Development of an optimal model for ungauged catchments and its application to a water balance model for closed estuarine lakes – A case study Durras Lake, New South Wales Australia

Durras Lake is an ICOLL located on the south coast of NSW. The Durras Lake catchment and estuarine system will be used as the basis for an assessment of appropriate methods to generate catchment flows from available climate station data. This study is based from primary research which provides underlying GIS maps and basic water balance methodology. The generated runoff, lake inflows and water loss from the lake will be derived and applied to a simplistic, but optimal water balance model. Assessments of rainfall and lake entrance breaching under current climate regimes has be derived through anomalies such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and The Southern Annular Mode (SAM). These associations have only very small correlations which has been previously acknowledged, and therefore for the purpose of this study rainfall variability seasonally and through coastal storms are of focus. Predictions of the model are used to understand the risk of entrance breakout and will be evaluated with respect to use within the local estuary entrance management framework. Results show that due to high rainfall variability the height at which breakout is expected deviates in relation to the water balance model over time, different rainfall amounts constitute with variating heights for the berm and this does not correspond to how long the model is run for, it is primarily on the extent of the rainfall event or events

Insight into the diet history of ice seals using isotopic signatures of muscle tissue and claws

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2012Climate change and sea ice reduction in the Arctic may impact foraging of ice-associated predators. The goal of my thesis work was to examine interannual differences in the diet of ringed, bearded, spotted, and ribbon seals as described by stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios of muscle tissue and claws to assess foraging plasticity. Isotopic mixing models from muscle data were used to describe the proportional contribution of prey groups during 2003, 2008-2010. Results showed a higher proportional contribution of smelt (Osmeridae) and benthic prey to ringed and bearded seal diets in 2003 compared to 2008-2010. Seasonal keratin layers deposited in claws can document trophic history up to about 10 years. During 2007 (record ice minimum), proportionally more ringed seals fed at a lower trophic level, while spotted seal adults and young-of-the-year fed at a lower trophic level during 2006. Bearded seals may have been foraging more pelagically from 2008 to 2010. Ice seals may be taking advantage of more abundant pelagic crustaceans as the Arctic ecosystem changes to a pelagic-dominated food web. Interannual variations and high variability among species and individual diets illustrate the opportunistic nature and flexibility of ice seals to changes in prey composition.1. General introduction -- 2. Interannual variations in the diet of ice seals assessed by isotopic mixing models -- 3. Diet history of ice seals using stable isotope ratios in claw growth bands -- 4. General discussion

The Conditional Effects of Emotion Regulation on the Relationship Between Occupational Stress and Suicidal Behaviors in Veterinary Students

Suicide is an area of increasing concern in the field of veterinary medicine. As veterinary students prepare to enter the profession and take on the unique stressors associated with this line of work, there is a need for models that identify protective factors for suicidal behaviors. Specifically, research is needed to identify factors that offset the relationship between occupational stress and suicidal behaviors. To better inform interventions designed to prevent suicidal behaviors in veterinary students, emotion upregulation and downregulation strategies were evaluated as potential moderators in the relationship between occupational stress and suicidal behaviors in a sample of veterinary students. Data were collected from 171 doctor of veterinary medicine students recruited from a large university. Participants were asked to complete a series of self-report surveys online via Qualtrics. Using the collected data, a series of mean differences, correlations, and moderated models were analyzed. Results indicated participants engaged in high rates of suicidal behaviors, which is consistent with previous literature. In addition, emotion upregulation strategies (savoring) were inversely associated with measures for occupational stress and suicidal behaviors. Alternatively, difficulties with downregulation strategies were positively associated with measures for occupational stress and suicidal behaviors. With regard to buffering effects, savoring strategies did not moderate the relationship between occupational stress and suicidal behaviors. A different pattern was revealed for difficulties with emotion regulation strategies. Specifically, low levels of difficulties with non-acceptance of emotions, goal-directed behavior, impulse control, and limited emotion regulation strategies offset the relationship between occupational stress and suicidal behaviors. As a result, these emotion regulation domains are likely to serve as focal points for any suicide prevention program designed for veterinary students. Other clinical implications and future directions are discussed

Skoo-Bee-Dee-Boo-Bop-Scat: The Impacts of Vocal Jazz Improvisational Techniques on the Secondary Choral Student and Secondary Choral Program

Despite evidence that vocal jazz improvisation techniques are valuable tools for increased ear training and vocal technique knowledge, the specific impacts of vocal jazz training for the secondary school chorister have yet to be fully expressed. The singing and musicianship benefits of improvisational techniques matter because they impact the young choral singer and the individual student experience in and contribution to the school choir program. This study expressed the impacts of vocal jazz improvisational pedagogy for the secondary school vocalist as a member of the school choir program and the individual student musician. Guided by Eisner’s model of arts-based research, this qualitative grounded theory research study, as prescribed by Creswell, explored diverse viewpoints concerning the pedagogical and educational benefits of exposing secondary school choir students to vocal jazz improvisational techniques. Perspectives on the benefits of vocal jazz improvisational training have developed through a body of existing literature. To illustrate the benefits of vocal jazz improvisational techniques, this study reflected on the experiences seen in the literature. This study combined a qualitative grounded theory research model including surveys of music educators and bespoke interviews with field experts. The study results showed that students who are given the opportunity to explore vocal jazz improvisation exhibit enhanced musical skills, increased performance bravery, and a broader cultural perspective. In the appendices, the researcher included a collection of vocal jazz improvisational exercise templates for use in the field. Additionally, the researcher also developed a vocal jazz improvisation listening guide for emerging jazz vocalists and a collection of existing instructional videos. These resources are also included in the appendices. This study and appendix resources could advance music education training for future music educators and increase the preparedness of choral teachers through the use of jazz pedagogy

The Stories We Tell: Engaging with Authority in Critical Health Pedagogy

This Innovative Practices piece details the design of a scaffolded project in a public health course that paired a narrative inquiry assignment with an empirical health literature review assignment to highlight both the positivist and constructivist epistemologies of critical health research in public health. The authors discuss and reflect on the five parts that constitute the project, student learning outcomes, and the benefits of engaging with critical information literacy in an undergraduate public health course. The goal of this article is to provide practical applications of critical information literacy to librarians in the health sciences who work with undergraduate students

Ideologies of Intelligibility Onscreen: The Sociolinguistics of Intralingual Subtitling

Intralingual subtitling—specifically, translation of audio in one language into non-optional text of the same language—can be used when a speaker’s dialect is considered difficult for target audiences to understand. Thus, these subtitles and the commentary surrounding them offer insights into ideologies of within-language intelligibility. In the present study, we investigate such ideologies from two approaches: by documenting how intralingual subtitles are being used in practice in two reality-based, US cooking shows, and by looking at published complaints about intralingual subtitles (primarily in US/UK English contexts). We find more subtitles for L2-English vs. L1-English speakers in the shows, and metacommentary around subtitling similarly suggests that L1-English subtitling is perceived as more salient and offensive, reflecting broader associations of unintelligibility with non-native speech. The use of subtitles for L1 English outside of noisy environments appears to be limited to certain varieties, such as Scottish or Indian English, suggesting that some L1 varieties of English can be acceptably codified as unintelligible. While the purpose of intralingual subtitles is ostensibly to facilitate communication and have been framed in the literature as tools for breaking down boundaries, both the practice and commentary around these subtitles highlight the largely negative connotations of marking someone as unintelligible

Information literacy curriculum mapping in the health sciences

Instructional medical librarians are uniquely positioned in a context governed by multiple instructional frameworks emerging from librarianship and the professions with which they liaise. Yet very little literature exists on medical librarians’ use of curriculum mapping to align their instruction with these frameworks. This review illuminates the current state of curriculum mapping in medical librarianship.We searched five bibliographic databases for articles published between 2010 and August 2021 and centred on information literacy(IL)curriculum mapping within a health sciences university context. Studies were included based upon pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted using an instrument developed primarily a priori, with some codes developed emergently in response to preliminary review of the data.We included 127 studies focused on curriculum mapping, of which only 24 included structures which might be considered “curriculum maps”. Across all 127 studies included, The Association of College & Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Competency Standards for Libraries for Higher Education was the most-used ILframework, though versions of evidence-based practice were used more often, with a great deal of diversity and incomplete reporting on how these frames informed instruction of discrete concepts and skills. Within the 24 articles containing figurative curriculum maps, the same diversity of concepts and incomplete reporting was present, with librarians mapping IL frameworks to classroom activities more often than learning outcomes or competencies.Development of curricular maps aligning discrete IL concepts and skills with different disciplinary contexts is needed to provide instructors with a modular structure they might implement in their own contexts. To further the identification of best practices, future research should examine existing curricular maps made by librarian

Work Readiness of New Graduate Physical Therapists for Private Practice in Australia: Academic Faculty, Employer, and Graduate Perspectives

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to explore academic faculty, employer, and recent graduate perspectives of the work readiness of Australian new graduate physical therapists for private practice and factors that influence new graduate preparation and transition to private practice. METHODS: This study used a mixed-methods design with 3 surveys and 12 focus groups. A total of 112 participants completed a survey, and 52 participated in focus groups. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Triangulation across participant groups and data sources was undertaken. RESULTS: Australian new graduate physical therapists were perceived to be "somewhat ready" for private practice and "ready" by their third year of employment. Participants proposed that new graduates bring enthusiasm, readiness to learn, and contemporary, research-informed knowledge. New graduates were also perceived to find autonomous clinical reasoning and timely caseload management difficult; to have limited business, marketing, and administration knowledge and skills; and to present with underdeveloped confidence, communication, and interpersonal skills. Factors perceived to influence graduate transition included private practice experience, such as clinical placements and employment; employer and client expectations of graduate capabilities; workplace support; university academic preparation and continuing education; and individual graduate attributes and skills. CONCLUSION: Australian new graduate physical therapists have strengths and limitations in relation to clinical, business, and employability knowledge and skills. New graduate work readiness and transition may be enhanced by additional private practice experience, employer and client expectation management, provision of workplace support, and tailored university and continuing education. IMPACT: The number of new graduate physical therapists employed in private practice in Australia is increasing; however, until this study, their work readiness for this setting was unknown. This exploration of new graduate performance in private practice and transition can help to increase understanding and enhancement of work-readiness