The effects of room design on computer-supported collaborative learning in a multi-touch classroom.

While research indicates that technology can be useful for supporting learning and collaboration, there is still relatively little uptake or widespread implementation of these technologies in classrooms. In this paper, we explore one aspect of the development of a multi-touch classroom, looking at two different designs of the classroom environment to explore how classroom layout may influence group interaction and learning. Three classes of students working in groups of four were taught in the traditional forward-facing room condition, while three classes worked in a centered room condition. Our results indicate that while the outcomes on tasks were similar across conditions, groups engaged in more talk (but not more off-task talk) in a centered room layout, than in a traditional forward-facing room. These results suggest that the use of technology in the classroom may be influenced by the location of the technology, both in terms of the learning outcomes and the interaction behaviors of students. The findings highlight the importance of considering the learning environment when designing technology to support learning, and ensuring that integration of technology into formal learning environments is done with attention to how the technology may disrupt, or contribute to, the classroom interaction practices

Anoles & Drones: revealing controls on anole abundance and mapping sub-canopy thermal habitat using remote sensing, on the island of Utila, Honduras

In these times of rapid environmental change and species extinction, understanding the drivers and mechanisms governing species’ abundance is more important than ever. The goal of this thesis was to further our understanding of what drives variation in species’ abundance and microhabitat use through space, particularly in the context of rapid land cover and climate change, using the little explored anole fauna of the Honduran island of Utila. The work uncovered that when considering structural habitat, prey availability and the thermal environment, for the endemic Anolis bicaorum, thermal habitat quality and prey biomass both had positive direct effects on anole abundance. However, thermal habitat quality also influenced prey biomass, leading to a strong indirect effect on abundance. Consequently, the later part of this thesis focuses on the thermal environment and the use of unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellite remote sensing platforms for mapping thermal habitat quality and availability at scales relevant to the species. Thermal habitat quality for A. bicaorum was primarily a function of canopy density, measured as leaf area index (LAI), therefore this work combined indices of canopy cover and heterogeneity derived from UAV and WorldView-2 satellite imagery to map sub canopy operative temperature (Te). Results indicate that such methods as using remote sensing imagery, when coupled with air temperature measures, are a reasonable way of mapping Te continuously across space, allowing us to quantify the availability and spatial structure of the thermal environment, at spatial scales experienced by the organism. Lastly, I used WorldView-2 imagery and the proposed methods for mapping Te to quantify available thermal habitat for A. bicaorum on Utila across land cover and climate scenarios. This work indicates the need to determine controls and niche interactions on animal abundance and the importance quantifying these niche factors at relevant spatial scales to estimate species responses to land cover and climatic change

Anoles & Drones: revealing controls on anole abundance and mapping sub-canopy thermal habitat using remote sensing, on the island of Utila, Honduras

In these times of rapid environmental change and species extinction, understanding the drivers and mechanisms governing species’ abundance is more important than ever. The goal of this thesis was to further our understanding of what drives variation in species’ abundance and microhabitat use through space, particularly in the context of rapid land cover and climate change, using the little explored anole fauna of the Honduran island of Utila. The work uncovered that when considering structural habitat, prey availability and the thermal environment, for the endemic Anolis bicaorum, thermal habitat quality and prey biomass both had positive direct effects on anole abundance. However, thermal habitat quality also influenced prey biomass, leading to a strong indirect effect on abundance. Consequently, the later part of this thesis focuses on the thermal environment and the use of unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellite remote sensing platforms for mapping thermal habitat quality and availability at scales relevant to the species. Thermal habitat quality for A. bicaorum was primarily a function of canopy density, measured as leaf area index (LAI), therefore this work combined indices of canopy cover and heterogeneity derived from UAV and WorldView-2 satellite imagery to map sub canopy operative temperature (Te). Results indicate that such methods as using remote sensing imagery, when coupled with air temperature measures, are a reasonable way of mapping Te continuously across space, allowing us to quantify the availability and spatial structure of the thermal environment, at spatial scales experienced by the organism. Lastly, I used WorldView-2 imagery and the proposed methods for mapping Te to quantify available thermal habitat for A. bicaorum on Utila across land cover and climate scenarios. This work indicates the need to determine controls and niche interactions on animal abundance and the importance quantifying these niche factors at relevant spatial scales to estimate species responses to land cover and climatic change

Optimising patient recall of adverse events over prolonged time periods

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The spread of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Victorian school children in 2009:iImplications for revised pandemic planning

Background Victoria was the first state in Australia to experience community transmission of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. We undertook a descriptive epidemiological analysis of the first 1,000 notified cases to describe the epidemic associated with school children and explore implications for school closure and antiviral distribution policy in revised pandemic plans. Methods Records of the first 1,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 notified to the Victorian Government Department of Health between 20 May and 5 June 2009 were extracted from the state’s notifiable infectious diseases database. Descriptive analyses were conducted on case demographics, symptoms, case treatment, prophylaxis of contacts and distribution of cases in schools. Results Two-thirds of the first 1,000 cases were school-aged (5–17 years) with cases in 203 schools, particularly along the north and western peripheries of the metropolitan area. Cases in one school accounted for nearly 8% of all cases but the school was not closed until nine days after symptom onset of the first identified case. Amongst all cases, cough (85%) was the most commonly reported symptom followed by fever (68%) although this was significantly higher in primary school children (76%). The risk of hospitalisation was 2%. The median time between illness onset and notification of laboratory confirmation was four days, with only 10% of cases notified within two days of onset and thus eligible for oseltamivir treatment. Nearly 6,000 contacts were followed up for prophylaxis. Conclusions With a generally mild clinical course and widespread transmission before its detection, limited and short-term school closures appeared to have minimal impact on influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 transmission. Antiviral treatment could rarely be delivered to cases within 48 hours of symptom onset. These scenarios and lessons learned from them need to be incorporated into revisions of pandemic plans

Nitrogen isotope evidence for expanded ocean suboxia in the early Cenozoic

The million-year variability of the marine nitrogen cycle is poorly understood. Before 57 million years (Ma) ago, the ^(15)N/^(14)N ratio (δ^(15)N) of foraminifera shell-bound organic matter from three sediment cores was high, indicating expanded water column suboxia and denitrification. Between 57 and 50 Ma ago, δ^(15)N declined by 13 to 16 per mil in the North Pacific and by 3 to 8 per mil in the Atlantic. The decline preceded global cooling and appears to have coincided with the early stages of the Asia-India collision. Warm, salty intermediate-depth water forming along the Tethys Sea margins may have caused the expanded suboxia, ending with the collision. From 50 to 35 Ma ago, δ^(15)N was lower than modern values, suggesting widespread sedimentary denitrification on broad continental shelves. Δ^(15)N rose at 35 Ma ago, as ice sheets grew, sea level fell, and continental shelves narrowed

Thermal sensitivity of feeding and burrowing activity of an invasive crayfish in UK waters

Climate change and invasive species are among the biggest threats to global biodiversity and ecosystem function. Although the individual impacts of climate change and invasive species are commonly assessed, we know far less about how a changing climate may impact invading species. Increases in water temperature due to climate change are likely to alter the thermal regime of UK rivers, and this in turn may influence the performance of invasive species such as signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), which are known to have deleterious impacts on native ecosystems. We evaluate the relationship between water temperature and two key performance traits in signal crayfish—feeding and burrowing rate—using thermal experiments on wild‐caught individuals in a laboratory environment. Although water temperature was found to have no significant influence on burrowing rate, it did have a strong effect on feeding rate. Using the thermal performance curve for feeding rate, we evaluate how the thermal suitability of three UK rivers for signal crayfish may change as a result of future warming. We find that warming rivers may increase the amount of time that signal crayfish can achieve high feeding rate levels. These results suggest that elevated river water temperatures as a result of climate change may promote higher signal crayfish performance in the future, further exacerbating the ecological impact of this invasive species

Disentangling controls on animal abundance: Prey availability, thermal habitat, and microhabitat structure

The question of what controls animal abundance has always been fundamental to ecology, but given rapid environmental change, understanding the drivers and mechanisms governing abundance is more important than ever. Here, we determine how multidimensional environments and niches interact to determine population abundance along a tropical habitat gradient. Focusing on the endemic lizard Anolis bicaorum on the island of Utila (Honduras), we evaluate direct and indirect effects of three interacting niche axes on abundance: thermal habitat quality, structural habitat quality, and prey availability. We measured A. bicaorum abundance across a series of thirteen plots and used N-mixture models and path analysis to disentangle direct and indirect effects of these factors. Results showed that thermal habitat quality and prey biomass both had positive direct effects on anole abundance. However, thermal habitat quality also influenced prey biomass, leading to a strong indirect effect on abundance. Thermal habitat quality was primarily a function of canopy density, measured as leaf area index (LAI). Despite having little direct effect on abundance, LAI had a strong overall effect mediated by thermal quality and prey biomass. Our results demonstrate the role of multidimensional environments and niche interactions in determining animal abundance and highlight the need to consider interactions between thermal niches and trophic interactions to understand variation in abundance, rather than focusing solely on changes in the physical environment

Measuring practice leadership in supported accommodation services for people with intellectual disability: Comparing staff-rated and observational measures

Background Studies incorporating staff-rated or observational measures of practice leadership have shown that where practice leadership is stronger, active support is better implemented. The study aim was to compare measures of practice leadership used in previous research to determine the extent of their correspondence. Method A subset of data from a longitudinal study regarding 29 front-line managers working across 36 supported accommodation services in Australia was used. An observed measure of practice leadership, based on an interview and observation of a front-line manager, was compared with ratings of practice leadership completed by staff. The quality of active support was rated after a 2-hour structured observation. Results Correlations between staff-rated and observed measures were non-significant. Only the observed measure was correlated with the quality of active support. Conclusions This study provides evidence to support using an observational measure of practice leadership rather than reliance on staff ratings

The effects of vitamin C and E on exercise-induced physiological adaptations: a systematic review and Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examining the effect of vitamin C and/or E on exercise-induced training adaptations. Medline, Embase and SPORTDiscus databases were searched for articles from inception until June 2019. Inclusion criteria was studies in adult humans where vitamin C and/or E had to be consumed alongside a supervised exercise training program of ≥4 weeks. Nine trials were included in the analysis of aerobic exercise adaptations and nine for resistance training (RT) adaptations. Vitamin C and/or E did not attenuate aerobic exercise induced improvements in maximal aerobic capacity (V̇ O2max) (SMD −0.14, 95% CI: −0.43 to 0.15, P = 0.35) or endurance performance (SMD −0.01, 95% CI: −0.38 to 0.36, P = 0.97). There were also no effects of these supplements on lean mass and muscle strength following RT (SMD −0.07, 95% CI: −0.36 to 0.23, P = 0.67) and (SMD −0.15, 95% CI: −0.16 to 0.46, P = 0.35), respectively. There was also no influence of age on any of these outcomes (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that vitamin C and/or E does not inhibit exercise-induced changes in physiological function. Studies with larger sample sizes and adequate power are still required