PLANNING SOLAR HEATING FOR POULTRY - A LINEAR PROGRAMMING APPROACH

Livestock Production/Industries,

What do parents and preschool staff tell us about young children's physical activity: a qualitative study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical activity and small screen recreation are two modifiable behaviours associated with childhood obesity and the development of chronic health problems. Parents and preschool staff shape behaviour habits in young children. The aims of this qualitative study were to explore the attitudes, values, knowledge and understanding of parents and carers of preschool-age children in relation to physical activity and small screen recreation and to identify influences upon these behaviours.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This research involved a focus group study with parents and carers of the target population. A purposive sample of 39 participants (22 parents, 17 carers) participated in 9 focus groups. Participants were drawn from three populations of interest: those from lower socioeconomic status, and Middle-Eastern and Chinese communities in the Sydney (Australia) metropolitan region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All participants understood the value of physical activity and the impact of excessive small screen recreation but were unfamiliar with national guidelines for these behaviours. Participants described the nature and activity patterns of young children; however, the concept of activity 'intensity' in this age group was not a meaningful term. Factors which influenced young children's physical activity behaviour included the child's personality, the physical activity facilities available, and the perceived safety of their community. Factors facilitating physical activity included a child's preference for being active, positive parent or peer modelling, access to safe play areas, organised activities, preschool programs and a sense of social connectedness. Barriers to physical activity included safety concerns exacerbated by negative media stories, time restraints, financial constraints, cultural values favouring educational achievement, and safety regulations about equipment design and use within the preschool environment. Parents considered that young children are naturally 'programmed' to be active, and that society 'de-programs' this behaviour. Staff expressed concern that free, creative active play was being lost and that alternate activities were increasingly sedentary.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings support the relevance of the socioecological model of behavioural influences to young children's physical activity. In this age group, efforts may best be directed at emphasising national guidelines for small screen recreation and educating families and carers about the importance of creative, free play to reinforce the child's inherent nature to be active.</p

Conceptualising-Operationalising Expertise in Independent Schools: Teacher and Leader Perceptions

The importance and nature of the work of teachers is unequivocally complex (Loughran, 2010; Shagrir &amp; Altan, 2014). Within schools, teachers have been identified as the greatest resource (Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership, 2011a) who also have the largest in-school influence on student learning outcomes (Hattie, 2003, 2009). Barber &amp; Mourshed (2007) claim that the overall quality of any education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. Teacher expertise directly impacts on student learning, illustrated by Jensen &amp; Reichl's (2011) claims that, 'all studies show that more effective teachers are the key to producing higher performing students' (p. 3). This thesis researches how professionals in schools conceptualise and operationalise the attributes and practices of teacher expertise. An underlying premise of this study, is: as teacher expertise increases, student learning is optimised. Theories of generic expertise predominantly focus on novice versus expert comparisons, and Williams &amp; Ericsson (2008) contend that more research is needed into how experts learn. Developmental teacher professional standards comprise several career levels that 'articulate what teachers are expected to know and be able to do at [various] career stages' (AITSL, 2011a p. 1). In reality, not all experienced practitioners progress to an expert stage (Bereiter &amp; Scardamalia, 1993; Berliner, 2004; Ericsson &amp; Poole, 2016). There is a gap in the literature about how teachers and school leaders conceptualise-operationalise expertise in teaching. In this study, perceptions are conveyed by professionals about how they conceptualise-operationalise expertise in classroom teaching. Participants are asked what attributes and practices characterise expertise and how experts and experienced non-experts differ as classroom teachers. Further inquiry includes how expertise development is enabled or inhibited, and what informs teachers and leaders on the topic of expertise, as well as how to recognise it. This research could inform the thinking of professionals in practice on the topic of how expertise is conceptualised-operationalised by a group of teachers and leaders. This study utilised qualitative case studies methodology (Yin, 2009) situated within an interpretivist paradigm to research the perceptions of professionals in practice. This occurred at three sites in two Australian states (Queensland and New South Wales) and one territory (The Australian Capital Territory) in K–12 coeducational and single sex school settings. All participants who volunteered for this study had four or more years' experience as a professional foundation to underpin their views and perceptions on expertise in teaching, expressed in individual and focus group interviews. Two cases were formed: a teacher case and a leader case. Two theoretical frameworks were used in this study. These were Practice Architectures/Ecologies of Practice (Kemmis et al., 2012; 2014a) and Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Both were selected because of their specific focus and relevance to schools and compatibility with this study's approach. The applied constructive use of these two frameworks in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7, make the findings of the study more useful because they enable greater potential for accessibility of the results for other professionals in education. The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011a) was also used to map alignment of the emergent themes of this study to the Focus Areas of the seven Standards. Data for the two cases were collected separately from teachers and leaders at each of the three sites. Analysis of the data involved Creswell's (2014) seven-step thematic analysis process to reveal five emergent themes. The results of the two cases were reported in separate chapters, then compared and contrasted in the Discussion chapter. The nature of the themes that emerged were the same in both cases: teachers and leaders alike identified overall thematic conceptualisations involving expertise and expert teacher attributes and practices. Themes involving dimensions of teaching were related to the following: possessing high levels of subject content knowledge; applying pedagogical practice; building relationships in the school community; displaying particular character traits and qualities of teachers; and, demonstrating receptiveness to growth and improvement involving the mindset of teachers. However, while the overall themes were largely consistent between the two cases, noteworthy differences are signalled and elaborated on as part of this study. When comparing this study's emergent themes to an analysis of the wider literature on teacher expertise, three themes are commonly recognised in the literature, while two themes are scarcely documented. Themes involving dimensions of expertise on subject content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skill, and relationship building are well covered in the literature. However, our key themes concerned with either particular teacher character traits and qualities, or teacher mindset receptive to growth and improvement are not as common in the wider literature. These latter two themes form areas to consider as implications for the profession and as recommendations for further research

Ferromagnetic to spin glass cross over in (La,Tb)_{2/3}Ca_{1/3}MnO_{3}

In the series La_{2/3-x}Tb_{x}Ca_{1/3}MnO_{3}, it is known that the compositions are ferromagnetic for smaller values of x and show spin glass characteristics at larger values of x. Our studies on the magnetic properties of various compositions in the La_{2/3-x}Tb_{x}Ca_{1/3}MnO_{3} series show that the cross over from ferromagnetic to spin glass region takes place above x ~ 1/8. Also, a low temperature anomaly at 30 K, observed in the ac susceptibility curves, disappears for compositions above this critical value of x. A mixed phase region coexists in the narrow compositional range 0.1 <= x <= 0.125, indicating that the ferromagnetic to spin glass cross over is not abrupt.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Towards a Philosophy of Education in the NSW Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Movement

This professional Portfolio, developed within Maxwell and Kupczyk-Romanczuk's (2009) model, proposes a philosophical concept of education that articulates a Liberal concept of professional education reflecting Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as practised by the NSW College of Clinical Pastoral Education Inc. ... The Portfolio offers suggestions for the improvement of professional practice and areas of further research are noted. A hermeneutic of recovery is proposed suggesting the return of CPE programmes to a tertiary postgraduate context

Role of Farmer Knowledge in Agroecosystem Science: Rice Farming and Amphibians in the Philippines

Rice (Oryza sativa) agriculture provides food and economic security for nearly half of the world’s population. Rice agriculture is intensive in both land and agrochemical use. However, rice fields also provide aquatic resources for wildlife, including amphibians. In turn, some species may provide ecosystem services back to the farmers working in the rice agroecosystem. The foundation for understanding the complexity of agroecosystem–human relationships requires garnering information regarding human perceptions and knowledge of the role of biodiversity in these rice agroecosystems. Understanding farmer knowledge and perceptions of the ecosystem services provided by wildlife in their fields, along with their understanding of the risks to wildlife associated with agrochemical exposure, can inform biodiversity preservation efforts. In June and July 2014, we used focus groups and structured and semi-structured interviews that engaged 22 individuals involved in rice agriculture operations in Laguna, Philippines, a village close to the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Philippines, to learn more about farmer perceptions and knowledge of amphibians in their rice fields. We found that many, though not all farm workers (managers, tenants, and laborers) noted declines in amphibian populations over time, expressed how they incorporated frogs and toads (Anura) into their daily lives, and recognized the value of amphibians as ecosystem service providers. Specifically, farmers noted that amphibians provide pest-management through consumption of rice pests, act as biomonitors for pesticide-related health outcomes, and provide a local food and economic resource. Some farmers and farm workers noted the general cultural value of listening to the “frogs sing when it rains.” Overall, our findings demonstrate that farmers have an understanding of the value of amphibians in their fields. Future efforts can support how engagement with farmers and farm workers to evaluate the value of wildlife in their fields can lead to directed education efforts to support biodiversity conservation in agroecosystems

Supporting information for National, regional, and worldwide estimates of low birthweight rates in 2015, with trends from 2000: a systematic analysis

Data produced by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, LSHTM and Johns Hopkins University to estimate national low birthweight (LBW) and numbers for 195 countries. LBW data was collated through a systematic review of national routine/registration systems, nationally representative surveys, and other data sources, and subsequently modelled using restricted maximum likelihood estimation with country-level random effects. Data includes a list of 1447 rate data points used as an input to the modelled estimates, yearly national-level covariates for each of the 195 countries studied from 2000 to 2015, and information on estimated low birthweight rates from 2000 to 2015 for 148 countries with data. Stata code used to generate these estimates is provided

Starved of Power: The cultural politics of nutrition and the dietary colonisation of Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia

This research is an exploration of contemporary postcolonial nutrition in remote Northern Territory Aboriginal communities. It is an interpretive inquiry that seeks firstly to understand nutrition in an historical, political and cultural framework and secondly, to examine the relationship between culture, knowledge and power in order to offer an alternative view that will be effective in informing novel solutions to reducing nutritional inequalities. The premise of the research is that in order to ensure improved nutrition for Aboriginal people in the future, there needs to be an increased focus on the ethical issues of human rights and social justice and the practical issues of intervention and policy implementation. The research focuses on the impact that the dominant culture has had on food and nutrition rather than seeing food and nutrition as the outcome of Aboriginal factors. It explores aspects of the dominant culture which contribute to creating and perpetuating marginalisation. The research demonstrates that nutrition and nutrition education are subject to privileging, colonial control and power. Taking colonialism and postcolonialism as the theoretical perspective, I claim that the largest contributing factor toward the past and present poor nutritional status of Aboriginal people is the historical legacy of the colonial experience and the consequences of ongoing postcolonial policies. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was ideally positioned as an analytical framework to investigate the narratives of 28 research participants and the sites of difference about which they spoke. The research illustrates that the situation is unlikely to improve without politicisation of nutrition issues and it seeks to encourage nutritionists, dietitians and other health professionals to advocate for policies, institutions and power structures to be reconstructed within a realistic social justice framework

Multinational Experiences in Reducing and Preventing the Use of Restraint and Seclusion

Restraint and seclusion (R/S) have been used in many countries and across service sectors for centuries. With the recent and increasing recognition of the harm associated with these procedures, efforts have been made to reduce and prevent R/S. Following a scathing media exposé in 1998 and congressional scrutiny, the United States began a national effort to reduce and prevent R/S use. With federal impetus and funding, an evidence-based practice, the Six Core Strategies1 to Prevent Conflict, Violence and the Use of Seclusion and Restraint, was developed. This model was widely and successfully implemented in a number of U.S. states and is being adopted by other countries, including Finland, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Recently, the first cluster randomized controlled study of the Six Core Strategies in Finland provided the first evidence-based data of the safety and effectiveness of a coercion prevention methodology. Preliminary findings of some of the international efforts are discussed. Reduction in R/S use and other positive outcomes are also reported