Fostering cultural awareness in pre-service teacher education : an experiment in Asia literacy capacity building in an Australian university

This paper presents the findings of a small pilot study conducted with a group of final year pre-service teachers studying a secondary social science curriculum method unit in an Australian university. One of the study’s research objectives aimed at identifying how students responded to efforts to embed intercultural understanding through Studies of Asia in their final curriculum method unit. The unit was designed and taught by the researcher on the assumption that beginning social science teachers need to be empowered with pedagogical skills and new dispositions to deal with value laden emerging regional and global concerns in their Australian secondary school classrooms. This pilot study’s research methodology was located within the qualitative framework of a participatory action research model whereby the lecturer who designed, coordinated and taught the unit was also the researcher. Its scope was limited to one semester with volunteer students. The pilot study sought to investigate responses to several issues, and this paper reports on pre-service teacher reflections on the content, pedagogy and learning they experienced in their weekly sessions with specific reference to cultural understanding, Studies of Asia and the development of Asia literacy. It also reports on pre-service teacher reflections about their own evolving capacity as beginning teachers. The findings indicate that pre-service teachers valued the opportunity to engage with learning experiences which enhanced their conceptual understandings about culture whilst also extending their pedagogical and content knowledge.

Mild systemic hypoxia and photopic visual field sensitivity

Purpose: Flickering stimuli increase the metabolic demand of the retina,making it a sensitive perimetric stimulus to the early onset of retinal disease. We determine whether flickering stimuli are a sensitive indicator of vision deficits resulting from to acute, mild systemic hypoxia when compared to standard static perimetry. Methods: Static and flicker visual perimetry were performed in 14 healthy young participants while breathing 12% oxygen (hypoxia) under photopic illumination. The hypoxia visual field data were compared with the field data measured during normoxia. Absolute sensitivities (in dB) were analysed in seven concentric rings at 1°, 3°, 6°, 10°, 15°, 22° and 30° eccentricities as well as mean defect (MD) and pattern defect (PD) were calculated. Preliminary data are reported for mesopic light levels. Results: Under photopic illumination, flicker and static visual field sensitivities at all eccentricities were not significantly different between hypoxia and normoxia conditions. The mean defect and pattern defect were not significantly different for either test between the two oxygenation conditions. Conclusion: Although flicker stimulation increases cellular metabolism, flicker photopic visual field impairment is not detected during mild hypoxia. These findings contrast with electrophysiological flicker tests in young participants that show impairment at photopic illumination during the same levels of mild hypoxia. Potential mechanisms contributing to the difference between the visual fields and electrophysiological flicker tests including variability in perimetric data, neuronal adaptation and vascular autoregulation, are considered. The data have implications for the use of visual perimetry in the detection of ischaemic/hypoxic retinal disorders under photopic and mesopic light levels.

Corona ions from overhead transmission voltage powerlines : effect on DC e-field and ambient particle concentration levels

Along with their essential role in electricity transmission and distribution, some powerlines also generate large concentrations of corona ions. This study aimed at comprehensive investigation of corona ions, vertical dc e-field, ambient aerosol particle charge and particle number concentration levels in the proximity of some high/sub-transmission voltage powerlines. The influence of meteorology on the instantaneous value of these parameters, and the possible existence of links or associations between the parameters measured were also statistically investigated. The presence of positive and negative polarities of corona ions was associated with variation in the mean vertical dc e-field, ambient ion and particle charge concentration level. Though these variations increased with wind speed, their values also decreased with distance from the powerlines. Predominately positive polarities of ions were recorded up to a distance of 150 m (with the maximum values recorded 50 m downwind of the powerlines). At 200 m from the source, negative ions predominated. Particle number concentration levels however remained relatively constant (103 particle cm-3) irrespective of the sampling site and distance from the powerlines. Meteorological factors of temperature, humidity and wind direction showed no influence on the electrical parameters measured. The study also discovered that e-field measurements were not necessarily a true representation of the ground-level ambient ion/particle charge concentrations.

Correcting mean-field approximations for birth-death-movement processes

On the microscale, migration, proliferation and death are crucial in the development, homeostasis and repair of an organism; on the macroscale, such effects are important in the sustainability of a population in its environment. Dependent on the relative rates of migration, proliferation and death, spatial heterogeneity may arise within an initially uniform field; this leads to the formation of spatial correlations and can have a negative impact upon population growth. Usually, such effects are neglected in modeling studies and simple phenomenological descriptions, such as the logistic model, are used to model population growth. In this work we outline some methods for analyzing exclusion processes which include agent proliferation, death and motility in two and three spatial dimensions with spatially homogeneous initial conditions. The mean-field description for these types of processes is of logistic form; we show that, under certain parameter conditions, such systems may display large deviations from the mean field, and suggest computationally tractable methods to correct the logistic-type description.

Regional field measurement of soil moisture content with neutron probe

The neutron logging method has been widely used for field measurement of soil moisture content. This non-destructive method permitted the measurement of in-situ soil moisture content at various depths without the need for burying any sensor. Twenty-three sites located around regional Melbourne have been selected for long term monitoring of soil moisture content using neutron probe. Soil samples collected during the installation are used for site characterisation and neutron probe calibration purposes. A linear relationship is obtained between the corrected neutron probe reading and moisture content for both the individual and combined data from seven sites. It is observed that the liner relationship, developed using combined data, can be used for all sites with an average accuracy of about 80%. Monitoring of the variation of soil moisture content with depth in six months for two sites is presented in this paper.

Visual field size criteria for mobility rehabilitation referral

Purpose. To investigate evidence-based visual field size criteria for referral of low-vision (LV) patients for mobility rehabilitation. Methods. One hundred and nine participants with LV and 41 age-matched participants with normal sight (NS) were recruited. The LV group was heterogeneous with diverse causes of visual impairment. We measured binocular kinetic visual fields with the Humphrey Field Analyzer and mobility performance on an obstacle-rich, indoor course. Mobility was assessed as percent preferred walking speed (PPWS) and number of obstacle-contact errors. The weighted kappa coefficient of association (κr) was used to discriminate LV participants with both unsafe and inefficient mobility from those with adequate mobility on the basis of their visual field size for the full sample and for subgroups according to type of visual field loss and whether or not the participants had previously received orientation and mobility training. Results. LV participants with both PPWS <38% and errors >6 on our course were classified as having inadequate (inefficient and unsafe) mobility compared with NS participants. Mobility appeared to be first compromised when the visual field was less than about 1.2 steradians (sr; solid angle of a circular visual field of about 70° diameter). Visual fields <0.23 and 0.63 sr (31 to 52° diameter) discriminated patients with at-risk mobility for the full sample and across the two subgroups. A visual field of 0.05 sr (15° diameter) discriminated those with critical mobility. Conclusions. Our study suggests that: practitioners should be alert to potential mobility difficulties when the visual field is less than about 1.2 sr (70° diameter); assessment for mobility rehabilitation may be warranted when the visual field is constricted to about 0.23 to 0.63 sr (31 to 52° diameter) depending on the nature of their visual field loss and previous history (at risk); and mobility rehabilitation should be conducted before the visual field is constricted to 0.05 sr (15° diameter; critical).

Survey of Viruses Affecting Faba Bean in Six Arab Countries

A field survey of faba bean (Vicia [aba L.) for viruses in six Arab countries showed the presence of nine viruses. Bean leaf roll virus (BLRV), bean yellow mosaic virus (BYMV), broad bean mottle virus (BBMV) and to a lesser extent broad bean stain virus (BBSV) were the most common. When testing with ELISA 789 samples with symptoms suggestive of virus infection collected from Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia, BBMV was detected in 203 samples, BBSV in 151, broad bean true mosaic virus (BBTMV) in 7, broad bean wilt virus (BBWV) in 47, BYMV in 314, cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in 96, pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV) in 31, and pea seed-borne mosaic virus (PSbMV) in 49 samples. Identity of selected field isolates was confirmed by electron microscopy and host reaction studies. In a yield experiment, infection with BYMV, BBMV and BBSV 11 weeks after sowing (pre-flowering) led to 81, 54 and 84% yield loss, respectively. Inoculation with the same viruses 15 weeks after sowing (flowering) and 20 weeks after sowing (pod setting) led to 56, 84 and 18%, and 39, 37 and 18% yield loss, respectively.

Inter-and Intra-Site Genetic Diversity of Natural Field Populations of Rice Tungro Bacilliform Virus in the Philippines

The genetic structure of rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) populations within and between growing sites was analyzed in a collection of natural field isolates from different rice varieties grown in eight tungro-endemic sites of the Philippines. Total DNA extracts from 345 isolates were digested with EcoRV restriction enzyme and hybridized with a full-length probe of RTBV, a procedure shown in preliminary experiments capable of revealing high levels of polymorphism in RTBV field isolates. In the total population, 17 distinct EcoRV-based genome profiles (genotypes) were identified and used as indicators for virus diversity. Distinct sets of genotypes occurred in Isabela and North Cotabato provinces suggesting a geographic isolation of virus populations. However, among the sites in each province, there were few significant differences in the genotype compositions of virus populations. The number of genotypes detected at a site varied from two to nine with a few genotypes dominating. In general the isolates at a site persisted from season to season indicating a genetic stability for the local virus population. Over the sampling time, IRRI rice varieties, which have green leafhopper resistance genes, supported similar virus populations to those supported by other varieties, indicating that the variety of the host exerted no apparent selection pressures. Insect transmission experiments on selected RTBV field isolates showed that dramatic shifts in genotype and phenotype distributions can occur in response to host /environmental shifts.

The evaluation of qualitative methods selection in the field of design and emotion

The aim of this paper is to aid researchers in selecting appropriate qualitative methods in order to develop and improve future studies in the field of emotional design. These include observations, think-aloud protocols, questionnaires, diaries and interviews. Based on the authors’ experiences, it is proposed that the methods under review can be successfully used for collecting data on emotional responses to evaluate user product relationships. This paper reviews the methods; discusses the suitability, advantages and challenges in relation to design and emotion studies. Furthermore, the paper outlines the potential impact of technology on the application of these methods, discusses the implications of these methods for emotion research and concludes with recommendations for future work in this area.

Emotional experience with portable health devices

This paper reports on a six month longitudinal study exploring people’s personal and social emotional experience with health related portable interactive devices (PIDs). The focus is on emotions and how health PIDs mediate this experience in everyday contexts. The study reported here is an extension of a previous experiment conducted by the authors exploring media related PIDs [1]. The findings identified interesting aspects of health device interaction. Findings revealed people interact with health PIDs emotionally both at a personal and a social level. However, in contrast to media PIDs, participants reported significantly less social experiences than personal experiences. Nevertheless, the social level plays an important role such that negative social experiences had a significant influence on the perceived emotional experience over the course of six months. When no negative social experiences were reported the emotional experience over the course of six months became neutral. The findings are discussed in regards to their significance to the field of design, their implication for future health PID design and future research directions.

Terrain following using wide field optic flow

Wall and terrain following is a challenging problem for small, fast, and fragile robot vehicles. This paper presents a robust algorithm based on wide field integration of optic flow. Solutions for two dimensional and three dimensional wall following is provided for vehicles with non-holonomic velocity constraints that ensure that the focus of expansion of the flow field is known. The potential of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated in a simulation environment.

Last shall be first : a field study of biases in sequential performance evaluation on the Idol series

When performances are evaluated they are very often presented in a sequential order. Previous research suggests that the sequential presentation of alternatives may induce systematic biases in the way performances are evaluated. Such a phenomenon has been scarcely studied in economics. Using a large dataset of performance evaluation in the Idol series (N=1522), this paper presents new evidence about the systematic biases in sequential evaluation of performances and the psychological phenomena at the origin of these biases.

Developments in texture-based vector field visualisation techniques

Vector field visualisation is one of the classic sub-fields of scientific data visualisation. The need for effective visualisation of flow data arises in many scientific domains ranging from medical sciences to aerodynamics. Though there has been much research on the topic, the question of how to communicate flow information effectively in real, practical situations is still largely an unsolved problem. This is particularly true for complex 3D flows. In this presentation we give a brief introduction and background to vector field visualisation and comment on the effectiveness of the most common solutions. We will then give some examples of current development on texture-based techniques, and given practical examples of their use in CFD research and hydrodynamic applications.

Asset health prediction using condition indicators and operating environment indicators : a case study

Prognostics and asset life prediction is one of research potentials in engineering asset health management. We previously developed the Explicit Hazard Model (EHM) to effectively and explicitly predict asset life using three types of information: population characteristics; condition indicators; and operating environment indicators. We have formerly studied the application of both the semi-parametric EHM and non-parametric EHM to the survival probability estimation in the reliability field. The survival time in these models is dependent not only upon the age of the asset monitored, but also upon the condition and operating environment information obtained. This paper is a further study of the semi-parametric and non-parametric EHMs to the hazard and residual life prediction of a set of resistance elements. The resistance elements were used as corrosion sensors for measuring the atmospheric corrosion rate in a laboratory experiment. In this paper, the estimated hazard of the resistance element using the semi-parametric EHM and the non-parametric EHM is compared to the traditional Weibull model and the Aalen Linear Regression Model (ALRM), respectively. Due to assuming a Weibull distribution in the baseline hazard of the semi-parametric EHM, the estimated hazard using this model is compared to the traditional Weibull model. The estimated hazard using the non-parametric EHM is compared to ALRM which is a well-known non-parametric covariate-based hazard model. At last, the predicted residual life of the resistance element using both EHMs is compared to the actual life data.