ensemble performance and improvised solo performances
Get PDFSummary of Teaching & Learning Context
This activity is inspired by the works of the Princeton Laptop
Orchestra (PLOrk) and the Huddersfield Experimental
Laptop orchestra (HELO). These groups consist of students,
musicians, and researchers who use laptops and audio
software as musical instruments in a group performance
‘orchestra’ context.
This lab session was created for the first year students of
the Music Technology & Production course as part of the
Acoustics 1 module. The appropriate group size for this
activity is around twenty students.
This activity asks students to explore novel methods of music
generation and communal performance, it forms part of the
continuous assessment process and assesses a student’s
ability to engage in, and contribute to impromtu group-based
activities
Critical studies on the novel development and implementation of Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VH2O2) for terminal sterilization of medical devices encompassing use of flow cytometry for the real-time commensurate monitoring of microbial inactivation
No full textAims and Rationale: Sterilization microbiology relies on determining the linearity of microbial survivor curves for calculating decimal reduction times (D-values) that is used to inform sterility assurance levels (SAL), critical to efficacious sterilization of medical device for patient care application. Medical devices play an important role in the provision of healthcare, with a global market estimated at 650bn by 2028. Terminal sterilization of medical devices is currently provided by established methods including Gamma, E-beam and X-ray radiation with Ethylene Oxide gas sterilization continuing to be the method of choice due to wide ranging material compatibility. Given the hazards associated with EO gas, alternative methods are actively being pursued by the global medical device industry. Furthermore, there is an increasing opportunity to develop sustainable sterilization microbiology processes necessary to meet emerging needs including evolution of device features containing heat sensitive polymers, inclusion of sensor technology and biologics. This constitutes the first, and timely study to (i) establish and alternative method using vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VH2O2) at an industrial sterilization scale and (ii) report on the linearity of microbial inactivation plots for treated Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus atrophaeus spores to demonstrate the appropriateness of process validation as a means of confidently determining SAL.ye
The Effects of Freeze-Thaw and UVC Radiation on Microbial Survivability in a Selected Mars-like Environment
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to determine survivability of Escherichia coli, Deinococcus radiodurans and Paraburkholderia fungorum under Mars-simulated conditions for freeze-thawing (80 C to +30 C) and UV exposure alone and in combination. E. coli ATCC 25922, D. radiodurans and P. fungorum remained viable following 20 successive freeze-thaw cycles, exhibiting viabilities of 2.3%, 96% and 72.6%, respectively. E. coli ATCC 9079 was non-recoverable by cycle 9. When exposed to UV irradiation, cells withstood doses of 870 J/m2 (E. coli ATCC 25922), 200 J/m2 (E. coli ATCC 9079), 50,760 J/m2 (D. radiodurans) and 44,415 J/m2 (P. fungorum). Data suggests P. fungorum is highly UV-resistant. Combined freeze-thawing with UV irradiation showed freezing increased UV resistance in E. coli ATCC 25922, E. coli DSM 9079 and D. radiodurans by 6-fold, 30-fold and
1.2-fold, respectively. Conversely, freezing caused P. fungorum to exhibit a 1.75-fold increase in UV susceptibility. Strain-dependent experimentation demonstrated that freezing increases UV resistance and prolongs survival. These findings suggest that exposure to short wavelength UV rays (254 nm) and temperature cycles resembling the daily fluctuating conditions on Mars do not significantly affect survival of D. radiodurans, P. fungorum and E. coli ATCC 25922 following 20 days of exposure.ye
The development of smart 4D materials using the smart temperature-sensitive polymer
No full textThere is more that can be done with a 3D structure to make them more flexible and
more useful: by utilising structures (Smart Polymers) that can transform in a preprogrammed way in response to a stimulus. Thus, giving them an extra dimension and
becoming “4D” objects. The 4D printing is a new concept which was proposed to
public in 2013. it is fundamentally the same as 3D printing. The difference is the
eventually state of fabricated parts can be changed again. In general, the 4D objects
can be created using 3D printer to print stimuli sensitive polymers. The stimuli
sensitive polymer is a kind of polymer which shape or properties can be altered while
a reaction or trigger acts on it, such as temperature change, PH change, moisture
change and magnetic change. Because the 4D printing is still in the early phase of the
research. To date, the developed 4D objects are mainly used to make simple actuators
sensors, toys and electronics parts