New power of the nominating committee

Illustrations not included in Web versio

Individualised learning approach (the three ‘p’s) for a small to medium enterprise through work based learning

An ongoing challenge for education and training providers is to ensure learners can achieve maximum learning and recognition for their vocational education pathways. The strategy and case to be presented could best be described as the 3 ‘p’s approach to the provision of vocational education and training, that is: I. How we support people in their education and training II. What processes we use to provide education and training? III. The place where the learning opportunities are provided. The aim of this paper is to share an educational and training strategy that has been successfully implemented in an Australian enterprise. The strategy provided education and training for the members of the enterprise in a multidisciplinary manner from a certificate through to a degree outcome, entirely through work-based learning (WBL) pedagogy. The research was conducted with six candidates (employees of the enterprise) through their educational journey applying a range of WBL activities including projects and initiatives to improve processes and performances in the workplace. Each candidate's program involved designing the learning component following an initial phase of review of their previous learning’s and qualifications with a learning advisor. This process was deemed as 'the learning review'. The other component of this phase was to develop a learning plan to encapsulate an area of study or disciplinary process that would be relevant to the individual candidate. This process was deemed as 'the learning journey plan'. The second phase was for each candidate to prepare and undertake a problem based/research led learning activity through one or more workplace project/s with the support of the employer. The final phase involved a structured review and development of a final project report to outline the outcomes and learning’s achieved through the work based projects. The research undertaken included post-program interviews with the six candidates and the General Manager and provided an example of a relatable model for all workplaces as well as education and training provider

Work-based learning: a learning strategy in support of the Australian Qualifications Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which work-based learning could potentially improve education and training pathways in Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews education and training provision in Australia through a contextualisation of the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) with work-based learning pedagogy to determine the extent to which it might contribute to improved outcomes for learners. Findings – People seeking to advance their career aspirations can consider the application of work-based learning to support lifelong learning pathways through the AQF. Research limitations/implications – There is a need for further longitudinal studies on the outcomes of work-based learning for organisations, individual learners and education and training institutions. Practical implications – The application of effective WBL approaches has the potential to create a much larger flow of learners from experiential and vocational backgrounds into undergraduate programmes and onto higher education programmes using a consistent and effective pedagogy. Social implications – By actively considering the opportunities for learning at work and through work learners, educators and business managers may recognise that there would be more demand for work-based learning. Originality/value – This paper represents an initial action research study which examines the role WBL can provide for life-long learning

Safety in Numbers: A strategy for cycling?

Jennifer Bonham, Stuart Cathcart, John Petkov and Peter Lum

Be aware when heat shocking ascospores from crisp mutants of Neurospora crassa

This laboratory has been working with a new crisp mutant of Neurospora crassa, crisp-5 isolated in our laboratory by Charlene Jackson (Jackson, 1992 MS Thesis: 1-123) by ultraviolet irradiation

Control strategies for integration of electric motor assist and functional electrical stimulation in paraplegic cycling: Utility for exercise testing and mobile cycling

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate feedback control strategies for integration of electric motor assist and functional electrical stimulation (FES) for paraplegic cycling, with particular focus on development of a testbed for exercise testing in FES cycling, in which both cycling cadence and workrate are simultaneously well controlled and contemporary physiological measures of exercise performance derived. A second aim was to investigate the possible benefits of the approach for mobile, recreational cycling. METHODS: A recumbent tricycle with an auxiliary electric motor is used, which is adapted for paraplegic users, and instrumented for stimulation control. We propose a novel integrated control strategy which simultaneously provides feedback control of leg power output (via automatic adjustment of stimulation intensity) and cycling cadence (via electric motor control). Both loops are designed using system identification and analytical (model-based) feedback design methods. Ventilatory and pulmonary gas exchange response profiles are derived using a portable system for real-time breath-by-breath acquisition. RESULTS:We provide indicative results from one paraplegic subject in which a series of feedback-control tests illustrate accurate control of cycling cadence, leg power control, and external disturbance rejection. We also provide physiological response profiles from a submaximal exercise step test and a maximal incremental exercise test, as facilitated by the control strategy. CONCLUSION: The integrated control strategy is effective in facilitating exercise testing under conditions of well-controlled cadence and power output. Our control approach significantly extends the achievable workrate range and enhances exercise-test sensitivity for FES cycling, thus allowing a more stringent characterization of physiological response profiles and estimation of key parameters of aerobic function.We further conclude that the control approach can significantly improve the overall performance of mobile recreational cycling

Mannitol in diuretic resistant nephrotic syndrome: a case report

A 6 year old presented with generalized oedema to Kagando hospital, Uganda, and was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome. Despite treatment with a fluid restriction, prednisolone and furosemide, the oedema worsened and the weight increased. Mannitol was added to the treatment regime and the oedema improved. The patient was able to be discharged four days later without any diuretic therapy. The case highlights the use of mannitol in the treatment of diuretic resistant oedema with nephrotic syndrome. It provides an alternative therapy for the resource-poor setting to the expensive albumin-furosemide combination often used elsewhere

North Korea’s Cultural Diplomacy in the Early Kim Jong-un Era

The rumours of Unhasu Orchestra’s demise soaked up a good deal of the bandwidth in the English-language press that focused on the DPRK in autumn 2013. Yet there remains a real dearth of academic work on this significant state institution, which was clearly intended to pursue Kim Jong-il’s ideology and spread Kim Jong-un’s glories, particularly in charismatic commemorative vein. Thus this article’s scope and interest in establishing the orchestra’s function in North Korea’s efforts to craft external views of itself is both useful and timely. The Associated Press bureau in Pyongyang, similarly, has been the focus of a great deal of ire and interest on the internet, but far less scholarly investigation. This article puts the AP-KCNA collaboration into a “soft power” framework whereby North Korea’s gains from the project are juxtaposed against the propaganda uses to which it is put. Even as the AP’s presence in Pyongyang (and, briefly, Manhattan) has manifested the glimmering if hardly full appearance of a new internationalism for North Korean viewers, the article holds out the possibility of the DPRK using the AP as a channel to Washington. In other words, its greatest use in the possible unfreezing of US-DPRK relations may be yet to come, inevitable criticisms of restricted reporting notwithstanding. Both the AP-KCNA joint exhibition and the Unhasu Orchestra’s sojourn to France coincided with the first months of Kim Jong-un’s reign. Thus they can provide an alternate perspective both on North Korean foreign policy and the wider debate about how to best engage the DPRK. The paper therefore adds to the literature on North Korean foreign relations under Kim Jong-un, and can enrich the ongoing debates over journalistic and musical engagement with North Korea