Research in mathematics education: A contemporary perspective

The twelve chapters in this book-all but two written by researchers in Australian universities-provide ample evidence of the impressive contributions currently being made by Australia to research in mathematics education. The authors\u27 fields of inquiry are diverse: they include discussion of the roles of language and imagery, problem posing and problem solving, students\u27 beliefs and students\u27 thinking, gambling and mental computation. T!1eir methodologies are no less diverse, incorporating descriptions of both quantitative and qualitative research projects, including action research in classrooms, theoretical perspectives and the development of theoretical models, reviews of research, surveys, clinical interviews and descriptions of new research tools

Beyond written computation

This collection of papers based on research into aspects of number is a result of a writing conference held on Rottnest Island, near Perth, Western Australia. The concept of the conference emanated from Alistair Mcintosh and Len Sparrow and was based on two similar meetings organised by Cal Irons and Bob Reys. All papers in this book were discussed at the Rottnest conference and subsequent changes were made by the authors based on comments and recommendations from the peer group who attended the conference

Mental computation in school mathematics: Preference, attitude and performance of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9

Commencing in 1989 a team consisting of Alistair Mcintosh, Paul Swan and Ellita de Nardi at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, probed the strategies used by children of primary school age when calculating mentally, with a view to developing and promoting more appropriate and effective mental computation...This present monograph, which looks at the mental computation of Western Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, is one of the outcomes of this collaborative research project

The role of adipose tissue immune cells in immune responses

Recent evidence indicates that immune cells within adipose tissues can drive the formation of ectopic lymphoid structures, known as Fat Associated Lymphoid Clusters (FALC). FALC support B-cell antibody production in response to infection and inflammation. This investigation explores the immune cell composition and role of different adipose tissues both in steady state and during immune responses in mice. Firstly, a detailed analysis of the immune cell composition of peritoneal adipose tissues was performed. To investigate the function and migratory properties of these tissue-resident cells, cytokine and chemokine receptor expression was then assessed. How immune cells in adipose tissues responded to infection was examined using an intestinal helminth infection with the parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus. Adipose tissues predominantly contained regulatory T cells, invariant natural killer T cells and group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC2s). Significant differences were observed in composition, cell surface markers and cytokine production of ILC2s between adipose depots and secondary lymphoid tissues, indicating that tissue specific signals can direct ILC2 responses. Finally, increases were observed in ILC2 and FALC numbers in the mesenteries of WT mice following parasite infection. These data indicate that immune cells within adipose tissues respond to infection and may contribute to immune responses

Number sense in school mathematics: student performance in four countries

Since 1988 teams of researchers in the United States, Japan and Australia have been involved in a collaborative research project to assess the mental computation ability of their students. The results of this research have been reported elsewhere (Mcintosh, Bana & Farrell 1995; Mcintosh, Nohda, Reys & Reys 1995). The researchers involved were Professors Robert and Barbara Reys of the University of Missouri - Columbia, Professor Nobuhiko Nohda of the University of Tsukuba and Alistair Mcintosh, Jack Bana and Brian Farrell of Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia. The United States and Australian researchers went on to assess the number sense of the same cohorts of students in their two countries. During this time, a doctoral student at the University of Missouri -Columbia, Der Ching Yang, was conducting research into the number sense of Taiwanese students, adapting some of the test items devised by the research teams. In 1995, while Professors Robert and Barbara Reys were at the University of Goteborg on Fulbright scholarships, a team of researchers including Goran Emanuelsson and Bengt Johansson used many of the items to test the number sense of Swedish students. This monograph, while focussing mainly on the United States and Australian data, also includes relevant Swedish and Taiwanese data, together with brief discussions kindly contributed by Goran Emanuelsson, Bengt Johansson and Der Ching Yang. The idea of the development of number sense as a central goal of school mathematics is a recent one, and broad agreement as to its scope is only beginning to emerge. The development of written group tests of number sense is even more embryonic, and indeed not all experts agree that pencil and paper tests, let alone tests including multiple choice items, are an appropriate mode of assessing number sense

Prepared to teach : an investigation into the preparation of teachers to teach literacy and numeracy

Teacher education in Australia is a large and diverse enterprise. There are more than 400 programs in 36 universities, enrolling a total of about 35,000 preservice teachers (DEST, 2003). The labour market for newly graduating teachers, pattern of entry to teacher education, the range of courses offered, the place of literacy and numeracy in those courses, and the provision of school experience influence the quality of beginning teachers\u27 literacy and numeracy teaching

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London