Unfinished business: PISA shows Indigenous youth are being left behind

The latest international assessment of students’ mathematical, scientific and reading literacy – the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – shows that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students has remained the same for the last decade. In short, Indigenous 15-year-olds remain approximately two-and-a-half years behind their non-Indigenous peers in schooling. This essay provides a précis of the results and analysis of some of the issues; it compares Indigenous performance in 2012 with that from previous PISA cycles; and discusses a range of implications for policy and practice

Biochar from microwave pyrolysis of selected feedstocks

This is a brief summary of work carried out by a team of researchers to produce biochar using microwave pyrolysis system developed at Bioenergy, Bioproducts Research Lab (BBRL), at UNB. Various feedstocks such as corn stalk, spruce, maple, switchgrass, and wood pellets were used to produce biochar. A batch type microwave reactor with a frequency of 2.45 GHz and a power generator of 3 kW was used in the pyrolysis experiments. The amount of biochar obtained depends on the microwave pyrolysis conditions and type of feedstock. For corn stalk briquettes, the yield of biochar ranged from 30.9 to 41.1 wt%. The average biochar yield for spruce, maple, and switchgrass was found to be 22.2 wt%, 22.0 wt%, and 24.4 wt% respectively. Please click on the file below for full content of the abstract

Comparison of Patient-reported Outcomes after Implant Versus Autologous Tissue Breast Reconstruction Using the BREAST-Q

Background: The demand for reconstructive breast procedures of various types has accelerated in recent years. Coupled with increased patient expectations, it has fostered the development of oncoplastic and reconstructive techniques in breast surgery. In the setting of postmastectomy reconstruction, patient satisfaction and quality of life are the most significant outcome variables when evaluating surgical success. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life after implant breast reconstruction compared with autologous breast reconstruction. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 65 women who had completed postmastectomy implant-based or autologous reconstruction in the participating center were asked to complete the BREAST-Q (Reconstruction Module). Results: Data analysis demonstrated that women with autologous breast reconstruction were significantly more satisfied with their breasts (P = 0.0003) and with the overall outcome (P = 0.0001) compared with women with implant breast reconstruction. All other BREAST-Q parameters that were considered and observed were not significantly different between the 2 patient groups. Conclusions: Through statistical analysis, our results showed that patients who underwent autologous tissue reconstruction had better satisfaction with the reconstructed breast and the outcome, while both techniques appear to equally improve psychosocial well-being, sexual well-being, and chest satisfaction

Incidence of cleft lip and palate in Gorgan - Northern Iran: An epidemiological study

Objective: Cleft lip with or without cleft palate is the most common orofacial congenital anomaly among live births. This study was carried out to determine the incidence rate of oral clefting in Gorgan, Northern Iran during 2004-2009. Methods: This descriptive hospital-based study was performed on 35,009 live newborns in Dezyani Hospital in Gorgan, Northern Iran during 2004-2009. All newborns were screened for oral clefts. Data including birth date, gender, type of oral clefts, parents' consanguinity, parental ethnicity and presence of other congenital anomalies were recorded for analysis. Result: The overall incidence rate of oral clefts during this 6-year period was 1.05 per 1000, or 1 per 946 live births. The incidence of cleft lip and isolated cleft palate was 0.08 and 0.37 per 1,000 live births, respectively. The ratio for different cleft types was 1:7:4 (CL: CLP: CP). The incidence of oral clefting was 1.2 per 1,000 male births and 0.86 per 1,000 female births (RR=1.40; 95% CI: 0.73-2.71). According to parental ethnicity, the incidence of oral clefting was 0.7, 1.7 and 1.26 per 1,000 in Native Fars, Turkman and Sistani, respectively. The relative risk for oral clefting in Turkman to native Fars group was 2.56 (p<0.02). In this study, 56.7% of clefts were CL+P, 8.1% were CL and 35.1% of cases were CP. CP was more common among girls (54%) than among boys (46%) but CL was more common among boys. Conclusion: The results showed that the incidence of oral clefts in the study population as being 1.05 per 1,000 live births, which has increased from 0.97 per 1,000 live births reported in an earlier study in this area. © OMSB, 2012

First Nations Regional and National Representation: Aligning Local Decision Making in NSW with Closing the Gap and the proposed Indigenous Voice

Recent shifts in national policies have resulted in questions about how established regional forms of representation, such as those involved in NSW’s Local Decision Making initiative, will be aligned with new policy priorities and processes. This paper seeks to clarify the terrain of competing and complementary representative institutions in NSW, in the context of the emergence of new national structures of Indigenous representation. In particular, the paper focuses on the NSW Coalition of Aboriginal Regional Alliances, and its relationships with the bodies representing Indigenous peaks at the national and state levels, and the Local and Regional Voices proposed in the Interim Report on Indigenous Voice. We argue that regional structures of Indigenous representation have an enduring value. We unpack the notion of ‘representation,’ arguing for recognition of the differences between representative bodies on the basis of who is being represented, around what, and by whom. We suggest that there is scope for the existence of complementary bodies, working with different structures towards largely shared goals and priorities. We conclude that the co-existence of representative organisations that differ in terms of their constituents and scope requires the clear delineation of how these institutions sit side-by-side, and a clear demarcation of their decision-making powers and authority, and their roles and responsibilities.Aboriginal Affairs NS

Charity meets clarity: A multiple methods and transdisciplinary approach to improving philanthropic investment in Indigenous Australian education

A multiple methods and transdisciplinary approach to improving philanthropic investment in Indigenous Australian education Abstract: This study explores current and potentially future relationships between philanthropy and Indigenous education in Australia. More specifically, it has sought to address an overarching research question, namely ‘how can philanthropic bodies more successfully engage with Indigenous people and strategically invest their resources to improve Indigenous education outcomes?’ The research has involved a unique partnership between an Aboriginal researcher, the Australian National University, philanthropists, researchers and educators, and five First Nations communities in urban, regional and rural-remote localities. The study has been partly funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through the ARC Linkage Projects scheme. Supplementary funds have also been provided by the Australian Communities Foundation, a philanthropic body based in Melbourne. In addressing the overarching research question and in light of the inherent complexity at the philanthropy–Indigenous affairs–education interface, the study has adopted multiple-methods and transdisciplinary approaches. It draws upon history, political studies, business and commerce studies, social sciences, and, especially, upon complexity science and emergence theories to both make sense of the data and to influence the future shape of First Nations education and philanthropic partnerships. Literature from both Australia and abroad is analysed to provide insights and understand tensions about historical practices, contemporary applications, and future directions in philanthropic investment in Indigenous education. The study has also sought to capture the voices of ‘demand’ (First Nations communities) and ‘supply’ (philanthropic bodies). As such, both the study and literature review examine current interventions and investments in First Nations education, and find that philanthropic investments in boarding school opportunities and university scholarships have grown considerably over the past decade. The study acknowledges this, but also argues that philanthropic investment in Indigenous education in its current form is too narrow, nowhere near scale when it comes to current and projected levels of need among First Nations communities, and tends to favour ‘fail-safe’ as opposed to ‘safe-fail’ initiatives. The study posits that improvements in Indigenous education are unlikely to present through oversimplified, linear and mono-dimensional interventions. It also concludes that partners in education, philanthropy and First Nations affairs need to think differently about problems and future possibilities by pursuing a course of positive disruption and collective action, where hearts of charity meet minds of clarity

Tumor Biology and Racial Disparities in Reconstruction After Mastectomy: A SEER Database Analysis

Introduction: Significant disparities in immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy have persisted, and may even be increasing, despite large-scale efforts to minimize them, such as the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998. Immediate breast reconstruction has been shown to lead to higher rates of surgical satisfaction, minimize delay in post-operative cancer treatment, and improve the quality of life and overall well-being of mastectomy patients. However only 25-40% of eligible women in the United States receive reconstruction. The rate of reconstruction is even lower in African American and Hispanic women compared to White women. To better understand this disparity, this study uses national population-based data to examine how demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, and disease characteristics interact and affect the rate of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) after mastectomy. Methods: Women with AJCC7 Stage 0-III breast cancer who underwent mastectomy from 2010 to 2012 were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) database. Race, Hispanic ethnicity, age, marital status, insurance status, tumor grade, AJCC7 stage and hormone receptor/ Her2Neu profile were compared between women undergoing mastectomy with IBR and mastectomy alone using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: We identified 51,115 women who underwent mastectomy for Stage 0-III breast cancer from 2010-2012, of whom 15,389 (30.1%) received IBR. On multivariate analysis, age (p Conclusion: The decision to undergo reconstruction after mastectomy is influenced by many factors. Our results show that even after adjusting for tumor characteristics, socioeconomic factors are independently associated with receiving IBR after mastectomy. Further research is needed to elucidate the factors that influence the decision to undergo IBR in order to eliminate these persistent disparities

Uranium distribution as a proxy for basin-scale fluid flow in distributive fluvial systems

This work was supported by the Fluvial Systems Research Group sponsors BG Group, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhilips, and Total. We thank reviews from Martin Stokes, an anonymous reviewer and Editor Stuart Jones.Peer reviewedPostprin