Is There a Problem or is He Just Bone Lazy? A Study of Children with Low Academic Motivation

Children who are poorly motivated at school are at risk of academic underachievement and a range of other adverse social, economic and health outcomes. Attributions of laziness, reflected in comments about children needing to "try harder" and "make more effort" may mask specific cognitive and learning characteristics that explain low motivation in many children. This paper reports preliminary findings from an ongoing study of "lazy" children in the early years of primary school. In order to investigate possible explanations for low academic motivation such as learning difficulties, anxiety disorders, intellectual impairment, attentional problems and giftedness, children were assessed using appropriate psycho-educational instruments, tasks and questionnaires. The discussion focuses on developing a deeper understanding of academic motivation in the early school years through illustrative profiles of poorly motivated children

Optimisation of energy and brightness transformer stages in a plasma Wakefield accelerator

Capable of sustaining giga-volt-per-metre accelerating gradients, plasma accelerators are a promising technology that offer a path to compact machines for high-energy applications. In the case of a beam-driven plasma Wakefield accelerator (PWFA), energy is transferred from a driver particle beam to an existing bunch trailing in its wake; in this way, the plasma accelerator can be seen as an energy transformer. Alternatively a beam can also be formed directly inside the wake—a so-called plasma cathode. The quality of this new bunch can furthermore be higher than that of the incoming drive beam, where the plasma stage now acts as a brightness transformer. In the case of an energy transformer, this work focuses on an important quantity in plasma acceleration—the energy-transfer efficiency. Here, a new diagnostic was developed based on the light emitted from a beam-interacted plasma that can—in contrast to conventional dipole spectrometers—non-invasively measure the energy-transfer efficiency with longitudinal resolution on a shot-to-shot basis. After benchmarking this method with the spectrometer-based technique, local energy-transfer efficiencies of up to (58 ± 3)% were measured. Furthermore, the potential of this method in diagnosing transverse instabilities was investigated, with this diagnostic seen as being key to the monitoring and optimisation of future plasma accelerators. A PWFA-based plasma cathode stage was then also established and optimised, with the goal of demonstrating the brightness transformation of an input drive beam. Based on optically generated density downramp injection, bunches were internally injected with high reproducibility and accelerated with ∼ GVm−1 accelerating gradients. Thorough characterisation of these bunches yielded O(10pCMeV−1) peak spectral densities, percent level energy spreads and normalised emittances around an order of magnitude less than the drive beam. As a result, the 3D brightness of the injected bunches (i.e. brightness in the horizontal and spectral directions) was shown to be 4.8 times higher than that of the drive beam. Ultimately, both of the themes explored in this thesis are important if plasma accelerators are to meet the demands of future FEL light sources and linear colliders.Capable of sustaining giga-volt-per-metre accelerating gradients, plasma accelerators are a promising technology that offer a path to compact machines for high-energy applications. In the case of a beam-driven plasma Wakefield accelerator (PWFA), energy is transferred from a driver particle beam to an existing bunch trailing in its wake; in this way, the plasma accelerator can be seen as an energy transformer. Alternatively a beam can also be formed directly inside the wake—a so-called plasma cathode. The quality of this new bunch can furthermore be higher than that of the incoming drive beam, where the plasma stage now acts as a brightness transformer. In the case of an energy transformer, this work focuses on an important quantity in plasma acceleration—the energy-transfer efficiency. Here, a new diagnostic was developed based on the light emitted from a beam-interacted plasma that can—in contrast to conventional dipole spectrometers—non-invasively measure the energy-transfer efficiency with longitudinal resolution on a shot-to-shot basis. After benchmarking this method with the spectrometer-based technique, local energy-transfer efficiencies of up to (58 ± 3)% were measured. Furthermore, the potential of this method in diagnosing transverse instabilities was investigated, with this diagnostic seen as being key to the monitoring and optimisation of future plasma accelerators. A PWFA-based plasma cathode stage was then also established and optimised, with the goal of demonstrating the brightness transformation of an input drive beam. Based on optically generated density downramp injection, bunches were internally injected with high reproducibility and accelerated with ∼ GVm−1 accelerating gradients. Thorough characterisation of these bunches yielded O(10pCMeV−1) peak spectral densities, percent level energy spreads and normalised emittances around an order of magnitude less than the drive beam. As a result, the 3D brightness of the injected bunches (i.e. brightness in the horizontal and spectral directions) was shown to be 4.8 times higher than that of the drive beam. Ultimately, both of the themes explored in this thesis are important if plasma accelerators are to meet the demands of future FEL light sources and linear colliders

Older academics: Motivation to keep working

This is an interpretive – descriptive analysis of responses to 41 open ended questionnaires returned by cademicsworking beyond normal retirement age. The sample consisted mainly of academics from the United Kingdom,Australia, and New Zealand. The research addressed the question of what motivates some academics to continueworking beyond the ‘usual’ retirement age. The main motivation for continuing was strong interest and commitment,particularly to research and writing. Some also gave social, financial, and other reasons for continuing. Those not infull time employment described barriers, including finance and facilities and the support that they needed to maintaintheir activities. In most countries institutional and government policies made it possible for them to stay involvedacademically even if it meant making a personal effort. Most of them would have liked better support or recognitionfrom their universities. The results suggest that universities should more actively support older academics incontinuing activity

Ageing in Fiji : how older teachers perceive ageing and their lives

Worldwide the population is ageing and data concerning how people want to age actively is limited. The paper is a description of an inductive interpretive-descriptive study of how a sample of older retired teachers in Fiji viewed ageing and their lives as older people. The objectives were to determine and describe perceptions of ageing held by a sample of retired teachers. The methodology consisted of responses to an open ended questionnaire similar to a phenomenographic approach and the analysis was interpretive – descriptive. A purposive sample of 30 retired teachers between the ages of 55 and 60 responded to the questionnaire. The results indicate that most of the respondents were positive about lifelong learning and in particular learning new things; that they were involved in a range of post retirement activities for personal and financial reasons; that there were some barriers and facilitators to their activities; that they generally accepted ageing and being older; and that more should be done by Government and other agencies to provide for a better life for older people in Fiji. These results should be considered in future planning for ageing populations in Fiji, the Pacific region and in other developing countries

Experience of Dying: Concerns of Dying Patients and of Carers

Background: Terminally ill patients frequently express concerns about what dying will be like: how their bodies may change as disease progresses, how medication may alter the effect of these changes and whether and how their preferences will be respected as they become more ill.----- Methods: Thirty-six patients admitted to a hospice were interviewed and 18 carers of patients of the Palliative Care service,whohad died participated in focus groups. Thirty-three patients had advanced malignant disease, 13 were women; their mean age was 68 years (range 44–92 years).----- Results: The areas of concern consistently identified by patients were (i) privacy and autonomy, principally in regard to families, (ii) a lack of information about physical changes and medication use as death approached and (iii) the desire to shorten life, which was expressed by all patients. Carers recalled problems accessing services and support and had needed more help with practical issues such as medication timing and dose. They believed that not enough information about the patients’ illnesses had been given to them and they were insistent that carers should have information against the wishes of patients.----- Conclusion: Some of the patients’ and carers’ concerns can be readily addressed. Others, particularly access to confidential information, cannot be addressed without a realignment of professional ethical standards and community expectations. The patients’ discussions of their desire to shorten life may have implications for the debate on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide

Predicting the consequences of selecting on PrP genotypes on PrP frequencies, performance and inbreeding in commercial meat sheep populations

Selection programmes based on prion protein (PrP) genotypes are being implemented for increasing resistance to scrapie. Commercial meat sheep populations participating in sire-referencing schemes were simulated to investigate the effect of selection on PrP genotypes on ARR and VRQ allele frequencies, inbreeding and genetic gain in a performance trait under selection. PrP selection strategies modelled included selection against the VRQ allele and in favour of the ARR allele. Assuming realistic initial PrP frequencies, selection against the VRQ allele had a minimal impact on performance and inbreeding. However, when selection was also in favour of the ARR allele and the frequency of this allele was relatively low, there was a loss of up to three to four years of genetic gain over the 15 years of selection. Most loss in gain occurred during the first five years. In general, the rate of inbreeding was reduced when applying PrP selection. Since animals were first selected on their PrP genotype before being selected on the performance trait, the intensity of selection on performance was weaker under PrP selection (compared with no PrP selection). Eradication of the VRQ allele or fixation of the ARR allele within 15 years of selection was possible only with PrP selection targeting all breeding animals

Discussion and debates in Pacific education

A collection of papers based on twelve presentations delivered as part of the School of Education's Talanga Seminar Series, at the University of the South Pacific

Attitudes Towards and Limitations to ICT Use in Assisted and Independent Living Communities: Findings from a Specially-Designed Technological Intervention

Much literature has been devoted to theoretical explanations of the learning processes of older adults and to the methods of teaching best utilized in older populations. However, there has been less focus on the education of older adults who reside in assisted and independent living communities (AICs), especially with regards to information and communication technology (ICT) education. The purpose of this study is to determine whether participants\u27 attitudes and views towards computers and the Internet are affected as a result of participating in an eight-week training program designed to enhance computer and Internet use among older adults in such communities. Specifically, we examine if ICT education specially designed for AIC residents results in more positive attitudes towards ICTs and a perceived decrease in factors that may limit or prevent computer and Internet use. We discuss the implications of these results for enhancing the quality of life for older adults in AICs and make recommendations for those seeking to decrease digital inequality among older adults in these communities through their own ICT classes

Glacier-bed geomorphic processes and hydrologic conditions relevant to nuclear waste disposal

Characterizing glaciotectonic deformation, glacial erosion and sedimentation, and basal hydrologic conditions of ice sheets is vital for selecting sites for nuclear waste repositories at high latitudes. Glaciotectonic deformation is enhanced by excess pore pressures that commonly persist near ice sheet margins. Depths of such deformation can extend locally to a few tens of meters, with depths up to approximately 300 m in exceptional cases. Rates of glacial erosion are highly variable (0.05–15 mm a−1), but ratesa−1 are expected in tectonically quiescent regions. Total erosion probably not exceeding several tens of meters is expected during a glacial cycle, although locally erosion could be greater. Consolidation of glacial sediments that is less than expected from independent estimates of glacier thickness indicates that heads at the bases of past ice sheets were usually within 30% of the floatation value. This conclusion is reinforced by direct measurements of water pressure beneath portions of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which indicate average headsbed, despite thick ice at subfreezing temperatures. Therefore, in models of subglacial groundwater flow used to assess sites for nuclear waste repositories, a flux upper boundary condition based on water input from only basal melting will be far more uncertain than applying a hydraulic head at the upper boundary set equal to a large fraction of the floatation value