Creative adaptations: Integrating Feldenkrais principles in contemporary dance technique to facilitate the transition into tertiary dance education

As conservatoire-style dance teaching has traditionally utilised a hierarchical approach through which the student must conform to the ideal requirements of the conventional technique, current discourse is beginning to question how dance training can develop technical acuity without stifling students' ability to engage creatively. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the field of somatics and its relationship to tertiary dance training due to the understanding that this approach supports creative autonomy by radically repositioning the student's relationship to embodied learning, skill acquisition, enquiry and performance. This research addresses an observable disjuncture between the skills of dancers graduating from tertiary training and Australian dance industry needs, which increasingly demand the co-creative input of the dancer in choreographic practice. Drawing from Action Research, this paper will discuss a project which introduces somatic learning approaches, primarily from Feldenkrais Method and Hanna Somatics, to first-year dance students in their transition into tertiary education. This paper acknowledges previous research undertaken, most specifically the Somdance Manual by the University of Western Sydney, while directing focus to the first-year student transition from private dance studio training into the pre-professional arena.

Exploring an innovative educational approach to facilitating student nurses' clinical-reasoning skills in North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

This study examined the effect of an educational intervention utilizing principles of cognitive apprenticeship on students’ ability to apply clinical reasoning skills within the context of a purpose-built clinical vignette. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control-group design was used to evaluate the effect of the educational intervention on students’ accuracy, inaccuracy and self-confidence in clinical reasoning. This study makes an important contribution to nursing education by providing evidence to understand how best to facilitate nursing students’ development of clinical reasoning.

Effectiveness of on-line resources to enhance student learning and engagement

BACKGROUND For engineering graduates to be work-ready with marketable skills they must not only be well-versed with engineering science and its applications, but also able to adapt to using commercial software that is widely used in engineering practice. Hydrological/hydraulic modelling is one aspect of engineering practice which demands the ability to apply fundamentals into design and construction using software. The user manuals for such software are usually tailored for the experienced engineer but not for undergraduates who typically are novices to concepts of modelling and software tools. As the focus of a course such as Advanced Water Engineering is on the wider aspects of engineering application of hydrological and hydraulic concepts, it is ineffective for the lecturers to direct the students to user manuals as students have neither the time nor the desire to sift through numerous pages in a manual. An alternative and efficient way to demonstrate the use of the software is enabling students to develop a model to simulate real-world scenario using the tools of the software and directing them to make informed decisions based on outcomes. PURPOSE Past experience of the lecturer showed that the resources available for the students left a knowledge gap leading to numerous student queries outside contact hours. The purpose of this study is to assess how effective purpose-built video resources can be in supplementing the traditional learning resources to enhance student learning. APPROACH Short-length animated video clips comprising guided step-by-step instructions were prepared using screen capture software to capture screen activity and later edited to focus on specific features using pop-up annotations; Vocal narration was purposely excluded to avoid disturbances due to noise and allow different learning paces of individual students. The video clips were made available to the students alongside the traditional resources/approaches such as in-class demonstrations, guideline notes, and tips for efficient and error-free procedural descriptions. The number of queries the lecturer received from the student cohort outside the lecture times was recorded. An anonymous survey to assess the usefulness and adequacy of the courseware was conducted. OUTCOMES While a significant decline in the number of student queries was noted, an overwhelming majority of the survey respondents confirmed the usefulness of the purpose-developed courseware. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY The survey and lecturer’s experience indicated that animated demonstration video clips illustrating the various steps involved in developing hydrologic and hydraulic models and simulating design scenarios is an effective supplement for traditional learning resources. Among the many advantages of the custom-made video clips as a learning resource are that they (1) highlight the aspects that are important to undergraduate learning but not available in the software manuals as the latter are designed for more mature users/learners; (2) provide short, to-the point communication in a step-by-step manner; (3) allow students flexibility to self-learn at their own pace; (4) enhance student learning; and (5) enable time savings for the lecturer in the long term by avoiding queries of a repetitive nature. It is expected that these newly developed resources will be improved to incorporate students’ suggestions before being offered to future cohorts of students. The concept can also be expanded to other relevant courses where animated demonstrations of key modelling steps are beneficial to student learning.

Is there evidence to support the use of the angle of peak torque as a marker of hamstring injury and re-injury risk?

Hamstring strain injuries are the predominant injury in many sports, costing athletes and clubs a significant financial and performance burden. Therefore the ability to identify and intervene with individuals who are considered at a high risk of injury is important. One measure which has grown in popularity as an outcome variable following hamstring intervention/prevention studies and rehabilitation is the angle of peak knee flexor torque. This current opinion article will firstly introduce the measure and the processes behind it. Secondly, this article will summarise how the angle of peak knee flexor torque has been suggested to measure hamstring strain injury risk. Finally various limitations will be presented and outlined as to how they may influence the measure. These include the lack of muscle specificity, the common concentric contraction mode of assessment, reliability of the measure, various neural contributions (such as rate of force development and neuromuscular inhibition) as well as the lack of prospective data showing any predictive value in the measure.

Scalable and flexible large display arrays: A novel approach to the architectural enhancement of a prototype large display array

Large Display Arrays (LDAs) use Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in order to inform a viewing audience. A matrix of individually driven LEDs allows the area represented to display text, images and video. LDAs have undergone rapid development over the past 10 years in both the modular and semi-flexible formats. This thesis critically analyses the communication architecture and processor functionality of current LDAs and presents an alternative method, that is, Scalable Flexible Large Display Arrays (SFLDAs). SFLDAs are more adaptable to a variety of applications because of enhancements in scalability and flexibility. Scalability is the ability to configure SFLDAs from 0.8m2 to 200m2. Flexibility is increased functionality within the processors to handle changes in configuration and the use of a communication architecture that standardises two-way communication throughout the SFLDA. While common video platforms such as Digital Video Interface (DVI), Serial Digital Interface (SDI), and High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) are considered as solutions for the communication architecture of SFLDAs, so too is modulation, fibre optic, capacitive coupling and Ethernet. From an analysis of these architectures, Ethernet was identified as the best solution. The use of Ethernet as the communication architecture in SFLDAs means that both hardware and software modules are capable of interfacing to the SFLDAs. The Video to Ethernet Processor Unit (VEPU), Scoreboard, Image and Control Software (SICS) and Ethernet to LED Processor Unit (ELPU) have been developed to form the key components in designing and implementing the first SFLDA. Data throughput rate and spectrophotometer tests were used to measure the effectiveness of Ethernet within the SFLDA constructs. The result of testing and analysis of these architectures showed that Ethernet satisfactorily met the requirements of SFLDAs.

Predisposing factors to spondyloarthropathies

Predisposition to ankylosing spondylitis is largely genetic, and epidemiologic studies suggest that the environmental trigger is ubiquitous. HLA-B27 and -B60 predispose to ankylosing spondylitis, but in neither case is the mechanism of effect known. Other major histocompatibility complex and non-major histocompatibility complex genes are likely to influence susceptibility to spondyloarthritis as well as the disease pattern. Spondyloarthritis occurs in genetically predisposed inviduals exposed to certain as yet undefined environmental triggers. Although genes within the major histocompatibility complex are clearly major determinants of susceptibility to spondyloarthritis, epidemiologic evidence suggests that their contribution accounts for less than 50% of the total. The mechanism of association of B27 with these diseases is unknown; we are currently unable to predict which E27 carriers will develop arthritis or which form of BP27-associated spondyloarthritis they will develop. Lessons from transgenic animal experiments and technical and statistical advances in the field of genetics have greatly increased our ability to investigate these questions.

Creating a global law graduate: The need, benefits and practical approaches to internationalise the curriculum

The increasingly integrated world has facilitated important international and trans-border trends, such as a progressively connected global economy, a significant growth in transnational business transactions and an increase in global regulation of global issues. Such globalisation has had a transformational impact on the legal profession in a number of ways. These include the need to provide advice on issues or transactions that have a transnational or international element; the increasing globalisation of large law firms; and the delivery of offshore services by legal service providers. This means that not only do law graduates need to be prepared to practice in an increasingly globalised economy and legal profession, there will also be new career opportunities available to them which require understanding of international law, for example in emerging international institutions and non-government organisations. Accordingly there is a need to ensure that law students develop the knowledge and skills they will require to succeed in a globalised legal profession. That is, there is a need to internationalise the law curriculum. This paper provides an insight into the recent progression of law schools in internationalising the law curriculum and provides practical avenues and strategies for the increased integration of international law, foreign law and a comparative perspective into core subjects which will develop the graduates’ knowledge and skills in international and foreign law, in order to enhance their ability to succeed as legal professionals in a globalised world.

An automated emergency landing system for fixed-wing aircraft: Planning and control

A number of hurdles must be overcome in order to integrate unmanned aircraft into civilian airspace for routine operations. The ability of the aircraft to land safely in an emergency is essential to reduce the risk to people, infrastructure and aircraft. To date, few field-demonstrated systems have been presented that show online re-planning and repeatability from failure to touchdown. This paper presents the development of the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) component of an Automated Emergency Landing System (AELS) intended to address this gap, suited to a variety of fixed-wing aircraft. Field-tested on both a fixed-wing UAV and Cessna 172R during repeated emergency landing experiments, a trochoid-based path planner computes feasible trajectories and a simplified control system executes the required manoeuvres to guide the aircraft towards touchdown on a predefined landing site. This is achieved in zero-thrust conditions with engine forced to idle to simulate failure. During an autonomous landing, the controller uses airspeed, inertial and GPS data to track motion and maintains essential flight parameters to guarantee flyability, while the planner monitors glide ratio and re-plans to ensure approach at correct altitude. Simulations show reliability of the system in a variety of wind conditions and its repeated ability to land within the boundary of a predefined landing site. Results from field-tests for the two aircraft demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed GNC system in live operation. Results show that the system is capable of guiding the aircraft to close proximity of a predefined keyhole in nearly 100% of cases.

Haemodialysis work environment contributors to job satisfaction and stress: A sequential mixed methods study

Background: Haemodialysis nurses form long term relationships with patients in a technologically complex work environment. Previous studies have highlighted that haemodialysis nurses face stressors related to the nature of their work and also their work environments leading to reported high levels of burnout. Using Kanters (1997) Structural Empowerment Theory as a guiding framework, the aim of this study was to explore the factors contributing to satisfaction with the work environment, job satisfaction, job stress and burnout in haemodialysis nurses. Methods: Using a sequential mixed-methods design, the first phase involved an on-line survey comprising demographic and work characteristics, Brisbane Practice Environment Measure (B-PEM), Index of Work Satisfaction(IWS), Nursing Stress Scale (NSS) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The second phase involved conducting eight semi-structured interviews with data thematically analyzed. Results: From the 417 nurses surveyed the majority were female (90.9 %), aged over 41 years of age (74.3 %), and 47.4 % had worked in haemodialysis for more than 10 years. Overall the work environment was perceived positively and there was a moderate level of job satisfaction. However levels of stress and emotional exhaustion (burnout) were high. Two themes, ability to care and feeling successful as a nurse, provided clarity to the level of job satisfaction found in phase 1. While two further themes, patients as quasi-family and intense working teams, explained why working as a haemodialysis nurse was both satisfying and stressful. Conclusions: Nurse managers can use these results to identify issues being experienced by haemodialysis nurses working in the unit they are supervising.

Prospects for predicting insect mortality in relation to changing phosphine concentrations

Typically, in bag-stack or silo fumigations the concentration of phosphine is not constant, and yet most of what is known about phosphine efficacy against grain insects comes from studies with fixed concentrations. Indeed, where changing concentration experiments have been performed, researchers have been unable to explain observed efficacy on the basis of data from fixed concentrations. The ability to predict insect mortality in relation to changing phosphine concentrations would facilitate the development of effective fumigation protocols. In this paper, we explore the prospects for making such predictions. After reviewing published and new results, we conclude that the commonly used concentration x time (Ct) product is unreliable for this purpose. New results, for a strongly resistant strain of Rhyzopertha dominica from Australia, suggest that the relationship Cnt = k may be useful for predicting mortality of this type of insect in changing concentrations. However, in the case of a strain of Sitophilus oryzae with a type of resistance common in Australian S. oryzae, the relationship Cnt = k proved to be less reliable.

Muscular activity and fatigue in lower-limb and trunk muscles during different sit-to-stand tests

Sit-to-stand (STS) tests measure the ability to get up from a chair, reproducing an important component of daily living activity. As this functional task is essential for human independence, STS performance has been studied in the past decades using several methods, including electromyography. The aim of this study was to measure muscular activity and fatigue during different repetitions and speeds of STS tasks using surface electromyography in lower-limb and trunk muscles. This cross-sectional study recruited 30 healthy young adults. Average muscle activation, percentage of maximum voluntary contraction, muscle involvement in motion and fatigue were measured using surface electrodes placed on the medial gastrocnemius (MG), biceps femoris (BF), vastus medialis of the quadriceps (QM), the abdominal rectus (AR), erector spinae (ES), rectus femoris (RF), soleus (SO) and the tibialis anterior (TA). Five-repetition STS, 10-repetition STS and 30-second STS variants were performed. MG, BF, QM, ES and RF muscles showed differences in muscle activation, while QM, AR and ES muscles showed significant differences in MVC percentage. Also, significant differences in fatigue were found in QM muscle between different STS tests. There was no statistically significant fatigue in the BF, MG and SO muscles of the leg although there appeared to be a trend of increasing fatigue. These results could be useful in describing the functional movements of the STS test used in rehabilitation programs, notwithstanding that they were measured in healthy young subjects.

Development and validation of an ELISA for detecting antibodies to Eimeria tenella in chickens

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an ELISA for detecting chicken antibodies to Eimeria tenella. An initial comparison of merozoite and sporozoite antigen preparations revealed few differences in their ability to monitor the onset, kinetics and magnitude of the antibody response suggesting that both antigens would be equally useful for development of an ELISA. Furthermore the cross-reactivity of these antigens with sera from birds infected with chicken Eimeria species was similar. The merozoite antigen was selected for further evaluation because it was easier to prepare. Discrimination between sera from birds experimentally infected with E. tenella and birds maintained in an Eimeria-free isolation facility was excellent. In sera collected from free-range layers and commercial broilers there also appeared to be clear discrimination between infected and uninfected birds. The ELISA should prove useful for monitoring infectivity in vaccination programmes in layer and breeder flocks and for assessing the effectiveness of biosecurity measures in broiler flocks.

Resistance of Brassicaceae plants to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) in northern Australia

Brassicaceae plants have the potential as part of an integrated approach to replace fumigant nematicides, providing the biofumigation response following their incorporation is not offset by reproduction of plant-parasitic nematodes on their roots. Forty-three Brassicaceae cultivars were screened in a pot trial for their ability to reduce reproduction of three root-knot nematode isolates from north Queensland, Australia: M. arenaria (NQ1), M. javanica (NQ2) and M. arenaria race 2 (NQ5/7). No cultivar was found to consistently reduce nematode reproduction relative to forage sorghum, the current industry standard, although a commercial fodder radish (Raphanus sativus) and a white mustard (Sinapis alba) line were consistently as resistant to the formation of galls as forage sorghum. A second pot trial screened five commercially available Brassicaceae cultivars, selected for their biofumigation potential, for resistance to two nematode species, M. javanica (NQ2) and M. arenaria (NQ5/7). The fodder radish cv. Weedcheck, was found to be as resistant as forage sorghum to nematode reproduction. A multivariate cluster analysis using the resistance measurements, gall index, nematode number per g of root and multiplication for two nematode species (NQ2 and NQ5/7) confirmed the similarity in resistance between the radish cultivar and forage sorghum. A field trial confirmed the resistance of the fodder radish cv. Weedcheck, with a similar reduction in the number of Meloidogyne spp. juveniles recovered from the roots 8 weeks after planting. The use of fodder radish cultivars as biofumigation crops to manage root-knot nematodes in tropical vegetable production systems deserves further investigation.

Field assessment of the resistance of timber products to termite (Isoptera) damage: Results can change with the amount of bait wood

Whether or not termites initiate damage to timber via the end grain may determine the need for spot-treating the exposed untreated cut ends of envelope-treated softwood framing material. Australian Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt) were field-tested for their ability to initiate feeding via the end grain of timber (35 × 90 mm) treated with a repellent Tanalith® T envelope. Specimens of commercial radiata pine Pinus radiata D.Don framing timber (untreated) and slash pine Pinus elliottii Englem. (untreated and envelope-treated) were partially clad in fine stainless steel mesh. Clad and unclad specimens were exposed to C. acinaciformis near Townsville, North Queensland, Australia, for four months. Results showed that this species of termite can indeed damage timber via the end grain, including exposed untreated cut ends of envelope-treated material as demonstrated earlier for different populations of C. acinaciformis. Differences between the test conditions in field trials carried out at different times (where C. acinaciformis either did or did not damage timber via the end grain) are discussed. Clearly, outcomes from field studies with preservative-treated materials are dependent upon experimental conditions. Notably, the amount of bait wood (highly termite-susceptible timber substrate) offered in a given method can strongly influence the termite response. Further investigation is required to standardise this aspect of conditions in protocols for the assessment of wood preservatives.

Trapping to monitor tephritid movement: Results, best practice, and assessment of alternatives

Movement of tephritid flies underpins their survival, reproduction, and ability to establish in new areas and is thus of importance when designing effective management strategies. Much of the knowledge currently available on tephritid movement throughout landscapes comes from the use of direct or indirect methods that rely on the trapping of individuals. Here, we review published experimental designs and methods from mark-release-recapture (MRR) studies, as well as other methods, that have been used to estimate movement of the four major tephritid pest genera (Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Anastrepha, and Rhagoletis). In doing so, we aim to illustrate the theoretical and practical considerations needed to study tephritid movement. MRR studies make use of traps to directly estimate the distance that tephritid species can move within a generation and to evaluate the ecological and physiological factors that influence dispersal patterns. MRR studies, however, require careful planning to ensure that the results obtained are not biased by the methods employed, including marking methods, trap properties, trap spacing, and spatial extent of the trapping array. Despite these obstacles, MRR remains a powerful tool for determining tephritid movement, with data particularly required for understudied species that affect developing countries. To ensure that future MRR studies are successful, we suggest that site selection be carefully considered and sufficient resources be allocated to achieve optimal spacing and placement of traps in line with the stated aims of each study. An alternative to MRR is to make use of indirect methods for determining movement, or more correctly, gene flow, which have become widely available with the development of molecular tools. Key to these methods is the trapping and sequencing of a suitable number of individuals to represent the genetic diversity of the sampled population and investigate population structuring using nuclear genomic markers or non-recombinant mitochondrial DNA markers. Microsatellites are currently the preferred marker for detecting recent population displacement and provide genetic information that may be used in assignment tests for the direct determination of contemporary movement. Neither MRR nor molecular methods, however, are able to monitor fine-scale movements of individual flies. Recent developments in the miniaturization of electronics offer the tantalising possibility to track individual movements of insects using harmonic radar. Computer vision and radio frequency identification tags may also permit the tracking of fine-scale movements by tephritid flies by automated resampling, although these methods come with the same problems as traditional traps used in MRR studies. Although all methods described in this chapter have limitations, a better understanding of tephritid movement far outweighs the drawbacks of the individual methods because of the need for this information to manage tephritid populations.