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Mediating relational agency in a collaborative classroom: A sociocultural perspective
No full textA sociocultural view of learning positions teachers as mediators, to teach a curriculum that reflects what is valued by society. But in addition it is proposed that a specific focus on mediating relational agency to support collaboration further builds teacher and students capacities for learning. Peer interaction supports the development of communication, social and emotional competencies required for effective collaborative learning. But a deeper understanding of social and cultural challenges for schools accustomed to a traditional approach is required before change can occur. Relational agency is a two-way process, to become responsive so you can both receive and give support to peers. The data are drawn from three year-long projects conducted by the teacher/researcher with her students and other teachers who were mentored to develop new practices that challenged the status quo at their school. Rogoff's analytical planes are used as a framework to analyse the data and the findings are presented as four case studies related to bullying, conflict resolution, student leadership and teacher mentoring. The evidence-based social practices in this research can be adapted by other teachers interested in mediating relational agency to develop social and emotional skills to support a collaborative classroom (Morcom, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Diversity in numbers: Developing quantitative skills and personal connection to discipline content
No full textPoor numeracy/quantitative skills (QS) development is a widespread issue across Australian tertiary education. Lack of fundamental QS can impede students' progression in STEM degrees, and disadvantage individual students across other domains of life (e.g., financial literacy and active citizenship). Our ACDS-funded Diversity in Numbers (DiN) project seeks to evaluate a targeted, course-wide, just-in-time model for undergraduate development of QS. Digital numeracy modules will be designed to scaffold QS development through embedded interactive content and rich automated feedback.
Each module targets a core QS concept (e.g., statistical testing, unit conversions, mathematical relationships) and is framed around a published article relevant to unit content, to expand student awareness of numbers as a tool across diverse fields of science. Given the ongoing under-representation of women, LGBTIQA+ people and other minorities in STEM, the selection of journal articles aims to increase students' appreciation of diversity from many different viewpoints, while developing their QS. At a broader level, the project aims to address the ongoing lack of diversity among STEM graduates and within the STEM workforce by enabling students to "see themselves" within published research.
Here we will present the design of our research project to assess the success of our pilot DiN modules
Investigate the impact of environmental and operating conditions of infrared (IR) imaging on infrared thermography of PV modules to identify defects
No full textThe world’s energy systems are transforming rapidly and switching from fossil fuels to renewables to address the current emission reduction targets. With the decrease in the cost of solar PV module globally by about 55% since 2013, the uptake of solar PV has increased dramatically. As these modules are exposed to ambient conditions in the field, they can develop defects or faults. These defects can affect the output power of the PV module and overall system output. To mitigate this, early and easy detection of defects is considered critical for operation and maintenance. Some defects can be easily identified through the infrared (IR) imaging and the presence of hot-spots on the PV module. This study highlights the best operational and environmental conditions for conducting IR imaging of PV module to detect defects. This study reveals that hot-spots with a minor temperature difference of 1.3–1.4 °C compared to the adjacent healthy cells likely indicate the presence of internal defects such as shunt. These hot-spots only appeared at lower irradiance conditions irrespective of the cloud condition. The IR imaging on partially and cloudy days showed that the presence of intermittent clouds, high ambient temperature and low wind speed helps the detection of these internal defects in the PV module
Estimating ecological carrying capacity for stock enhancement in marine ranching ecosystems of Northern China
Get PDFMarine ranching has been proposed as a promising solution to manage the depleted coastal fishery ecosystem in recent decades across China. Marine ranching integrates the practices of artificial habitat-based with aquaculture-based enhancement. Assessing the ecological carrying capacity of target species for enhancement is a precondition for determining the optimal numbers for release, particularly for those species whose habitat restrictions have been eliminated through the construction of artificial habitats in the marine ranch. A responsible approach to stock enhancement aims not only to increase total yield and stock abundance but also to consider any potential effects on ecosystem structure and function. A time-dynamic, ecosystem model was constructed using Ecopath with Ecosim for the Laizhou Bay (Bohai Sea) marine ranching ecosystem in the nearshore waters of northern China. Two sedentary target species with potential for stock enhancement, i.e., the carnivorous red snail Rapana venosa and the detritivorous sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus, were selected to simulate and estimate their ecological carrying capacities and project their overall effects on the ecosystem. Ecological carrying capacity was defined as the maximum standing stocks of the target species that would not cause “unacceptable” impacts on the ecosystem function and resilience, i.e., not cause any other group’s biomass to fall below 10% of its original biomass. The ecological carrying capacities estimated for R. venosa and A. japonicus were 623.46 and 200.57 t·km−2, respectively, corresponding to 7.8 and 5.0 times higher than their current standing stocks. Simulations of R. venosa enhancement showed distinct effects of increased target species abundance on other functional groups and ecosystem properties. An increase in red snail biomass caused negative impacts on the biomass of most other functional groups and ecosystem indicators, such as Finn’s cycling index, transfer efficiency, and Kempton’s Q index. In contrast, the simulated A. japonicus enhancement had relatively few impacts, and the biomasses of most other functional groups and ecosystem indicators did not change or changed very slightly (<5%). The current model framework provides a means of estimating the ecological carrying capacity in commercial-scale stock enhancement practices and avoiding potential ecological risks for marine ranching in northern China
Asia-Pacific Human Rights Documents and Resources
No full textMany publications dealing with human rights contain a wealth of materials from the United Nations, Europe, and even the Inter-American and African regional human rights systems, but none cover the geographical region which encompasses Asian and Pacific states.
The collection of documents contained in this volume is an attempt to rectify this situation. A unique reference tool to those with an interest in human rights in Asia and the Pacific, be they students of law, Asian studies or international relations, or lawyers or researchers using human rights materials, this volume contains various inter-governmental and non-governmental documents, as well as a section on numerous human rights organisations and resources.
Despite the Asia-Pacific area now being the world's only region without a human rights instrument, the volume of constitutional provisions, treaty provisions, governmental and non-governmental declarations on human rights as well as other types of relevant documents is very substantial, putting to lie the argument that human rights are of little concern or secondary to other considerations. This huge amount of material has made it necessary to edit certain documents to their most essential elements. Other documents are included in their entirety where they are deemed to be of particular significance
Molecular phylogenetics of subfamily Urgineoideae (Hyacinthaceae): Toward a coherent generic circumscription informed by molecular, morphological, and distributional data
Get PDFThe taxonomy and systematics of Urgineoideae (Hyacinthaceae) have been controversial in recent decades, with contrasting taxonomic treatments proposed based on preliminary and partial studies that have focused on morphology and/or solely plastid DNA sequence data. Some authors have recognized only two genera, with a very broadly conceived Drimia, while others have accepted several genera that, although better defined morphologically, were doubtfully monophyletic. Here, we present phylogenetic analyses involving four plastid DNA regions (trnL intron, trnL-F spacer, matK, and the trnCGCA-ycf6 intergenic region), a nuclear region (Agt1), and a selection of 40 morphological characters. Our study covers 293 samples and ca. 160 species of Urgineoideae (ca. 80% of its global diversity). Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony analyses were performed to derive the phylogenetic patterns. The combination of data yielded phylogenetic trees with 31 well-defined clades or lineages, most corresponding to previously described genera, although some have required description or revised circumscription. As with other monocot families, a considerable degree of homoplasy was observed in morphological characters, especially in those groups with unspecialized flowers; nonetheless, consistent syndromes of traditional and novel characters are shown to support clade recognition at genus rank. The forthcoming revised classification of Urgineoideae is outlined here
The impact of health and environmental factors on a population of Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in Cambodia
Get PDFBackground
The critically endangered Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin (MRID) (Orcaella brevirostris) population, estimated to comprise 85 individuals in 2010, is at risk of extirpation due to a high level of mortality, particularly in calves, and a very low recruitment level (<1%) into the population; however existing studies have failed to identify the causes of mortality in this population. In this study, a retrospective study was conducted to better understand the causes of mortality in different age classes, so that potentially mortality levels can be mitigated and recruitment rates improved.
Methods
Mortality data from 2001-2010 were analysed to identify mortality trends in 102 MRIDs. Samples were also collected from 41 necropsied dolphins and subjected to microbiological, histopathological, genetic and toxicological analyses to identify and quantify the threats to this population. Additionally, a study of skin lesions using photo-identification data of live MRIDs from 2007 to 2010 was conducted.
Results
In this study, significantly high levels of immuno-toxic pollutants, particularly DDT and mercury; genetic factors, specifically genetic drift and outbreeding depression; and disease and immunosuppression; were all contributing towards the population’s decline.
Dead calves were 15 times (95%CI 2.4, 88.1, p=0.001) more likely to have a localised gangrenous, blue/black neck lesion than dead adult dolphins. These lesions were clinically, pathologically and microbiologically similar to necrotising fasciitis of humans. In contrast, adults were 17 times (95%CI of 1.8, 166.1, p=0.006) more likely to have evidence of interaction with fishery activities than juveniles and calves.
The incidence of mortality in adults over a three year period when gillnets were used was 18.3% (95%CI 11.6, 26.9), and this reduced to 6.7% (95%CI 2.5, 14.1) when restrictions on the use of gillnets were introduced. The risk of dying during the three years with gillnets was 2.7 times (95%CI 1.1, 6.5) higher than the period when gillnet use was restricted (p=0.016). In contrast, there was no significant difference in mortality for calves for years with and without gillnet restrictions (p=0.39).
Skin lesions were common in live MRIDs being detected in 35 of 84 individuals observed (41.6%; 95%CI 31.1, 52.2) over a three year period. However, the mean prevalence of MRIDs photographed with skin lesions during 11 surveys was 7% (95%CI 1.9, 16.7), with a significant difference found in the prevalence of skin lesions in MRIDs from pools 1 and 9 (Fisher’s exact test p=0.002).
In necropsied MRIDs (n=8), significantly more calves 100% (95%CI 47.8, 100) had neck lesions and associated neck swelling with wet gangrenous musculature than adults (0%; 95%CI 0.0, 70.8) (p=0.018). The three most frequent bacteria cultured in 13 dolphins examined with neck lesions were Aeromonas hydrophila (54%, 95%CI 25.1, 80.8), Plesiomonas shigelloides (46%, 95%CI 19.2, 74.9), and ß-haemolytic Group C Streptococcus spp. (23%, 95%CI 5, 53.8). Toxicological analysis in a larger sample set (n=20), revealed that the levels of mercury (Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) were significantly higher in the adult dolphins sampled than in calves (11.21μg/g vs. 1.51μg/g, p=0.019; 7.23μg/g vs. 0.72, p=0.033, respectively). In contrast, calves had significantly higher levels of liver copper (Cu) than adults (40.72μg/g vs. 3.49μg/g, p=0.0005). Adults also had a significantly higher level of Hg (11.21 μg/g vs. 0.91 μg/g, p=0.026) and MeHg (7.23 μg/g vs. 0.17 μg/g, p=0.006) than juveniles. The mean molar selenium:mercury ratio was significantly higher in calves (2.27, p=0.039) and juveniles (2.94, p=0.007) than in adults (0.95). The level of zinc (Zn) in the liver of adults with neck lesions (28.7μg/g) was significantly lower (p=0.049) than that of adults without evidence of neck lesions (65.17μg/g). The concentrations of organochlorines in the blubber of MRID decreased in the order of DDTs > PCBs > CHLs > HCB > PBDEs > Dioxins > OC. The level of ΣDioxins was significantly higher in adults (2.27TEQ) than in calves (1.15TEQ, p=0.004), and also significantly higher in juveniles (3.57TEQ) than in calves (p=0.0094). The levels of PCBs in adults (346.9ng/g) and in juveniles (705.4ng/g) were significantly higher than in calves (142.75ng/g) (p=0.019, p=0.012, respectively). Adult females had higher ΣDioxin levels (61.3pg/g; 2.27TEQ) than female (3.7pg/g, p=0.0017; 1.15 TEQ p=0.02) and male calves (2.8pg/g, p=0.003; 0.99 TEQ, p=0.01). Juvenile females had significantly higher ΣDioxins (3.57TEQ) and ΣPCBs (705.4ng/g) than female (1.15TEQ, p=0.02; 163.2ng/g, p=0.016) and male calves (0.99TEQ, p=0.01; 142.8ng/g, p=0.03) respectively. Adult males had significantly higher PCB levels (606.8ng/g) than female (163.2ng/g, p=0.01) and male calves (142.8 ng/g, p=0.03). The levels of ΣPBDE, ΣCHLDs, ΣDDT and ΣHCB were all significantly higher in MRIDs than in the Chilika Lake Irrawaddy dolphins from the study of Kannan et al. (2005) (p=0.0007).
Phylogenetically the MRIDs appear to be an evolutionary significant unit (ESU), with six new haplotypes identified in this study. The average nucleotide diversity (π) was 0.001 ( SD 0.0001) and the average haplotype diversity (h) was 0.812 ( SD 0.333). 34% (n=11) of the necropsied MRIDs had Infrequent/Rare (I/R) alleles, with an excess found in the adults compared to the calves, indicating a strong likelihood of genetic drift occurring. Paternity tests suggested reproductive failure, as only a few dolphins were breeding in the population and breeding females were genetically related.
Conclusions
It is concluded that two principal factors are driving the population decline. Firstly, the interaction of adults with commercial fishery activities and secondly, necrotising fasciitis associated with neck lesions in the calves. Furthermore, reproductive failure is a major contributing factor limiting recruitment into the population and ultimately affecting the population stability. This study highlights the need for urgent attention to save this population from certain extirpation
Reviving botany in the curriculum: The botanical journey of two Western Australian early childhood teachers
Get PDFEnvironmental education across the early years has become increasingly important in Australia since the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum. These documents promote a connection to nature for young children as well as environmental responsibility. In Western Australia, large areas of natural environments are bush spaces, accessible by young children, families and schools. There is no existing research investigating early childhood teacher’s knowledge of plants in these bush spaces and the utilisation of these spaces in teaching botany as part of their teaching practice. The discussion in this article examines part of a larger year-long multi-site case study of the changes in the botanical understanding of two early childhood teachers of children aged 5–8 years, in Western Australian schools both before and after the Mosaic Approach, botanical practices and Indigenous knowledges were incorporated into their teaching practice. This article focuses on the changes of botanical literacies of the early childhood teachers specifically. The findings suggest that using inquiry-based and place-based methods and including First Nations Peoples’ perspectives about plants whilst teaching in the bush can significantly increase the plant knowledge and understanding of teachers, as well their own scientific and botanical literacies
Collective inaction, omission, and non-action: When not acting is indeed on ‘us’
Get PDFThe statement that we are currently failing to address some of humanity’s greatest challenges seems uncontroversial—we are not doing enough to limit global warming to a maximum of 2 °C and we are exposing vulnerable people to preventable diseases when failing to produce herd immunity. But what singles out such failings (inactions) from all the things we did not do (non-actions) when all are unintended? Unlike their individualist counterparts, collective inaction and omission have not yet received much attention in the literature. (Unintended) collective inaction, I argue, can be attributed to a group of agents where a collective action (or a collective outcome) x that the agents did not perform (or did not produce) was collectively feasible at time t where each agent in that group had sufficient reason to contribute to performing (or producing) x or others had a reasonable expectation that they would perform (or produce) x. I show that, perhaps surprisingly, we can speak of collective inaction even where only one member of the group fails to act. However, where large and dispersed groups of agents are concerned, there is often no meaningful way of attributing collective failings. Still, I contend that the failure to close the global emissions gap and—in some cases—to generate herd immunity are indeed on us