Student mobility and transition : setting your compass for success

With increasing levels of student mobility within Victorian schools, many educational settings experience frequent changes to their student population. These changes are often met with an ad hoc array of practices implemented by schools in an attempt to adequately manage them. This thesis addresses the impact of student mobility on an educational community and its stakeholders in Victoria, Australia. The research was undertaken in five Victorian government schools that encompassed diverse geographical locations and socio-economic profiles. Key stakeholders include: school principals, teachers and education support staff, mobile students, parents/carers of mobile students, non-mobile students and their families. Each group offered a unique perspective regarding student mobility and transition processes. Participants in this study were involved in interviews and focus groups, and completed a questionnaire. Socio-economic status was identified as a predominant factor in student mobility for both families and schools. This was evidenced by high levels of often unpredictable mobility in socio-economically disadvantaged and significantly disadvantaged participating schools. The participating non-disadvantaged school experienced mobility related specifically to perceived academic gain or parental promotion. Regardless of socio-economic status, each group was reliant on other stakeholders to be successful. No stakeholder groups stood alone as being able to successfully navigate the process of mobility and transition independently. This study, through the thematic analysis of the data collected, has uncovered many actionable and achievable recommendations for families, schools and the education system itself both within Victoria and nationwide. The participants in this research clearly indicated a need for a more strategic and planned approach to mobility. Educational communities must respond proactively in order to provide optimal academic, social and emotional outcomes for students in these circumstances.Doctor of Philosoph

Microtubules control cellular shape and coherence in amoeboid migrating cells

Cells navigating through complex tissues face a fundamental challenge: while multiple protrusions explore different paths, the cell needs to avoid entanglement. How a cell surveys and then corrects its own shape is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that spatially distinct microtubule dynamics regulate amoeboid cell migration by locally promoting the retraction of protrusions. In migrating dendritic cells, local microtubule depolymerization within protrusions remote from the microtubule organizing center triggers actomyosin contractility controlled by RhoA and its exchange factor Lfc. Depletion of Lfc leads to aberrant myosin localization, thereby causing two effects that rate-limit locomotion: (1) impaired cell edge coordination during path finding and (2) defective adhesion resolution. Compromised shape control is particularly hindering in geometrically complex microenvironments, where it leads to entanglement and ultimately fragmentation of the cell body. We thus demonstrate that microtubules can act as a proprioceptive device: they sense cell shape and control actomyosin retraction to sustain cellular coherence

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Coton to Bourn Pipeline, Cambridgeshire: An Archaeological Evaluation and Excavation.

This report is the assessment of the results from an archaeological evaluation comprised of a geophysical survey, field survey and trial trenching, followed by the resulting excavations. The project was undertaken between the villages of Coton to Bourn, Cambridgeshire between May and August 2008 and was commissioned by Cambridge Water Company. The pipeline route (PR) lies to the north of the adjacent A428, opposite Bourn Airfield, and further east, from Scotland Farm to the A1303/ A428 slip road, south of Park Farm before continuing south of the A428 to Coton. The pipeline originates at TL 3370 5990 and terminates at TL 4060 5900. The programme of works followed on from the results of a desk based assessment (DBA), (Appleby, G. A. and Beadsmoore, E. 2008), which identified the potential for prehistoric, Roman, Medieval and post-Medieval settlement activity. The evaluation confirmed these findings and identified four zones of significant archaeological activity. The excavation then expanded three of these zones into archaeological excavations, providing substantial evidence of Romano British (Areas 1 and 2), and Iron Age (Area 3) settlement. The forth area comprised of Late Neolithic/ Early Bronze Age and Romano British activity and was preserved in situ

Watching Brief and Excavations at West Deeping (King Street), Lincolnshire: Underground Cables)

An archaeological watching brief was carried out by Cambridge Archaeological Unit between March and August 2009 on behalf of Integrated Utility Services (IUS) during the excavation for underground cables on land north of West Deeping, Lincolnshire, centred on NGR 510938 309863. This watching brief is situated within the Cemex Quarry where a previous evaluation (Patten 2002), and subsequent 1st phase of excavation (Murrell 2010). In total 0.283 hectares were excavated along the 1746m long cable route. The investigation produced a quantity of artefacts within features from the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Romano-British, Early Medieval and post-Medieval periods. This activity has been given context and has been dated using information from previous investigations and the extensive landscape survey undertaken in the vicinity. This activity included a co-axial Bronze Age ditch system, a triple Iron Age ditch system, and substantial Roman road side activity including; quarry pits, inhumations containing military issue metal adornments within roadside ditches, and large stone lined postholes probably from buildings. The sections of the roadside activity related to settlement were capped by a 'dark soil' layer which contained abundant material culture The results of this investigation revealed significant evidence of Roman roadside activity. As a result of the intrusive nature of this investigation (underground cables) and 'safe stand-off' required, this Roman roadside activity is not likely to be exposed within future phases of excavation at King Stree

Excavations at West Deeping (King Street), Lincolnshire: Phase 1

An archaeological excavation (4.72 hectares) was carried out by Cambridge Archaeological Unit between June and October 2007 on behalf of CEMEX UK Materials Limited in advance of gravel extraction on land north of West Deeping, Lincolnshire, centred on NGR 511384 309610, and continued on from a previous evaluation (Patten 2002). The excavation revealed prehistoric activity from the Late Neolithic to the Early Iron Age, as well as Romano-British and post-Medieval but was predominantly occupied in the Middle Bronze Age period. Late Neolithic/ Early Bronze Age burials containing worked antler and bone artefacts were recovered, which may have been covered by a burial mound. The core component of the Middle Bronze Age was a multi-phased droveway with attached enclosures and an associated field system. Several small un-complex structures were also identified. Over 100 pits were revealed, the larger of which appeared to have had multi uses. Two Middle Bronze Age pit burials were also recorded. Late Bronze Age/ Early Iron Age activity was sparse and took the form of several pits, a cremation and burial, and a partial ring ditch. Similarly the Romano-British activity within the PEA is ephemeral, composed of superficial field systems and an expanse of inter-cutting quarry pits adjacent to the Roman Road, King Street. A series of post-Medieval drainage ditches were revealed across the entirety of site which truncated all earlier phases of activity

An Archaeological Evaluation At McCain Foods, GB Ltd, Funthams Lane, Whittlesey.

In January 2007 an archaeological evaluation was undertaken at McCain Foods GB Ltd, Funthams Lane, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire (TL 234 9765 and 2349 9728). The site was located within a buried soil landscape at 2.86m to 3.92m OD, previously identified as a busy Bronze Age zone within the flag fen basin (Gibson and Knight 2006). Two archaeological features were recorded in one of the three trenches machined and all trenches were situated on disturbed ground

N.I.A.B. Research Centre, Park Farm, Impington: An Archaeological Evaluation & Excavation.

An archaeological evaluation and subsequent excavation was carried out at Park Farm, Villa Road, Cambridgeshire (centred TL 4348 6310) by the Cambridge Archaeological Unit between 14th February and 25th March 2008. The work was undertaken on behalf of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in advance of the redevelopment of a field station and laboratory. A total area of 1,426m² was examined in seventeen trial trenches, followed by a small open area excavation and three further trenches totalling 796 m². The evaluation and excavation revealed Late Bronze Age activity in the form of a four post structure and an eighteen post sub-circular structure, indicative of small scale or seasonal flux occupation. Later agricultural activity was indicated by a Middle Iron Age curvilinear ditch and evidence of two alignments of post-medieval fields. The results of the excavation contradict the traditional opinion that the Gault clay area north of Cambridge was not suitable for such prehistoric settlement, and suggests that the 'blank' in the archaeological record reflects an absence of evidence due to more limited fieldwork in these areas

Land Adjacent to Covells Drain, Swavesey, Cambridgeshire: An Archaeological Evaluation

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken on land adjacent to Covells Drain on Freisland Farm, Swavesey, Cambridgeshire. Archaeological features were recorded in seven of the nine trenches machined. A total of forty eight Romano British features were present and the majority of these were confined to the north of the proposed development area (PDA)

Land at Thistley Green, West Row, Suffolk. An Archaeological Evaluation

An archaeological excavation was undertaken in May 2007 on 0.0036 ha of land on the south-eastern side of Chairfen Road, at Green Farm, Thistley Green, West Row, Suffolk (TL 6613 7614). The site was located within a chalk landscape at 3.001m to 3.187m OD, in an area of known prehistoric activity. However, no archaeological features were recorded in the machine excavated 6m by 6m area, which was situated on ploughed ground