In what ways does policy on academic integrity, copyright and privacy need to respond in order to accommodate assessment with Web 2.0 tools?

Increasingly social web technologies, such as blogging and micro-blogging, audio and video podcasting, photo/video, social bookmarking, social networking, wiki writing or virtual worlds are being used as forms of authoring or content creation to support students’ learning in higher education. As Web 2.0 teaching practice is characterised by open access to information and collaborative networks there are both familiar and novel challenges for policy-makers in higher education institutions. The Government 2.0 Taskforce heralded legislative and practice changes necessary because of Web 2.0. We reflect on the qualitative feedback received from innovative higher education practitioners using Web 2.0 to assess student work. This indicates a need for information policy review to accommodate the cultural shift towards information exchange and communication across traditional institutional boundaries. Issues involved when implementing Web 2.0 assessments are identified to highlight requisite areas for policy improvement in higher education, in particular for academic integrity, copyright and privacy policies

Biochemical responses of earthworm Eisenia fetida exposed to cadmium-contaminated soil with long duration

The biochemical responses of the earthworms, Eisenia fetida, exposed to a series of Cd concentrations (0.00, 1.25, 2.50, 5.00 and 10.00 mg Cd2+ kg−1 soil) for up to 8 weeks were investigated, aiming to evaluate the sublethal effects of Cd with long exposure and to explore the potential for applying these responses as biomarkers to indicate the Cd-contaminated soil. The following biochemical parameters were determined: cytochrome P450 (CYP) contents and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-s-transferase (GST). Cadmium concentrations in all earthworms were apparently accumulated in 4 weeks, and showed minor changes in weeks 6–8 compared to the first 4 weeks. CYP presented a significant elevation in 2–4 weeks and a decline in 6–8 weeks in each treated group. The activities of SOD and CAT showed an obvious increase with exposure of 6–8 weeks while their levels were not affected in 4 weeks in each treated group. GST activity revealed significant activation starting from week 4. This study confirmed the significance of applying a suite of biomarkers rather than a selective choice to assess the impact of pollutants on organisms. It also indicated that the observed effects were more dependent upon exposure duration than dose.

Book review : Hollywood's copyright wars : from Edison to the internet by Decherney, Peter

Exploration of landmark court cases and decisions in the copyright debate in the US, from Edison's attempts to extend to the fledgling film industry copyright law designed to protect photographs, to the Hollywood studios' responses to copyright breaches, and fair use exemptions granted to media educators and others since 2006.

Sexual practices and the duration of last heterosexual encounter : findings from the Australian longitudinal study of health and relationships

This study investigated the association between sexual practices and duration of a sexual encounter. Using data from a population-based computer-assisted telephone survey of 8,656 Australians aged 16 to 64 years, four distinct patterns of sexual practices among respondents were found: “basic sexual encounter” (involving mainly kissing, cuddling, stroking one's partner and being stroked, and vaginal intercourse), “basic sexual encounter plus oral sex,” “all assessed sexual practices” (all sexual behaviors included in the survey), and “mainly vaginal intercourse” (characterized by lower levels of kissing, cuddling, and stroking). For both men and women, respondents classified in the basic sexual encounter plus oral sex, and all assessed sexual practices clusters reported significantly longer durations than those in the basic sexual encounter group, whereas respondents in the mainly vaginal intercourse cluster reported shorter durations. These differences were found even after allowing for demographic differences in sexual duration—specifically, age and partner type of the most recent opposite-sex partner. These findings add to the understanding of what typically happens in a sexual encounter. Overall, longer sexual encounters appear to be associated with the inclusion of the least common sexual practices—namely, oral sex and self-stimulation.

The copyright wars

Forty minutes through my first body pump exercise class, I was panting, sweating and uncomfortable. Starved of calcium, my muscles were groaning. No ... that was me groaning, as I struggled through the final rep of a rotator cuff move with four-kilogram hand weights. As the class wore on, my execution of the choreographed movements that are integral to Body Pump got progressively more ragged. I was hurting.

Representative actions, proof of fact and author identification in copyright law: a history and a concern

Recent judgments in Australia have called for author identification in order that copyright subsistence may be established. There is a risk that such calls will be taken too literally, to the detriment of author privacy. This article considers the legal mechanisms by which author identity has historically been shielded from disclosure, without the operation of the copyright system being impaired. It expresses the hope that those who are responsible for developing copyright law will be mindful of the concern for author privacy which has long been part of copyright discourse.

The implications of lung-regulated buoyancy control for dive depth and duration

Among air-breathing divers, control of buoyancy through lung volume regulation may be most highly developed in marine turtles. In short, the turtle lung may serve a dual role as both an oxygen store and in buoyancy control. A simple model is developed to show that, for turtles diving up to the maximum depth at which they can still use their lungs to attain neutral buoyancy, the total oxygen store will increase greatly with dive depth, and hence a corresponding increase in dive duration is predicted. Time–depth recorders attached to free-living green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at Ascension Island confirmed a marked increase in dive duration with depth, with the gradient of this relationship being >10 times that seen in diving birds and mammals. Consistent with the prediction that the lungs serve a dual role, we found that, when lead weights were added to some turtles to increase their specific gravity, the mean depth of dives decreased, but for dives to the same depth, weighted animals dived for longer. The depth distribution of green turtles seems to be generally constrained by the maximum depth at which they can still attain close to neutral buoyancy.

Duration of unemployment and suicide in Australia over the period 1985–2006: an ecological investigation by sex and age during rising versus declining national unemployment rates

Background The relationship between unemployment and suicide may be sensitive to demographic factors, national unemployment rates, and length of time without employment. This study investigated these factors in relation to suicide in Australia for the period 1985–2006, in an ecological study. Methods The outcome variable was annual suicide rate by age group, sex and the eight states and territories over 22 years of observation (total observations=1760). The main predictor variable was the average duration of unemployment in the population, categorised into three time periods (<2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, >4 weeks). Poisson regression models were used to investigate the relationship between duration of unemployment and suicide over the years 1985–2006 in a series of cross-sectional analyses. Interaction analyses indicated significant differences during periods of declining or increasing labour market opportunity and by age group. Results During periods of declining unemployment rates in the country, longer durations of unemployment were associated with higher male suicide rates. During periods of increasing unemployment in the country, longer unemployment duration was associated with lower male suicide rates. Effect modification was also apparent by age-group, with stronger associations between unemployment duration and male suicide evident in those aged 25–34 and 55–64, and weaker associations in those aged 15–24 and 44–54 years. Longer length of unemployment was not associated with an increase in female suicide rates. Conclusions The labour market opportunities in Australia modified the effect of duration of unemployment on suicide, and the effect was more prominent in men and older age groups. This may reflect social norms and acceptability about unemployment, as well as life-stage influences associated with transitions into and out of the labour market.

A longitudinal study of the effect of psychosocial factors on exclusive breastfeeding duration

Objective
to examine the effect of psychosocial factors on exclusive breastfeeding duration to six months postpartum

Design
longitudinal, prospective questionnaire based study.

Setting
participants were recruited from a publically funded antenatal clinic located in the western metropolitan region of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and asked to complete questionnaires at three time points; 32 weeks pregnancy, two months postpartum and six months postpartum.

Participants
the participants were 125 pregnant women aged 22–44 years.

Measurements and findings
psychosocial variables such as breastfeeding self-efficacy, body attitude, psychological adjustment, attitude towards pregnancy, intention, confidence and motivation to exclusively breastfeed and importance of exclusive breastfeeding were assessed using a range of psychometrically validated tools. Exclusive breastfeeding behaviour up to six months postpartum was also measured. At 32 weeks gestation a woman׳s confidence to achieve exclusive breastfeeding was a direct predictor of exclusive breastfeeding duration to six months postpartum. At two months postpartum, psychological adjustment and breastfeeding self-efficacy were predictive of exclusive breastfeeding duration. Finally, at six months postpartum, psychological adjustment, breastfeeding self-efficacy, confidence to maintain and feeling fat were directly predictive of exclusive breastfeeding duration.