Aboriginal girls circle: enhancing connectedness and promoting resilience for Aboriginal girls

This report presents an evaluation of the Aboriginal Girls’ Circle, an intervention targeted to increase social connection, participation and self-confidence amongst Aboriginal girls attending secondary schools. Overview The Aboriginal Girls’ Circle (AGC) is an intervention targeted to increase social connection, participation and self- confidence amongst Aboriginal girls attending secondary schools. Researchers from the University of Western Sydney (UWS)’s School of Education sought to evaluate the AGC pilot undertaken at Dubbo College and to provide recommendations for the program’s further development. The following specific aims were outlined for this pilot research. 1. To determine the effects of the AGC for participants’ resilience, connectedness, self-concept and cultural identity, 2. To investigate and track the development of culturally appropriate tools and methods for measuring these constructs, and 3. To evaluate the relative effectiveness of various components of the program and implementation processes. Ethical protocols for working with Aboriginal communities were an important aspect of the research design, which was approved by the UWS Human Research Ethics Committee and by the by the NSW Department of Education and Communities. The research was undertaken in two stages, beginning with a consultation process that sought the views of community Elders, the AGC program developers and key school-based personnel. The first stage of the research involved field observations of the AGC in action, together with a series of interviews and focus groups involving participants, group leaders, community Elders and school staff. The second stage used quantitative methods to measure the effects of the program on key variables relating to student connectedness, resilience, cultural identity and self-concept

Lignocellulosic Conversion of Oil Palm Frond for Bio-ethanol

Alternatives for energy resources such as petroleum are highly in demand nowadays. One of the more appealing substitutes for fossil fuels are ethanol, which is produced through the fermentation of sugars that could be fragmented from lignocellulosic materials of any plants. Being one of the biggest producers of palm oil in the world, Malaysia are a natural candidate to provide alternative fuels from the conversion of palm oil agricultural waste to bio-ethanol. As for this study, the waste material from the palm oil industry, which is the oil palm frond (OPF), were converted into ethanol via fragmentation and fermentation. Through a sequential two-stage pre-treatment process, the mechanically pulverized lignocellulosic materials underwent two different chemical pre-treatments which includes an alkaline and acidic hydrolysis to break the fragmented cellulose into glucose. The glucose is the final form of monosaccharide that can readily be converted to alcohol via fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae or yeast. The presence of alcohol was determined via infrared absorption frequency using the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy to identify the functional group, meanwhile the alcohol yield were determined through the specific gravity of the solution. The result shows that the fragmented fermentation process successfully produces alcohol through the analysis of the infrared absorption frequency via FTIR which indicates the presence of peak at 3200 – 3600 cm-1 , confirming the presence of alcohol. The specific gravity of the samples determined the alcohol by volume percentage of 6.9%, indicating the agricultural residue OPF as a viable renewable resource for the production of the equally renewable fossil fuel alternative, which is bio-ethanol

Respiratory Tissue Engineering: Current Status and Opportunities for the Future.

Currently, lung disease and major airway trauma constitute a major global healthcare burden with limited treatment options. Airway diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis have been identified as the fifth highest cause of mortality worldwide and are estimated to rise to fourth place by 2030. Alternate approaches and therapeutic modalities are urgently needed to improve clinical outcomes for chronic lung disease. This can be achieved through tissue engineering of the respiratory tract. Interest is growing in the use of airway tissue-engineered constructs as both a research tool, to further our understanding of airway pathology, validate new drugs, and pave the way for novel drug therapies, and also as regenerative medical devices or as an alternative to transplant tissue. This review provides a concise summary of the field of respiratory tissue engineering to date. An initial overview of airway anatomy and physiology is given, followed by a description of the stem cell populations and signaling processes involved in parenchymal healing and tissue repair. We then focus on the different biomaterials and tissue-engineered systems employed in upper and lower respiratory tract engineering and give a final perspective of the opportunities and challenges facing the field of respiratory tissue engineering

Beyond ‘crude pragmatism’ in sports coaching:Insights from C.S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey: a commentary

We agree that there is a lack of clarity in the sports coaching literature about philosophical pragmatism, but this is inevitable when there is a lack of consensus in the literature of philosophical pragmatism itself. In the writing of classical pragmatists there are a “plurality of conflicting narratives” (Bernstein, 1995 p.55). For instance, Charles Sanders Peirce acknowledged notable theoretical divergence between his pragmatism and that of William James (Hookway, 2012). In fact, Peirce viewed the availability of nuanced approaches as a mark of the vitality of this school of thought. After all, pragmatists value diversity, they accept that current thinking, hypotheses and practices may require revision – they are flexibly minded. Such revision, however, must be built upon well-reasoned doubt (Hookway, 2012). In other words, a clear argument is necessary if an alternative proposition is to be considered. In this vein, though we have sympathy for the thrust of his argument, and support calls for more “legitimate philosophical thinking” and “empirical philosophical enquiry” (Cushion & Partington, 2016 p.863), our aim in this commentary is to address a lack of clarity and utility in some of Jenkins’ propositions about philosophical pragmatism and sports coaching

Once and Future Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem: Restoration Recommendations of an Expert Working Group

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) well blowout released more petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment than any previous U.S. oil spill (4.9 million barrels), fouling marine life, damaging deep sea and shoreline habitats and causing closures of economically valuable fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. A suite of pollutants—liquid and gaseous petroleum compounds plus chemical dispersants—poured into ecosystems that had already been stressed by overfishing, development and global climate change. Beyond the direct effects that were captured in dramatic photographs of oiled birds in the media, it is likely that there are subtle, delayed, indirect and potentially synergistic impacts of these widely dispersed, highly bioavailable and toxic hydrocarbons and chemical dispersants on marine life from pelicans to salt marsh grasses and to deep-sea animals. As tragic as the DWH blowout was, it has stimulated public interest in protecting this economically, socially and environmentally critical region. The 2010 Mabus Report, commissioned by President Barack Obama and written by the secretary of the Navy, provides a blueprint for restoring the Gulf that is bold, visionary and strategic. It is clear that we need not only to repair the damage left behind by the oil but also to go well beyond that to restore the anthropogenically stressed and declining Gulf ecosystems to prosperity-sustaining levels of historic productivity. For this report, we assembled a team of leading scientists with expertise in coastal and marine ecosystems and with experience in their restoration to identify strategies and specific actions that will revitalize and sustain the Gulf coastal economy. Because the DWH spill intervened in ecosystems that are intimately interconnected and already under stress, and will remain stressed from global climate change, we argue that restoration of the Gulf must go beyond the traditional "in-place, in-kind" restoration approach that targets specific damaged habitats or species. A sustainable restoration of the Gulf of Mexico after DWH must: 1. Recognize that ecosystem resilience has been compromised by multiple human interventions predating the DWH spill; 2. Acknowledge that significant future environmental change is inevitable and must be factored into restoration plans and actions for them to be durable; 3. Treat the Gulf as a complex and interconnected network of ecosystems from shoreline to deep sea; and 4. Recognize that human and ecosystem productivity in the Gulf are interdependent, and that human needs from and effects on the Gulf must be integral to restoration planning. With these principles in mind, the authors provide the scientific basis for a sustainable restoration program along three themes: 1. Assess and repair damage from DWH and other stresses on the Gulf; 2. Protect existing habitats and populations; and 3. Integrate sustainable human use with ecological processes in the Gulf of Mexico. Under these themes, 15 historically informed, adaptive, ecosystem-based restoration actions are presented to recover Gulf resources and rebuild the resilience of its ecosystem. The vision that guides our recommendations fundamentally imbeds the restoration actions within the context of the changing environment so as to achieve resilience of resources, human communities and the economy into the indefinite future

A Once and Future Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem: Restoration Recommendations of an Expert Working Group

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) well blowout released more petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine environment than any previous U.S. oil spill (4.9 million barrels), fouling marine life, damaging deep sea and shoreline habitats and causing closures of economically valuable fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. A suite of pollutants — liquid and gaseous petroleum compounds plus chemical dispersants — poured into ecosystems that had already been stressed by overfishing, development and global climate change. Beyond the direct effects that were captured in dramatic photographs of oiled birds in the media, it is likely that there are subtle, delayed, indirect and potentially synergistic impacts of these widely dispersed, highly bioavailable and toxic hydrocarbons and chemical dispersants on marine life from pelicans to salt marsh grasses and to deep-sea animals. As tragic as the DWH blowout was, it has stimulated public interest in protecting this economically, socially and environmentally critical region. The 2010 Mabus Report, commissioned by President Barack Obama and written by the secretary of the Navy, provides a blueprint for restoring the Gulf that is bold, visionary and strategic. It is clear that we need not only to repair the damage left behind by the oil but also to go well beyond that to restore the anthropogenically stressed and declining Gulf ecosystems to prosperity-sustaining levels of historic productivity. For this report, we assembled a team of leading scientists with expertise in coastal and marine ecosystems and with experience in their restoration to identify strategies and specific actions that will revitalize and sustain the Gulf coastal economy. Because the DWH spill intervened in ecosystems that are intimately interconnected and already under stress, and will remain stressed from global climate change, we argue that restoration of the Gulf must go beyond the traditional “in-place, in-kind” restoration approach that targets specific damaged habitats or species. A sustainable restoration of the Gulf of Mexico after DWH must: 1. Recognize that ecosystem resilience has been compromised by multiple human interventions predating the DWH spill; 2. Acknowledge that significant future environmental change is inevitable and must be factored into restoration plans and actions for them to be durable; 3. Treat the Gulf as a complex and interconnected network of ecosystems from shoreline to deep sea; and 4. Recognize that human and ecosystem productivity in the Gulf are interdependent, and that human needs from and effects on the Gulf must be integral to restoration planning. With these principles in mind, we provide the scientific basis for a sustainable restoration program along three themes: 1. Assess and repair damage from DWH and other stresses on the Gulf; 2. Protect existing habitats and populations; and 3. Integrate sustainable human use with ecological processes in the Gulf of Mexico. Under these themes, 15 historically informed, adaptive, ecosystem-based restoration actions are presented to recover Gulf resources and rebuild the resilience of its ecosystem. The vision that guides our recommendations fundamentally imbeds the restoration actions within the context of the changing environment so as to achieve resilience of resources, human communities and the economy into the indefinite future

Properties of Nitrocellulose from Acacia mangium

Alternatives for petroleum-based products are much needed now due to the depletion of resources and the negative impact of its usage. Amongst the many renewable alternatives of cellulose-based products, nitrocellulose is the oldest and longest thriving derivatives in the world, obtaining a long line of utilization such as biodegradable plastics and film, wood coatings, nail lacquer, automotive paints, and leather finishes. The inexhaustible selection of raw materials for nitrocellulose production are easily obtainable from the copious lignocellulose materials, primarily from cotton and wood pulp. In this study, the Acacia mangium, which is a timber species that heavily populates the plantation of Sabah, in pulp form are used to produce nitrocellulose. The objectives of this research was to determine the physical and chemical attributes of the nitrocellulose from two different sizes of A. mangium particles (75 and 150 μm), such as its degree of substitution, nitrogen content, rate of efficiency and weight percentage gained. The production method of nitrocellulose includes the nitration process of the A. mangium pulp with nitric and sulphuric acid, followed by repeated stabilizing procedures using hot water, and finally the extraction process. Among the different sizes, the 75 μm sample showed a lower degree of substitution and nitrogen content compared to the other, but however showed higher rate of efficiency and weight percentage gained. This is due to the higher surface area per volume for the 75 μm samples but which contradicts in DS value due its higher affinity towards absorbing other materials more than the nitrate itself. This was further proven by the infrared and EDX spectra, where the 75 μm sized sample was absorbing more elements but at a lower concentration than the other. This goes to show that samples with a higher surface area per volume does not guarantee a better substitution of nitrate in nitrocellulose production due to the non-specific preference of cellulose absorption

Exploring pig trade patterns to inform the design of risk-based disease surveillance and control strategies

An understanding of the patterns of animal contact networks provides essential information for the design of risk-based animal disease surveillance and control strategies. This study characterises pig movements throughout England and Wales between 2009 and 2013 with a view to characterising spatial and temporal patterns, network topology and trade communities. Data were extracted from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)’s RADAR (Rapid Analysis and Detection of Animal-related Risks) database, and analysed using descriptive and network approaches. A total of 61,937,855 pigs were moved through 872,493 movements of batches in England and Wales during the 5-year study period. Results show that the network exhibited scale-free and small-world topologies, indicating the potential for diseases to quickly spread within the pig industry. The findings also provide suggestions for how risk-based surveillance strategies could be optimised in the country by taking account of highly connected holdings, geographical regions and time periods with the greatest number of movements and pigs moved, as these are likely to be at higher risk for disease introduction. This study is also the first attempt to identify trade communities in the country, information which could be used to facilitate the pig trade and maintain disease-free status across the country in the event of an outbreak

Coupling models of cattle and farms with models of badgers for predicting the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis (TB)

Bovine TB is a major problem for the agricultural industry in several countries. TB can be contracted and spread by species other than cattle and this can cause a problem for disease control. In the UK and Ireland, badgers are a recognised reservoir of infection and there has been substantial discussion about potential control strategies. We present a coupling of individual based models of bovine TB in badgers and cattle, which aims to capture the key details of the natural history of the disease and of both species at approximately county scale. The model is spatially explicit it follows a very large number of cattle and badgers on a different grid size for each species and includes also winter housing. We show that the model can replicate the reported dynamics of both cattle and badger populations as well as the increasing prevalence of the disease in cattle. Parameter space used as input in simulations was swept out using Latin hypercube sampling and sensitivity analysis to model outputs was conducted using mixed effect models. By exploring a large and computationally intensive parameter space we show that of the available control strategies it is the frequency of TB testing and whether or not winter housing is practised that have the most significant effects on the number of infected cattle, with the effect of winter housing becoming stronger as farm size increases. Whether badgers were culled or not explained about 5%, while the accuracy of the test employed to detect infected cattle explained less than 3% of the variance in the number of infected cattle