FROM LAB TO LAPTOP LEARNING: SUPPORTING THE RAPID TRANSITION TO ONLINE TEACHING IN TERTIARY SCIENCE

Resourcing is key to providing teaching academics the tools to transform traditionally laboratory based teaching methods to an online environment. The ability to resourcefully design, implement, and deliver appropriate learning materials to support practical skills are key to effective online learning in STEM. We investigated how academics with previous expertise in a hybrid teaching (delivery of online content combined with face-to-face practical lessons), utilised and perceived support resources for a rapid transition to fully online conversion of traditionally laboratory and field based learning settings. A learning platform with critical resources and ideas for transitioning material from a hybrid teaching mode to full online delivery was collated to support high quality online delivery of existing learning outcomes. We review the needs for successful implementation to promote online practical science learning and evaluate teaching academics’ response to support resources offered by the Faculty to enhance online delivery in a traditionally interactive hands-on science, and rural science context

Can an acoustic observatory contribute to the conservation of threatened species?

Observatories are designed to collect data for a range of uses. The Australian Acoustic Observatory (A2O) was established to collect environmental sound, including audible species calls, from 344 recorders at 86 sites around Australia. We examine the potential of the A2O to monitor near threatened, threatened, endangered and critically endangered species, based on their vocal behaviour, geographic distributions in relation to the sites of the A2O and on some knowledge of habitat use. Using IUCN and EPBC lists of threatened and endangered species, we extracted species that vocalized in the audible range, and using conservative estimates of their geographic ranges, determined whether there was a possibility of hearing them at these sites. We found that it may be possible to detect up to 171 threatened species at sites established for the A2O, and that individual sites have the potential to detect up to 40 threatened species. All 86 sites occurred in locations where threatened species could possibly be detected, and the list of detectable species included birds, amphibians, and mammals. We have incidentally detected one mammal and four bird species in the data during other work. Threatening processes to which potentially detectable species were exposed included all but two IUCN threat categories. We concluded that with applications of technology to search the audio data from the A2O, it could serve as an important tool for monitoring threatened species

The Simplicial Ricci Tensor

The Ricci tensor (Ric) is fundamental to Einstein's geometric theory of gravitation. The 3-dimensional Ric of a spacelike surface vanishes at the moment of time symmetry for vacuum spacetimes. The 4-dimensional Ric is the Einstein tensor for such spacetimes. More recently the Ric was used by Hamilton to define a non-linear, diffusive Ricci flow (RF) that was fundamental to Perelman's proof of the Poincare conjecture. Analytic applications of RF can be found in many fields including general relativity and mathematics. Numerically it has been applied broadly to communication networks, medical physics, computer design and more. In this paper, we use Regge calculus (RC) to provide the first geometric discretization of the Ric. This result is fundamental for higher-dimensional generalizations of discrete RF. We construct this tensor on both the simplicial lattice and its dual and prove their equivalence. We show that the Ric is an edge-based weighted average of deficit divided by an edge-based weighted average of dual area -- an expression similar to the vertex-based weighted average of the scalar curvature reported recently. We use this Ric in a third and independent geometric derivation of the RC Einstein tensor in arbitrary dimension.Comment: 19 pages, 2 figure

On the metallicity dependence of crystalline silicates in oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch stars and red supergiants

We investigate the occurrence of crystalline silicates in oxygen-rich evolved stars across a range of metallicities and mass-loss rates. It has been suggested that the crystalline silicate feature strength increases with increasing mass-loss rate, implying a correlation between lattice structure and wind density. To test this, we analyse Spitzer IRS and Infrared Space Observatory SWS spectra of 217 oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch stars and 98 red supergiants in the Milky Way, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and Galactic globular clusters. These encompass a range of spectral morphologies from the spectrally-rich which exhibit a wealth of crystalline and amorphous silicate features to 'naked' (dust-free) stars. We combine spectroscopic and photometric observations with the GRAMS grid of radiative transfer models to derive (dust) mass-loss rates and temperature. We then measure the strength of the crystalline silicate bands at 23, 28 and 33 microns. We detect crystalline silicates in stars with dust mass-loss rates which span over 3 dex, down to rates of ~10^-9 solar masses/year. Detections of crystalline silicates are more prevalent in higher mass-loss rate objects, though the highest mass-loss rate objects do not show the 23-micron feature, possibly due to the low temperature of the forsterite grains or it may indicate that the 23-micron band is going into absorption due to high column density. Furthermore, we detect a change in the crystalline silicate mineralogy with metallicity, with enstatite seen increasingly at low metallicity.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 24 pages, 16 figure

Morphometric and physiological development confirm skull ossification level as a reliable indicator of age in a passerine bird, the Noisy Miner

In birds, several physiological characters have been proposed and tested as possible criteria of age. Among them, skull development is likely to provide a valuable reflection of other physiological developments, however the relationship between skull ossification and other physiological and morphometric traits has rarely been quantified within species. Here, we investigated suitability of skull ossification as an indicator of age in Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala), an Australian passerine bird. We compared skull ossification with other age indicators including the bursa of Fabricius, gonadal development, and a range of commonly used body size measures that included wing length and tarsus length. We carried out morphological measurements on 1251 individual Noisy Miner carcasses that had been collected during a culling experiment in November, December and May 2015–2016 from north-eastern NSW, Australia. The probability of a bursa of Fabricius being present in an individual bird changed with skull ossification level, with a significant reduction in the size of the bursa of Fabricius correlating with the degree of skull ossification. In male Noisy Miners, birds that were at a later stage of skull ossification had significantly larger testis size than those with a lower stages of skull ossification. In females, ovary size increased significantly as skull ossification progressed. In both sexes, skull ossification level was also correlated with body mass and skeletal measures. Given this, the level of skull ossification in Noisy Miners accurately correlates with other age indicators, and can justifiably be used as a non-invasive aging method in the field for live birds

A simple methodology for creating and applying replicable, photograph-accurate coloration to 3D-printed models for animal behavior studies

Researchers often use artificial models of animals to elicit and study behavior. Until recently, these models were typically handcrafted; however, 3D-printing technology has been adopted by researchers looking to create accurate and consistent animal models from scans of living animals, taxidermies, or existing models. While 3D-printing techniques create models with accurate and repeatable shape and size, applying coloration to these models is still typically achieved with traditional methods, such as painting by hand. These approaches can be time-consuming and require high levels of artistic skill, creating a barrier to producing realistic models, especially when more than one model or standardized coloration is required. Here, we present a simple workflow to avoid these issues by creating a photograph-accurate paper "skin" that can be glued onto 3D-printed animal models to provide surface coloration. We have used this methodology to create avian models for several experiments, and found that it can create highly detailed and standardized models with minimal training and is independent of artistic skill. Additionally, this method allows the files needed to accurately recreate models to be shared digitally with other researchers, further enhancing repeatability in the field

Inpatient versus outpatient intravenous diuresis for the acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND: We established an IV outpatient diuresis (IVOiD) clinic and conducted a quality improvement project to evaluate safety, effectiveness and costs associated with outpatient versus inpatient diuresis for patients presenting with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) to the emergency department (ED). METHODS: Patients who were clinically diagnosed with ADHF in the ED, but did not have high-risk features, were either diuresed in the hospital or in the outpatient IVOiD clinic. The dose of IV diuretic was based on their home maintenance diuretic dose. The outcomes measured were the effects of diuresis (urine output, weight, hemodynamic and laboratory abnormalities), 30-90 day readmissions, 30-90 day death and costs. RESULTS: In total, 36 patients (22 inpatients and 14 outpatients) were studied. There were no significant differences in the baseline demographics between groups. The average inpatient stay was six days and the average IVOiD clinic days were 1.2. There was no significant difference in diuresis per day of treatment (1159 vs. 944 ml, p = 0.46). There was no significant difference in adverse outcomes, 30-90 day readmissions or 30-90 day deaths. There was a significantly lower cost in the IVOiD group compared to the inpatient group ($839.4 vs.$9895.7, p=\u3c0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient IVOiD clinic diuresis may be a viable alternative to accepted clinical practice of inpatient diuresis for ADHF. Further studies are needed to validate this in a larger cohort and in different sites

Electroweak Constraints on Warped Geometry in Five Dimensions and Beyond

Here we consider the tree level corrections to electroweak (EW) observables from standard model (SM) particles propagating in generic warped extra dimensions. The scale of these corrections is found to be dominated by three parameters, the Kaluza-Klein (KK) mass scale, the relative coupling of the KK gauge fields to the Higgs and the relative coupling of the KK gauge fields to fermion zero modes. It is found that 5D spaces that resolve the hierarchy problem through warping typically have large gauge-Higgs coupling. It is also found in $D>5$ where the additional dimensions are warped the relative gauge-Higgs coupling scales as a function of the warp factor. If the warp factor of the additional spaces is contracting towards the IR brane, both the relative gauge-Higgs coupling and resulting EW corrections will be large. Conversely EW constraints could be reduced by finding a space where the additional dimension's warp factor is increasing towards the IR brane. We demonstrate that the Klebanov Strassler solution belongs to the former of these possibilities.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures (references added) version to appear in JHE

Short-term response of a declining woodland bird assemblage to the removal of a despotic competitor

Interspecific aggression by the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala), a highly despotic species, is homogenizing woodland avifaunas across eastern Australia. Although a native species, the noisy miner's aggressive exclusion of small birds is a Key Threatening Process under national law. Large-scale removal of noisy miners has been proposed as a management response to this threat following increases in miner presence due to anthropogenic land use practices. We tested this proposal by experimentally removing noisy miners from eucalypt woodland remnants (16-49 ha), assigned randomly as control (n = 12) or treatment (miner removal) sites (n = 12). Standardized bird surveys were conducted before and after removal, and generalized linear mixed models were used to investigate the effect of miner removal on bird assemblage metrics. Despite removing 3552 noisy miners in three sessions of systematic shooting, densities of noisy miners remained similarly high in treatment and control sites, even just 14 days after their removal. However, there was evidence of an increase in richness and abundance of small birds in treatment sites compared to controls-an effect we only expected to see if noisy miner densities were drastically reduced. We suggest that miner removal may have reduced the ability of the recolonizing miners to aggressively exclude small birds, even without substantially reducing miner densities, due to the breakdown of social structures that are central to the species' despotic behaviour. However, this effect on small birds is unlikely to persist in the long term. Synthesis and applications: Despite evidence from other studies that direct removal of noisy miners can result in rapid and sustained conservation benefit for bird communities at small scales, our findings cast doubt on the potential to scale-up this management approach. The circumstances under which direct control of noisy miners can be achieved remain unresolved

An autonomous, in situ light-dark bottle device for determining community respiration and net community production

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2018. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here under a nonexclusive, irrevocable, paid-up, worldwide license granted to WHOI. It is made available for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Limnology and Oceanography-Methods 16 (2018): 323-338, doi:10.1002/lom3.10247.We describe a new, autonomous, incubation-based instrument that is deployed in situ to determine rates of gross community respiration and net community production in marine and aquatic ecosystems. During deployments at a coastal pier and in the open ocean, the PHORCYS (PHOtosynthesis and Respiration Comparison-Yielding System) captured dissolved oxygen fluxes over hourly timescales that were missed by traditional methods. The instrument uses fluorescence-quenching optodes fitted into separate light and dark chambers; these are opened and closed with piston-like actuators, allowing the instrument to make multiple, independent rate estimates in the course of each deployment. Consistent with other studies in which methods purporting to measure the same metabolic processes have yielded divergent results, respiration rate estimates from the PHORCYS were systematically higher than those calculated for the same waters using a traditional two-point Winkler titration technique. However, PHORCYS estimates of gross respiration agreed generally with separate incubations in bottles fitted with optode sensor spots. An Appendix describes a new method for estimating uncertainties in metabolic rates calculated from continuous dissolved oxygen data. Multiple successful, unattended deployments of the PHORCYS represent a small step toward fully autonomous observations of community metabolism. Yet the persistence of unexplained disagreements among aquatic metabolic rate estimates — such as those we observed between rates calculated with the PHORCYS and two existing, widely-accepted bottle-based methods — suggests that a new community intercalibration effort is warranted to address lingering sources of error in these critical measurements.This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (awards OCE-1155438 to B.A.S.V.M., J.R.V., and R.G.K., and OCE- 1059884 to B.A.S.V.M.), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution through a Cecil and Ida Green Foundation Innovative Technology Award and an Interdisciplinary Science Award, and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) STAR Graduate Fellowship to J.R.C. under Fellowship Assistance Agreement no. FP-91744301-0