Considering gifts and talents through an ontological lens: Yolŋu Way, and Australian Aboriginal approach to talent development

Giftedness has long been recognized as a cultural construct and as such has been subject to occasional interrogation from an epistemological standpoint. Very little has been written, though, on the ontological implications of differing cultural conceptions of gifts and talents. This presentation will report the results of an Australian study that investigated Yolŋu (an Australian Aboriginal group) views of giftedness, talents, and talent development and will endeavor to frame the study’s findings in terms of Yolŋu ontology

The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study

,p>This article reports on the results of a survey of racehorse trainers (This article reports on the results of a survey of racehorse trainers (n = 112) outlining the reasons for tongue-tie (TT) and noseband (NB) use by Thoroughbred trainers (TBTs) (n = 72) and Standardbred trainers (SBTs) (n = 40). The study also investigated the reported effectiveness of TTs and possible complications arising from their use. Tongue-tie use was reported by 62.5% (n = 70) of racehorse trainers. The reasons for TT use varied between TBTs and SBTs. For TBTs, the most common reason for TT use was to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (72.3%, n = 34), followed closely by to prevent or reduce airway noise (55.3%, n = 16). Standardbred trainers assigned equal importance for TT use [to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (69.6%, n = 16) and to prevent the horse from moving its tongue over the bit (69.6%, n = 16)]. Tongue-ties were considered significantly less effective at improving performance than at reducing airway obstruction and preventing the tongue from moving over the bit (t = −2.700, p = 0.0007). For respondents who used both TTs and NBs, there was a mild to moderate positive association between the reasons for using TTs and NBs. Of the 70 TT-using respondents, 51.4% (n = 36) recorded having encountered either a physical or behavioural complication due to TT use, with redness/bruising of the tongue (20.0%, n = 14) being the most common physical complication reported. Duration of use influenced the risk of observing complications. The likelihood of a respondent reporting a behavioural complication due to TT use increased with every minute of reported application and a nine-minute increment in application period doubled the odds of a respondent reporting a complication. Tightness was a risk factor for physical complications: Checking TT tightness by noting the tongue as not moving was associated with increased reporting of physical complications (OR = 6.59; CI 1.1–67.5). This pilot study provides some insight into how and why TTs are applied by some racehorse trainers, and the potential risks associated with their use. A further study of a larger cohort is recommended because these results are valid for only the 112 trainers who responded and cannot be generalized to the equine industry

Post-Imperial Perspectives on Indigenous Education: Lessons from Japan and Australia

This book explores the impact of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Japan and Australia, where it has heralded change in the rights of Indigenous Peoples to have their histories, cultures, and lifeways taught in culturally appropriate and respectful ways in mainstream education systems.The book examines the impact of imposed education on Indigenous Peoples’ pre-existing education values and systems, considers emergent approaches towards Indigenous education in the post-imperial context of migration, and critiques certain professional development, assessment, pedagogical approaches and curriculum developments.This book will be of great interest to researchers and lecturers of education specialising in Indigenous Education, as well as postgraduate students of education and teachers specialising in Indigenous Education

From Hofmeister to hydrotrope: Effect of anion hydrocarbon chain length on a polymer brush

Hypothesis: Specific ion effects govern myriad biological phenomena, including protein–ligand interactions and enzyme activity. Despite recent advances, detailed understanding of the role of ion hydrophobicity in specific ion effects, and the intersection with hydrotropic effects, remains elusive. Short chain fatty acid sodium salts are simple amphiphiles which play an integral role in our gastrointestinal health. We hypothesise that increasing a fatty acid’s hydrophobicity will manifest stronger salting-out behaviour.Experiments: Here we study the effect of these amphiphiles on an exemplar thermoresponsive polymer brush system, conserving the carboxylate anion identity while varying anion hydrophobicity via the carbon chain length. Ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring were used to characterise the thermoresponse and viscoelasticity of the brush, respectively, whilst neutron reflectometry was used to reveal the internal structure of the brush. Diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and computational investigations provide insight into polymer-ion interactions. Findings: Surface sensitive techniques unveiled a non-monotonic trend in salting-out ability with increasing anion hydrophobicity, revealing the bundle-like morphology of the ion-collapsed system. An intersection between ion-specific and hydrotropic effects was observed both experimentally and computationally; trending from good anti-hydrotrope towards hydrotropic behaviour with increasing anion hydrophobicity, accompanying a change in hydrophobic hydration

Methods of behavioral testing in dogs: a scoping review and analysis of test stimuli

Background: Behavioral testing is widely used to measure individual differences in behavior and cognition among dogs and predict underlying psychological traits. However, the diverse applications, methodological variability, and lack of standardization in canine behavioral testing has posed challenges for researchers and practitioners seeking to use these tests. To address these complexities, this review sought to synthesize and describe behavioral testing methods by creating a framework that uses a “dog-centric” perspective to categorize the test stimuli used to elicit responses from dogs. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to identify scientific literature that has reported behavioral testing to assess psychological traits in dogs. Five online databases were systematically searched. Following this, an inductive content analysis was conducted to evaluate and summarize the behavioral testing methods in the literature. Results: A total of 392 publications met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis, collectively reporting 2,362 behavioral tests. These tests were individually evaluated and categorized. Our content analysis distinguished 29 subcategories of behavioral testing stimuli that have been used, grouped into three major categories: human-oriented stimuli; environmental stimuli; and motivator-oriented stimuli. Conclusion: Despite the methodological heterogeneity observed across behavioral testing methods, our study identified commonalities in many of the stimuli used in test protocols. The resulting framework provides a practical overview of published behavioral tests and their applications, which may assist researchers in selecting and designing appropriate tests for their purposes

Searching questions, informal modelling, and massively multiple choice

The Intelligent Book project aims to improve online education by designing materials that can model the subject matter they teach, in the manner of a Reactive Learning Environment. In earlier work, we developed mathematical proof exercises that used an automated theorem prover to model the student's proof. By observing human tutorial sessions, however, we find that this level of formal modelling is not necessary for many proof questions. In this paper, we investigate whether less formal modelling can still provide a useful Reactive Learning Environment. We constructed a system that uses search and informal reasoning about prewritten statements to ask questions for an undergraduate Discrete Mathematics course. When generalised and simplified, we find these search-based questions can also be used as a replacement for multiple choice questions, or to provide "massively multiple choice" questions

Globalisation and the Nation-State

So far in this course, we have seen some of the central debates surrounding the practices of globalisation (free trade versus protectionism, and corporate profits versus respect for human rights, for example). We have also introduced the notion of ideology: coherent ways of assessing how the world is and how it ought to be. A focus on ideology raises the possibility that people and organisations make decisions not just on the basis of rational economic calculation but also in keeping with their values and ideals. It is worth noting here that these values and ideals are neither accidental nor arbitrary. An individual or a government does not just decide to adopt neo-liberalism, for example, on a whim. Often, ideologies are related to material interests. A business group, for example, may espouse a neo-liberal focus on free markets and minimal regulation as they pursue their goals of maximising corporate flexibility and profitability

Submission to Review ‘Creating a world class migration advice industry’

I am a researcher with qualifications in both law and sociolinguistics. My current research examines Registered Migration Agents’ (RMAs) regulation and work, with a particular focus on communication and language. I am also researching the educational experiences of prospective RMAs undertaking the Graduate Diploma in Migration Law and Practice. This submission draws on this research to address Theme 1 of the review, ‘A qualified industry’, and in particular the suitability of the existing requirements for initial registration related to English language proficiency (‘ELP’), as set out in Migration (IMMI 18/003: Specified courses and exams for registration as a migration agent) Instrument 2018