Student speech as an instructional priority: mathematics classrooms in seven culturally-differentiated cities

Student spoken use of mathematical terminology in public and private classroom discourse distinguishes one mathematics classroom from another. While student-student spoken interactions were frequent in the classrooms studied in Berlin, Melbourne, and San Diego, and non-existent in Shanghai and Seoul, student use of mathematical terminology varied significantly. The variation between the practices of the mathematics classrooms studied in Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo problematizes any simplistic characterization of “the Asian classroom.” Our results demonstrate that student spoken facility with the technical language of mathematics requires deliberate scaffolding and, interestingly, this can be achieved through either public or private discourse.

Does timing matter? How priority effects influence the outcome of parasite interactions within hosts

In nature, hosts are exposed to an assemblage of parasite species that collectively form a complex community within the host. To date, however, our understanding of how within-host–parasite communities assemble and interact remains limited. Using a larval amphibian host (Pacific chorus frog, Pseudacris regilla) and two common trematode parasites (Ribeiroia ondatrae and Echinostoma trivolvis), we experimentally examined how the sequence of host exposure influenced parasite interactions within hosts. While there was no evidence that the parasites interacted when hosts were exposed to both parasites simultaneously, we detected evidence of both intraspecific and interspecific competition when exposures were temporally staggered. However, the strength and outcome of these priority effects depended on the sequence of addition, even after accounting for the fact that parasites added early in host development were more likely to encyst compared to parasites added later. Ribeiroia infection success was reduced by 14 % when Echinostoma was added prior to Ribeiroia, whereas no such effect was noted for Echinostoma when Ribeiroia was added first. Using a novel fluorescent-labeling technique that allowed us to track Ribeiroia infections from different exposure events, we also discovered that, similar to the interspecific interactions, early encysting parasites reduced the encystment success of later arriving parasites by 41 %, which could be mediated by host immune responses and/or competition for space. These results suggest that parasite identity interacts with host immune responses to mediate parasite interactions within the host, such that priority effects may play an important role in structuring parasite communities within hosts. This knowledge can be used to assess host–parasite interactions within natural communities in which environmental conditions can lead to heterogeneity in the timing and composition of host exposure to parasites.

A dinner party: setting the table

A Dinner Party: setting the table, is a collaborative project curated by Caroline Phillips and Victoria Duckett. It is a cross- media workshop and forum that brings a range of feminist artists, scholars, and social commentators together to explore feminist art today. The project is the first step towards the realization of a larger feminist exhibition (The F Word) which will tour regional Victoria in 2014, later coming to rest in Melbourne.

Using Judy Chicago’s iconic feminist work The Dinner Party (1974 – 1979) as a starting point for research and dialogue, the workshop will explore the local questions and challenges which drive feminist art today. It is also space in which we will together develop feminist artwork.

Spirituality, music, and wellbeing : sharing insights from an Australian setting

The relationship between spirituality, music, health, and wellbeing is gaining much theoretical and research attention globally. These related concepts are complex and involve many facets and challenges. This paper explores the relationship between music and spirituality as a way to communicate actively with God, which interconnects with wellbeing and quality of life. The focus of this paper discusses one case study from my wider research project “Spirituality and Wellbeing: Music in the Community” that started in 2013, in Melbourne (Australia). Having gained ethical clearance, case study methodology (interviews, documents, and observation) was employed. For this paper, I only offer a discussion of semi-structured interviews with volunteer participants from an Anglican Church in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne (Australia). Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), I analyzed and codified the interview data to explore the lived experience of the participant’s perception and how they make sense of it. As IPA is phenomenological, it takes into the account my own ideas through a process of interpretation when analyzing the phenomena under study. The interview data are reported under two overarching themes: music and spirituality and music and wellbeing. The data provides insights into the various ways music contributes to participants’ spiritual journey and growth. I argue that music is a powerful vehicle that connects people with God and others as it fosters an enhanced sense of spiritual growth and self-wellbeing.

Critical literacy in an Indonesian EFL setting: sustaining professional learning

 This study investigates factors leading to the successful design and implementation of critical literacy pedagogy in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) class at a secondary school in the city of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Critical literacy pedagogy appears to have helped students to become more critical and socially aware.

Camera trapping: a contemporary approach to monitoring invasive rodents in high conservation priority ecosystems

Invasive rodent species have established on 80% of the world's islands causing significant damage to island environments. Insular ecosystems support proportionally more biodiversity than comparative mainland areas, highlighting them as critical for global biodiversity conservation. Few techniques currently exist to adequately detect, with high confidence, species that are trap-adverse such as the black rat, Rattus rattus, in high conservation priority areas where multiple non-target species persist. This study investigates the effectiveness of camera trapping for monitoring invasive rodents in high conservation areas, and the influence of habitat features and density of colonial-nesting seabirds on rodent relative activity levels to provide insights into their potential impacts. A total of 276 camera sites were established and left in situ for 8 days. Identified species were recorded in discrete 15 min intervals, referred to as 'events'. In total, 19 804 events were recorded. From these, 31 species were identified comprising 25 native species and six introduced. Two introduced rodent species were detected: the black rat (90% of sites), and house mouse Mus musculus (56% of sites). Rodent activity of both black rats and house mice were positively associated with the structural density of habitats. Density of seabird burrows was not strongly associated with relative activity levels of rodents, yet rodents were still present in these areas. Camera trapping enabled a large number of rodents to be detected with confidence in site-specific absences and high resolution to quantify relative activity levels. This method enables detection of multiple species simultaneously with low impact (for both target and non-target individuals); an ideal strategy for monitoring trap-adverse invasive rodents in high conservation areas.

A new method for deriving priority weights by extracting consistent numerical-valued matrices from interval-valued fuzzy judgement matrix

It is important to derive priority weights from interval-valued fuzzy preferences when a pairwise comparative mechanism is used. By focusing on the significance of consistency in the pairwise comparison matrix, two numerical-valued consistent comparison matrices are extracted from an interval fuzzy judgement matrix. Both consistent matrices are derived by solving the linear or nonlinear programming models with the aid of assessments from Decision Makers (DMs). An interval priority weight vector from the extracted consistent matrices is generated. In order to retain more information hidden in the intervals, a new probability-based method for comparison of the interval priority weights is introduced. An algorithm for deriving the final priority interval weights for both consistent and inconsistent interval matrices is proposed. The algorithm is also generalized to handle the pairwise comparison matrix with fuzzy numbers. The comparative results from the five examples reveal that the proposed method, as compared with eight existing methods, exhibits a smaller degree of uncertainty pertaining to the priority weights, and is also more reliable based on the similarity measure. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spiritual connections made through music making: sharing faith and music in an Australian setting

The musical involvement of people over the centuries is fundamentally interwoven with spiritual experiences (Seifert 2011). This paper discusses the connection between music and spirituality in an inter-denominational group in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne. With ethical clearance, through semi-structured interviews with two church leaders and the music worship team, subsequently employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), I analysed and codified the data gathered. Two overarching themes are discussed: insights into music and spirituality; and connecting music to worship with self and others. The findings show that music in worship may provide a rich pathway for people to explore, experience, and express their spirituality, and to connect to the wider multicultural society. It also adds to the current debates on whether music has spiritual significance for some people apart from community expressions of spirituality through music. Limitations of the current study are knowledged and generalizations cannot be made regarding connections to music and spirituality. However, the findings do indicate that music in worship can enrich one’s spiritual experience and connection with God and others.

Acute delirium in the setting of primary hypothyroidism: the role of thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

Psychiatric illness, mostly mania and psychosis, are reported to occur after rapid normalization of thyroid function in patients with primary hypothyroidism. It is generally believed that the gradual restoration of thyroid function may reduce the risk of psychiatric complications. This case report describes the occurrence of acute delirium in a 67-year-old man with primary hypothyroidism shortly after the initiation of thyroid hormone replacement. The use of low-dose thyroxine initially and persistent severe biochemical hypothyroidism on presentation with psychiatric symptoms illustrate that psychiatric illness can still occur despite unaggressive thyroid hormone replacement. A temporal relationship with the initiation of thyroxine and rapid recovery of mental state over 1 to 2 weeks differentiate this condition from hypothyroidism-related psychopathology, which tends to have a more prolonged course.