Web interfaces to enhance CAL materials: Case studies from law and statistics

One impact of the ‘information age’ is that a variety of new learning resources have become available to both students and tutors. Using these resources effectively and with a sound pedagogical basis presents a whole array of issues for teaching professionals. In this paper the authors describe the development and implementation of a Web interface to existing computer‐based learning materials in an attempt to enhance the student learning experience. Although the innovations occurred in two very different disciplines ‐statistics and law ‐ there are common lessons to be learned about the process of learning and the use of technology

Treating the patient not just the disease? : Delving deeper into the possible link between affective disorders and coronary heart disease through statistical analysis of a random sample of Maltese people

Background: Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in Males in Malta and globally. Affective disorders are the commonest psychological problem. This cross-sectional study utilizes a multiple regression model utilizing binary logistic to delve deeper into the link between affective disorders and coronary heart disease and also the link between coronary heart disease and anxiety and depression separately. Methods: The study was performed in the small Mediterranean island of Malta through the European health interview survey (EHIS), at a national level involving 5500 participants. The response rate attained in the actual field work was 72%. Statistical analysis involved performing chi-squared tests on all contributing variables and retaining those variables that were significant to both diseases. These were then placed in a multiple regression model using forward stepwise binary logistic to retain only the most significant variables. Results: Age, gender, BMI, diabetes prevalence, depression prevalence, anxiety prevalence, hypertension prevalence, affective disorders( having either anxiety or depression), smoking status, frequency of alcohol intake, and educational level all had a significance of <0.05, some; than less than 0.01. On fitting a multiple regression model, Anxiety (p=0.033), age (p=<0.001), gender (p=<0.001), hypertension (p=0.016) retained their significance in the model. Diabetes could not be analyzed due to power issues. Conclusion: BMI was not retained in the model having been replaced by associated conditions such as hypertension, together with age and gender as strongly associated risk factors. Anxiety nevertheless retained its independent association with coronary heart disease, in spite of the presence of the other stronger predictors described above.peer-reviewe

La política del miedo: antiterrorismo y democracia australiana

En los años posteriores al 11-S, los diversos paquetes de reformas legislativas han llevado a un aumento progresivo de la capacidad del Estado australiano para inmiscuirse en la vida de los ciudadanos de a pie y detener y enjuiciar a individuos sospechosos de llevar a cabo actividades relacionadas con el terrorismo sin tener en cuenta las debidas garantías procesales que han caracterizado a la democracia australiana durante más de un siglo. Y aún así, lo que más reafirma los temores de los defensores de las libertades civiles, los socialdemócratas y los miembros de la comunidad australiana tan diversa étnicamente es el discurso promovido en paralelo por el Gobierno de John Howard, en el que el terrorismo se identifica prácticamente con el islam. El resultado ha sido una erosión desigual de la democracia mediante la cual los costes sociales derivados de ese aumento de las competencias del Estado recaen de forma desproporcionada en determinados grupos étnicos y religiosos. Así, el enfoque dado por el Gobierno de Howard a la lucha contra el terrorismo no sólo ha menguado el carácter democrático de Australia, sino que además está socavando también una larga tradición de multiculturalismo y llevando a las comunidades musulmanas a adoptar una postura defensiva que amenaza con aislarlas de sus conciudadanos australianos y complicar futuras iniciativas antiterroristas

Temor y odio: Australia y el antiterrorismo

Este ARI analiza el enfoque australiano sobre el antiterrorismo. A diferencia de muchos de sus homólogos occidentales y vecinos de la región Asia-Pacífico, hasta hace poco Australia había tenido poca experiencia directa del terrorismo. Sin embargo, los acontecimientos del 11-S sacudieron a este país, haciéndole salir de su autocomplacencia, y desde entonces la lucha antiterrorista ha ocupado una posición central en los debates políticos nacionales. Canberra ha adoptado un enfoque a dos niveles con respecto a dicha lucha. A nivel internacional la piedra angular de sus políticas antiterroristas es la alianza militar de Canberra con Estados Unidos. A nivel nacional, el Gobierno australiano ha respondido a la amenaza terrorista endureciendo las competencias punitivas e investigadoras del Estado. Y, sin embargo, hay una serie de supuestos erróneos acerca de la naturaleza y las causas del terrorismo que mina la efectividad de las políticas a ambos niveles. Dadas estas circunstancias, no es probable que el enfoque dado por Canberra a la amenaza del terrorismo vaya a producir beneficios a largo plazo en términos de seguridad regional o nacional

Warkworth 12-m VLBI Station: WARK12M

This report summarizes the geodetic VLBI activities in New Zealand in 2010. It provides geographical and technical details of WARK12M - the new IVS network station operated by the Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research (IRASR) of Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The details of the VLBI system installed in the station are outlined along with those of the collocated GNSS station. We report on the status of broadband connectivity and on the results of testing data transfer protocols; we investigate UDP protocols such as 'tsunami' and UDT and demonstrate that the UDT protocol is more efficient than 'tsunami' and 'ftp'. In general, the WARK12M IVS network station is fully equipped, connected and tested to start participating in regular IVS observational sessions from the beginning of 2011.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, Accepeted for the IVS 2010 Annual Repor

Transforming Graph Representations for Statistical Relational Learning

Relational data representations have become an increasingly important topic due to the recent proliferation of network datasets (e.g., social, biological, information networks) and a corresponding increase in the application of statistical relational learning (SRL) algorithms to these domains. In this article, we examine a range of representation issues for graph-based relational data. Since the choice of relational data representation for the nodes, links, and features can dramatically affect the capabilities of SRL algorithms, we survey approaches and opportunities for relational representation transformation designed to improve the performance of these algorithms. This leads us to introduce an intuitive taxonomy for data representation transformations in relational domains that incorporates link transformation and node transformation as symmetric representation tasks. In particular, the transformation tasks for both nodes and links include (i) predicting their existence, (ii) predicting their label or type, (iii) estimating their weight or importance, and (iv) systematically constructing their relevant features. We motivate our taxonomy through detailed examples and use it to survey and compare competing approaches for each of these tasks. We also discuss general conditions for transforming links, nodes, and features. Finally, we highlight challenges that remain to be addressed

Avoiding the “fat” of the land: case studies of agricultural nutrient balance

Let’s start with a simple analogy: if a person eats more than they need, they gain weight. That is: if our feed inputs (kilojoules in) are greater than our outputs (exercise — kilojoules out) then we will gain weight (kilojoules in storage).That’s our fat. If, on the other hand, our feed inputs are less than our outputs, then we will lose weight.And if our inputs are the same as our outputs, our weight will remain constant. In general, the further away you are from an ‘ideal’weight, the greater the health risks. And yes, other aspects of your body management — smoking, drinking, too many late nights and B grade movies will also impact on your health — but the excess weight is important. It’s all about balance. An agricultural enterprise is very similar: if inputs of feed and fertiliser (nutrient in) exceed the sum of the products sold or exported from the property (nutrients out), then there will be nutrients for storage in the soil or loss. The immediate nutrient losses can cause eutrophication of waterways, and the stored nutrients represent a potential for loss in the future when stored in the soil. So this is the environmental risk — too much “fat” in the agricultural system

Addressing off-site nutrient pollution through conventional management actions: a modelling case study

The ecology of estuaries on the south coast of Western Australia has been disrupted by increased nutrient and sediment discharge from predominantly rural catchments. Seagrass beds have been replaced by macroalgae, and toxic algal blooms threaten human and animal health, and reduce amenity. A range of conventional management actions are available to reduce nutrient loss at source, and it is important to evaluate possible reductions, and costs, so that limited funds can be targeted to realise the greatest moderation of nutrient loss. A lumped landuse nutrient generation rate model was developed for four catchments (Wilson Inlet, Oyster Harbour, Torbay Inlet and Princess Royal Harbour) near Albany Western Australia and the output compared with existing monitoring data. The nutrient moderating effects of five conventional management actions (perennial pastures; vegetated stream buffers; effective fertiliser use; stock control and water management; and effluent management) and their associated costs were implemented at different levels in the model to determine the extent to which these actions could address offsite nutrient pollution, and the cost of doing so. Management actions were implemented in three major scenarios representing the current nutrient reduction efforts, the maximum feasible implementation of each action and the most cost effective set of actions. In each catchment dominated by diffuse nutrient sources, current nutrient reduction efforts amounted to about 10%, whilst the highest possible reductions were of the order of 25-30% above this. In the point source dominated catchment current nutrient reduction efforts amounted to about 40%, with an additional 40% possible. The most cost effective scenarios reduced nitrogen more than phosphorus. Under the most cost effective scenarios, it was estimated that the net cost of management actions over 10 years was budget positive, resulting in a net benefit to the land managers involved. There appears therefore to be limited economic barriers to the adoption of these conventional management actions. However, these maximum possible reductions from the implementation of conventional management actions may not be sufficient to arrest estuarine decline

A missing peace? The role of religious actors in countering terrorism

Despite the surge of scholarly interest in terrorism and counter-terrorism in the post-9/11 world, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the role of religious actors (especially faith communities and faith leaders) in combating the threat of terrorism. However, the resurgence of religiosity in contemporary politics should not be viewed as an inherently dangerous force. As Appleby has argued, a new secular-religious model of inter and intra-state diplomacy looms as a development with significant potential to resolve conflict and deny terrorist groups access to communities of support. By drawing on an Australian example, we argue that in societies that have a strong multicultural and multifaith character secular-religious diplomacy pitched at the national and sub-national level can play an important role in the formation of a flexible long-term counterterrorism strategy