Cheap and Easy Project Management

Have you ever worked on a big project like writing a manual and wished there was a cheap and easy way to keep track of who is doing what? There are many web-based tools available to keep track of both large and small projects for individuals and groups. Jonya Pacey and Rachel Gray, both of SELCO, have taken a look at some of the project management applications out there so see how they can help track the various tasks associated with projects and programs. Evaluation points include cost, document management, collaboration, item tracking, dependencies, ease of use, and most important, how fun the application is to use. To access the handout for this session, click on the \u27Download\u27 button located to the right

Teaching for All

Through a case study of teachers’ reactions to inclusive education in Dar es Salaam, this thesis sought to answer (1) how teachers in Dar es Salaam perceive their ability to deliver inclusive education to their students and (2) how an understanding of their perceptions can be utilized to overcome the challenges of implementing inclusive education in Tanzania’s public schools. Using an abductive approach, theory and data influenced each other. The ways in which the teachers were reacting to inclusive education were explored through a model of professional development which found that teachers doubted their capacity to teach diverse students, citing limited resources and training. Theories of international policy adaption were then employed to demonstrate how taking teachers views about resources and training into consideration will ease the incorporation of inclusive education into Tanzania’s education system

Effectiveness of cold water pollution mitigation at Burrendong Dam using an innovative thermal curtain

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Science.Many dams in Australia are known to create thermal pollution in rivers, often for hundreds of kilometres downstream of the dam wall. Low-level releases from a reservoir during periods of thermal stratification disrupt the downstream thermal regime by supressing the water temperature and reducing the diel variation. Low-level releases have also been linked to elevated nutrient concentrations and altered phytoplankton density and community structure downstream from the dam. To reduce the problem, Burrendong Dam has been fitted with an innovative thermal curtain that directs warmer surface water to the low-level off-take. This study set out to quantify the magnitude and extent of cold water pollution along the Macquarie River downstream of Burrendong Dam before and after the curtain was implemented. It also aimed to quantify the effect of the dam on nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton density (indicated by chlorophyll a concentrations) and community structure before and after thermal curtain operation. This was achieved through analysis of time-series data from temperature loggers installed within the impoundment, upstream and downstream in the Macquarie River, prior to the installation of the thermal curtain. Water samples for analysis of nutrients, phytoplankton concentrations (chlorophyll a) and community structure were collected within the reservoir and upstream and downstream of the dam. CWP was shown to be a long-term problem in downstream river reaches, caused by the release of hypolimnial waters from the dam. Epilimnial releases with use of the curtain improved the thermal regime (mean daily and mean monthly temperature, and diel temperature range) below the dam so that it more closely resembled the upstream thermal regime with an improvement of approximately 2°C. Fluctuations in nutrients occurred in the hypolimnion of Burrendong Dam during thermal stratification, probably due to the development of an oxycline and subsequently low oxygen concentrations in the hypolimnion. Nutrient concentrations increased at the outlet as a result of hypolimnial releases, with the concentrations breaching the trigger values outlined by ANZECC which indicate ecological disturbance. This study found a substantial increase in the cell count of cyanobacteria at the dam outlet, which may lead to water quality issues in the Macquarie River downstream of the dam. The results of this study will be useful to assist in the management routine of the thermal curtain at Burrendong Dam, to maximise the efficiency of CWP mitigation, whilst not compromising the downstream ecological health in terms of nutrient and cyanobacteria concentrations

Dietary nitrate reduces skeletal muscle oxygenation response to physical exercise : a quantitative muscle functional MRI study

© 2014 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American Physiological Society and The Physiological Society.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Testing the nature of gravitational wave propagation using dark sirens and galaxy catalogues

The dark sirens method enables us to use gravitational wave events without electromagnetic counterparts as tools for cosmology and tests of gravity. Furthermore, the dark sirens analysis code gwcosmo can now robustly account for information coming from both galaxy catalogues and the compact object mass distribution. We present here an extension of the gwcosmo code and methodology to constrain parameterized deviations from General Relativity that affect the propagation of gravitational waves. We show results of our analysis using data from the GWTC-3 gravitational wave catalogues, in preparation for application to the O4 observing run. After testing our pipelines using the First Two Years mock data set, we reanalyse 46 events from GWTC-3, and combine the posterior for BBH and NSBH sampling results for the first time. We obtain joint constraints on H0 and parameterized deviations from General Relativity in the Power Law + Peak BBH population model. With increased galaxy catalogue support in the future, our work sets the stage for dark sirens to become a powerful tool for testing gravity

Gender and Criminal Justice: Challenging Prejudice

First paragraph: There have been many recent attempts to ‘reimagine’ justice in Scotland in relation to gender and the criminal justice system. Part of the process of ‘reimagining’ punishment and justice requires overcoming existing barriers and finding a space to rethink power, change institutions and systems of state. To do so, requires looking and thinking in different ways

Gravitational wave cosmology: measuring the Hubble constant with dark standard sirens

The fact that the universe is expanding has long been agreed upon, but the rate at which it is doing so, the Hubble constant, is a cause of disagreement across the field of cosmology, with a tension between early- and late-time measurements that could either be due to systematic measurement uncertainty, or an as-yet unknown discrepancy between the cosmological model and our universe. The use of gravitational wave standard sirens for cosmological measurements has long been considered. Gravitational wave signals from compact binary coalescences have their distance encoded within them, and require no other form of calibration, making them independent of the cosmic distance ladder. A measurement of the Hubble constant using standard sirens would, by agreeing with the early-time or late-time measurements, give an indication as to whether the solution to the Hubble constant tension is systematic error or exciting new physics. The detection of the binary neutron star merger, GW170817, alongside its electromagnetic counterpart, gave rise to the first measurement of the Hubble constant using gravitational waves. Further gravitational wave detections are required in order to improve the precision enough to discriminate between the early- and late-time Hubble constant measurements, but as of 2021 no other gravitational wave detections have been linked unambiguously with an electromagnetic counterpart. In 1986, Schutz proposed a method for measuring the Hubble constant using gravitational wave detections when observed without electromagnetic counterparts (hence the term dark stan- dard sirens). Galaxy catalogues can be used instead to provide the redshifts of potential host galaxies, and the uncertainty of which galaxy is the real host can be marginalised over. This thesis takes Schutz’s original proposition and places it in a Bayesian framework which allows the incompleteness of the galaxy catalogue (and the possibility that the host galaxy of a gravitational wave event won’t be contained within it) to be accounted for. Gravitational wave selection effects (due to the finite sensitivity of the current detectors) are also incorporated into the methodology. This methodology is implemented in a software package, gwcosmo, which is then tested using a series of mock data analyses of increasing complexity. Following the success of this, the gravitational wave detections from Advanced LIGO and Virgo’s first and second observing runs are used, in combination with publicly available galaxy catalogues, to make the first measurement of the Hubble constant that combines data from multiple gravitational wave detections. Finally, further improvements are made to gwcosmo that take into account variations in the completeness of galaxy catalogues across the sky. This work paves the way for the analysis of the gravitational wave data from Advanced LIGO and Virgo’s third observing run, and beyond

Single shot, temporally and spatially resolved measurements of fast electron dynamics using a chirped optical probe

A new approach to rear surface optical probing is presented that permits multiple, time-resolved 2D measurements to be made during a single, ultra-intense ( > 1018 W cm−2) laser-plasma interaction. The diagnostic is capable of resolving rapid changes in target reflectivity which can be used to infer valuable information on fast electron transport and plasma formation at the target rear surface. Initial results from the Astra-Gemini laser are presented, with rapid radial sheath expansion together with detailed filamentary features being observed to evolve during single shots

Co-producing strategies for enacting trauma-aware pedagogies with pre-service physical education teachers

Background: In Physical Education (PE), trauma may manifest in a range of different actions/behaviours (e.g. small fouls escalating into physical conflict, students refusing to be part of a team, and struggling to adhere to the rules of the game). Without knowledge of the effects of trauma, teachers often defer to punitive responses, which exacerbate rather than mediate the needs of trauma-affected youth. It is therefore critical that prospective physical educators can enact trauma-aware practices to better support their learning and development. Purpose: The aim of this novel paper was to reflect on the principles underpinning trauma-aware pedagogies and, from this, co-create tangible strategies that could be employed by future PE teachers to better support all students, but especially those who have experienced trauma. Methods: We worked with three distinct groups of pre-service PE teachers(n= 22) from a range of different institutions, delivering a total of 12 hours of online workshops (2 × 2-hour sessions per group). The workshops were designed to support pre-service PE teachers in becoming trauma-aware and were grounded in the principles of trauma-aware pedagogies, namely: (1) ensuring safety and wellbeing, (2) establishing routines and structures, (3) developing and sustaining positive relationships that foster a sense of belonging, (4) facilitating and responding to youth voice and, (5) promoting strengths and self-belief. Through a range of academic content, individual activities and group tasks, participants were invited to consider, in conversation with us (as the workshop leaders) and each other, how these principles could be enacted in practice during various ‘PE moments’(e.g. transitions into PE, getting changed, responding to incidents). Audio recordings of the workshops were transcribed, and along with copies of the online ‘chats’, were thematically analysed. Findings: The workshops led to the co-creation of a host of tangible strategies–things that could be done to enact trauma-aware pedagogies in PE. While the strategies are noted here in relation to specific principles, we are not suggesting that these are in any way rigid categorisations. Rather, strategies are associated with principles reflecting how these were framed by pre-service teachers during the workshops. Each of the individual strategies is subsequently explored in relation to the relevant principle. For instance, strategies associated with the principle of ‘establishing routines and structures’ included: (1) being predictable, (2) ensuring consistent transitions within and between PE lessons, and (3) forewarning of changes. Conclusions: This novel paper provides a range of strategies that could be used by both future and current teachers to enact trauma-aware pedagogies in PE. We argue that these strategies are reflective of ‘good pedagogy’ more broadly–and would benefit all students – but especially those who have been impacted by trauma. However, there remains a need to consider the context of the school, the students, and broader cultures when implementing these within practice