Genetic Composition and Complexity of Virus Populations at Tungro-Endemic and Outbreak Rice Sites

We have recently demonstrated the geographic isolation of rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) populations in the tungro-endemic provinces of Isabela and North Cotabato, Philippines. In this study, we examined the genetic structure of the virus populations at the tungro-outbreak sites of Lanao del Norte, a province adjacent to North Cotabato. We also analyzed the virus populations at the tungro-endemic sites of Subang, Indonesia, and Dien Khanh, Vietnam. Total DNA extracts from 274 isolates were digested with EcoRV restriction enzyme and hybridized with a full-length probe of RTBV. In the total population, 22 EcoRV-restricted genome profiles (genotypes) were identified. Although overlapping genotypes could be observed, the outbreak sites of Lanao del Norte had a genotype combination distinct from that of Subang or Dien Khanh but a genotype combination similar to that identified earlier from North Cotabato, the adjacent endemic province. Sequence analysis of the intergenic region and part of the ORF1 RTBV genome from randomly selected genotypes confirms the geographic clustering of RTBV genotypes and, combined with restriction analysis, the results suggest a fragmented spatial distribution of RTBV local populations in the three countries. Because RTBV depends on rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV) for transmission, the population dynamics of both tungro viruses were then examined at the endemic and outbreak sites within the Philippines. The RTBV genotypes and the coat protein RTSV genotypes were used as indicators for virus diversity. A shift in population structure of both viruses was observed at the outbreak sites with a reduced RTBV but increased RTSV gene diversity

Investigating the process of teaching and learning principles through practice : a case study on collegiate action by media practitioners and teachers, designing a skills-based learning program

This paper in the journalism education field reports on the construction of a new subject as part of a postgraduate coursework degree. The subject, or unit1 will offer both Journalism students and other students an introductory experience of creating media, using common ‘new media’ tools, with exercises that will model the learning of communication principles through practice. It has been named ‘Fundamental Media Skills for the Workplace’. The conceptualisation and teaching of it will be characteristic of the Journalism academic discipline that uses the ‘inside perspective’—understanding mass media by observing from within. Proposers for the unit within the Journalism discipline have sought to extend the common teaching approach, based on training to produce start-ready recruits for media jobs, backed by a study of contexts, e.g. journalistic ethics, or media audiences. In this proposal, students would then examine the process to elicit additional knowledge about their learning. The paper draws on literature of journalism and its pedagogy, and on communication generally. It also documents a ‘community of practice’ exercise conducted among practitioners as teachers for the subject, developing exercises and models of media work. A preliminary conclusion from that exercise is that it has taken a step towards enhancing skills-based learning for media work, as a portal to more generalised knowledge.

The sample complexity of pattern classification with neural networks: the size of the weights is more important than the size of the network

Sample complexity results from computational learning theory, when applied to neural network learning for pattern classification problems, suggest that for good generalization performance the number of training examples should grow at least linearly with the number of adjustable parameters in the network. Results in this paper show that if a large neural network is used for a pattern classification problem and the learning algorithm finds a network with small weights that has small squared error on the training patterns, then the generalization performance depends on the size of the weights rather than the number of weights. For example, consider a two-layer feedforward network of sigmoid units, in which the sum of the magnitudes of the weights associated with each unit is bounded by A and the input dimension is n. We show that the misclassification probability is no more than a certain error estimate (that is related to squared error on the training set) plus A3 √((log n)/m) (ignoring log A and log m factors), where m is the number of training patterns. This may explain the generalization performance of neural networks, particularly when the number of training examples is considerably smaller than the number of weights. It also supports heuristics (such as weight decay and early stopping) that attempt to keep the weights small during training. The proof techniques appear to be useful for the analysis of other pattern classifiers: when the input domain is a totally bounded metric space, we use the same approach to give upper bounds on misclassification probability for classifiers with decision boundaries that are far from the training examples.

Overcoming the complexity of diagnostic problems due to sensor network architecture

In fault detection and diagnostics, limitations coming from the sensor network architecture are one of the main challenges in evaluating a system’s health status. Usually the design of the sensor network architecture is not solely based on diagnostic purposes, other factors like controls, financial constraints, and practical limitations are also involved. As a result, it quite common to have one sensor (or one set of sensors) monitoring the behaviour of two or more components. This can significantly extend the complexity of diagnostic problems. In this paper a systematic approach is presented to deal with such complexities. It is shown how the problem can be formulated as a Bayesian network based diagnostic mechanism with latent variables. The developed approach is also applied to the problem of fault diagnosis in HVAC systems, an application area with considerable modeling and measurement constraints.

The rademacher complexity of coregularized kernel classes

In the multi-view approach to semisupervised learning, we choose one predictor from each of multiple hypothesis classes, and we co-regularize our choices by penalizing disagreement among the predictors on the unlabeled data. We examine the co-regularization method used in the co-regularized least squares (CoRLS) algorithm, in which the views are reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS's), and the disagreement penalty is the average squared difference in predictions. The final predictor is the pointwise average of the predictors from each view. We call the set of predictors that can result from this procedure the co-regularized hypothesis class. Our main result is a tight bound on the Rademacher complexity of the co-regularized hypothesis class in terms of the kernel matrices of each RKHS. We find that the co-regularization reduces the Rademacher complexity by an amount that depends on the distance between the two views, as measured by a data dependent metric. We then use standard techniques to bound the gap between training error and test error for the CoRLS algorithm. Experimentally, we find that the amount of reduction in complexity introduced by co regularization correlates with the amount of improvement that co-regularization gives in the CoRLS algorithm.

Peer partnership to enhance scholarship of teaching : a case study

This paper reports on the outcomes of a peer partnership program trialled at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia. The program was designed based on a community of practice methodology to bring together academic staff for the purpose of advancing teaching practice. The program encouraged professional and supportive environments for the purpose of critical reflection and personal development. The belief was that quality teaching is core business and vital to university organisational goals. Peer partnership programs support improvement in teaching and learning. Participants in the program reported the program enhanced their commitment and insight into teaching and that there is willingness to be involved if supported by colleagues and an organisation. Feedback from participants in the program was positive and outcomes arising from the QUT Peer Partnership Project were the development of an online peer partner tool-kit, staff development training, an instructional DVD and integration of the project goals within QUT staff development programs.

Perspectives of teaching in Papua New Guinea : a case study of elementary teacher trainers and their mentors

Global and national agenda for quality education led to reform in Papua New Guinea (PNG) based on the provision of quality basic education. “Education for All” (EFA) is a worldwide emphasis on the review and restructure of existing curriculum and teacher training programs to provide quality education and quality life. The provision of quality education is seen as an investment in developing countries including PNG. Quality education is facilitated through structural and curriculum reform, and teacher education programs. One such influence on quality education in teacher education relates to perspectives of teaching. Existing research shows teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of teaching influence their practice (Kember & Kwan, 2000; Prosser & Trigwell, 2004). However, there is no research focusing on perspectives of teaching for elementary education in PNG. This single exploratory case study (Yin, 2009) investigated the perspectives of teaching of eighteen elementary teacher trainers and their five mentors in the context of an Australian university Bachelor of Early Childhood (in teacher education) degree programme. The study drew on an interpretivist paradigm to analyse journals, semi-structured interviews and course planning documents using a thematic approach to data analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006). The findings revealed that participants held perspectives of teaching related to teaching children and teaching adults. The perspective of teaching children described by the trainers and mentors was learning-centred (the focus is on what the teacher does); while the perspective of teaching adults was both learning-centred and learner-centred (the focus is on what the learner does). The learning-centred perspective is at odds with the learner-centred perspective espoused in the PNG reform. The perspectives of teaching adults reflected a culturally nuanced view; providing insights about how teaching and learning are understood in different sociocultural contexts. Based on these findings, the study proposes a perspective of teaching for elementary education in PNG known as culturally connected teaching. This perspective enables the co-existence of both the learning-centred and learner-centred perspectives of teaching in the PNG cultural context. This perspective has implications for teacher training and the communities involved in elementary education.

Elementary teacher education in papua new guinea: towards a culturally connected perspective of teaching

Global and national agendas for quality education have led to reforms in Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) elementary education, but criticism of the learner-centred, Western pedagogies has emerged. One key influence on quality teacher education relates to perspectives of teaching. Existing research shows teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of teaching influence their practice, however to date little research has investigated perspectives of teaching for elementary education in PNG. This single exploratory case study investigated the perspectives of teaching for eighteen elementary teacher trainers as they studied for a Bachelor of Early Childhood (Teacher Education). The study, drawing on an interpretivist paradigm, analysed journals and course planning documents using a thematic approach. The findings revealed that while the trainers’ perspectives of teaching children tended to reflect a learning-centred perspective (focused on what the teacher does), their perspectives of teaching adults were both learning-centred and learner-centred (what the learner does). Based on these findings, a culturally connected perspective of teaching is advocated for PNG elementary teacher education. This perspective enables the co-existence of both the learning-centred and learner-centred perspectives of teaching in the PNG cultural context and has implications for teacher education and the communities involved in elementary education in general.

Reclaiming the art of teaching

This paper explores the art and craft of teaching in higher education. It presents a model of the relationship between art and craft drawn from the author’s theoretical and empirical work, and provides examples from the higher education context to illustrate the model. It discusses the characteristics of teaching as art and craft and critiques the move towards standardisation and conformity in favour of originality, creativity and innovation. It suggests that to see teaching as art is more holistic, satisfying and transformative than to see it as craft. It argues for reclaiming the art of teaching and provides strategies for encouraging and supporting artistic teaching.

Urban pre-service teachers’ conceptions of teaching in rural communities

Encouraging quality teaching staff to apply for and accept teaching placements in rural and remote locations is an ongoing concern internationally. The value of different support mechanisms provided for pre-service teachers attending a rural and remote practicum[1] are investigated through theories of place and the school-community nexus. Qualitative data regarding the experiences of the pre-service teachers were collected through interviews and case study notes. This project adds to our understanding of practicum in rural areas by employing a conceptual understanding of place to propose how the experiences of a four-week practicum may contribute to urban pre-service teachers’ conceptions of work and life in a rural community

Changing the culture of teaching and learning in ICT and engineering : facilitating research professors to be teaching and learning leaders

This is the project report of a leadership project undertaken jointly by the Queensland University of Technology, University of Technology Sydney, and Monash University. Specific project objectives were to: -To build leadership capacity in teaching and learning, and to improve teaching quality in ICT and Engineering disciplines at three leading Australian universities, and -To facilitate the transference of research leadership to T&L leadership, and disseminate this transference model developed through the project within the Engineering and ICT domains to other disciplines and universities.