Introductory astronomy: setting goals and measuring achievements

Astronomy has been very successful, growing to over 200 students in 2000 and 2001. Their response to the unit has been excellent and at least one quarter of them have suggested that they would consider doing a second astronomy unit if it were offered. Popularity and enrolment numbers are one measure of success but, with its diverse background of the students, is Astronomy achieving its goals? To address this question we have studied the student population enrolled in the unit and used a variety of survey tools to probe student attitudes and understanding, including a southern hemisphere version of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT)

The tutorial benefits of on-line assignments: MasteringPhysics in first year physics at the University of Sydney

The MasteringPhysics system was trialled at the University of Sydney during second semester of 2004 in the PHYS 1003 (Technological) unit of study. This group of approximately 250 students, mostly from science and engineering degrees, was chosen because problem solving is an important aspect of their course. Importantly, these students had already completed one semester of physics using the paper-based assignment system. They could therefore comment on the relative merits of the two systems from the students’ perspective. The system was used for six assignments that covered the subject areas of fluids, electromagnetism and quantum physics. Each assignment consisted of eight questions - two five and two ten mark ‘assignment’ questions, reflecting the structure of the paper-based assignments, plus four ‘tutorial’ questions worth just two marks each. These were intended to encourage use of other tutorial questions provided separately

Why do physics? Where does it really lead?

In the first half of 2008, a survey was distributed to a wide range of physics graduates across Australia. It is a major component of an effort to provide a realistic answer to the questions – Why do Physics? Where does it really lead? – based on the experience and perspective of real physics graduates in the workforce. The survey was the product of the Working Party on Physics Graduates in the Workforce, part of a project funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC). It sought to reach graduates from all Australian universities with physics or physics-related courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate. 171 replies were received, with over 70% recommending a major in Physics as useful training for a career in their field. Of those who didn’t, over 70% ‘recommend a smaller component of physics’ in a student’s training. While a positive response is not too surprising from this sample, it is nonetheless a strong endorsement of physics training from those who have survived the experience. But what was good about the training? More importantly, what wasn’t? In describing graduate attributes, most responses strongly agreed that undergraduate physics developed problem solving skills, but communication and planning skills and awareness of ethical and social issues were all relatively neglected at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The responses clearly stated that all these need more emphasis. Using survey data and subsequent interviews, plus a similar survey of employers, the Working Party will construct a perspective on current physics training with suggestions on where changes in emphasis might be required

University students’ conceptions about familiar thermodynamic processes and the implications for instruction

A large proportion of research in science education is either centred on or influenced by studies concerning conceptual change - in particular, the topic of students’ misconceptions. This is justified by the observation that studies involving conceptual change or troublesome knowledge capture an aspect of science education that seems to be extremely significant for successful learning and vital for developments in instructional methods. This paper is an examination of conceptions about fundamental thermodynamic concepts held by university students. A ‘pre-test’ was developed and administered to 858 first year and 80 second year university students to probe conceptions and inform a subsequent study. Questions included both multiple choice and free response types. The results indicate that the first year students experienced varied and considerable difficulties with the thermodynamic concepts presented in the pre-test, particularly with respect to heat transfer and thermal equilibrium. It is significant to note that these particular concepts appear as part of formal instruction in science in NSW, and that they are embedded in familiar everyday situations. The results and analysis of this quiz are presented

Interactive lecturing using a classroom communication system

Large lecture classes are a dominant feature of many first year university courses. Is there a way to transform passive lectures into environments in which students are actively engaged in learning? Interactivity can be introduced into lectures through mini group quizzes, buzz sessions and a ‘show-of-hands’. Although these strategies are successful they are not very effective in informing students about what and how their classmates think. Current instructional technology based on information technology, enables instantaneous and unbiased feedback from students during a lecture. Such systems are called classroom communication systems (CCS). In this paper we discuss the implementation of such an interactive lecturing system. The effectiveness of the CCS is being evaluated by comparing the results of examination questions addressed by the CCS during the lecture course with those from examination questions that probe similar concepts but which have not been addressed by the CCS. The method by which this evaluation is being carried out is described

Developmental dysplasia of the hip is common in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty under 50 years of age

Introduction: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) refers to congenital and/or developmental hip instability that can result in hip joint subluxation or dislocation. When detected neonatally, conservative treatment with hip bracing can restore normal hip anatomy. Missed detection of DDH in the neonatal period or late development of DDH often requires surgical intervention to correct the abnormal anatomy. Furthermore, despite surgical intervention, residual sequelae may persist leading to early osteoarthritis of the hip joint requiring joint replacement surgery. Aim: This study investigates the prevalence of hip dysplasia in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) under 50 years of age. Methods: The hip arthroplasty database at a national referral centre was investigated from January 2014 to December 2020. In patients under 50 years of age, those with an adequate pre-operative anteroposterior pelvic radiograph without previous hip arthroplasty were included, while those with inadequate radiographs were excluded. The following measurements were made on the contralateral non-operated hip: (1) lateral centre-edge angle (LCEA), (2) Tönnis angle, (3) acetabular version, (4) acetabular depth, (5) femoral head lateralisation, (6) femoral head extrusion index, and (7) acetabular depth-to-width ratio. Results: In total, 451 patients were included in this study. Twenty two percent of the patients had hip dysplasia, based on a LCEA of  10°. The mean LCEA and Tönnis angle were 31.47 ± 9.64 and 9.82 ± 6.79°, respectively. Conclusion: Hip dysplasia is common in patients undergoing THA under the age of 50 years with over 40% having dysplasia according to the Tönnis angle. Classification of primary and secondary osteoarthritis in the joint registries will benefit our knowledge on the prevalence of DDH in the adult population

Hexabundles: imaging fiber arrays for low-light astronomical applications

We demonstrate a novel imaging fiber bundle ("hexabundle") that is suitable for low-light applications in astronomy. The most successful survey instruments at optical-infrared wavelengths use hundreds to thousands of multimode fibers fed to one or more spectrographs. Since most celestial sources are spatially extended on the celestial sphere, a hexabundle provides spectroscopic information at many distinct locations across the source. We discuss two varieties of hexabundles: (i) lightly fused, closely packed, circular cores; (ii) heavily fused non-circular cores with higher fill fractions. In both cases, we find the important result that the cladding can be reduced to ~2 μm over the short fuse length, well below the conventional ~10λ thickness employed more generally, with a consequent gain in fill factor. Over the coming decade, it is to be expected that fiber-based instruments will be upgraded with hexabundles in order to increase the spatial multiplex capability by two or more orders of magnitude

Do students’ experiences of a service subject correspond to their expectations?

What impact does a single semester of physics have on students destined to major in disciplines other than physics? As part of a national study, supported by funding from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), we have trialled an instrument designed to uncover expectations and experiences of non-physics majors enrolled in a first year physics subject. The trial surveyed bio/medical science majors at a large metropolitan university. We were particularly interested in student views of the value of physics to their major area of study and whether those views were transformed over the course of the semester. Analysis of data obtained indicates that student perceptions of the value of physics are positive and change little over the semester in which they do the subject. However some experiences, such as the laboratory work they undertake, elicited some robust responses from students. The paper discusses the findings of the trial survey, which are related to a broader study on indicators of good practice on the teaching of physics to non-physics majors. The broadening of this study to include physics subjects in which non-physics majors are enrolled at 22 Australian universities is briefly described

Conservation assessment and spatial distribution of endemic orchids in Sabah, Borneo

Orchids are among the most threatened plants due to habitat loss and illegal harvesting for horticultural demands. Sabah is a centre of orchid diversity, with approximately 1300 species of which 250 orchid taxa are endemic to Sabah. In this study, we conducted an IUCN Red List assessment on 136 endemic species and used Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) to develop species distribution models for 47 species. The species distribution models were developed using presence-only data and six environmental predictors. The accuracy of the models were assessed using the area under the curve (AUC) and models with an AUC of higher than 0.8 stacked together to produce a species richness heatmap. We found that 83% of the researched species were threatened, of which 14 species were assessed to be Critically Endangered, eight species as Endangered and 93 species as Vulnerable. The heatmap shows that all of the species occurred within the Totally Protected Area (TPA) network in western Sabah. The heatmap highlighted the mid-altitude areas adjacent to the Kinabalu and Crocker Range parks and Ulu Sipitang regions as areas with a high species richness that were outside the TPA network. These areas are also important for the conservation of the majority of the species assessed as Critically Endangered and Endangered. Urgent conservation actions are needed to protect these species from extinction. The results from this work will be used as part of an intensive conservation action plan for threatened endemic orchids of Sabah and used to identify important plant areas currently not within the existing TPA networ

A charter to improve patient care in severe asthma

Severe asthma is a subtype of asthma that is difficult to treat and control. By conservative estimates, severe asthma affects approximately 5-10% of patients with asthma worldwide. Severe asthma impairs patients' health-related quality of life, and patients are at risk of life-threatening asthma attacks. Severe asthma also accounts for the majority of health care expenditures associated with asthma. Guidelines recommend that patients with severe asthma be referred to a specialist respiratory team for correct diagnosis and expert management. This is particularly important to ensure that they have access to newly available biologic treatments. However, many patients with severe asthma can suffer multiple asthma attacks and wait several years before they are referred for specialist care. As global patient advocates, we believe it is essential to raise awareness and understanding for patients, caregivers, health care professionals, and the public about the substantial impact of severe asthma and to create opportunities for improving patient care. Patients should be empowered to live a life free of symptoms and the adverse effects of traditional medications (e.g., oral corticosteroids), reducing hospital visits and emergency care, the loss of school and work days, and the constraints placed on their daily lives. Here we provide a Patient Charter for severe asthma, consisting of six core principles, to mobilize national governments, health care providers, payer policymakers, lung health industry partners, and patients/caregivers to address the unmet need and burden in severe asthma and ultimately work together to deliver meaningful improvements in care.Funding for this study, the article processing charges, and the open access charge was provided by AstraZeneca