DISCUSSION

I am grateful to Gilly Salmon for providing further personal insight into the five-stage model for e-learning, reviewed in my recent paper (Moule, 2007). Professor Salmon plots the development and use of the model, first conceived some 12 years ago, and encourages us to reflect further on a model that has been so widely adopted. The longevity of its use in a fast-changing field is testament to its appeal to educators, developers and learners. It is clear that a number of ALT-J readers will know of, and have used, the model and may want to express thoughts on its current applicability, as Salmon invites

Challenging the five-stage model for e-learning: a new approach

The five‐stage approach to e‐moderating has provided a coherent model upon which to base online learning design in higher education. However, despite its growing popularity, there are concerns that the model is becoming a dominant discourse, being adapted as a template for the design of all online teaching and learning, to the exclusion of other ideas. It is suggested that the five‐stage model may not be the panacea it appears and alternative models of e‐learning cannot be ignored. This paper reviews the five‐stage model and contrasts it with a new conceptual model, ‘the e‐learning ladder’, conceived as part of research with healthcare students in the higher education setting

Making Mountains of Debt Out of Molehills: The Pro-Cyclical Implications of Tax and Expenditure Limitations

This paper presents evidence that property tax limits have detrimental effects on state and local revenues during recessions. Property tax limits cause states to rely on income–elastic revenue sources, such as the income tax or charges and fees. Greater reliance on these revenue sources results in greater revenue declines during economic downturns. We present analysis of time–series, cross–sectional data for the U.S. states for each of these conclusions. Our results suggest that states would have fewer and more modest financial problems during economic downturns if they did not enact property tax limitations

For Whom the TEL Tolls: Can State Tax and Expenditure Limits Effectively Reduce Spending?

Can voters stop state governments from spending at high rates through the enactment of tax and expenditure limits (TELs), or do these laws become dead letters? We draw upon the principal-agent literature to theorize that TELs – one of the most frequent uses of the initiative process across the country – may be circumvented by the sorts of elected officials who would inspire their passage. In order to investigate our claim, we conduct an event study. First, we test for the effectiveness of TELs across states using a differences-in-differences model. Second, we dissect our treatment variable using different legal provisions of the limits to test whether there is a uniform effect across different types of TELs. Finally, we compare state fiscal patterns before and after adoption on a state-by-state basis. Using this simple approach and other methods, we show that TELs are largely ineffective, and that state officials can circumvent them by raising money through fees or borrowing. Our finding is consistent with recent studies showing that policies passed through direct democracy can often be thwarted by the politicians charged with implementing them

For Whom the TEL Tolls: Can State Tax and Expenditure Limits Effectively Reduce Spending?

Can voters stop state governments from spending at high rates through the enactment of tax and expenditure limits (TELs), or do these laws become dead letters? We draw upon the principal-agent literature to theorize that TELs – one of the most frequent uses of the initiative process across the country – may be circumvented by the sorts of elected officials who would inspire their passage. In order to investigate our claim, we conduct an event study. First, we test for the effectiveness of TELs across states using a differences-in-differences model. Second, we dissect our treatment variable using different legal provisions of the limits to test whether there is a uniform effect across different types of TELs. Finally, we compare state fiscal patterns before and after adoption on a state-by-state basis. Using this simple approach and other methods, we show that TELs are largely ineffective, and that state officials can circumvent them by raising money through fees or borrowing. Our finding is consistent with recent studies showing that policies passed through direct democracy can often be thwarted by the politicians charged with implementing them

Co‐operative cross‐platform courseware development

The UKMCC (UK Mathematics Courseware Consortium) is a Consortium funded under TLTP (Training and Learning Technology Programme) to produce courseware for service mathematics teaching, using the SEFI (Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs) syllabus. There are agreed courseware design guidelines and a simple courseware management system which allows cross‐referencing. Courseware is divided into modules, with an author as implementer for each. On any one hardware platform, a variety of authoring languages is possible. Across hardware platforms, the design guidelines ensure that conversion is possible, and will preserve look and feel. We argue here that these arrangements provide a basis for continued co‐operation between authors and future development as the technology changes

CT-PET guided target delineation in head and neck cancer and implications for improved outcome

Aim: Fifty percent of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the Head and Neck develop loco-regional recurrence after treatment. Factors leading to this failure are most likely altered intra-tumoural glucose metabolism and increased hypoxia. Tissue glucose utilisation and the degree of hypoxia can be visualised by CTPET imaging with 18FDG and hypoxic radio-nuclides. This thesis has investigated 18FDG CT-PET guided target volume delineation methods and attempted to validate 64Cu-ATSM as a hypoxic radio-nuclide in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the Head and Neck. Materials and Methods: Eight patients with locally advanced disease underwent 18FDG CT-PET imaging before and during curative radiotherapy or chemo-radiotherapy. Fixed (SUV cut off and percentage threshold of the SUVmax) and adaptive thresholds were investigated. The functional volumes automatically delineated by these methods and SUVmax were compared at each point, and between thresholds. Four patients with locally advanced disease, two to seven days prior to surgery, underwent 3D dynamic CT-PET imaging immediately after injection of 64Cu- ATSM. Two patients were also imaged 18 hours after injection, and two underwent a dynamic contrast-enhanced CT to evaluate intra-tumoural perfusion. All patients received pimonidazole before surgery. The pimonidazole, GLUT1, CAIX, and HIF1a immuno-histochemical hypoxic fractions were defined. Staining was correlated with the retention pattern of 64Cu-ATSM at 3 time points. Hypoxic target volumes were delineated according to tumour to muscle, blood and background ratios. Results: 18FDG primary and lymph node target volumes significantly reduced with radiation dose by the SUV cut off method and correlated with the reduction in the SUVmax within the volume. Volume reduction was also found between thresholds by the same delineation method. The volumes delineated by the other methods were not significantly reduced (except the lymph node functional volume when defined by the adaptive threshold). 64Cu-ATSM correlated with hypoxic immuno-histochemical staining but not with blood flow. Tumour ratios increased with time after injection, which influenced the delineated hypoxic target volume. Conclusion: Dose-escalated image-guided radiotherapy strategies using these CT-PET guided functional volumes have the potential to improve loco-regional control in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the Head and Neck. CT-PET 18FDG volume delineation is intricately linked to the method and threshold of delineation and the timing of the imaging. 64Cu-ATSM is promising as a hypoxic radio-nuclide and warrants further investigation

COMPARING MECHANICAL MASTICATION, HERBICIDE APPLICATION, AND PRESCRIBED FIRE WITHIN AN ESTABLISHED LONGLEAF PINE (PINUS PALUSTRIS MILL.) ECOSYSTEM

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) forests once dominated the landscape throughout the Southeast and much of its success could be attributed to ecological disturbances such as fire. However, the use of fire as a management tool may be at risk due to a growing human population, negative impacts resulting from smoke production, and the imposition of restrictive federal and state laws, policies, and standards. This study was designed to determine whether alternative silviculture treatments such as herbicide or mechanical mastication can be used as surrogates to prescribed fire. We applied three commonly used silviculture treatments (prescribed burning, mechanical mastication, and herbicide) one time in May 2008 to eighteen approximately equal sized treatment units (0.405 ha) at the Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve, which is located in Aiken County, South Carolina. The firing techniques used during the prescribed fire consisted of a mix of backing, flanking, and head fires. The herbicide used was the granular form of hexazinone [3-cyclohexyl=6-(dimethylamino)-1-methy-1,5-triazine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione] also known as DupontTM Velpar ULW®, which was broadcast evenly at a rate of 1.26 kg a.i./ha. A Bobcat T-300 with a forestry cutter head and hand tools were used for mechanical mastication; these tools were used to masticate any midstory vegetation (i.e. Quercus spp.). Additional treatments were applied in a split-plot design, including rake and non-rake subplots within each of the herbicide and mechanical mastication treatment units. We monitored the response of the understory herbaceous layer (P. palustris Mill.). We also measured the litter depth of the forest floor, monitored the foliar cover of Aristida stricta, tracked the recruitment of Aristida stricta seedlings, and evaluated which treatment provided the maximum usage forage (medium = M, high = H, and very high = VH) for gopher tortoises pre- and post-treatment. No significant differences were determined between the species richness, species diversity, and evenness following treatments for two consecutive growing seasons. Both prescribed fire and mechanical mastication promoted species richness and diversity values that exceeded pre-treatment levels by the end of the second growing season. Prescribed fire treatments generated the highest relative increases in the evenness values, followed by mechanical mastication, and then herbicide. Mechanical mastication and herbicide treatments generated higher longleaf pine seedling survivorship while prescribed fire negatively affected the longleaf pine seedling survivorship. While the broadcast application of hexazinone caused initial decreases in species richness and diversity, the understory plants gradually began to recover the ensuing year. Prescribed fire positively influenced the Aristida stricta foliar cover throughout the study. Initial Aristida stricta foliar cover declines were observed following both the herbicide and mechanical mastication treatments; however, it began to recover the following year. Litter depths were not significantly influenced by any of the study treatments. Prescribed fire generated the greatest initial litter depth reduction (54%) and maintained the slowest litter recovery throughout the study. However, initial (2010) litter depth reductions were also observed each post-treatment year within the herbicide (38%) and mechanical mastication (39%) units. Aristida stricta seedling counts were not significantly different across the herbicide and mechanical mastication treatment units. However, the rake subplots promoted non-significantly higher A. stricta seedling counts and relative differences following initial treatments versus non-rake subplots. The rake subplots yielded the highest initial increases and maintained the highest relative difference each post-treatment year. No significant differences were determined between treatment types for the VH or M ranking gopher tortoise forage values. Significant treatment differences were determined for the H value forage in both post-treatment years. While there were mixed results across each treatment, no significant differences were observed for the prescribed fire treatment units throughout the study. The prescribed fire units yielded positive increases across all preferred gopher tortoise forage initially following treatment and maintained positive gains for the VH and M usage flora species throughout the study. Mechanical mastication produced some gains for the VH and M species initially following treatment; however, these were short-lived and quickly fell below pre-treatment levels by the end of the second post-treatment growing season. The herbicide treatment caused significant decreases for the VH and H gopher tortoise forage species during both post-treatment years. Based on results from this study, prescribed fire is the preferred silviculture tool that provides the maximum benefit to a xeric sandhills mature longleaf pine community by suppressing woody species, encouraging a diverse herbaceous understory, promoting an overall higher usage forage for gopher tortoises, and reducing litter layer accumulation. However, in areas that the use of fire may be limited or restricted, our study suggests that the use of herbicide and/or mechanical mastication treatments can be used to gain the desired structure and appearance and allow for regeneration of longleaf pine, but these alternative silviculture tools may not promote the desired understory herbaceous layer for target species such as the gopher tortoise. Caution should be made when applying these modern silviculture treatments, since impacts to the ecosystem resilience has not been documented long-term. These modern tools may be the next perturbation that will mimic stochastic events like fire and hurricanes. However, the longleaf pine ecosystem evolved under a fire regime and shifts may result from the new disturbance; consequently, close monitoring should occur following their use