Machinima interventions: innovative approaches to immersive virtual world curriculum integration

The educational value of Immersive Virtual Worlds (IVWs) seems to be in their social immersive qualities and as an accessible simulation technology. In contrast to these synchronous applications this paper discusses the use of educational machinima developed in IVW virtual film sets. It also introduces the concept of media intervention, proposing that digital media works best when simply developed for deployment within a blended curriculum to inform learning activity, and where the media are specifically designed to set challenges, seed ideas, or illustrate problems. Machinima, digital films created in IVWs, or digital games offer a rich mechanism for delivering such interventions. Scenes are storyboarded, constructed, shot and edited using techniques similar to professional film production, drawing upon a cast of virtual world avatars controlled through a human–computer interface, rather than showing real‐life actors. The approach enables academics or students to make films using screen capture software and desktop editing tools. In student‐generated production models the learning value may be found in the production process itself. This paper discusses six case studies and several themes from research on ideas for educational machinima including: access to production; creativity in teaching and learning; media intervention methodology; production models; reusability; visualisation and simulation

Get your facts right : preschoolers systematically extend both object names and category-relevant facts

There is an ongoing debate over the extent to which language development shares common processing mechanisms with other domains of learning. It is well-established that toddlers will systematically extend object labels to similarly-shaped category exemplars (e.g., Landau, Smith, & Jones, 1988; Markman & Hutchinson, 1984). However, previous research is inconclusive as to whether young children will similarly extend factual information about an object to other category members. We explicitly contrast facts varying in category relevance, and test for extension using two different tasks. Three- to four-year-olds (N = 61) were provided with one of three types of information about a single novel object: a category-relevant fact (‘it’s from a place called Modi’), a category-irrelevant fact (‘my uncle gave it to me’), or an object label (‘it’s called a Modi’). At test, children provided with the object name or category-relevant fact were significantly more likely to display systematic category extension than children who learnt the category-irrelevant fact. Our findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that the mechanisms responsible for word learning may be domain-general in nature

A comparison of HPV DNA testing and liquid based cytology over three rounds of primary cervical screening: extended follow up in the ARTISTIC trial.

BACKGROUND: The additional sensitivity of HPV testing compared with cytology could permit extended cervical screening intervals. We wished to determine, through a further (third) round of screening in the ARTISTIC trial, the protection provided by a negative baseline HPV screen compared with that of cytology over a 6 year period. METHODS: Cumulative rates of CIN2 or worse (CIN2+) and CIN3 or worse (CIN3+) were correlated with baseline HPV status and cytology. HPV was detected using the Hybrid Capture 2 (Qiagen) assay for high risk types and genotyped using the Linear Array (Roche) and Papillocheck (Greiner) assays. LBC was performed using ThinPrep (Hologic). FINDINGS: Round 3 included 8,873 women of whom 6,337 had been screened in both rounds 1 and 2 and 2,536 had not been screened since round 1. The median duration of follow-up was 72.7 months. The cumulative rate of CIN2+ over three rounds was 3.88% (95%CI 3.59%, 4.17%) overall; 2.39% in round 1, 0.78% in round 2 and 0.74% in round 3. Cumulative rates by baseline status were 20.53% (95%CI 19.04%, 22.08%) for abnormal cytology, 20.12% (95%CI 18.68%, 21.61%) for HPV detection, 1.41% (95%CI 1.19%, 1.65%) for negative cytology and 0.87% (95%CI 0.70%, 1.06%) for a negative HPV test. In HPV negative women aged over 50 the cumulative rate was 0.16% (95%CI 0.07%, 0.34%). Women who were HPV positive/cytology negative at entry had a cumulative CIN2+ rate of 7.73% (95%CI 6.29%, 9.36%) over 6 years, twice the overall rate. INTERPRETATION: A negative HPV test was significantly more protective than normal cytology over three rounds. The findings of this extension of ARTISTIC suggest that the screening interval could be extended to 6 years if HPV testing replaced cytology as the primary screening test

The risks, management and adaptation to sea level rise and coastal erosion along the Southern and Eastern African Coastline.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2012.Sea level rise and coastal erosion are two processes which may result in major problems for coastal cities around the world. This is particularly true for Southern and Eastern African cities as they struggle to meet their developmental challenges in addition to sea level rise and coastal erosion. This thesis focuses on three main areas, the analysis of the rates of sea level from tide gauges in the region, the extent of wave run-up on the beach and the development of a simple technical and management framework that managers can apply to assess coastal hazards. The rates of sea level rise in the region vary, Zanzibar, Tanzania reflects a falling sea level at -3:64 plus minus 1:62 mm per year while the highest rate of sea level rise at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territories is +4:35 plus minus 7:61 mm per year. The rate of sea level rise are dependent on the complex interactions of vertical crustal movements, barometric pressure changes, and the warm Agulhas and cooler Benguela currents. Wave run-up is an indicator of the hazard zone. A number of international wave run-up models were assessed for use in this region and were found to be unsuitable. A new wave run-up model was developed which uses the bathymetric profile as opposed to the beach slope in predicting wave run-up. This model uses the equation Rx H0 = C S2=3, where Rx is the wave run-up height above Still Water Level, H0 is the significant wave height at the closure depth, C is dimensionless coefficient where median values are described by C ' 7:5, S is a representative nearshore slope (S = (hc=xh)). hc is the closure depth and xh the horizontal distance from the waters edge to the closure depth. An assessment of the impacts of sea level rise and wave run-up was undertaken based on a detailed case study of the Durban coastline. The results were incorporated into a standalone freeware viewer tool enabling this information to be accessible to planners, decision makers and the general public. The research has identifed several types of shoreline that are vulnerable to coastal erosion, sea level rise and extreme wave events. Recommendations as to what adaptation measures could be undertaken for the different beach types are proposed. With this information coastal managers and decision makers charged with managing shorelines can take the first step in understanding and adapting into the future.PDF named incorrectly

Taxonomic resolution of the ribosomal RNA operon in bacteria: Implications for its use with long-read sequencing

DNA barcoding through the use of amplified regions of the ribosomal operon, such as the 16S gene, is a routine method to gain an overview of the microbial taxonomic diversity within a sample without the need to isolate and culture the microbes present. However, bacterial cells usually have multiple copies of this ribosomal operon, and choosing the ‘wrong’ copy could provide a misleading species classification. While this presents less of a problem for well-characterized organisms with large sequence databases to interrogate, it is a significant challenge for lesser known organisms with unknown copy number and diversity. Using the entire length of the ribosomal operon, which encompasses the 16S, 23S, 5S and internal transcribed spacer regions, should provide greater taxonomic resolution but has not been well explored. Here, we use publicly available reference genomes and explore the theoretical boundaries when using concatenated genes and the full-length ribosomal operons, which has been made possible by the development and uptake of long-read sequencing technologies. We quantify the issues of both copy choice and operon length in a phylogenetic context to demonstrate that longer regions improve the phylogenetic signal while maintaining taxonomic accuracy

Reference to the index of papers of Robert Mather (1782-1855) and the Mather Family

Robert Mather (1782-1855) settled in V.D.L. in 1822 with his family. He had married in 1811 Ann Benson (1786-1831), daughter of Rev. Joseph Benson, and their children were: Sarah Benson, who married George Washington Walker in 1840, Joseph Benson, Robert Andrew, John, Samuel. See also M.l0 and R.7 for other papers of the Mather family. Papers include letters of various Mather family members to other family members and friends; marriage and birth certificates and obituaries; notes on the history of Quakers; other miscellaneous Quaker correspondence; Andrew Mather Drapery business and the Friends School

Hypertemporal Imaging Capability of UAS Improves Photogrammetric Tree Canopy Models

Small uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) generate imagery that can provide detailed information regarding condition and change if the products are reproducible through time. Densified point clouds form the basic information for digital surface models and orthorectified mosaics, so variable dense point reconstruction will introduce uncertainty. Eucalyptus trees typically have sparse and discontinuous canopies with pendulous leaves that present a difficult target for photogrammetry software. We examine how spectral band, season, solar azimuth, elevation, and some processing settings impact completeness and reproducibility of dense point clouds for shrub swamp and Eucalyptus forest canopy. At the study site near solar noon, selecting near infrared camera increased projected tree canopy fourfold, and dense point features more than 2 m above ground were increased sixfold compared to red spectral bands. Near infrared (NIR) imagery improved projected and total dense features two- and threefold, respectively, compared to default green band imagery. The lowest solar elevation captured (25°) consistently improved canopy feature reconstruction in all spectral bands. Although low solar elevations are typically avoided for radiometric reasons, we demonstrate that these conditions improve the detection and reconstruction of complex tree canopy features in natural Eucalyptus forests. Combining imagery sets captured at different solar elevations improved the reproducibility of dense point clouds between seasons. Total dense point cloud features reconstructed were increased by almost 10 million points (20%) when imagery used was NIR combining solar noon and low solar elevation imagery. It is possible to use agricultural multispectral camera rigs to reconstruct Eucalyptus tree canopy and shrub swamp by combining imagery and selecting appropriate spectral bands for processin

A cross‐faculty simulation model for authentic learning

This paper proposes a cross‐faculty simulation model for authentic learning that bridges the gap between short group‐based simulations within the classroom and longer individual placements in professional working contexts. Dissemination of the model is expected to widen the use of authentic learning approaches in higher education (HE). The model is based on a cross‐faculty project in which UK HE students acted as professional developers to produce prototype educational games for academic clients from other subject areas. Perceptions about the project were obtained from interviews with project participants. The stakeholders believed the cross‐faculty simulation to be a motivating learning experience, whilst identifying possible improvements. To evaluate whether the authenticity of the student–client relationship could be improved, the interview data were compared to four themes for authentic learning described by Rule in 2006. The data supported Rule’s themes, whilst highlighting the added value gained from meta‐awareness of the simulation as a learning opportunity

Account for school fees paid from Robert Andrew Mather to Margaret Beale, Tasmania, 1856

Account paid by Robert Andrew to Margaret Beale for the school fees of his daughters Ann Benson and Sarah paid in advance for the first quarter of 1856