Literacy and numeracy project: Final report 2009

Literacy and numeracy are critical for young people during and after their schooling. The subjects and courses that students undertake during their school years incorporate a range of academic literacy and numeracy practices which students must be able manage if they are to be successful. Pathways beyond schooling also require specific, and changing, understandings of, and proficiencies with, literacy and numeracy as new communication technologies increasingly impact on further study, work, and everyday life. Teaching and learning numeracy is a new emphasis in the SACE and as yet we have little understanding about the ways in which secondary schools handle this area. Students in Years 10 and 11 are at a crucial point in their educational and life pathways as they begin to refine their future aspirations. For those who have difficulty with academic literacies and numeracies – and often a long history of such problems – this period can be fraught unless teachers are able to provide specific support when it is needed, or students are able to access it from care-givers or community members. The School to Work Literacy and Numeracy Project involved teachers from nine schools across the three sectors and university researchers working together to design curriculum interventions for students with a history of low measurable achievement in literacy and/or numeracy. The project started from the premise that working with ‘rich tasks’, an approach to learning and assessment developed in the Productive Pedagogies work undertaken in Queensland (Hayes et al., 2006), would improve students’ motivation, engagement and learning and that this work could best be done by teachers working in school-based, cross-curriculum teams with a school leadership team member and a university researcher as mentor. A key idea in designing rich tasks is that students will have opportunities to demonstrate their learning in assessments which are aligned with the learning expectations (for example a film festival to publicly launch student-produced films, advertising to sell student-made cubby-houses, a household budget based on students’ likely incomes in future work). In other words the assessments should be designed to allow for authentic communication and displays of what the students have learned through serious engagement with the curriculum. The project was conducted from Term 1-4 2009, with follow-up checks with some project teachers in the early weeks of 2010.

Heavy vehicle crash characteristics in Oman, 2009-2011

In recent years, Oman has seen a shift in the burden of diseases towards road accidents. The main objective of this paper, therefore, is to describe key characteristics of heavy vehicle crashes in Oman and identify the key driving behaviours that influence fatality risks. Crash data from January 2009 to December 2011 were examined and it was found that of the 22,543 traffic accidents that occurred within this timeframe, 3,114 involved heavy vehicles. While the majority of these crashes were attributed to driver behaviours, a small proportion was attributed to other factors. The results of the study indicate that there is a need for a more thorough crash investigation process in Oman. Future research should explore the reporting processes used by the Royal Oman Police, cultural influences on heavy vehicle operations in Oman, and improvements to the current licensing system.

Spatiotemporal pattern of bacillary dysentery in China from 1990 to 2009: What is the driver behind?

BACKGROUND Little is known about the spatiotemporal pattern of bacillary dysentery (BD) in China. This study assessed the geographic distribution and seasonality of BD in China over the past two decades. METHODS Data on monthly BD cases in 31 provinces of China from January 1990 to December 2009 obtained from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and data on demographic and geographic factors, as well as climatic factors, were compiled. The spatial distributions of BD in the four periods across different provinces were mapped, and heat maps were created to present the seasonality of BD by geography. A cosinor function combined with Poisson regression was used to quantify the seasonal parameters of BD, and a regression analysis was conducted to identify the potential drivers of morbidity and seasonality of BD. RESULTS Although most regions of China have experienced considerable declines in BD morbidity over the past two decades, Beijing and Ningxia still had high BD morbidity in 2009. BD morbidity decreased more slowly in North-west China than other regions. BD in China mainly peaked from July to September, with heterogeneity in peak time between regions. Relative humidity was associated with BD morbidity and peak time, and latitude was the major predictor of BD amplitude. CONCLUSIONS The transmission of BD was heterogeneous in China. Improved sanitation and hygiene in North-west China, and better access to clean water and food in the big floating population in some metropolises could be the focus of future preventive interventions against BD. BD control efforts should put more emphasis on those dry areas in summer.

Epidemiology of ankylosing spondylitis: IGAS 2009

The International Genetics of Ankylosing Spondylitis (IGAS) meeting was held in Houston, Texas, July 25, 2009. Sixteen investigators from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America presented the status of their respective cohorts of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). They also reviewed a proposal to examine their patients by single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping on an Illumina Infinium microarray SNP genotyping chip in a case-control cohort exceeding 12,000 samples. This chip will type 200,000 SNP selected from the most strongly associated variants identified in genome-wide association studies of inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

The genetic basis of spondyloarthritis: SPARTAN/IGAS 2009

A joint meeting was held in July 2009 in Houston, Texas, of members of the Spondyloarthritis Research and Therapy Network (SPARTAN), founded in 2003 to promote research, education, and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and related forms of spondyloarthritis (SpA), and members of International Genetics of AS (IGAS), founded in 2003 to encourage and coordinate studies internationally in the genetics of AS. The general topic was the genetic basis of SpA, with presentations on the future of human genetic studies; microbes, SpA, and innate immunity; susceptibility of AS to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and non-MHC; and individual discussions of the genetics of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, uveitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and enteropathic arthritis. Summaries of those discussions are presented.

Prevalence and characteristics of road traffic injuries among young drivers in Oman, 2009-2011

Objectives Studies from different parts of the world have indicated that the impact of road traffic incidents disproportionally affects young adults. Few known studies have been forthcoming from Arabian Gulf countries. Within Oman, a high proportion of the population is under the age of 20. Coupled with the drastic increase of motorization in recent years there is a need to understand the state of road safety among young people in Oman. The current research aimed to explore the prevalence and characteristics of road traffic injuries among young drivers aged 17-25 years. Methods Crash data from 2009-2011 was extracted from the Directorate General of Traffic, Royal Oman Police (ROP) database in Oman. The data was analyzed to explore the impact of road crashes on young people (17-25 years), the characteristics of young driver crashes and how these differ from older drivers and to identify key predictors of fatalities in young driver crashes. Results Overall, young people were over-represented in injuries and fatalities within the sample time period. While it is true that many young people in crashes were driving at the time, it was also evident that young people were often a victim in a crash caused by someone else. Thus, to reduce the impact of road crashes on young people, there is a need to generally address road safety within Oman. When young drivers were involved in crashes they were predominantly male. The types of crashes these drivers have can be broadly attributed to risk taking and inexperience. Speeding and night time driving were the key risk factors for fatalities. Conclusion The results highlight the need to address young driver safety in Oman. From these findings, the introduction of a graduated driver licensing system with night time driving restrictions could significantly improve young driver safety.

Kohti lyyristä abstraktismia : Anitra Lucanderin 1950-luvun modernismi

Towards Lyrical Abstraction Anitra Lucander s Modernism in the 1950s Anitra Lucander (1918-2000) was one of the early pioneers of abstract art in Finland. During the Second World War Finnish art and cultural life was isolated and stagnated and figurative art was still dominant after the war. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, new international abstract art movements started to come to Finland. Anitra Lucander was one of the artists of the younger generation after the war who took an interest in the abstract movements in the early 1950s. At the beginning of the 1950s, abstract art came to Finland primarily in the form of Concretism, but simultaneously, a more delicate abstract movement emerged, and Anitra Lucander was among those cultivating such conceptions in her art. In this thesis, I observe and analyze through Anitra Lucander s art this central movement in Finnish modern art that has not yet been extensively studied. I examine how Anitra Lucander s art connects with the style change in Finnish art. I scrutinize the factors that affected Lucander and turned her towards abstract expression, and the effect her art had on emergence of abstract art in Finland. I will also consider the development of her art, the reception and critique of her art and the effect the critique had on her position in the 1950s art world. Because of a lack of earlier studies, I will undertake basic research, relying on empirical primary source material, where the starting point is to place the phenomenon under examination in the historical and cultural context. The most significant study materials are the artist s paintings and graphics from 1948 to 1960, newspaper and magazine articles from the same era, archive sources and interviews with Lucander s relatives, fellow artists and friends. An interesting aspect of the topic is the fact that Anitra Lucander was the only woman among the important pioneers of early Finnish abstract art. Through Lucander s art, I also examine the position of female artists in the tradition of Modernism as well as in the Finnish art world of the 1950s. This theoretical background is provided by the studies of feminist art historians, such as Marsha Meskimmon, Gill Perry, Griselda Pollock and Anne Middleton Wagner. Lucander s position in the male-dominated Finnish art scene of the 1950s, and how she achieved her position, emerges as one of the central themes of the study. I will also observe whether gender is evident in Lucander s art and expression, as well as her reception and critique compared to the reception of her male colleagues art. From a woman s point of view, I reveal the masculine rhetoric and gendered attitudes in the critique of the era. As a theoretical and methodological frame of reference, I use discourse analysis. Anitra Lucander encountered modernistic, international art movements during her journeys to Paris in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Her art evolved from the geometric Concretism of the early decade towards more delicate and painterly abstract expression. After the mid-1950s, she had developed her signature expression; through Cubism and a collage technique, she developed in her painting a delicate, coloristic imagery, which can be characterized as Lyrical Abstraction. Lucander did not consider abstract expression to be categorical, but saw the abstract and the nonfigurative as equals: the line between the abstract and the figurative is very often fleeting in her art. Already in her own time, Lucander achieved a position as one of the most talented young artists of her generation and her work was included in significant exhibitions. This success can definitely be attributed to the fact that she embraced Modernism in its extreme form, abstraction, already at the beginning of her career and networked with male painters who shared her outlook and modernistic expression. For her, this was either a conscious or an unconscious method of adapting to the male-dominated Finnish art field in the 1950s. In spite of acclaim and attention, Lucander had to encounter the gendered attitudes in the critique of the time, and her art was often perceived through stereotypical views as overly feminine and dependent. However, with her art, Lucander played an important role in the breakthrough for colorism and abstract art in Finland in the 1950s.

Helsingin galleriakenttä, kentän muutokset ja positiot vuosina 1983-2009

Tutkielman aiheena on Helsingin taidegalleriat ja niiden muodostama galleriakenttä. Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan galleriakenttää, galleriakentän ja galleriatoiminnan muutoksia sekä gallerioiden asemia ja asemien muutoksia kentän sisällä vuosina 1983–2009. Tutkielman tavoitteena on toimia Helsingin galleriakentän ja sen lähihistorian perustutkimuksena ja galleriakentän sisäisten asemien rakentumisen analyysina. Tutkimuskysymykset ovat seuraavat: Millaisia muutoksia Helsingin taidegalleriakentässä, sen toimijajoukossa ja gallerioiden toiminnassa on tapahtunut 1980-luvun alkupuolelta 2000-luvun ensimmäisen vuosikymmenen loppuun tultaessa? Mitkä ja millaiset galleriat ovat tutkittavan ajanjakson eri vaiheissa muodostaneet keskeisten gallerioiden joukon, mihin tämä asema on perustunut ja miten galleriakentän sisäiset asemat ovat muuttuneet? Galleriakenttää analysoidaan ja tarkastellaan yhdistäen taidehistoriallisen perustutkimuksen menetelmiä taiteensosiologiseen analyysiin. Tutkielman teoreettinen näkökulma perustuu sosiologi Pierre Bourdieun kenttää koskevaan teoriaan. Teorian rooli on toimia työkaluna tutkittavan kentän ja sen toimijoiden asemien havainnoinnissa ja analyysissa. Tutkielman empiirinen aineisto muodostuu tutkielman tekijän laatimien 28 galleristin ja muun galleriakentän toimijan haastattelujen muodostamasta haastatteluaineistosta. Haastatellut edustavat 22 galleriaa. Niiden muodostama joukko koostuu yksityisistä gallerioista, taiteilijaliittojen gallerioista ja vaihtoehtoisiksi tai taiteilijavetoisiksi määriteltävissä olevista tutkitulla ajanjaksolla eri tavoin keskeisinä pidetyistä gallerioista. Haastattelujen ohella tärkeänä aineistona toimii tutkittavan ajanjakson lehtikirjoittelu. Sen osalta lähteenä on käytetty Helsingin galleriakenttää ja gallerioita koskevaa lehtikirjoittelua, joka on tallennettu Kuvataiteen keskusarkiston leikearkistoon. Lisäksi lähteinä ovat Taide-lehden vuosikerrat tutkittavalta ajalta. Galleriakentän lähihistorian tarkastelun pohjaksi tutkielmassa analysoidaan gallerioiden roolia kuvataiteen kentän portinvartijoina, galleriakentän toimijoiden näkemyksiä keskeisen gallerian aseman rakentumisesta ja gallerioita koskevia luokituksia ja ryhmityksiä. Tutkielman ytimen muodostaa luku, jossa käydään kronologisesti läpi galleriakentän muutoksia ja keskeisiä toimijoita tutkielmassa tarkastellulla ajanjaksolla. Lopuksi syvennetään kentän kronologisen kuvauksen pohjalta galleriakentän muutosten analyysia Bourdieun teorian ja käsitteiden avulla. Tutkielman yhtenä tuloksena on tutkittavan kentän ajanjakson hahmottuminen seuraaviksi jaksoiksi: vuodet 1983–1990, vuodet 1990–1997, vuodet 1997–2002 ja vuodesta 2002 alkanut kentän nykytilanteeseen sidostuva jakso. Jaksot hahmottuvat tarkastellun kentän, galleriatoiminnan ja kentällä kulloinkin keskeisten toimijoiden joukon muutosten pohjalta. Jaksojen liitoskohdat ovat muutosten tihentymiä kentän keskeisten toimijoiden joukossa. Jaksot liittyvät osittain myös yleisen taloustilanteen muutoksiin siltä osin kuin ne ovat vaikuttaneet galleriatoimintaan ja siihen, millainen galleriatoiminta ja mitkä toimijat kulloinkin ovat nousseet keskeisiksi. Tutkielman ydinluvussa tarkasteltava ja analysoitava kentän muutosten ja gallerioiden asemien kronologinen kuvaus muodostaa kokonaisuudessaan tutkielman tärkeimmät perustutkimukselliset tulokset. Tulosten loppupäätelminä tutkielmassa päädytään seuraavaan analyysiin. Galleriakentän muutokset sidostuvat kuvataiteen muutoksiin ja talouden nousu- ja laskukausiin, ne eivät kuitenkaan ole tämänkaltaisista ulkoisista tekijöistä johdettavissa. Gallerioiden asemien rakentuminen ja muutokset ovat kytköksissä kentän sisäisiin muutoksiin siten, että kentän toimijajoukon muutokset joko sidostuvat toisiinsa tai asettuvat samanaikaisiksi. Kentän asemien tila vaikuttaa siihen, millaisen aseman uusi galleria pyrkii ottamaan sekä millaisen aseman se saa kentällä ja mediassa. Kenttä näyttäytyy tilana, jossa toisen toimijan poistuminen kentältä luo aukkoja ja tilauksia toisten toimijoiden synnylle. Kentän asemien rakentuminen ja muutokset syntyvät toisaalta gallerioiden toiminnan ja niiden esittämän taiteen ja taiteilijoiden perusteella sekä toisaalta myös suhteessa gallerioiden jaotteluihin ja luokitteluihin. Kentän rakenteen muodostuessa kentän voimasuhteiden tilan kautta muodostuvat keskeisiksi koettujen gallerioiden joukon muutokset erityisen oleellisiksi sille, miten asemat kentällä ovat kulloinkin rakentuneet

Technical highlights: Invasive plant and animal research 2009-10

Technical highlights 2009–10, with detailed progress reports on the latest invasive plant and animal research undertaken by Biosecurity Queensland, a service unit of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation.

IXth International Symposium on Thysanoptera and Tospoviruses, 31st August-4th September 2009, Sea World Resort, Queensland, Australia.

This proceedings contains abstracts of 108 papers focusing on the different Tospovirus diseases of various crops and their thysanopteran vectors. The genetics of these pests and pathogens, the different methods used in their control and their geographical distribution are also highlighted.

Your fish. Your future. Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014

The Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 sets the direction for the future of fisheries and aims to address some of the challenges impacting Queensland's fisheries both from within Australia and abroad. Every year in Queensland almost a million people fish for a living, for recreation, or for traditional and customary purposes. Countless others rely on sustainable fisheries as the focus of tourism and other businesses - but there are major challenges for the fishing sector. Fisheries resources are finite and under significant stress. Fisheries face challenges including the potential for over-exploitation by all fishing sectors, increasing consumer demand, a rising population, coastal development, the effects of climate change, biosecurity risks, import competition and rising production costs.

Harry Bergholz Collection 1938-1980

Correspondence between Harry Bergholz and Hermann Ascher (1938-1969), Genia Einzig (1946-1958), Norbert Gebel (1956-1980), and Richard Hessberg (1947-1958).

Bayesian estimation of the dynamics of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza transmission in Queensland: A space–time SIR-based model

Background A pandemic strain of influenza A spread rapidly around the world in 2009, now referred to as pandemic (H1N1) 2009. This study aimed to examine the spatiotemporal variation in the transmission rate of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 associated with changes in local socio-environmental conditions from May 7–December 31, 2009, at a postal area level in Queensland, Australia. Method We used the data on laboratory-confirmed H1N1 cases to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of transmission using a flexible Bayesian, space–time, Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) modelling approach. The model incorporated parameters describing spatiotemporal variation in H1N1 infection and local socio-environmental factors. Results The weekly transmission rate of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 was negatively associated with the weekly area-mean maximum temperature at a lag of 1 week (LMXT) (posterior mean: −0.341; 95% credible interval (CI): −0.370–−0.311) and the socio-economic index for area (SEIFA) (posterior mean: −0.003; 95% CI: −0.004–−0.001), and was positively associated with the product of LMXT and the weekly area-mean vapour pressure at a lag of 1 week (LVAP) (posterior mean: 0.008; 95% CI: 0.007–0.009). There was substantial spatiotemporal variation in transmission rate of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 across Queensland over the epidemic period. High random effects of estimated transmission rates were apparent in remote areas and some postal areas with higher proportion of indigenous populations and smaller overall populations. Conclusions Local SEIFA and local atmospheric conditions were associated with the transmission rate of pandemic (H1N1) 2009. The more populated regions displayed consistent and synchronized epidemics with low average transmission rates. The less populated regions had high average transmission rates with more variations during the H1N1 epidemic period.

Opening concert 1937-1938; Juedische Winterhilfe; Berlin Jewish Institutions

Caption: "Eroeffnung"

Deutsch-Boehm Family collection 1834-1938 Bulk: 1834-1892

The collection holds original official documents pertaining to the ancestors of Hermann Deutsch, such as his father, Hugo Deutsch, and his grandfather, Simon Deutsch, and the last will and testament of Abraham Nathan Meyer, great-grandfather of Hermann Deutsch. Also included are documents for Hermann Boehm. There is a printed obituary by Hugo Preuss for Hugo Deutsch and the copy of a 1938 document, declaring the end of the Simon Boehm company.