Review of - Mirror of morality: Chinese narrative iIllustration and Confucian ideology

Mirror of Morality takes an interdisciplinary look at an important form of pictorial art produced during two millennia of Chinese imperial rule. Ideas about individual morality and state ideology were based on the ancient teachings of Confucius with modifications by later interpreters and government institutions. Throughout the imperial period, members of the elite made, sponsored, and inscribed or used illustrations of themes taken from history, literature, and recent events to promote desired conduct among various social groups. This dimension of Chinese art history has never before been broadly covered or investigated in historical context. The first half of the study examines the nature of narrative illustration in China and traces the evolution of its functions, conventions, and rhetorical strategies from the second century BCE through the eleventh century. Under the stimulus of Buddhism, sophisticated techniques developed for representing stories in visual form. While tracing changes in the social functions and cultural positions of narrative illustration, the second half of the book argues that narrative illustration continued to play a vital role in elite visual culture

Review of collectors, collections & collecting the arts of China: histories & challenges

'Collectors, Collections & Collecting the Arts of China: Histories & Challenges', Steuber, J, and Lai G. Eds. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 327 pages, 2014

Disruption of haemocyte function by exposure to cytochalasin b or nocodazole increases the susceptibility of Galleria mellonella larvae to infection

Administration of non-toxic concentrations (10 mM) of cytochalasin b and nocodazole to larvae of Galleria mellonella increased their susceptibility to infection by the yeast Candida albicans. These agents were found to inhibit the process of phagocytosis and to reduce the killing ability of haemocytes. In addition, both cytochalasin b and nocodazole reduced the release of antimicrobial peptides (e.g. apolipophorin 3) and enzymes (e.g. serine protease) from PMA stimulated haemocytes. Rhodamine coupled phalloidin staining revealed reduced F-actin formation in haemocytes treated with nocodazole or cytochalasin b. By disrupting the formation of F-actin cytochalasin b and nocodazole have the ability to retard the function of haemocytes, in the same manner as they affect mammalian neutrophils, and thus increase the susceptibility of larvae to infection. The results presented here demonstrate that haemocytes are sensitive to inhibition by nocodazole and cytochalasin b, in a similar manner to neutrophils, thus highlighting another similarity between both cell types and so increasing the attractiveness of using insects as alternative models to the use of mammals for in vivo pathogen or drug screening

Acceptance and values clarification versus cognitive restructuring and relaxation: A randomized controlled trial of ultra-brief non-expert-delivered coaching interventions for social resilience.

Low social resilience (e.g., susceptibility to social anxiety, and social avoidance) has been associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes, and can lead to ostracism. Support services such as university counselling centres, which deal with non-diagnosable psychological distress, linked to low social resilience, require effective yet brief interventions deliverable by non-experts to meet service demands. As it is not always possible to prevent subjectively negative experiences, acceptance-based interventions aim to change how we respond behaviourally to such experiences. The present study tests the efficacy of an ultra-brief (1hr) non-expert delivered acceptance and values-based (AV) coaching intervention to increase resilience to negative social interactions. This was compared to a comparable dose of a cognitive restructuring and relaxation-based (CRR) analogue, and a psycho-education and progressive muscle relaxation-based (PE-PMR) control. Participants ( N =60) were assessed on perceived burdensomeness, belonging, and 3 scenarios measuring anxiety and likelihood to engage in social situations. Participants then played Cyberball, an ostracising task, before recompleting the aforementioned measures. Physiological measures indicated Cyberball was an aversive experience. In the AV condition only, we observed an improved behavioral intention to engage with social scenarios ( dppc2 = .57). Ultra-brief AV-based coaching interventions delivered by non-expert coaches appear promising in increasing participant’s likelihood to continue engaging in social interactions after a stressful social experience. We tentatively conclude that gains in committed action may increase the propensity of at-risk individuals to seek social support

A microbial detection array (MDA) for viral and bacterial detection

BACKGROUND: Identifying the bacteria and viruses present in a complex sample is useful in disease diagnostics, product safety, environmental characterization, and research. Array-based methods have proven utility to detect in a single assay at a reasonable cost any microbe from the thousands that have been sequenced. METHODS: We designed a pan-Microbial Detection Array (MDA) to detect all known viruses (including phages), bacteria and plasmids and developed a novel statistical analysis method to identify mixtures of organisms from complex samples hybridized to the array. The array has broader coverage of bacterial and viral targets and is based on more recent sequence data and more probes per target than other microbial detection/discovery arrays in the literature. Family-specific probes were selected for all sequenced viral and bacterial complete genomes, segments, and plasmids. Probes were designed to tolerate some sequence variation to enable detection of divergent species with homology to sequenced organisms, and to have no significant matches to the human genome sequence. RESULTS: In blinded testing on spiked samples with single or multiple viruses, the MDA was able to correctly identify species or strains. In clinical fecal, serum, and respiratory samples, the MDA was able to detect and characterize multiple viruses, phage, and bacteria in a sample to the family and species level, as confirmed by PCR. CONCLUSIONS: The MDA can be used to identify the suite of viruses and bacteria present in complex samples

Threshold Concepts about Online Pedagogy for Novice Online Teachers in Higher Education

The use of threshold concepts to define key points of curricula is a relatively recent development in educational research. Threshold concepts represent crucial stages of learning, the acquisition of which enables learners to progress from one level of achievement to another. In this context, the learner is described as passing through an unsettling liminal space in which they may encounter troublesome knowledge and experience uncertainty or anxiety. When applied to online pedagogy in higher education contexts, academic staff become the learners as they extend their on-campus teaching knowledge into the online realm. In this setting, the identification of threshold concepts has the potential to inform the content of professional development (PD) programmes for novice online teachers. Because little research has yet been reported on threshold concepts associated with online teaching, this study identified these threshold concepts and investigated their specific nature. Funded by an Office for Learning and Teaching Australia Grant, the project employed a mixed-methods research approach. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative data was gathered from responses to questionnaires and reflective journal entries provided by university educators who were teaching in online contexts. Also, experts in the fields of PD, online teaching and threshold concepts were consulted using a modified Delphi technique that incorporated two rounds of surveys. Results of this study are discussed in association with potential applications to PD design for novice online educators, informed by the most fundamental learning experiences encountered by their more experienced colleagues

A Professional Learning Program for Novice Online Teachers Using Threshold Concepts

The professional development of online teachers is now commonplace in higher education. Alongside the relatively straightforward decision to provide professional learning support for novice and experienced online educators within universities, decisions about the nature and content of such support are not always as clear cut. The study aimed to gather evidence about the online teaching and learning experiences and views of current students and staff which, in turn, informed a set of pedagogical guidelines that could be used as the basis of professional learning programs for novice online teachers. Using a mixed methods research design, data were gathered using questionnaires, reflective journals, and focus groups to determine the threshold concepts about online teaching and perceptions of ideal online learning environments. As well as identifying threshold concepts about online teaching and perceptions of teachers’ and students’ ideal views of online learning contexts (reported elsewhere), the study produced curricular guidelines to inform the design of professional development outputs for online teachers in higher education. This article reports on an example of how these professional development guidelines, based on identified threshold concepts of online pedagogy, were implemented at one higher education institution to provide wide-scale implementation of a professional development program for academic staff engaged in online teaching

The construction of a postgraduate student and supervisor support framework: Using stakeholder voices to promote effective postgraduate teaching and learning practice

This article outlines the design and development of a bespoke Research Training Support Framework, targeting the professional development needs of higher degree research (HDR) supervisors and their students, which was achieved by implementing Patton's (2011; 2012) utilisation-focused evaluation methodology (UFE). The primary research question was: What are the most suitable structures, components and content of an institutional framework to support Higher Degree Research (HDR) supervisors and their students at Avondale College of Higher Education? A mixed method design was used to gather data from students, academic staff and administrative staff using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews. Analyses of these data informed the Framework’s development along with previous research and advice from an advisory panel which comprised of national and international experts. Accordingly, the Framework was constructed around three core principles that served to guide the development of the Framework’s activities, processes and resources: 1) Welcoming research community, 2) The pedagogy of supervision and 3) Research development. The current version of the Framework has been designed to support postgraduate supervisors and students through the three key stages of students' most academically-focused stages of their postgraduate journeys namely; Getting started, Confirmation and Research and writing. The research-informed approach used to develop this contextually-relevant resource is particularly relevant to small higher education institutions, especially those wishing to focus on capacity development. Further research is currently being conducted to evaluate how the Framework is being used