Indigenous epistemology : creating an international Indigenous higher education space in the wake of the western “university of excellence”

Interest in the participation of Indigenous peoples in higher education has, in recent times, gained momentum with an increasing number of advocates challenging the global history of culturally inept policies and practices imposed within the western higher education system. To address the challenges being presented by Indigenous communities and other groups (often relegated under the banner of disadvantaged or equity) Western Universities are promoting a shift toward inclusive policies and practices. Frustrated with the offerings of the Western Higher Education system, a global movement of Indigenous academics, Elders and knowledge holders are developing strategies to meet the educational needs of their own communities, in order to find a way forward. The mobilization of Elders and Indigenous academics has resulted in the development of a global higher education network which is proving to be a significant force in changing the position of Indigenous participation in higher education. The World Indigenous Network Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) has presented a significant challenge to those barriers within the western higher education system that has historically demonstrated an inability to develop culturally inclusive practices within their institutions. This paper examines the development of a world Indigenous higher education movement and its contribution to the history of the “university” within the context of western higher education institutions. Outlined in this examination will be a synopsis of the development of the “University of Excellence” and the creation of an international Indigenous space within higher education.

Using collaborative and activity-based learning for engaging IT students

Active and collaborative learning are becoming essential strategies to attract, engage and retain students. These methods have been adopted within the Science and Engineering Faculty of Queensland University of Technology for use in its Science, Information Technology and Engineering degrees. This paper describes the adoption and application of these techniques in a specific first year unit in a new Bachelor of Information Technology degree which has majors in Computer Science and Information Systems. The paper reports on the design, development and implementation of this foundation subject and discusses how it uses active and collaborative learning to teach design thinking through a series of design challenges, and how it uses critiquing and reflection to ensure that students become more aware of design and team processes.

Telomerase activity : detection and clinical implications in human cancer

Telomerase is an extremely important enzyme required for the immortalisation of tumour cells. Because the gene is activated in the vast majority of tumour tissues and remains unused in most somatic cells, it represents a marker with huge diagnostic, prognostic and treatment implications in cancer. This article summarises the basic structure and functions of telomerase and considers its clinical implications in colorectal and other cancers.

Quantitative analysis of survivin in colorectal adenocarcinoma : increased expression and correlation with telomerase activity

The aims of the present study are to quantitatively analyze survivin expression, its clinicopathologic roles, and correlation with telomerase activity in a large cohort of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantitate expression level of survivin messenger RNA and human telomerase reverse transcriptase messenger RNA (telomerase activity) in 51 patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas. The findings were correlated with the clinicopathologic features of patients, which were prospectively collected into a computerized database. Survivin messenger RNA was expressed in all tumor samples. The level of expression in tumor tissues was increased in comparison with matched nontumor mucosa in the same patient (P = .01). The level of expression of survivin was significantly correlated with the level of human telomerase reverse transcriptase expression (P = .008) and size of the colorectal adenocarcinomas (P = .004). Survival of the patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma was associated with the TNM stages (P = .001) and not with the level of expression of survivin. Thus, survivin activity was altered in colorectal adenocarcinoma. The high prevalence of survivin expression and correlation with telomerase activity are important factors for consideration in gene targeting therapy for colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Exploring Bodies in Time and Space

While the body, time and space are fundamental to human experience, comparatively little attention has been given to the connections between them. Here scholars from a wide range of disciplines explore important themes of embodied life in time and space across cultures, activities and bodymind states. Motivated by a common desire to deepen and extend our comprehension of these phenomena and the connections and conversations between them, this book emerged from intense inter-disciplinary dialogue during the 1st Global Conferences on Time, Space and the Body and Body Horror. A plenitude of theoretical approaches and media are deployed to investigate assumptions and pose problems, to creatively deconstruct and reconstruct the terms through which experience is rendered meaningful, pleasurable, and functional. These investigations, pursued through various research methods in fields of the arts, social and psychological sciences and humanities, invite readers into a genuinely pluralistic conversation around the most basic and profound aspects of being.

Introduction : Understanding Connections between Time, Space and the Body

The experiences and constructs of time, space and bodies saturate human discourse—naturally enough, since they are fundamental to existence—yet there has long been a tendency for the terms to be approached somewhat independently, belying the depth of their interconnections. It was a desire to address that apparent shortcoming that inspired this book, and the interdisciplinary meetings from which it was born, the 1st Global Conferences on ‘Time, Space and the Body’ and ‘Body Horror’ held in Sydney in February 2013. Following the lively, often provocative, exchange of ideas throughout those meetings, the writing here crosses conventional boundaries inhabiting everyday life and liminal experiences, across cultures, life circumstances, and bodily states. Through numerous theoretical frameworks and with reference to a variety of media, the authors problematize or deconstruct commonplace assumptions to reveal challenging new perspectives on the diverse cultures and communities which make our world. If there is an overarching theme of this collection it is diversity itself. The writers here come from numerous academic fields, but a good number of them also draw on first-hand cultural production in the arts: photography, sculpture and fine art instillation, for example. Of course, however laudable it might be, there is a potential problem in such diversity: does it produce fruitful dialogue moving toward creative, workable syntheses or simply a cacophony of competing, incomprehensible, barely comprehending voices? To a large degree this depends upon the intellectual, existential ambitions as well as the old-fashioned goodnatured tolerance of both writers and readers. But we hope three unifying characteristics are discernable in the following chapters viewed as a whole: firstly, a genuine concern for the world humans inhabit and the communities they form as bodies in space and time; secondly, an emphasis upon the experience of the human subject, exemplified perhaps by the number of chapters drawing on phenomenology; thirdly, an adventurous, explorative impulse associated with an underlying sense that being, since it is inseparable from the body’s temporality, is always becoming, and here the presence of poststructuralist influences is unmistakable, often explicit. Our challenge as editors has been to present the enormous variety of subjects and views in a way that would render the book coherent and at the same time encourage readers to make explorations themselves into realms they might usually consider beyond their field of interest. To that end we have divided the book into six sections around loosely defined themes, each offering different angles on how time and/or space unfold in and around bodies.

The benefits and challenges of conducting an overview of systematic reviews in public health: a focus on physical activity

Introduction The ultimate aim of Cochrane systematic reviews is to inform policy and practice decisions for better health outcomes. However, due to the increasing numbers of scientific publications, wading through the available evidence of both individual studies and systematic reviews can be challenging and overwhelming even for avid authors and readers. This paper briefly describes the first overview (a systematic review of reviews) of the Cochrane Public Health Group (CPHG) in development and proposes a way forward for the methodologies under consideration.

Defining the spatiotemporal surveillance space for alien species’ invasions using approximate Bayesian computation

The spatiotemporal dynamics of an alien species invasion across a real landscape are typically complex. While surveillance is an essential part of a management response, planning surveillance in space and time present a difficult challenge due to this complexity. We show here a method for determining the highest probability sites for occupancy across a landscape at an arbitrary point in the future, based on occupancy data from a single slice in time. We apply to the method to the invasion of Giant Hogweed, a serious weed in the Czech republic and throughout Europe.

Making space to learn : leading collaborative classroom design

Design principles for learning spaces for 21st century learning emphasise flexibility and collaboration. Yet it is rare in Australian schools for school leaders to invite students and teachers to collaborate in the design process or to prepare them for the transition into innovative physical learning spaces that are often designed to challenge and change existing learning habits. This article presents a qualitative case study of how one primary school leader led a successful transition for a teacher and her students by inviting them to design their future physical learning space and reconstruct their pedagogic relationships. This article analyses her leadership practices drawing from literature in the learning space, student voice and leadership fields to consider the benefits and challenges experienced by the collaborators when making space to learn.

Space within the surface : the patterned surfaces of Florence Broadhurst and Jim Thompson

The Woods Bagot 2007 refurbishment of the Qantas and British Airways Bangkok Business lounge in the Survarnabhumi Airport features wall finishes designed by wallpaper designer, Florence Broadhurst (1899-1977) and Thai Silk trader, Jim Thompson (1906-1967). This distinctive selection, which is proclaimed on the airport’s website, of patterned wall surfaces side by side draws attention to their striking similarities and their defining differences . Thompson and Broadhurst would appear to be worlds apart, but here in the airport their work brings them together. Thompson, the son of a wealthy cotton family in America, worked as an architect before joining the army. He moved to Bangkok to start The Thai Silk Company in 1948. Broadhurst was born on a farm in Mt. Perry, Queensland. She began her career as a performance artist, as part of an Australian troupe in Shanghai, moving onto pursue a career in fashion design, catering to the middle and upper classes in London. Upon her return to Australia, Broadhurst started a print design company in 1959. Both Broadhurst and Thompson pursued multiple careers, lived many lives, and died under mysterious circumstances. Broadhurst was murdered in 1977 at her Sydney print warehouse, which remains an unsolved crime. Thompson disappeared in Malaysia in 1967 and his body has never been found. This chapter investigates the parallels between Thompson and Broadhurst and what lead them to design such popular patterns for wall surfaces towards the end of their careers. While neither designer was a household name, their work is familiar to most, seen in the costume and set design of films, on the walls of restaurants and cafes and even in family homes. The reason for the popularity of their patterns has not previously been analysed. However, this chapter suggests that the patterns are intriguing because they contain something of their designers’ identities. It suggests that the coloured surface provides a way of camouflaging and hiding its subjects’ histories, such that Broadhurst and Thompson, consciously or unconsciously, used the patterned surface as a plane in which their past lives could be buried. The revealing nature of the stark white wall, compared with the forgiveness provided by the pattern in which to hide, is elaborated by painter and advocate for polychromatic architecture, Fernand Léger in his essay, “The Wall, The Architect, The Painter (1965).” Léger writes that, “the modern architect has gone too far in his magnificent attempts to cleanse through emptiness,” and that the resultant white walls of modernity create ‘an impalpability of air, of slick, brilliant new surfaces where nothing can be hidden any longer …even shadows don’t dare to enter’. To counter the exposure produced by the white wall, Thompson and Broadhurst designed patterned surfaces that could harbour their personal histories. Broadhurst and Thompson’s works share a number of commonalities in their design production, even though their work in print design commenced a decade apart. Both designers opted to work more with traditional methods of pattern making. Broadhurst used hand-operated screens, and Thompson outsourced work to local weavers and refrained from operating out of a factory. Despite humble beginnings, Broadhurst and Thompson enjoyed international success with their wall patterns being featured in a number of renowned international hotels in Bahrain, Singapore, Sydney, and London in the 1970s and 1980s. Their patterns were also transferred to fabric for soft furnishings and clothing. Thompson’s patterns were used for costumes in films including the King and I and Ben Hur. Broadhurst’s patterns were also widely used by fashion designers and artists, such as Akira Isogowa‘s costume design for Salome, a 1998 production by the Sydney Dance Company. Most recently her print designs have been used by skin illustrator Emma Hack, in a series of works painting female bodies into Broadhurst’s patterns. Hack’s works camouflage the models’ bodies into the patterned surface, assimilating subject and surface, hinting at there being something living within the patterned wall. More than four decades after Broadhurst’s murder and five decades since Thompson’s disappearance, their print designs persist as more than just a legacy. They are applied as surface finishes with the same fervour as when the designs were first released. This chapter argues that the reason for the ongoing celebration of their work is that there is the impalpable presence of the creator in the patterns. It suggests that the patterns blur the boundary between subject and surface.

A Bit-Stream based space vector modulator

Bit-Stream based control, which uses one bit wide signals to control power electronics applications, is a new approach for controller design in power electronic systems. Bit-Stream signals are inherently high frequency in nature, and as such some form of down sampling or modulating is essential to avoid excessive switching losses. This paper presents a novel three-phase space vector modulator, which is based on the Bit-Stream technique and suitable for standard three-phase inverter systems. The proposed modulator simultaneously converts a two phase reference to the three-phase domain and reduces switching frequencies to reasonable levels. The modulator consumes relatively few logic elements and does not require sector detectors, carrier oscillators or trigonometric functions. The performance of the modulator was evaluated using ModelSim. Results indicate that, subject to limits on the modulation index, the proposed modulator delivers a spread-spectrum output with total harmonic distortion comparable to standard space vector pulse width modulation techniques.

Time, space, and text in the elementary school digital writing classroom

Theorists of multiliteracies, social semiotics, and the New Literacy Studies have drawn attention to the potential changing nature of writing and literacy in the context of networked communications. This article reports findings from a design-based research project in Year 4 classrooms (students aged 8.5-10 years) in a low socioeconomic status school. A new writing program taught students how to design multimodal and digital texts across a range of genres and text types, such as web pages, online comics, video documentaries, and blogs. The authors use Bernstein’s theory of the pedagogic device to theorize the pedagogic struggles and resolutions in remaking English through the specialization of time, space, and text. The changes created an ideological struggle as new writing practices were adapted from broader societal fields to meet the instructional and regulative discourses of a conventional writing curriculum.

Space vector modulated cascade multi-level inverter for PMSG wind generation systems

Modulation and control of a cascade multilevel inverter, which has a high potential in future wind generation applications, are presented. The inverter is a combination of a high power, three level “bulk inverter” and a low power “conditioning inverter”. To minimize switching losses, the bulk inverter operates at a low frequency producing square wave outputs while high frequency conditioning inverter is used to suppress harmonic content produced by the bulk inverter output. This paper proposes an improved Space Vector Modulation (SVM) algorithm and a neutral point potential balancing technique for the inverter. Furthermore, a maximum power tracking controller for the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) is described in detail. The proposed SVM technique eliminates most of the computational burdens on the digital controller and renders a greater controllability under varying DC-link voltage conditions. The DC-link capacitor voltage balancing of both bulk and conditioning inverters is carried out using Redundant State Selection (RSS) method and is explained in detail. Experimental results are presented to verify the proposed modulation and control techniques.

Engaging children and young people in creating resilient and healthy urban spaces

Urban public space in Australia and internationally, can be critically examined from a number of multidisciplinary standpoints, including human geography, urban design, planning, sociology, and public health. Viewing urban public space from a range of perspectives encourages different vantage points to emerge and questions around health, wellbeing and public space are increasingly topical and important in the broadest of terms, with public space being a key arena for physical activity, mental health, commercial, cultural and community life and the possibility of social inclusion. However, in the name of urban regeneration, programs of securitisation, ‘gentrification’ ‘creative’ and ‘smart’ city initiatives refashion public space as sites of selective inclusion and exclusion (Watson 2005; Gabrys 2014). In this context of monitoring and control procedures, in particular, children and young people’s use of space in parks, neighbourhoods, shopping malls and streets, is often viewed as a threat to social order, requiring various forms of remedial action, such as being ‘designed out’ of public space (Johnson 2014). Rarely are children and young people actively and respectfully brought into planning and governance processes and consequently many urban public spaces are essentially adult places, where control and ongoing surveillance are the key concerns (Freeman 2011, Dee 2013). There is also a political economy of public space discernable in cities like Brisbane, where ‘flagship’ infrastructure such as road tunnels take pride of place, while more humbly appointed pedestrian footpaths are often narrow, in a poor state of repair and a potential barrier to good health (Atkinson and Easthope 2009). The recent development of bikeways in Brisbane is a case in point, presenting both challenges and opportunities in being a valuable new form of public space heavily used by ‘commuter cyclists’ by day, but poorly lit and conceived, for a range of users at other times (Wyeth 2014). This paper concentrates on questions of social citizenship rights and discourses of health and wellbeing and suggests that cities, places and spaces and those who seek to use them, can be resilient in maintaining and extending democratic freedoms, calling surveillance, planning and governance systems to account (Smith 2014). The active inclusion of children and young people better informs the implementation of public policy around the design, build and governance of public space and also understandings of urban citizenship, leading to healthier, more inclusive, public space for all (Jacobs 1965).

Young people, participation and public space

Young people are major users of public space, White (1990,1998) Loader (1996). * Young people are constructed as ‘problem’ and ‘non citizens’, Brown (1998). * Young people report feeling unconsulted, not part of community life, Measor & Squires (2000), Article 12 (2000), Tyler et al (1998). * Young people and citizenship/participation is a major issue. * Public Space issues affect others also such as the homeless, aged, women, Indigenous people and people of middle eastern appearance.