Curriculum implementation exploratory studies: Final report

Throughout the history of schooling in New Zealand the national curriculum has been revised at fairly regular intervals. Consequently, schools are periodically faced with having to accommodate to new curriculum. In between major changes other specifically-focused changes may arise; for example, the increased recent emphasis upon numeracy and literacy

Communicating Auditory Impairments Using Electroacoustic Composition

Changes in human sensory perception can occur for a variety of reasons. In the case of distortions or transformations in the human auditory system, the aetiology may include factors such as medical conditions affecting cognition or physiology, interaction of the ears with mechanical waves, or stem from chemically induced sources, such the consumption of alcohol. These changes may be permanent, intermittent, or temporary. In order to communicate such effects to an audience in an accessible, and easily understood manner, a series of electroacoustic compositions were produced. This concept follows on from previous work on the theme of representing auditory hallucinations. Specifically, these compositions relate to auditory impairments that humans can experience due to tinnitus or through the consumption of alcohol. In the case of tinnitus, whilst much is known about the causes and symptoms, the experience of what it is like to live with tinnitus is less explored and those who have acquired the condition may often feel frustration when trying to convey the experience of ‘what it is like’ for them. In terms of impairment from alcohol consumption, whilst there is much hearsay, little research exists on the immediate and short-term effects of alcohol consumption on the human auditory system, despite over half of the UK population reported as consuming alcohol in 2017. The methodology employed to design these compositions draws upon scientific research findings, including experimental and explorative studies involving human participants, coupled with electroacoustic composition techniques. The pieces are typically constructed by mixing field recordings with synthesised materials and incorporating a range of temporal and frequency domain manipulations to the elements therein. In this way, the listener is able to experience the phenomenon in a recognisable context, where distortions of reality can be emulated to varying degrees. It is intended that these compositions can serve as easily accessible and understood examples of auditory impairments and that they might find utility in the communication of symptoms to those who have never experienced the underlying causes or conditions. This presents opportunities for pieces like these to be used in scenarios such as education and public health awareness campaigns

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Sustainable education in the western corridor: the research roadmap ahead

The primary purpose of this research is to inform strategies that will enhance learning of students in the Western Corridor by identifying issues related to retention and progression. Ideally this will aid the development of interventions and quality teaching methods. Specifically, this project will offer a research program and a set of propositions that will identify predictors for higher education progression and retention and their impact on higher educational pathways for persons in the Western Corridor and similar regional centres. This will be the basis for the research agenda for moving forwards. The outcomes of the research ideally will aid in the preparation of a roadmap for the future

Sustainable education in the western corridor: Establishing the research agenda and roadmap ahead

The primary purpose of this research is to inform strategies that will enhance learning of students in the Western Corridor by identifying issues related to retention and progression. Ideally this will aid the development of interventions and quality teaching methods. Specifically, this project will offer a research program and a set of propositions that will identify predictors for higher education progression and retention and their impact on higher educational pathways for persons in the Western Corridor and similar regional centres. This will be the basis for the research agenda for moving forwards. The outcomes of the research ideally will aid in the preparation of a roadmap for the future

BonFIRE: a multi-cloud experimentation-as-a-service ecosystem

The demand for ways to explore and understand how applications and services behave in a shared software defined infrastructures is increasing. Completely new applications are emerging, alongside “Big Data” and the convergence of services with mobile networks and the Internet of Things (IoT) all exploiting Cloud scalability and flexibility along with integration with software defined networks. These innovative technologies are creating opportunities for industry that requires a new collaborative approach to product and services that combines, commercial and funded research, early-stage and close-to-market applications, but always at the cutting edge of ideas

Sustainable education in the western corridor: Establishing the research agenda and roadmap ahead

The primary purpose of this research is to inform strategies that will enhance learning of students in the Western Corridor by identifying issues related to retention and progression. Ideally this will aid the development of interventions and quality teaching methods. Specifically, this project will offer a research program and a set of propositions that will identify predictors for higher education progression and retention and their impact on higher educational pathways for persons in the Western Corridor and similar regional centres. This will be the basis for the research agenda for moving forwards. The outcomes of the research ideally will aid in the preparation of a roadmap for the future