Training emotional intelligence: Presenting the results of an experimental study

This presentation outlines the results of an eighteen month study examining the effect of an emotions focused training intervention on the emotional intelligence of employees from a large public sector organisation. Utilising an experimental methodology, 280 staff attended a two-day program focused on training emotional intelligence skills and abilities. These interventions were created around Mayer and Salovey’s four-branch model of emotional intelligence (awareness, understanding, facilitation and management of emotions). The experimental group’s emotional intelligence was tested pre and post training using the Workgroup Emotional Intelligence Profile (WEIP). In addition, a control group from the same organisation also completed the same measure at three points during the same eighteen month period. Analysis of the control and experimental group data were conducted, and whilst no changes were found in the control group, the experimental group’s overall emotional intelligence significantly improved post training. To further strengthen these findings, a measure of effect size using Cohen’s d was also conducted to assess the magnitude of the training intervention’s overall effect. Full results will be presented during the presentation, with feedback on the study and methods utilised encouraged from participants.

Using special events to motivate visitors to attend art galleries

The contemporary directions of art galleries worldwide are changing as social patterns and demands, as well as visitor expectations of their experiences at art galleries, change. New programs and strategies are being developed in galleries to make these institutions more appealing to people who would not normally visit them, and one such strategy is the staging of special events. However, because galleries are staging an increasing number of special events, the factors motivating visitors to attend these institutions are changing. Visitors hope to have different experiences and encounters in the gallery during special events. This paper presents the findings from a study in Australia about visitors’ motivations to attend special events in galleries. It highlights the different factors that motivate visitors to attend the gallery specifically for a special event in comparison to visiting the gallery's permanent collections.

Exploring Visitors' Perceptions of Art Gallery Festivals

The contemporary directions of art galleries worldwide are changing as social patterns and demands, and visitor expectations of their experiences at art galleries change. New programs and strategies are being developed in galleries to make these institutions more appealing to people who would not normally visit them. One such strategy is the staging of special events, which in galleries take a variety of forms. As special events are increasingly being employed by galleries to inspire new audiences, it is important that these institutions develop an awareness of how their visitors understand and respond to such events. Festivals are one type of special event that visitors identify as having a distinct role and nature. This paper explores visitors’ perceptions of festivals in art galleries and identifies several characteristics that distinguish festivals from other special events. These characteristics include the focus of the event, the audience attending, the degree of interactivity offered, the timing, and the place at which the event is staged. Understanding visitors’ perceptions and expectations of festivals will enable galleries to develop and further enhance their programs and special events to meet visitors’ needs.

The Populist Message of Australian Country Music

Australian country music is influenced by American country music and Australian bush ballads. This music idealises genuine true blue inhabitants of an idealised rural heartland and fuses nationalism with agrarian mythology. The lyrics of a number of country songs contain a populist political message, which is frequently nationalistic but is a form of nationalism.

Making it work: Identifying the challenges of collaborative international research

In this article, we explore the challenges - and benefits - of conducting collaborative research on an international scale. The authors - from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand - draw upon their experiences in designing and conducting a three-country study. The growing pressures on scholars to work in collaborative research teams are described, and key findings and reflections are presented. It is claimed that such work is a highly complex and demanding extension to the academic's role. The authors conclude that, despite the somewhat negative sense that this reflection may convey, the synergies gained and the valuable comparative learning that took place make overcoming these challenges a worthwhile process. The experiences as outlined in this paper suggest that developing understandings of the challenges inherent in undertaking international collaborative research might well be a required component of the professional development opportunities afforded to new scholars.

Obtaining highly enriched cultures of candidatus accumulibacter phosphates through alternating carbon sources

Candidatus Accumulibacter Phosphatis is widely considered to be a polyphosphate accumulating organism (PAO) of prime importance in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems. This organism has yet to be isolated, despite many attempts. Previous studies on the biochemical and physiological aspects of this organism, as well as its response to different EBPR operational conditions, have generally relied on the use of mixed culture enrichments. One frequent problem in obtaining highly enriched cultures of this organism is the proliferation of glycogen accumulating organisms (GAO) that can compete with PAOs for limited carbon sources under similar operational conditions. In this study, Candidatus Accumulibacter Phosphatis has been enriched in a lab-scale bioreactor to a level greater than 90% as quantified by fluorescence in situ hyrbridisation (FISH). This is the highest enrichment of this organism that has been reported thus far, and was obtained by alternating the sole carbon source in the feed between acetate and propionate every one to two sludge ages, and operating the bioreactor within a pH range of 7.0-8.0. Simultaneously, the presence of two known groups of GAOs was eliminated under these operational conditions. Excellent phosphorus removal performance and stability were maintained in this system, where the phosphorous concentration in the effluent was below 0.2 mg/L for more than 7 months. When a disturbance was introduced to this system by adding sludge from an enriched GAO culture, Candidatus Accumulibacter Phosphatis once again became highly enriched, while the GAOs were out-competed. This feeding strategy is recommended for future studies focused on describing the physiology and biochemistry of Accumulibacter, where a highly-enriched culture of this organism is of high importance. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two-stage thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge-from a biological nutrient removal plant

A two-stage thermophilic-mesophilic anaerobic digestion pilot-plant was operated solely on waste activated sludge (WAS) from a biological nutrient removal (BNR) plant. The first-stage thermophilic reactor (HRT 2 days) was operated at 47, 54 and 60 degrees C. The second-stage mesophilic digester (HRT 15 days) was held at a constant temperature of 36-37 degrees C. For comparison with a single-stage mesophilic process, the mesophilic digester was also operated separately with an HRT of 17 days and temperature of 36-37 degrees C. The results showed a truly thermophilic stage (60 degrees C) was essential to achieve good WAS degradation. The lower thermophilic temperatures examined did not offer advantages over single-stage mesophilic treatment in terms of COD and VS removal. At a thermophilic temperature of 60 degrees C, the plant achieved 35% VS reduction, representing a 46% increase compared to the single-stage mesophilic digester. This is a significant level of degradation which could make such a process viable in situations where there is no primary sludge generated. The fate of the biologically stored phosphorus in this BNR sludge was also investigated. Over 80% of the incoming phosphorus remained bound up with the solids and was not released into solution during the WAS digestion. Therefore only a small fraction of phosphorus would be recycled to the main treatment plant with the dewatering stream.