Journeys from the horizons of history: Text, trial and tales in the construction of narratives of pain

This article draws inspiration from Jauss's theorisation of the concepts of horizon, reception, and construction. The problem we confront relates to the way we receive, interpret, and apply texts without cognisance of the ways our horizons advance, limit, and intersect with a multiplicity of meanings that might not have been foreseen by the text's contemporaries. What are the distances between public encounters with the past on the one hand, and on the other the testimonies heard by the Commission or readings of trauma offered by social scientists and historians? In this paper we wish to offer a tentative response to this question by reflecting on various readings of the trial of Andrew Zondo and the public testimony of Lephina Zondo at the TRC. We are interested in the ways in which truths, and histories, are produced "by virtue of multiple forms of constraint"

ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF CLOSED-FORM APPROXIMATIONS TO THE REML ESTIMATOR OF HERITABILITY

For many researchers the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method of estimation is the procedure of choice for estimating heritability. In most applications the REML estimate can only be obtained via an iterative method. In some cases the algorithm used to compute the REML estimate may be slow or fail to converge. These predicaments have provided the motivation to develop closed-form approximations to the REML estimator of heritability in mixed linear models having two variance components. These estimators are compared to the REML estimator by considering their large and small sample properties. We provide guidance on how to select the closed-form estimator that provides the best approximation to the REML estimator. A simple one-way random effects model and an animal breeding model with correlated genetic effects are presented

THE PROBABILITY OF PREPONDERANCY: AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE INTRACLASS CORRELATION

We propose a new parameter for measuring the influence of a random effect in a mixed linear model. This is the probability of preponderance of the random effect under study over the other random effects. In a one-way random effects model, this is simply the probability the group random effect is larger in absolute size than the individual random effect (or error). We discuss the meaning of the parameter and relate it to the more familiar intraclass correlation coefficient. The new parameter has the appealing property that it is applicable for any distribution, whereas the intraclass correlation has its origins in normally distributed random effects. Furthermore, the new parameter directly measures the random effect\u27s impact on the observations whereas the intraclass correlation relies on the variances (second moments) of the random effects. We suggest parametric and nonparametric estimators of the parameter, and demonstrate the applicability of the results using real data. We also indicate how to extend the ideas to models with more than two sources of variation

ESTIMATING INTRACLASS CORRELATION: OPTIMAL RESULTS USING LIMITED RESOURCES

From plant and animal breeding studies to industrial applications, the intraclass correlation coefficient (p) is used to measure the proportion of the total variation in the responses that may be attributed to a particular source. Confidence intervals for p are used to determine the optimal allocation of experimental material in one-way random effects models. Assuming the sample size is fixed, the authors investigate the number of groups and the number of observations per group required to minimize the expected length of confidence intervals. Examples are used to illustrate the selection of the best design. Both asymptotic and exact results suggest that practitioners should allocate no more than four experimental units per group

USING CONFIDENCE INTERVALS TO OBTAIN A FAMILY OF ESTIMATORS OF THE INTRACLASS CORRELATION COEFFICIENT (OR HERITABILITY)

A family of point estimators is presented for the intraclass correlation coefficient (or heritability) in the balanced one-way random effects model. The family is obtained by equating a pivotal quantity to different values of the pivoting distribution, and includes the familiar ML and REML estimators. In terms of mean-squared error, most members of the family of estimators are admissible within the family. A sire model is used to illustrate the estimation of heritability. The authors provide guidance concerning the choice of an individual member of the family for estimation purposes and indicate how the method can be extended to unbalanced designs

POINT ESTIMATORS OF HERITABILITY BASED ON CONFIDENCE INTERVALS: A CLOSED-FORM APPROXIMATION TO THE REML ESTIMATOR

Estimating heritability, the proportion of variation in phenotypic values due to (additive) genetic effects, is an important subject matter to plant and animal breeders alike. In most applications there is not an analytic expression for the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimator of heritability since it is obtained via an iterative procedure. The focus of this paper is to find a closed-form approximation to the REML estimator of heritability for those scenarios in which mixed linear models having two variance components are appropriate. This procedure is equivalent to constructing approximate pivotal quantities and thus confidence intervals for heritability. See Burch and Iyer (1997) and Harris and Burch (2000) for more details concerning this approach. The closed-form estimator is compared to the REML estimator by evaluating their asymptotic standard errors. An application involving yearling bulls from a Red Angus seed stock herd suggests that the closed-form estimator mimics the REML estimator and is a viable candidate for investigators seeking a non-iterative method to estimate heritability

Student Expectations: The effect of student background and experience

CONTEXT The perspectives and previous experiences that students bring to their programs of study can affect their approaches to study and the depth of learning that they achieve Prosser & Trigwell, 1999; Ramsden, 2003). Graduate outcomes assume the attainment of welldeveloped independent learning skills which can be transferred to the work-place. PURPOSE This 5-year longitudinal study investigates factors influencing students’ approaches to learning in the fields of Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Science, at two higher education institutes delivering programs of various levels in Australia and New Zealand. The study aims to track the development of student approaches to learning as they progress through their program. Through increased understanding of students’ approaches, faculty will be better able to design teaching and learning strategies to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body. This paper reports on the first stage of the project. APPROACH In August 2017, we ran a pilot of our survey using the Revised Study Process Questionnaire(Biggs, Kember, & Leung, 2001) and including some additional questions related to student demographics and motivation for undertaking their current program of study. Data were analysed to evaluate the usefulness of data collected and to understand the demographics of the student cohort. Over the period of the research, data will be collected using the questionnaire and through focus groups and interviews. RESULTS Participants provided a representative sample, and the data collected was reasonable, allowing the questionnaire design to be confirmed. CONCLUSIONS At this preliminary stage, the study has provided insight into the student demographics at both institutes and identified aspects of students’ modes of engagement with learning. Some areas for improvement of the questionnaire have been identified, which will be implemented for the main body of the study

'Unearthing' the 'essential' past: The making of a public 'national' memory through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 1994-1998

Masters of ArtAt a lecture presented in London on June 5, 1994, Jacques Derrida discussed the complexities of the meaning of the archive. He described the duality in meaning of the word archive-in terms of temporality and spatiality-as a place of "commencement" and as the place "where men and gods command" or the ''place from which order is given". As the place of commencement, "there where things commence" the archive is more ambivalent. It houses, what could best be described as 'traces" of particular objects of the past in the form of documents. These documents were produced in the past and are subjective constructions with their own histories of negotiations and contestations. As such, the archive represents the end of instability, or the outcome of negotiations and contestations over knowledge. Yet as sources of evidence the archive also represents the moment of ending instability, of creating stasis and the fixing of meaning and knowledge