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Out of the shadows : fostering creativity in teacher education programs
No full textOut of the Shadows: Fostering Creativity and Teacher Education Programs is a culmination of five years of research into the role teachers have played in nurturing the world's greatest artistic minds. The study focuses on the evolution of creativity in teaching practices and finds that many methods are as relevant in today's classrooms as they were ten thousand years ago. The ancient Chinese used a painting style known as Moku-Chi to nurture the creativity of their children. They were encouraged to splash ink freely across rice paper, using broad, abandoned strokes to find inspiration. This book fuses ancient and modern techniques to inspire teachers and their students. We encourage teachers of today to learn from the lessons of the past. With a focus on Australian Aboriginal and Chinese arts and culture, comprehensive learning models and innovative teaching approaches aim to improve the art education in primary and secondary schools.216 page(s
Confirming geomorphological interpretations based on portable OSL reader data
No full textPortable optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) readers are increasingly being used in geomorphological and archaeological investigations, but information regarding data reproducibility and the reliability of interpretations based on portable OSL reader data has not yet been presented to the wider geomorphological community. This Letter addresses these two issues by returning to Grabben Gullen Creek in the southeastern Australian Tablelands where we remeasure a sediment profile that was first measured by other researchers 3 years earlier. We also compare portable OSL reader data measured on sediment interpreted to have been deposited in swampy meadow wetlands and flood alluvium settings with data measured on known swampy meadow and flood deposits. Our data show that portable OSL reader data are reproducible. Moreover, we confirm the earlier interpretation that stratigraphies commonly exposed in southeastern Australian Tablelands valley bottoms reflect pre-European swampy meadow wetlands and flood alluvium.6 page(s
Social competence, cultural orientations and gender differences : a study of Mandarin–English bilingual preschoolers
No full textThis study investigated whether host and heritage cultural orientations were associated with Chinese preschoolers’ social competence and whether such associations varied across gender in Western contexts. Ninety-six Chinese-Australian children aged 36–69 months from 15 childcare centres in Sydney participated in the study. The General Ethnicity Questionnaires were modified to obtain a parent report of children's orientation to the host and heritage cultures. Social competence was assessed using teacher reports on the Behaviour Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) with four composite scales: Externalising, Internalising, Behavioural Symptoms and Adaptive Skills. Host culture orientation was negatively associated with Internalising, Behavioural Symptoms and positively with Adaptive Skills in the overall sample. When analysed by gender, host cultural orientation was found to be positively associated with Adaptive Skills for boys and girls and negatively associated with Externalising and Behavioural Symptoms only in girls. Heritage cultural orientation was not associated with the BASC-2 composites either in the overall sample or by gender. The results indicate that host culture has a stronger relationship with social competence than heritage culture, particularly for girls.14 page(s
Biofeedback is more effective than usual therapy in improving performance in lower limb activities in people following stroke : a systematic review
No full textQuestion: Is biofeedback during the practice of lower limb activities after stroke more effective than usual therapy in improving those activities, and are any benefits maintained beyond the intervention? Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised trials with a PEDro score>4. Participants: People who have had a stroke. Intervention: Biofeedback (any type delivered by any signal or sense) delivered concurrently during practice of sitting, standing up, standing or walking compared to the same amount of activity practice without biofeedback. Outcome measures: Continuous measures of activity congruent with the activity trained. Results: 18 trials including 429 participants met the inclusion criteria and contained data suitable for analysis. The quality of the included trials was moderately high with a mean PEDro score of 6.2/10. The pooled effect size was calculated as standardised mean difference (SMD) since different outcome measures were used. Biofeedback improved performance of activities moderately more than usual therapy (SMD 0.50, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.70). There was insufficient data available to estimate the effect beyond the intervention. Conclusion: Biofeedback is more effective than usual therapy in improving performance of activities. Further research is required to determine the effect on learning. Given that many biofeedback machines are relatively inexpensive, biofeedback could be utilised widely in clinical practice.1 page(s
Optimizing prevention programs and maximizing public health impact are not the same thing
No full text9 page(s
Tectonothermal evolution of the continental crust beneath the Yakutian diamondiferous province (Siberian craton) : U–Pb and Hf isotopic evidence on zircons from crustal xenoliths of kimberlite pipes
No full textU–Pb age and Hf-isotope data were collected on zircons from crustal xenoliths from the Late Devonian kimberlite pipes of Markha terrane. The xenoliths include mafic garnet granulites (Gt+Pl+Cpx±Opx±Amp±Bt±Scp) and garnet–biotite gneisses (Grt+Bt+Pl+Kfs+Qtz±Scp). The data from this study demonstrate that the crust of the Markha terrane experienced several tectonothermal events. Zircons with Archean Hf model ages (TDM = 3.13–2.5 Ga) are predominant in all xenoliths with one exception. These data imply that most of the lower and middle crust beneath the Markha terrane was produced in the Archean time. Later this Paleoarchean crust was significantly reworked in several tectonothermal events, including a Neoarchean stage (2.9–2.5 Ga), and several Paleoproterozoic metamorphic stages (1.98, 1.9 and 1.8 Ga). There is very little evidence for generation of juvenile crust associated with these metamorphic events. Importantly, crustal xenoliths from kimberlite pipes of the Markha terrane record all the same events that occurred in the adjacent Daldyn and Magan terranes.20 page(s
High-performance FPGA implementation of elliptic curve cryptography procebor over binary field GF(2¹⁶³)
No full textElliptic curve cryptography (ECC) plays a vital role in pabing secure information among different wireleb devices. This paper presents a fast, high-performance hardware implementation of an ECC procebor over binary field GF(2m) using a polynomial basis. A high-performance elliptic curve point multiplier (ECPM) is designed using an efficient finite-field arithmetic unit in affine coordinates, where ECPM is the key operation of an ECC procebor. It has been implemented using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommended curves over the field GF(2¹⁶³). The proposed design is synthesized in field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology with the VHDL. The delay of ECPM in a modern Xilinx Kintex-7 (28-nm) technology is 1.06 ms at 306.48 MHz. The proposed ECC procebor takes a small amount of resources on the FPGA and needs only 2253 slices without using any DSP slices. The proposed design provides nearly 50% better delay performance than recent implementations.8 page(s
Expert-centred discourses and Indigenous autonomy in post-disaster settings: insights from Wutai Rukai experiences in Taiwan
No full textTheoretical thesis."Research conducted under cotutelle agreement between Department of Geography and Planning, Macquarie University (Australia) and Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures, College of Indigenous Studies, National Dong Hwa University (Taiwan)" -- title page.Bibliography: pages 169-186.1. Introduction -- 2. Reframing post-disaster recovery in indigenous settings -- 3. Speaking truth to power -- 4. Lost, found, troubled in translation -- 5. Procedural vulnerability and institutional capacity deficits in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction -- 6. Displacing expert-centred post-disaster reconstruction -- 7. Decentering experts, decolonising disasters -- Postscript.This thesis explores ways in which expert-centred discourses have shaped post-disaster circumstances in Taiwan. By focusing on the experiences of Indigenous Rukai people affected by Typhoon Morakot in 2009, the thesis contextualises and critiques “expert”-centred disaster response, recovery and reconstruction. Focusing on local Wutai Rukai settings in southern Taiwan, the thesis considers how expert-centred discourses and associated approaches can displace complex pre-disaster histories, geographies and cultures. Starting from a disaster event, these discourses are mobilised with state-sanctioned procedures that assume the incapacity of the local to respond and recover without expert intervention.The thesis argues that locally-contingent, culturally and historically contextualised people-to-people, people-to-environment and people-to-cosmos relationships fundamentally shape the pre-disaster circumstances of communities and localities affected by so-called natural disasters. Such relationships, glossed as “Country” in Indigenous Australian settings, ground understandings of how the disaster created by Morakot was situated in Wutai Rukai histories and geographies. Institutional capacity deficits embedded within the disaster discourses and approaches were mobilised in the wake of Morakot, contributing directly to procedural vulnerability of Wutai Rukai institutions and reinforcing colonial processes already present prior to the “disaster” of the typhoon. Privileging technical experts in the reconstruction process simultaneously marginalised and silenced more locally and culturally nuanced recovery discourses and approaches. The privileging of technical expertise in such instances is part of a wider process, where the enduring implications of expert-centred discourses reflect how the dominant culture defines successful post-disaster responses in Indigenous domains. In response to the combination of natural and unnatural disasters that characterised the situation of Wutai Rukai people after Morakot, this thesis lays foundations for a different way for the agents and agencies of technical expertise to better understand and engage with the capacities and expertise of local people in their own lives, values, and aspirations in post-disaster settings.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xxvi, 200 pages) colour illustration
Conservation of coral reef associated sharks in Australia and Indonesia
No full textThesis by publication.Includes bibliographical references.1. General introduction -- 2. Shark conservation, governance and management: the science-law disconnect -- 3. Predators in danger: shark conservation and management in Australia, New Zealand and their neighbours -- 4. Characterisation of 15 novel microsatellite loci for the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) -- 5. Connectivity in grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) determined using emirical and simulated genetic data -- 6. Genome scan reveals signatures of selection in a continuous population of grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) -- 7. Genetic connectivity in the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos is sex-biased and influenced by the spatial distribution of coral reefs -- 8. Conserving coral reef organisms that lack larval dispersal: are networks of Marine Protected Areas good enough? -- 9. First records of the grey nurse shark Carcharias taurus (Lamniformes: Odontaspididae) from oceanic coral reefs in the Timor Sea -- 10. New distribution records of the vulnerable fossil shark Hemipristis elonata from eastern Indonesia call for improved fisheries management -- 11. General discussion -- Appendices.In the past few decades, as a direct result of overfishing, shark numbers have declined dramatically across the world’s oceans, which in some cases has resulted in trophic cascades affecting entire ecosystems. Genetic data, particularly when interpreted in conjunction with direct observations of animal movements and behaviour, can be applied to identify management units, an essential step in the establishment of effective management strategies. This thesis is structured into two main themes: first, I summarize the challenges and successes of shark conservation and management, both globally (chapter 2) and specifically for Australia and Indonesia (chapter 3), and second, I apply genetic methods to obtain conservation relevant information for coral reef associated sharks (chapters 4 to 10).In the first part of my thesis I analyse trends in shark conservation research by evaluating 20 years of scientific output, with a focus on Australia and Indonesia. While scientific effort in shark conservation science has increased in the past two decades, it has done so with a strong geographic bias. Australia and the United States have made an overwhelming contribution to the research output, while countries like Indonesia, which is home to the largest shark fishery in the world, have historically contributed much less. This bias has important consequences in terms of shark conservation: countries which invested in shark research successfully established effective management policies, while nations which devoted less resources to shark conservation science failed to do so. Consequently, I suggest that poor management of shark fisheries might be remedied by increasing local research capacity, which has recently been driven by the establishment of international collaborations.In the second part of my PhD I investigate how habitat and local selection influence patterns of genetic variation in the grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), an abundant coral reef predator which has undergone dramatic declines in recent years. I discover that genetic connectivity is affected by the spatial distribution of coral reef habitats, which act as stepping stones through which genetic connectivity can be maintained across large distance (>5000 km) by male dispersal. Furthermore, I identify signatures of local selection, suggesting that grey reef sharks in different regions of Australia and Indonesia may be locally adapted. I discuss the conservation implications of these discoveries in conjunction with recent studies on the movement ecology of grey reef sharks. I also describe the potential applications of integrating information from neutral genetic markers and markers under selection to identify conservation units and for monitoring the international shark fin trade.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (vi, 222 pages) illustrations, map
Proactive strategic responses to sustainability determinants: the use of management control systems
No full textThesis by publication.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Literature review -- Chapter 3. Research design -- Chapter 4. Paper One -- Chapter 5. Paper Two -- Chapter 6. Paper Three -- Chapter 7. Conclusion.This thesis examines the use of sustainability control systems in proactive strategic responses to institutional and resource-based view sustainability determinants. Despite the increasing importance of proactive strategic responses to sustainability determinants as a way of effectively addressing sustainability challenges and gaining competitive advantage, the literature is relatively silent about whether, how, and to what extent organisations’ use of sustainability control systems support proactive strategic responses to institutional and resource-based sustainability determinants. More specifically, this thesis seeks to examine the use of sustainability control systems in proactive strategic responses to sustainability determinants in terms of (i) strategic responses to institutional pressures for sustainability, (ii) translating proactive sustainability strategies into corporate sustainability performance, and (iii) implementing sustainability dynamic capabilities as a means of achieving sustainable competitive advantage. This thesis follows the ‘thesis by publication’ format, which consists of three interconnected empirical research papers: a case study-based paper, and two survey-based papers.The case study (Paper one) explores the use of sustainability control systems in strategically responding to institutional pressures for sustainability. Drawing on institutional theory (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983) and strategic responses to institutional pressures typology (Oliver, 1991), the study argues that organisations strategically respond to institutional pressures for sustainability using sustainability control systems. Data were collected by interviewing sustainability managers of a large-scale multinational apparel manufacturing organisation with its headquarters in Sri Lanka. The study finds that organisations actively respond to institutional pressures for sustainability using acquiescence, compromise, avoidance, defiance, and manipulation strategies. The results not only reveal that sustainability control systems (i.e. sustainability budgeting, sustainability key performance indicators, sustainability life-cycle assessment) play an important role in complying with institutional pressures for sustainability, but also in more proactive strategic responses, including compromise, avoidance, defiance, and manipulation.The two survey-based studies examine the use of sustainability control systems in proactive strategic responses to resource-based sustainability determinants. Theoretically, these two studies are based on the natural-resource-based view of the firm (Hart, 1995), dynamic capabilities (Teece et al., 1997), and levers of control framework (Simons, 1995). Data were collected from top managers in 175 multinational and local organisations operating in Sri Lanka, and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling.The first survey-based study (Paper two) examines the mediating effect of sustainability control systems on the relationship between proactive sustainability strategies and corporate sustainability performance. The study finds that sustainability control systems only partially mediate the relationship between proactive sustainability strategies and corporate sustainability performance. The mediating effect of sustainability control systems is examined under three sustainability strategies, where environmental and social strategies reveal a partial mediation, and an economic strategy shows no mediation. The second survey-based study (Paper three) examines the extent to which enabling and controlling uses of sustainability control systems moderate the relationship between sustainability innovation capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage. The study finds that while the enabling use of sustainability control systems positively moderates the relationship between sustainability innovation capabilities and sustainable competitive advantage, in contrast, controlling use of sustainability control systems negatively moderates. The study also compares the results between manufacturing and services industries. Contrary to the study’s expectation, the findings in the services sector do not show a significant moderating impact in both perspectives. The two survey-based studies provide novel empirical and theoretical insights into the management accounting and strategic management literatures using the natural-resource-based view of the firm in implementing proactive sustainability strategies and sustainability innovation capabilities with the support of sustainability control systems. As a whole, both the exploratory and confirmatory studies undertaken in this thesis provide empirical and theoretical evidence that the use of sustainability control systems has an important role in supporting proactive strategic responses to sustainability determinants and, in turn, impacts long term corporate sustainability performance.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xiv, 275 pages