Sustaining competing professional identities: Measuring action learning 'outcomes' in an educational context.

This paper builds on an initial investigation of the process of action learning in a university Management School in New Zealand, where the focus is on sustainability and innovation. Students are encouraged to engage with entrepreneurial practice and develop critical thinking skills. In this study, we recognise the impact of the organisational context both on our own professional practice as teaching staff and on learning outcomes for staff and students. The emergent nature of action learning outcomes makes the measurement of their effectiveness problematic. Research questions cannot be determined at the outset but are generated in consultation with the research participants. Despite aiming to be collaborative, our focus groups and interviews made explicit the tensions existing in the professional identities of staff. Their expert knowledge as researchers and teachers was challenged by an action learning approach. Consequently, this paper is an example of ongoing critical reflective practice. We conclude that measuring the effectiveness of action learning outcomes is context-dependent and consider the implications for the teaching of critical management studies. The process of action learning must be considered a key outcome. Individual reflection on professional identity and practice may be as important as the organisational learning and explicit knowledge gained

Making Progress: Ellison, Rinehart, and the Critic

Since Ralph Ellison’s death, the draft materials of his second, unfinished novel have become available, in addition to his notes for Invisible Man (1952). This article encourages literary interpreters to exercise restraint in retroactively imposing narrative order and coherence upon the author’s incomplete work and working materials. Taking as an example the character Rinehart, who appears in varying forms throughout Ellison’s career, this article traces and interrogates the character’s treatment in the work of exemplary Ellison critic Adam Bradley to demonstrate that the urge to create a linear interpretive model diminishes not just the character but also Ellison’s considerable nuance. Focused character interpretation ultimately makes the larger case that coming to Ellison’s archive, as well as his published works, requires flexibility adequate to the author’s own mobile habits of thought and composition

A discourse analysis of representational spaces: Writings of women independent traveller

Since 1987 there has been a substantial growth in women travelling independently, with the mature welltravelled woman seeking more than a holiday lying on the beach. In response to this demand, there has been a plethora of travel guides which specifically target women by providing advice for and/or stories of independent female travellers. Women are noted to travel for different motivations than men. It is argued that independent women tourists travel for self-discovery, enlightenment, and/or educational purposes. They also view travel as an opportunity for respite from the confines and responsibilities of their domestic environment. Critical questions regarding how their travel is constructed and the meanings of women\u27s travel experiences have not been addressed in the published literature to date. To advance our understanding of gender and tourism, and in particular, to examine gendered experiences of independent travelling, we used critical discourse analysis to investigate a selected travel guide. The Rough Guide to Women Travel: First Hand Accounts from More than 60 Countries, is examined to understand the role that discourse plays in the positioning of, and providing meaning for, independent women travellers. Findings indicate that, rather than escaping traditional notions of female dependence and associated values, these are actually reinstated in the construction of women as independent travellers. Themes that emerged from the research include: caring for others and being cared for, danger and security, connecting and networking and redefined identities

The ecology and reproduction of Sophora leachiana Peck (Fabaceae)

The goal of the study was to collect data on the ecology and reproduction of Sophora leachiana in order to help explain the rarity and restricted range of this species. There are 13 known populations of S. leachiana, occurring in a 29 by 6.4 km area in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon. The species acts as a primary colonizer in disturbed areas, especially following fires. When the tree canopy becomes re-established, Sophora may persist vegetatively as rhizomes and aerial shoots, but it ceases flowering. Most populations occur on south or west slopes, in a region of low summer rainfall. Adaptations of the plant include xeromorphic leaflet anatomy, leaflet movements to avoid high insolation, and flowering that depends on high levels of incident light. The reproductive cycle of Sophora was analyzed, beginning with meiosis and extending through pollen maturation, pollination, seed and fruit development, seed anatomy, seed germination, and predators of the plant. Two chromosome levels were found, tetraploid (n=18) and hexaploid (n=27). Meiosis was more regular in the former than in the latter, but the hexaploids showed a higher percentage of stainable pollen. Species of Bombus are the principal pollinators, but low levels of insect activity were seen in Sophora populations. The flowers show a typical xenogamous syndrome, including protandry, high pollenovule ratio, and low rate of spontaneous selfing. In controlled experiments, only intrapopulation pollinations were successful. In a vast majority of the flowering, the pistils show no development past anthesis. Maturation of the fruit is limited to favorable sites of high insolation and low plant density. Even in maturing fruits, an average of 79 percent of the seeds abort prior to maturity. Seed abortion appears to result from endosperm failure, due perhaps to self-incompatibility. The mature seeds have the characteristic anatomy of "hard" leguminous seeds and probably are adapted to survive the heat of forest fires. In a series of tests, normal-appearing Sophora seeds showed an average germination rate of only 58 percent. Growth of the seedlings was variable, and some abnormalities were observed. The inflorescences of plants in nature were often parasitized by thrips, which caused premature dropping of the flowers. Larvae of a species of moth were a common predator in some Sophora populations, attacking both the vegetative parts and inflorescenses. The rust, Uromyces hyalinus, was a plant pathogen of low incidence but sometimes high density on individual shoots. Sophora leachiana does have vigorous asexual reproduction by stout rhizomes; but because the species eventually dies out as the forest matures, it must depend on seeds in order to persist in an area. The species is probably a Tertiary relic, depleted in biotypes and possessing a restricted gene pool. Current seed production may be adequate for continuance in the small area Sophora now occupies, but it does not allow for expansion of the species range. Forest clear-cuts are a favorable habitat for the growth and flowering of S. leachiana. However, forest management practices that would destroy the vegetative clones and hence end seed reproduction in these sites would probably lead to the extinction of the species

The causal web of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders : a review and causal diagram

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Objective measures of prenatal alcohol exposure: a systematic review

CONTEXT: Objective measurement of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is essential for identifying children at risk for adverse outcomes, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Biomarkers have been advocated for use in universal screening programs, but their validity has not been comprehensively evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the validity of objective measures of PAE. DATA SOURCES: Thirteen electronic databases and supplementary sources were searched for studies published between January 1990 and October 2015. STUDY SELECTION: Eligible studies were those that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of objective measures of PAE. DATA EXTRACTION: Three reviewers independently verified study inclusion, quality assessments, and extracted data. RESULTS: Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Test performance varied widely across studies of maternal blood (4 studies; sensitivity 0%–100%, specificity 79%–100%), maternal hair (2 studies; sensitivity 19%–87%, specificity 56%–86%) maternal urine (2 studies; sensitivity 5%–15%, specificity 97%–100%), and biomarker test batteries (3 studies; sensitivity 22%–50%, specificity 56%–97%). Tests of the total concentration of 4 fatty acid ethyl esters (in meconium: 2 studies; in placenta: 1 study) demonstrated high sensitivity (82%–100%); however, specificity was variable (13%–98%). LIMITATIONS: Risk of bias was high due to self-report reference standards and selective outcome reporting. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence is insufficient to support the use of objective measures of prenatal alcohol exposure in practice. Biomarkers in meconium and placenta tissue may be the most promising candidates for further large-scale population-based research

Project C.O.R.E.: Coaching Opportunities with Real Experiences

Retention and graduation rates of VCU men of color (MOC) is significantly lower than white men and women of color. Due to demonstrated significant attrition occurring after the sophomore year, Project C.O.R.E. (Coaching Opportunities with Real Experiences) is proposed as a sophomore-focused program that builds upon an existing freshman course on professional development for MOC. While the first-year course introduces students to a VCU support network, Project C.O.R.E. aims to increase university retention by expanding the student support network to members of the local community. Students are paired with community coaches, predominantly VCU alumni, to enhance their career and life-skills development. This program provides continued community, guidance, and support to encourage MOC to continue on the path to graduation