Capacity-building activities related to climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment and economic valuation for Fiji

The Terms of Reference for this work specified three objectives to the Fiji component: Objective 1a: to provide a prototype FIJICLIM model (covered under PICCAP funding) Objective 1b: to provide training and transfer of FIJICLIM Objective 1c: to present and evaluate World Bank study findings and to identify future directions for development and use of FIJICLIM (2-day workshop) Proceedings of the training course and workshop were prepared by the Fiji Department of Environment. The summaries from these proceedings reflect a very high degree of success with the contracted activities

How far can skills-talk take us?

In this article, Neil Kenny, Lead Fellow for Languages at the British Academy, argues that the broadened notion of skill proposed by a new British Academy project, The Right Skills, provides a framework for articulating more accurately and effectively the full range of skills provided by language degrees

Competing Arbitrary and Non-Arbitrary Stimulus Relations in Adults, Normally Developing Children and Children with a Diagnosis of Autism

The current thesis sought to extend the work of Stewart, Barnes-Holmes, Roche, and Smeets (2002) who reported that competing non-arbitrary stimulus relations disrupted equivalence-consistent responding in adult humans. Chapter 1 provides a review of research into stimulus equivalence, derived relational responding, and notes that the Colour-Test condition presented in the Stewart et al. (2002) study shared many features of tests traditionally used to measure executive function (EF). An introduction is also provided to cognitive theories of EF. The study presented in Chapter 2 provides support for Stewart et al. (2002) and reports that participants who were trained with black stimuli but tested with coloured stimuli showed lower levels of equivalence-consistent responding relative to other groups. Results also showed that while training with coloured stimuli is effective in undermining colour as a source of non-arbitrary stimulus control, exemplar training with black stimuli is shown not to be effective in undermining nonarbitrary stimulus control across stimulus sets. However, when exemplar training is combined with colour training participants produced the highest levels of equivalence-consistent responding Chapter 3 reports a study in which normally developing young children were presented with a table top match-to-sample training and testing procedure modified to make it appropriate to the abilities of this younger population. The modifications required participants to demonstrate criterion levels of equivalence with familiar stimuli and with novel stimuli coloured black prior to the introduction of a competing colour relation. All participants readily demonstrated equivalence-consistent responding with black stimuli and, critically, maintained equivalence when a competing colour relation was introduced. Chapter 4 presents two studies using a participant population of young children diagnosed with autism. Study 1 employed a reduced training and testing procedure but the participant failed to demonstrate equivalence class formation in any test condition. However, when six participants diagnosed with autism were subsequently exposed to the full training and testing procedures in Study 2, all six participants demonstrate equivalence-class formation with black stimuli. Critically, five of the six participants failed to maintain equivalence when a competing colour relation was introduced during testing, showing clear disruption from the competing colour relation. Chapter 5 presents a number of studies that sought to determine if training with coloured stimuli would remediate the disruption of equivalence observed for the five participants who completed Study 2 reported in Chapter 4. Study 1 demonstrated that colour training was effective in undermining non-arbitrary stimulus control within the same stimulus set for all participants. Subsequent studies showed that all participants maintained equivalence-consistent responding in the presence of competing colour relations across new sets of novel stimuli. Chapter 6 then describes two studies that sought to determine if undermining colour as a source of non-arbitrary stimulus control would also facilitate participants in maintaining equivalence in the presence of other sources of competing nonarbitrary stimulus control. Study 1 showed that participants successfully maintained equivalence-consistent responding when a competing shape relation was introduced and Study 2 showed that two participants also maintained equivalence when both shape and colour relations were simultaneously introduced during testing. The studies presented in Chapter 7 employed two experimentally naïve participants and demonstrated that competing shape relations disrupted equivalence class formation when introduced during testing. Subsequent studies showed that shape training was effective in undermining shape as a source of non-arbitrary stimulus control and participants maintained equivalence when a competing colour relation was subsequently introduced. Chapter 8 provides a summary of the findings in the current research programme and considers a number of methodological and conceptual issues arising from the studies, identifying possible weaknesses and questions that could be targeted in future research. The relationship between the current research and the cognitive concept of EF is also considered and clarified. Finally, it is concluded that further research into competing non-arbitrary stimulus control over derived relational responding may be important in understanding and treating deficits associated with autism

Scotland's gender pay gap : latest data and insights

Women working full-time in Scotland earn less on average than men. Scotland’s gender pay gap at 6.2% in 2016 is smaller than the UK average and is generally declining. However, key sectors and occupations continue to post substantial pay gaps. Occupational segregation, across sectors, is a major factor in explaining Scotland’s gender pay gap, but the underlying causes are the career disruptions of female workers plus some combination of other harder to measure factors such as discrimination and gender bias. The potential economic benefits from closing Scotland’s gender pay gap are substantial; a more engaged, inclusive and productive workforce, an increase in consumer spending and an easing of skills shortages

FIJICLIM description and users guide

The FIJICLIM prototype is based on PACCLIM which was developed by the International Global Change Institute (IGCI) as part of the Pacific Islands Climate Change Assistance Programme (PICCAP) executed by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). Both FIJICLIM and PACCLIM build directly on a comparable model development for New Zealand, known as the CLIMPACTS system (Kenny et al., 1995, 1999; Warrick et al., 1996, 1999). The development of CLIMPACTS has been funded by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology since 1993. Its core components, which include a graphic user interface (GUI), a customised geographic information system (GIS), and data compression routines, have provided the basis for the development of FIJICLIM. The development of FIJICLIM is complementary to similar developments that have evolved from CLIMPACTS, for Bangladesh (BDCLIM), Australia (OZCLIM), and for training in climate change V&A assessment (VANDACLIM)

Climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Fiji

All nations, including Fiji, that are signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) are obliged to provide National Communications to the Conference of Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC. The COP4 stressed the need for parties to the Convention to take into account the need for establishing implementation strategies for adaptation to climate and sea-level changes. As such, Fiji is required to submit a National Communication document that shall include information on climate change vulnerability and adaptation implementation policies and strategies. The methodology used in this assessment is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) technical guidelines (Carter et al, 1994) for assessing climate change impacts and adaptation. Firstly, the present conditions are examined and key sectors identified. Then, future climatic and non-climatic scenarios are used to examine the possible effects of climate and sea-level changes on the various sectors identified. These then form the basis for identifying possible adaptation response measures for endorsement, adoption and implementation by the Fiji government. Because of the many gaps in present knowledge, and the fact that this study is focussed only on Viti Levu, the recommendations in this report should be seen as starting point for an on-going process of vulnerability and adaptation assessment in Fij

Transmethodology: an innovative research approach for inclusion studies for those with Traumatic Brain Injury

Students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are often marginalized in terms of participation in higher education because of an implicit association of TBI with less academic functioning. The first named author is a Ph.D. scholar who aimed to add her voice to the voices of others and examine the lived experience of students with the same condition to identify possible supports that would enhance inclusion in higher education. This research was driven by the desire to illuminate both the hidden nuances of personal experience (hence the use of autoethnography) and to highlight the lack of research about educational participation of TBI survivors. The analysis was from both professional and personal perspectives. Through an examination via an iterative and interconnected research process, the authors explored the question, what are the supports for participation and access for students with TBI in higher education considering the first author’s experiences. Traditional research might provide generalizable data but may not facilitate deep illumination of experience and voice. This examination transcended traditional research and comprised autoethnographic and interview-based inquiry. It challenged the research team to consider different perspectives and to interrogate their own interconnections in the same engagement while working towards the same goal.  The concept of transmethodology will be discussed regarding the development of multiple perspectives that can assist in transgressing the common divisions in the theory and practice divide and explores knowledge of marginalization regarding participation for students with TBI. This paper argues for the importance of innovations such as transmethodology when researching deeply personal phenomena