Unravelling migratory connectivity in marine turtles using multiple methods

1. Comprehensive knowledge of the fundamental spatial ecology of marine species is critical to allow the identification of key habitats and the likely sources of anthropogenic threats, thus informing effective conservation strategies. 2. Research on migratory marine vertebrates has lagged behind many similar terrestrial animal groups, but studies using electronic tagging systems and molecular techniques offer great insights. 3. Marine turtles have complex life history patterns, spanning wide spatio-temporal scales. As a result of this multidimensional complexity, and despite extensive effort, there are no populations for which a truly holistic understanding of the spatial aspects of the life history has been attained. There is a particular lack of information regarding the distribution and habitats utilized during the first few years of life. 4. We used satellite tracking technology to track individual turtles following nesting at the green turtle Chelonia mydas nesting colony at Poilão Island, Guinea Bissau; the largest breeding aggregation in the eastern Atlantic. 5. We further contextualize these data with pan-Atlantic molecular data and oceanographic current modelling to gain insights into likely dispersal patterns of hatchlings and small pelagic juveniles. 6. All adult turtles remained in the waters of West Africa, with strong connectivity demonstrated with Banc D’Arguin, Mauritania. 7. Despite shortcomings in current molecular markers, we demonstrate evidence for profound sub-structuring of marine turtle stocks across the Atlantic; with a high likelihood based on oceanographic modelling that most turtles from Guinea-Bissau are found in the eastern Atlantic. 8. Synthesis and applications. There is an increased need for a better understanding of spatial distribution of marine vertebrates demonstrating life histories with spatio-temporal complexity. We propose the synergistic use of the technologies and modelling used here as a working framework for the future rapid elucidation of the range and likely key habitats used by the different life stages from such species.

Multiple perspectives framework to model complex processes

The growing complexity of organisations has resulted in collaboration between multiple stakeholders becoming a challenging and critical issue that organisations must address in order to ensure their practices are sustainable. A multiple-case field study was conducted in order to demonstrate the proposed methodology of analysis and examination for knowledge-based systems in an actual organisational setting. The use of a multiple-perspective framework to improve understanding of the complex relationships in such systems was examined. In particular, the case study focused on the Australian Government’s Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan (NBESP) which provided $1.9 billion to construct social housing across the State over two years. The results suggest that the use of a multi-perspective framework is appropriate and that there is a need for attention to be paid to the economic perspective.

Online pattern classification with multiple neural network systems: an experimental study

In this paper, an empirical study of the development and application of a committee of neural networks on online pattern classification tasks is presented. A multiple classifier framework is designed by adopting an Adaptive Resonance Theory-based (ART) autonomously learning neural network as the building block. A number of algorithms for combining outputs from multiple neural classifiers are considered, and two benchmark data sets have been used to evaluate the applicability of the proposed system. Different learning strategies coupling offline and online learning approaches, as well as different input pattern representation schemes, including the "ensemble" and "modular" methods, have been examined experimentally. Benefits and shortcomings of each approach are systematically analyzed and discussed. The results are comparable, and in some cases superior, with those from other classification algorithms. The experiments demonstrate the potentials of the proposed multiple neural network systems in offering an alternative to handle online pattern classification tasks in possibly nonstationary environments.

The Integrating Theory, Evidence and Action (ITEA) method: a procedure for helping practitioners translate theory and research into action

Introduction: The aim of this article is to describe and explain a new method for integrating theory and evidence that enables practitioners to translate evidence into action applied in their practice. Method: A new multiple methods procedure called the Integrating Theory, Evidence and Action method is described. It is a mixed method that progresses through seven distinct steps: clinical question, framework, identification, deconstruction, analysis, reconstruction, and transfer/utilization. An example of using this method to review evidence around occupational therapy with people recovering from alcohol misuse and/or abuse is provided. Findings: This method highlights the importance of theory, tests the empirical strength of theories, includes diverse forms of evidence, and encourages the integration of knowledge within clinical practice. Conclusion: The Integrating Theory, Evidence and Action method is accessible and useful to practitioners and will support their efforts to make their practice evidence based. Current methods of evidence-based practice focus mostly on research evidence (particularly quantitative evidence); however, research is only one of the ways of knowing that practitioners draw upon to guide their practice. This method enables occupational therapists to integrate theory, evidence, and practice in a coherent and translatable way.

Inclusive practices in academia and beyond

This chapter explores a set of principles that underpin ensuring that the learning needs of all students are addressed in next generation learning spaces. With increasingly diverse higher education environments and populations, higher education needs to move from seeing student diversity as problematic and deficit-based, to welcoming, celebrating and recognising diversity for the contributions it makes to enhancing the experience and learning outcomes for all students. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2011) provide a framework for highquality university teaching and learning, as well as guidance on the multiple methods and means by which all students can be engaged and learn in ways that best suit their individual styles and needs. An inclusive approach is important pedagogically and applies to both the physical and virtual environments and spaces inhabited by students. When the design of physical environments does not incorporate universal design principles, the result is that some students can be locked out of participating in campus or university life or, for some, the energy required to participate can be substantial. With the digital education frontier expanding at an exponential rate, there is also a need to ensure that online and virtual environments are accessible for all. This chapter draws on the relevant research and the combined experience of the authors to explore an approach to inclusive practices in higher education next generation learning spaces and beyond. © 2014 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Principalship and policy in small New Zealand primary schools

This research investigates the relationship between principalship and policy in small New Zealand primary schools. A distinctive feature of small primary schools is that their principals typically have to teach as well as manage. Overseas research indicates that in times of educational reform, teaching principals face particular difficulty and may need special support. Following the watershed educational reforms of 1989 and a decade of ‘hands-off’ policy in education (1989-1999), central policy towards school support in New Zealand is now more ‘hands-on’. The impact of this policy change on small schools has not been researched hi New Zealand, where such schools make up over fifty percent of all primary schools. The aims of this study are to analyse the impact of current support policy in New Zealand on small primary school principalship, and to evaluate the extent to which policy adjustment might be needed in the future. Using multiple methods and a case study approach to gather data, the study focuses on small school principalship in one New Zealand region - the Central Districts region. It also considers the recent policy initiatives, their rationale and the extent to which they appear to be meeting the support needs reported by the principals whose work has been researched in the study. Broadly, the study has found that within small schools, the role-balance within a teaching principal’s work is a critical factor, as the ratio within the principal’s role-balance between the teaching role and the management role creates variation in work-demands, work-strategies and types of support needed. Teaching principals in New Zealand generally feel better supported now than they did in the 1990s and the study identifies factors associated with this change. However the analysis in this study suggests that the current policy aim to both rationalise and strengthen the small school network as a whole is rather problematic. Without better targeted support policy in this area, old style parochial and competitive attitudes between schools are unlikely to change in the future.

Evidence based guidelines to improve engagement and participation for people experiencing depression

Background:
Depression can have a strongly negative impact on a person’s ability to engage with and participate in activities of daily living. Clinicians currently seeking guidance on best practice in this area currently need to access and critique a wide range of evidence from a number of disciplines. While some clinical practice guidelines are available, this form of evidence presentation presents several barriers to implementation.

Procedures:
This article proposes a new procedure for developing guidance for clinicians, known as evidence based guidelines. The purpose of the guidelines presented here is to provide guidance on appropriate assessment and intervention strategies with people experiencing depression, who wish to improve their engagement and participation in daily activities. They were constructed using a multiple methods procedure, with five phases.

Results:
Evidence based guidelines for the general population, older adults and people with co-morbid physical conditions are presented at the conclusion of this article.

Conclusion:
The procedure described here produces evidence based guidelines with built in measures to promote implementation into practice. The resulting guidelines for depression will enable clinicians from all disciplines to engage in best practice, and assist people with depression participate more fully in their lives.

Patient participation in quality pain management during an acute care admission

The objective of the study was to explore patient participation in the context of pain management during a hospital admission for a cardiac surgical intervention of patients with cardiovascular disease. This is a single-institution study, with a case-study design. The unit of analysis was a cardiothoracic ward of a major metropolitan, tertiary referral hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Multiple methods of data collection were used including preadmission and predischarge patient interviews (n=98), naturalistic observations (n=48), and focus group interviews (n=2).

Patient participation in medication safety during an acute care admission

Background : Patient participation in medication management during hospitalization is thought to reduce medication errors and, following discharge, improve adherence and therapeutic use of medications. There is, however, limited understanding of how patients participate in their medication management while hospitalized.Objective : To explore patient participation in the context of medication management during a hospital admission for a cardiac surgical intervention of patients with cardiovascular disease.Design : Single institution, case study design. The unit of analysis was a cardiothoracic ward of a major metropolitan, tertiary referral hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Multiple methods of data collection were used including pre-admission and pre-discharge patient interviews (n = 98), naturalistic observations (n = 48) and focus group interviews (n = 2).Results : All patients had changes made to their pre-operative cardiovascular medications as a consequence of surgery. More patients were able to list and state the purpose and side-effects of their cardiovascular medications at pre-admission than prior to discharge from hospital. There was very little evidence that nurses used opportunities such as medication administration times to engage patients in medication management during hospital admission.Discussion and Conclusions : Failure to engage patients in medication management and provide opportunities for patients to learn about changes to their medications has implications for the quality and safety of care patients receive in hospital and when managing their medications once discharged. To increase the opportunity for patients to participate in medication management, a fundamental shift in the way nurses currently provide care is required.

Patient participation in pulmonary interventions to reduce postoperative pulmonary complications following cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Clinical interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications necessitate patient engagement and participation in care. Patients' ability and willingness to participate in care to reduce postoperative complications is unclear. Further, nurses' facilitation of patient participation in pulmonary interventions has not been explored. OBJECTIVE: To explore patients' ability and willingness to participate in pulmonary interventions and nurses' facilitation of pulmonary interventions. DESIGN: Single institution, case study design. Multiple methods of data collection were used including preadmission (n=130) and pre-discharge (n=98) patient interviews, naturalistic observations (n=48) and nursing focus group interviews (n=2). SETTING: A cardiac surgical ward of a major metropolitan, tertiary referral hospital in Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and thirty patients admitted for cardiac surgery via the preadmission clinic during a 1-year period and 40 registered nurses who were part of the permanent workforce on the cardiac surgical ward. OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients' understanding of their role in pulmonary interventions and patients' preference for and reported involvement in pulmonary management. Nurses' facilitation of patients to participate in pulmonary interventions. RESULTS: Patients displayed a greater understanding of their role in pulmonary interventions after their surgical admission than they did at preadmission. While 55% of patients preferred to make decisions about deep breathing and coughing exercises, three-quarters of patients (75%) reported they made decisions about deep breathing and coughing during their surgical admission. Nurses missed opportunities to engage patients in this aspect of pulmonary management. CONCLUSIONS: Patients appear willing to take responsibility for pulmonary management in the postoperative period. Nurses could enhance patient participation in pulmonary interventions by ensuring adequate information and education is provided. Facilitation of patients' participation in their recovery is a fundamental aspect of care delivery in this context.

Core components of communication of clinical reasoning: a qualitative study with experienced Australian physiotherapists

Communication is an important area in health professional education curricula, however it has been dealt with as discrete skills that can be learned and taught separate to the underlying thinking. Communication of clinical reasoning is a phenomenon that has largely been ignored in the literature. This research sought to examine how experienced physiotherapists communicate their clinical reasoning and to identify the core processes of this communication. A hermeneutic phenomenological research study was conducted using multiple methods of text construction including repeated semi-structured interviews, observation and written exercises. Hermeneutic analysis of texts involved iterative reading and interpretation of texts with the development of themes and sub-themes. Communication of clinical reasoning was perceived to be complex, dynamic and largely automatic. A key finding was that articulating reasoning (particularly during research) does not completely represent actual reasoning processes but represents a (re)construction of the more complex, rapid and multi-layered processes that operate in practice. These communications are constructed in ways that are perceived as being most relevant to the audience, context and purpose of the communication. Five core components of communicating clinical reasoning were identified: active listening, framing and presenting the message, matching the co-communicator, metacognitive aspects of communication and clinical reasoning abilities. We propose that communication of clinical reasoning is both an inherent part of reasoning as well as an essential and complementary skill based on the contextual demands of the task and situation. In this way clinical reasoning and its communication are intertwined, providing evidence for the argument that they should be learned (and explicitly taught) in synergy and in context.

Learning to reason: a journey of professional socialisation

One of the key attributes that health professional students and new graduates develop during professional socialisation is clinical reasoning ability. Clinical reasoning is a complex skill that is essential for professional practice. There is limited research specifically addressing how physiotherapists learn to reason in the workplace. The research reported in this paper addressed this gap by investigating how experienced physiotherapists learned to reason in daily practice. This learning journey was examined in the context of professional socialisation. A hermeneutic phenomenological research study was conducted using multiple methods of data collection including observation, written reflective exercises and repeated, semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using phenomenological and hermeneutic strategies involving in-depth, iterative reading and interpretation to identify themes in the data. Twelve physiotherapists with clinical and supervisory experience were recruited from the areas of cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal and neurological physiotherapy to participate in this study. Participants' learning journeys were diverse, although certain episodes of learning were common or similar. Role models, mentors and colleagues were found to be influential in the development of reasoning. An important implication for the professional socialisation of physiotherapists and other health professionals and for those involved in practice development is the need to recognise and enhance the role of practice communities in the explicit learning of clinical reasoning skills.

Undergraduate sports students' perceptions of a change to game sense pedagogy

This paper contributes to research in the scholarship of teaching by reporting on undergraduate sports students perceptions of their own learning when exposed to a Game Sense learning approach and reflections on my experience of teaching it. A multiple methods approach was utilised to gather data from a four-week games component of a 10-week unit of study with all participants (n = 20; aged 18-21) in their first year of a three-year sports-related undergraduate degree. The games classification system was used to plan session content over the four weeks with each week focusing on a different games classification. Data were organised and coded via inductive coding procedures with analysis conducted concurrently to identify three prominent themes: 1) positive experiences of competition and game play, 2) the range of cognitive and emotional learning opportunities provided by Game Sense pedagogy facilitated improved student engagement and learning, and 3) the challenge of effective teacher questioning to stimulate game play knowledge construction.

Computation and fabrication of scaled prototypes

The formal, functional, and material attributes of design are routinely investigated through the construction of physical models and scaled prototypes. With the increasing adoption of computational workflows, the digital to physical translation process is central to the construction of scaled prototypes. However, the choice of methods, tools and materials for computational prototyping is a developing area. Therefore a systematic body of knowledge on the benefits and costs of multiple methods of computational prototyping for the construction of physical prototypes need to be identified. This paper addresses the prototyping process through the comparison of three computational methods of fabrication through the modelling, analysis and construction of a Gaussian Vault. It reports on the process of digital to physical construction using additive manufacturing, surface fabrication and structural component models. The Gaussian Vault offers a unique set of geometric, structural and physical characteristics for testing all three methods of prototyping. The size, shape and proportion of vault prototypes are rapidly generated and tested. The design geometry, material properties and physical construction of the Gaussian Vault are realised using commonly used practice workflows comprising parametric modelling and analysis of geometry, model rationalisation with material characteristics and finally the use of digital fabrication methods. Comparison of the results identifies the characteristics, benefits and limitations of the three approaches. Finally the paper discusses the digital to physical translation processes and summarises the characteristics, benefits and issues encountered in each.

A matrix factorization framework for jointly analyzing multiple nonnegative data source

Nonnegative matrix factorization based methods provide one of the simplest and most effective approaches to text mining. However, their applicability is mainly limited to analyzing a single data source. In this paper, we propose a novel joint matrix factorization framework which can jointly analyze multiple data sources by exploiting their shared and individual structures. The proposed framework is flexible to handle any arbitrary sharing configurations encountered in real world data. We derive an efficient algorithm for learning the factorization and show that its convergence is theoretically guaranteed. We demonstrate the utility and effectiveness of the proposed framework in two real-world applications–improving social media retrieval using auxiliary sources and cross-social media retrieval. Representing each social media source using their textual tags, for both applications, we show that retrieval performance exceeds the existing state-of-the-art techniques. The proposed solution provides a generic framework and can be applicable to a wider context in data mining wherever one needs to exploit mutual and individual knowledge present across multiple data sources.