How many seabirds do we need to track to define home-range area?

In recent years, marine predator and seabird tracking studies have become ever more popular. However, they are often conducted without first considering how many individuals should be tracked and for how long they should be tracked in order to make reliable predictions of a population's home-range area. Home-range area analysis of two seabird-tracking data sets was used to define the area of active use (where birds spent 100% of their time) and the core foraging area (where birds spent 50% of their time). Analysis was conducted on the first foraging trip undertaken by the birds and then the first two, three and four foraging trips combined. Appropriate asymptotic models were applied to the data, and the calculated home-range areas were plotted as a function of an increasing number of individuals and trips included in the sample. Data were extrapolated from these models to predict the area of active use and the core foraging area of the colonies sampled. Significant variability was found in the home-range area predictions made by analysis of the first foraging trip and the first four foraging trips combined. For shags, the first foraging trip predicted a 56% smaller area of active use when compared to the predictions made by combining the first four foraging trips. For kittiwakes, a 43% smaller area was predicted when comparing the first foraging trip with the four combined trips. The number of individuals that would be required to predict the home range area of the colony depends greatly on the number of trips included in the analysis. This analysis predicted that 39 (confidence interval 29-73) shags and 83 (CI: 109-161) kittiwakes would be required to predict 95% of the area of active use when the first four foraging trips are included in the sample compared with 135 (CI 96-156) shags and 248 (164-484) kittiwakes when only the first trip is included in the analysis. Synthesis and applications. Seabird and marine mammal tracking studies are increasingly being used to aid the designation of marine conservation zones and to predict important foraging areas. We suggest that many studies may be underestimating the size of these foraging areas and that better estimates could be made by considering both the duration and number of data logger deployments. Researchers intending to draw conclusions from tracking data should conduct a similar analysis of their data as used in this study to determine the reliability of their home-range area predictions.

Learners’ motivation and identity in the Vietnamese EFL writing classroom

The study reported in this paper explores issues of motivation and learners’ identity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing classroom in Vietnam from the perspectives of the learners. It was conducted with thirty English-major students at a university in central Vietnam. While relevant literature appears to place much emphasis on students’ extrinsic motivations related to institutional needs, their linguistic needs, and social needs in learning EFL writing, students are not only concerned with these but more significantly, with their intrinsic motivations such as their interest, passion and inspiration, which are linked to their personal and cultural needs in writing. Students in this study show their potential to write independently, creatively and passionately if they are really motivated. This reflects an image of students who are able and ready to write with a sense of authorship in a foreign language, which is different from how they appear to be in the routine described with writing as imitating the model and developing some preconceived ideas. The research also suggests that decisions about appropriate methods and materials for teaching writing in the study context need to be based on a comprehensive interpretation of not only the visible signs or visible needs mainly shaped by institutional requirements and social expectations but also what is deep inside students’ act of writing in a foreign language involving their own cognitive and affective process embedded in their unrecognised needs.

Community languages, linguistic isolation and social exclusion in the Australian context

The detrimental impacts of social exclusion to health and well-being are well-known and are of increasing concern around the world. For many of the population sub-groups who are most at risk of social exclusion, linguistic isolation—the inability to use and understand the majority language—is a major barrier to full participation in the life of the community as well as to full integration into the society in which its members live. This paper, using data obtained from community-based research in Melbourne, Australia, will discuss the problem of linguistic isolation in the context of Australian multicultural policy and use of languages other than English among members of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. The experience of members of two specific CALD communities, speakers of Arabic and speakers of Indonesian, will be discussed to illustrate the impacts of linguistic isolation on health and well-being and to elucidate the relationship between CALD status and social exclusion in these communities.

Do we need both cognitive and behavioural components in interventions for depressed mood in people with mild intellectual disability?

 Background: A growing literature suggests that people with mild intellectual disability (ID) who have depressed mood may benefit from cognitive-behavioural interventions. There has been some speculation regarding the relative merit of the components of this approach. The aim of this study was to compare (i) cognitive strategies; (ii) behavioural strategies; and (iii) combined cognitive-behavioural (CB) strategies on depressed mood among a sample of 70 individuals with mild ID. Methods: Staff from three participating agencies received training in how to screen individuals with mild ID for depressive symptoms and risk factors for depression. Depressive symptoms and negative automatic thoughts were assessed prior to and at the conclusion of the intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. The interventions were run in groups by the same therapist. Results: A post-intervention reduction in depression scores was evident in participants of all three interventions, with no significant difference between groups. A significant reduction in negative automatic thoughts post-intervention was evident in the CB combination group and was maintained at follow-up. Examination of clinical effectiveness suggests some advantage of the CB combination in terms of improvement and highlights the possible short term impact of behavioural strategies in comparison with the longer-term potential of cognitive strategies. Conclusions: The findings support the use of group cognitive-behavioural interventions for addressing symptoms of depression among people with ID. Further research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of components. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Thirty Years and Counting: Do We Still Need the ICIS Women’s Breakfast?

This article discusses an important panel held at ICIS 2011 in Shanghai to mark over thirty years of an ICIS institution, the ICIS Women’s Breakfast. The panel addressed the controversial question—is there still a need for the ICIS Women’s Breakfast? Panelists were asked if the ICIS Women’s Breakfast could be seen as divisive, and if, women’s issues are different from issues of diversity such as race or sexual  orientation. They were also asked why they thought women were still  underrepresented in our academic community, and if the lack of women at senior levels was a concern for the community. Finally, the panelists were asked what practices the community would need to adopt to combat what could be seen as structural discrimination in our community, which we believe reflects the wider world we live in. We frame the debate and the ensuing discussion in the literature about women in academia, and conclude with some practical and constructive  recommendations for the community as a whole.