The critical role of task development in lesson study

While many aspects of Lesson Study are characteristic of effective pedagogy, the task or problem is perhaps the least understood by non-Japanese adopters of Lesson Study. In this chapter we focus on the pivotal rôle played by the task in the Research Lessons of Lesson Study practice in Japanese primary school mathematics. The metaphor adopted is that tasks are akin to icebergs, where most of the support is hidden, and is used in order to raise awareness of the bases of effective tasks. Examples of such tasks are described as they were presented in classrooms in both Australia and Japan.

On the characteristics of substructure development through dynamic recrystallization

Substructure development in an austenitic Ni-30%Fe model alloy was investigated within a dynamic recrystallization (DRX) regime. The substructure characteristics of the deformed matrix and DRX grains were markedly different regardless of the grain size and orientation. The former largely displayed 'organized', banded subgrain arrangements with alternating misorientations, resulting from a limited number of active slip systems. In contrast, the substructure of DRX grains was generally more 'random' and exhibited complex subgrain/cell arrangements characterized by local accumulation of misorientations, suggesting multiple slip. The proposed mechanism of the unique substructure development within DRX grains suggests that the DRX nuclei, forming along pre-existing grain boundaries and triple points, essentially represent grain boundary regions, which experience multiple slip to preserve the compatibility with neighbouring deformed grains. This results in the formation of a complex cell/subgrain structure, which progressively extends as the grain boundary regions expand outwards during DRX growth.

MAAGs: the next generation. A study of the development of medical audit advisory groups and the arrangements for supporting clinical audit in primary care

Background: MAAGs have, historically, been disparate organisations with a lack of central direction, albeit with the same goal: to develop and support the performance of audit in primary care. This goal has been (and is being) achieved in a number of ways all over the country. In the last two years, MAAGs have witnessed many changes in primary care and are adapting themselves to suit these new arrangements at a local level.

Aim: To formalise our knowledge of where MAAGs are going, how they are getting there and the support they are receiving.

Method: A postal questionnaire to the 104 MAAGs in England and Wales, addressing 6 main issues of relevance to the development of MAAGs and the support they are receiving.

Results: At least two MAAGs have dissolved, leaving a possible total of 102 still in existence. Of these, 76 (74.5%) responded to the survey. The composition of the MAAG committee has changed dramatically since the inception of MAAGs in 1990, and staffing levels appear to have risen substantially. MAAGs appear to be more adequately funded by their health authorities than has previously been reported and many are actively seeking additional sources of funding. There is still large variation in levels of MAAG funding. Furthermore, funding is unrelated to the number of GPs or practices served. Security for MAAG staff appears to have been addressed in many areas, with 84% of MAAGs having at least one member of staff on a permanent employment contract. Many MAAGs are developing rolling programmes in an attempt to eliminate the short-sighted approach to the development of clinical audit that has existed since MAAGs were first set up.

Conclusion: Many MAAGs (with the obvious exception of those that have been dissolved) appear to be thriving without central direction or initiative. It is now evident that we were a little hasty in our concerns for the future of MAAGs beyond April 1996. It would seem that many organisations have taken the situation which arose two years ago as an opportunity to grow and develop in ways that may not have been possible within the confines of the Health Circular.

Opportunity lost? Victorian Labor's enactment of community development 1999-2006

The idea of community development has been evoked by Australian governments over many decades. The expressions of community have differed widely, often as a result of politics rather than informed policy. In 1999, after seven years of radical neo-liberal restructuring in Victoria, the Bracks government found itself unexpectedly elected to power. They faced new challenges such as a diminished public sector, growing social inequality and climate change. The first two terms of Victorian Labor were a seminal period in terms of the role they would invoke for ‘community’. Did grass roots participation take a central place, or did rhetoric rule over substance? The evidence points to a government maintaining a neo-liberal trajectory, and thereby losing an opportunity to enable an active citizenry.

On the characteristics of substructure development through dynamic recrystallization

This body of data is the result of an investigation into the effect of grain boundary movement on the characteristics of substructure development in an austenitic Ni-30%Fe model alloy within the DRX regime. Different thermo-mechanical processing routes were employed to produce a range of DRX grain sizes at a given deformation temperature. The development of dislocation substructure was investigated using electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) in conjunction with transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Online learning environment : taxonomy of asynchronous online discussion forums

Due to its perceived benefits, asynchronous discussion forums have become progressively popular in higher education. The ultimate goal of developing an asynchronous discussion forum is to create an online learning environment that will achieve high levels of learning. This paper reviews the exiting literature and develops taxonomy of the asynchronous discussion forums with the aims of increasing the understanding and awareness of various types of asynchronous discussion forums. The taxonomy will help increase the online course designers' ability to design more effective learning experiences for student success and satisfaction. It will also help researchers to understand the features of the various asynchronous discussion forums.

Taxonomy of two new species of gall midge (Diptera : Cecidomyiidae) infesting Tecticornia arbuscula (Salicornioideae : Chenopodiaceae) in Australian saltmarshes

Two new species of gall midge associated with two leaf galls on the branched, perennial shrub Tecticornia arbuscula are described from saltmarshes in south-eastern Australia. The infestations caused by the new species hinder the growth of T. arbuscula which can impact on the critically endangered Orange Bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster): T. arbuscula provides perching and roosting sites and the seeds are the major food source for this bird. Asphondylia tecticorniae sp. n. Veenstra & Kolesik transforms leaf segments into single-chambered, spherical galls, whereas Asphondylia peelei sp. n. Veenstra & Kolesik produces a multi-chambered, asymmetrical gall on leaves of the same plant. Both galls have fungal mycelium lining the inner surface of the larval chamber where it is presumably grazed on by the larva. Descriptions of the larvae, pupae, males, females and geographical distribution of the two gall midges in south-eastern Australia are given. Differences in the level of parasitoid infestation of four Asphondylia species feeding on Australian Chenopodiaceae in relation to putative oviposition sites on the host plants are explored.

How can the impact of cultural development work in local government be measured? Towards more effective planning and evaluation strategies

The field of cultural development in local government is relatively new, with most councils only having dedicated staff or teams within the last ten to fifteen years. Challenges are associated with that newness in the areas of planning, goal setting and formal evaluation of achievements in relation to goals. How can the best decisions be made about what is needed? How can the outcomes of that work be evaluated? What should be measured and how? This paper explores these challenges and presents some solutions. Program Logic is introduced as a methodology for effective planning and evaluation of cultural development work in local government. The need for both performance and outcome evaluation of cultural development work is discussed, as are the levels of evaluation required; considering the contribution of individual workers, departments, whole of council and the overall community outcomes. Factors beyond the influence of local government, which impact the outcomes of arts initiatives, are also considered in arguing that more sophisticated evaluation processes are required.

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with increased risk of the development of the metabolic syndrome at five years : results from a national, population-based prospective study (the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study : AusDiab)

Context: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration has been inversely associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), but the relationship between 25(OH)D and incident MetS remains unclear.

Objective: We evaluated the prospective association between 25(OH)D, MetS, and its components in a large population-based cohort of adults aged 25 yr or older.

Design: We used baseline (1999–2000) and 5-yr follow-up data of the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab).

Participants: Of the 11,247 adults evaluated at baseline, 6,537 returned for follow-up. We studied those without MetS at baseline and with complete data (n = 4164; mean age 50 yr; 58% women; 92% Europids).

Outcome Measures: We report the associations between baseline 25(OH)D and 5-yr MetS incidence and its components, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, season, latitude, smoking, family history of type 2 diabetes, physical activity, education, kidney function, waist circumference (WC), and baseline MetS components.

Results: A total of 528 incident cases (12.7%) of MetS developed over 5 yr. Compared with those in the highest quintile of 25(OH)D (≥34 ng/ml), MetS risk was significantly higher in people with 25(OH)D in the first (<18 ng/ml) and second (18–23 ng/ml) quintiles; odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 1.41 (1.02–1.95) and 1.74 (1.28–2.37), respectively. Serum 25(OH)D was inversely associated with 5-yr WC (P < 0.001), triglycerides (P < 0.01), fasting glucose (P < 0.01), and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (P < 0.001) but not with 2-h plasma glucose (P = 0.29), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.70), or blood pressure (P = 0.46).

Conclusions: In Australian adults, lower 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with increased MetS risk and higher WC, serum triglyceride, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance at 5 yr. Vitamin D supplementation studies are required to establish whether the link between vitamin D deficiency and MetS is causal.

Stage of perinatal development regulates skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and myogenic regulatory factor genes with little impact of growth restriction or cross-fostering

Foetal growth restriction impairs skeletal muscle development and adult muscle mitochondrial biogenesis. We hypothesized that key genes involved in muscle development and mitochondrial biogenesis would be altered following uteroplacental insufficiency in rat pups, and improving postnatal nutrition by cross-fostering would ameliorate these deficits. Bilateral uterine vessel ligation (Restricted) or sham (Control) surgery was performed on day 18 of gestation. Males and females were investigated at day 20 of gestation (E20), 1 (PN1), 7 (PN7) and 35 (PN35) days postnatally. A separate cohort of Control and Restricted pups were cross-fostered onto a different Control or Restricted mother and examined at PN7. In both sexes, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α), cytochrome c oxidase subunits 3 and 4 (COX III and IV) and myogenic regulatory factor 4 expression increased from late gestation to postnatal life, whereas mitochondrial transcription factor A, myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD), myogenin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) decreased. Foetal growth restriction increased MyoD mRNA in females at PN7, whereas in males IGF-I mRNA was higher at E20 and PN1. Cross-fostering Restricted pups onto a Control mother significantly increased COX III mRNA in males and COX IV mRNA in both sexes above controls with little effect on other genes. Developmental age appears to be a major factor regulating skeletal muscle mitochondrial and developmental genes, with growth restriction and cross-fostering having only subtle effects. It therefore appears that reductions in adult mitochondrial biogenesis markers likely develop after weaning.

Profiles of language development in pre-school children : a longitudinal latent class analysis of data from the early language in Victoria study

Background Pre-school language impairment is common and greatly reduces educational performance. Population attempts to identify children who would benefit from appropriately timed intervention might be improved by greater knowledge about the typical profiles of language development. Specifically, this could be used to help with the early identification of children who will be impaired on school entry.

Methods This study applied longitudinal latent class analysis to assessments at 8, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months on 1113 children from a population-based study, in order to identify classes exhibiting distinct communicative developmental profiles.

Results Five substantive classes were identified: Typical, i.e. development in the typical range at each age; Precocious (late), i.e. typical development in infancy followed by high probabilities of precocity from 24 months onwards; Impaired (early), i.e. high probabilities of impairment up to 12 months followed by typical language development thereafter; Impaired (late), i.e. typical development in infancy but impairment from 24 months onwards; Precocious (early), i.e. high probabilities of precocity in early life followed by typical language by 48 months. The entropy statistic (0.84) suggested classes were fairly well defined, although there was a non-trivial degree of uncertainty in classification of children. That half of the Impaired (late) class was expected to have typical language at 4 years and 6% of the numerically large Typical class was expected to be impaired at 4 years illustrates this. Characteristics indicative of social advantage were more commonly found in the classes with improving profiles.

Conclusions Developmental profiles show that some pre-schoolers' language is characterized by periods of accelerated development, slow development and catch-up growth. Given the uncertainty in classifying children into these profiles, use of this knowledge for identifying children who will be impaired on school entry is not straightforward. The findings do, however, indicate greater need for language enrichment programmes among disadvantaged children.