Book review: Choosing tomorrow’s children: The ethics of selective reproduction, by Stephen Wilkinson, Clarendon Press, Oxford 2010

Recent technological advances have resulted in prospective parents being able to choose certain characteristics of their children, whether it be choosing an embryo on the basis of its gender, selecting an embryo as a tissue match for a sick sibling, selecting for a disability or deselecting an embryo to avoid disease. Much has been written to date on whether or not certain forms of selective reproduction should be prohibited, with the majority taking a precautionary stance. Stephen Wilkinson starts his book with three real cases to illustrate examples of selective reproduction. He thus engages the reader immediately, drawing her into the ethical dilemmas faced by families and, as a result of the technology required for such procedures as IVF (in vitro fertilisation) and PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), the medical profession and those who decide on polic

Boys and writing: Attentiveness levels and the impact of single gender classes and teaching methods

The study is concerned with boys\u27 literacy learning. It seeks to gauge whether the change to a single-gender class brings about any improvement in the boys\u27 attentiveness levels during writing lessons and also to ascertain whether attentiveness is influenced by other factors associated with the learning tasks, and with the teacher\u27s pedagogical and management practices. This study involves the scrutiny of writing lessons in three classes in Western Australian metropolitan primary school - a Year 5 co-educational class, a Year 6 allboy\u27s class ( comprising boys from the Year 5 class) in the hands of one teacher and the same class in the hands of another. Attention levels are measured at various times during writing lessons in the three classes and the approaches taken by the three teachers in the delivery of writing lessons are closely monitored. The performance of a particular boy in these classes is also studied in the hope that a useful comparison might be made between his results and those of the classes generally. The study concludes that higher levels of attentiveness will not necessarily flow from the introduction of an all-boys\u27 class and that teaching methods are of greater importance in this regard. However, the study does indicate that all-boys\u27 classes are potentially advantageous in creating an environment where boys feel more assured and contented and that a possible consequence of this is a willingness on the part of boys to participate more fully in lessons. The study also highlights that any potential for greater attentiveness of boys during writing lessons is unlikely to be realized if the teacher maintains a negative view about boys\u27 capacity to learn and achieve. Finally the study observes there is great individual difference in attentiveness of individual boys, even when there is an overall pattern of higher or lower attentiveness

Google Translate: A helpful aide? A mixed method sequential explanatory study on the usage and effects of Google Translate in three Norwegian EFL classes

This thesis investigates how learners in Norway use Google Translate to aid them in EFL writing as well as how the usage of Google Translate affects the quality of the texts they write. A mixed method study was used in three Norwegian EFL classes situated in the same school along with learner stimulated recall interviews and teacher interviews. The aim of the study was to determine how effective Google Translate is at helping Norwegian learners at different performance levels and to see how dependant these learners are on Google Translate to help them in EFL writing. Two writing sessions were conducted to gather data on learners’ usage of Google Translate and determine whether the translation tool had any effect on the quality of their written products. The first writing session consisted of learners using dictionaries to help them translate from Norwegian to English, and in total, 33 learners participated in this writing session. In the second writing session, learners were encouraged to use Google Translate as they would normally to help in EFL writing, and 33 learners participated in this writing session, 22 of whom used Google Translate. By comparing vocabulary, syntax errors, subject-verbal concord errors, essay length, and spelling mistakes between the texts from the two writing sessions of learners who used Google Translate in the second writing session, comments could be made on the effectiveness Google Translate has on the quality of learners’ texts. A separate analysis was conducted of how Google Translate was being used by learners in the second writing session, i.e. how many times Google Translate was used to translate words, phrases, sentences, entire texts or for other purposes. Based on the analysis comparing two sets of 22 learners’ screen recorded videos and the learners’ writing along with information from stimulated recall interviews and teacher interviews, it seems that learners’ current usage of Google Translate does not affect the quality of their written product in a positive nor negative way, except for syntax related errors which lowered for all learner groups from the first to the second writing session. Google Translate mostly serves as a quicker alternative to dictionaries as it provides translations at a much fast speed compared to dictionaries. Further, learners mostly use Google Translate to aid in the translation of words and phrases, rarely using it to translate whole sentences or longer texts. However, there is a disparity between lower performing learners, average performing learners, and higher performing learners in how much they use the tool. Furthermore, there is a lack of training given to learners and teachers on how to use Google Translate as an efficient translation tool. Both learners and teachers that participated in the study reported a lack of training received on proper usage of the tool and reviewing 31 screen recorded videos from the second writing session, it was clear that learners lacked knowledge of the many capabilities the tool has to offer. There has previously been concern amongst teachers that Google Translate hinders learners in learning English as the translation tool produces incorrect output or that learners use the tool to translate large amounts of text. However, statements from teacher interviews reveal that these teachers seem to have become more acceptant of the translator being used in their class. Previous studies also reveal that Google Translate has reached the point where it has the capability of providing output equivalent to the minimum level of accuracy required for university entrance, thereby providing output better than what most learners in primary school could produce themselves (Mundt & Groves, 2015; Stapleton & Leung, 2019). Finally, based on the analysis of 64 screen recordings, the author of this thesis argues that Google Docs and other word processors should be a greater concern for teachers than Google Translate and other tools that aid in translation. This is due to a substantial number of learners who participated in the study being heavily dependent on the grammatical and spelling correction tools that the software provides, making it difficult for teachers to assess whether learners know various grammatical rules and possess the ability to apply these rules in written texts

Towards a lawn without grass: the journey of the imperfect lawn and its analogues

In much of the English-speaking world the lawn is the most common of all garden features. For arguably a millennium it has played a significant role in the landscape and during that period it has been inextricably linked with grasses. Nevertheless other plant species have accompanied the grasses and also been used in creating lawns. From medieval wildflowers to Victorian weeds, the plants that challenge the formal concept of the perfect lawn have journeyed with it but have until recently remained only small players within the dominion of grass. By the beginning of the 21st century, with a new environmental ethos permeating the garden, the long journey of the grassy lawn and its plant companions has led to the grass monoculture being heretically rethought: by removing both the monoculture and the grass

Relative importance of fertiliser addition to plants and exclusion of predators for aphid growth in the field

Herbivore dynamics and community structure are influenced both by plant quality and the actions of natural enemies. A factorial experiment manipulating both higher and lower trophic levels was designed to explore the determinants of colony growth of the aphid Aphis jacobaeae, a specialist herbivore on ragwort Senecio jacobaea. Potential plant quality was manipulated by regular addition of NPK-fertiliser and predator pressure was reduced by interception traps; the experiment was carried out at two sites. The size and persistence of aphid colonies were measured. Fertiliser addition affected plant growth in only one site, but never had a measurable effect on aphid colony growth. In both habitats the action of insect predators dominated, imposing strong and negative effects on aphid colony performance. Ants were left unmanipulated in both sites and their performance on the aphid colonies did not significantly differ between sites or between treatments. Our results suggest that, at least for aphid herbivores on S. jacobaea, the action of generalist insect predators appears to be the dominant factor affecting colony performance and can under certain conditions even improve plant productivit

Effectiveness of mobile apps in teaching field-based identification skills

It has been suggested that few students graduate with the skills required for many ecological careers, as field-based learning is said to be in decline in academic institutions. Here, we asked if mobile technology could improve field-based learning, using ability to identify birds as the study metric. We divided a class of ninety-one undergraduate students into two groups for field-based sessions where they were taught bird identification skills. The first group has access to a traditional identification book and the second group were provided with an identification app. We found no difference between the groups in the ability of students to identify birds after three field sessions. Furthermore, we found that students using the traditional book were significantly more likely to identify novel species. Therefore, we find no evidence that mobile technology improved students’ ability to retain what they experienced in the field; indeed, there is evidence that traditional field guides were more useful to students as they attempted to identify new species. Nevertheless, students felt positively about using their own smartphone devices for learning, highlighting that while apps did not lead to an improvement in bird identification ability, they gave greater accessibility to relevant information outside allocated teaching times

Does This Look Infected? Hidden Host Plant Infection by the Pathogen Botrytis cinerea Alters Interactions between Plants, Aphids and Their Natural Enemies in the Field

Few studies have considered whether hidden (asymptomatic) plant pathogen infection alters ecological interactions at the higher trophic levels, even though such infection still affects plant physiology. We explored this question in two field experiments, where two varieties of lettuce (Little Gem, Tom Thumb) infected with Botrytis cinerea were either (1) naturally colonised by aphids or (2) placed in the field with an established aphid colony. We then recorded plant traits and the numbers and species of aphids, their predators, parasitoids and hyperparasitoids. Infection significantly affected plant quality. In the first experiment, symptomatically infected plants had the fewest aphids and natural enemies of aphids. The diversity and abundance of aphids did not differ between asymptomatically infected and uninfected Little Gem plants, but infection affected the aphid assemblage for Tom Thumb plants. Aphids on asymptomatically infected plants were less attractive to predators and parasitoids than those on uninfected plants, while hyperparasitoids were not affected. In the second experiment, when we excluded natural enemies, aphid numbers were lower on asymptomatically and symptomatically infected plants, but when aphid natural enemies were present, this difference was removed, most likely because aphids on uninfected plants attracted more insect natural enemies. This suggests that hidden pathogen infection may have important consequences for multitrophic interactions

Unleashed:walking dogs off the lead greatly increases habitat disturbance in UK lowland heathlands

Human population growth is associated with increased disturbance to wildlife. This effect is particularly acute in urban and periurban areas, where the area of effective disturbance extends beyond that of human presence by the roaming behaviour of pet dogs. Dogs are globally the dominant companion animal, with a population of ~ 12 million in the UK. As urban areas extend, dogs are exercised in green space close to housing. In southeast and southern England these areas include lowland heath, a habitat of high conservation value. To quantify disturbance caused by dog walkers and their dogs, we used GPS units to track the movement of people and their dogs across four lowland heath sites, used a questionnaire to ask about dog walking habits, and mapped potential areas of disturbance caused by dog walkers. Questionnaires were completed by 798 dog walkers and the walks of 162 owners and their 185 dogs were recorded. Mean (± SE) walk time was 56 ± 23 min, walk distance 3.75 ± 1.68 km and dogs were a median distance of 20 m from the owner during walks. Dogs were walked once (44%) or twice (56%) a day. Most (always: 85%; always or occasionally: 95%) dogs were walked off the lead even when signs were present requesting that dogs were kept on a lead. This resulted in up to a 21% increase in reserve area disturbed. In one reserve (Snelsmore Common), > 90% of the area was disturbed by dogs, greatly eroding its conservation value. This work highlights the importance of considering how dog ownership can exacerbate levels of disturbance in sensitive periurban habitats when housing developments are planned

Psychosocial/survivorship issues in breast cancer: are we doing better?

Modern breast cancer treatment offers many women greater prospects of cure or lengthier, good quality survival than was possible in the past. Advances include improved diagnostic and staging procedures, sophisticated onco-plastic surgery, enhanced radiotherapy techniques, and targeted systemic therapies. Much more attention has also been paid to cancer care delivery and access to specialist nurses, counsellors, support groups, and services provided by breast cancer charities. However, there are some concerns that these considerable improvements in treatment delivery and clinical outcomes have not led to similar benefits in the psychosocial, functional, and sexual well-being of women. The impact that non-life threatening, long-term iatrogenic harms of otherwise efficacious anticancer treatments has on patients is often overlooked; this is in part because of the emphasis given to physician-reported safety data in trials and the general exclusion of patient-reported outcomes (PROs). A failure to utilise reliable PRO measures has meant that some problems are underreported, which consequently has hampered much-needed research into ameliorative interventions. Systematic monitoring of quality of life-threatening side effects would permit early implementation of effective interventions and enhance long-term survivorship. Some examples of the pervasive difficulties that continue to affect survivors and evidence that certain interventions might help are provided in this commentary