Education for the Future - UNESCO Study: Case Study Fiji

Paper presented at Vaka Pasifiki Conference held at the Tonga Convention Center, Nuku'alofa, September 25 2014

Do Under-Managed Portfolios Outperform Over-Managed Portfolios?

How often should a portfolio be rebalanced?  This is the question our study attempts to answer.  The Internet stock bubble and its aftermath made portfolio mangers very sensitive to their management styles.  Specifically, they had to reassess how often to evaluate a client’s portfolio.  This work examines the performance of portfolios that were aggressively managed and compares their risk-adjusted returns with those of portfolios that were managed infrequently.  To accomplish this, we change the rebalancing frequency of a well-diversified portfolio and track its performance over time.  This study will not only enable us to determine whether the performance of an actively-managed portfolio surpasses the performance of an under-managed or unmanaged portfolio, but it will also allow us to determine the optimal rebalancing period for maximizing risk-adjusted returns.  The asset selection and portfolio optimization methodologies applied to the portfolios in this study are identical to maintain consistency and comparability of results.  To evaluate the performance of each portfolio, we used daily observations from September 2000 to September 2006 and applied various rebalancing frequencies using the QuantAnalysis application at www.fundsformation.com

Appendicitis with appendicular atresia: A rare presentation

Acute appendicitis is the most common acute surgical condition; making appendectomy the most commonly performed emergency surgical procedure in the world. Anomalies of the appendix are relatively  uncommon. However, their presence may alter the course of pre-operativediagnosis and the surgical treatment provided, leading to medico-legal issues in certain cases as well. We hereby present the case of a 17  year-old female who had the suggestive signs, symptoms and  investigations of appendicular lump. She was managed according to the Ochsner-Sherren regimen and then underwent interval open appendectomy 6 weeks later. During the procedure, the findings of a 5 cm long appendix were noted. The base of the appendix was attached to the caecum, however there was complete mucosal discontinuity between the base and the remaining portion of the appendix. A fibrous strand connected the two blind ending parts together. After thorough literature search, the authors concluded that this is only the fourth reported case of appendicular atresia ever to have been reported. Considering the rarity of this finding we feel this could be of valuable interest to surgeons and readers alik

Co-producing artistic approaches to social cohesion

This paper examines the potential of co-produced arts-based methodologies through the lens of a social cohesion project, from the perspectives of five artists. Arts methodologies can be useful in working across different disciplines and across university and community boundaries to create equitable knowledge production processes. The ways in which art is used in community settings as a mode of collaboration are explored, using the reflections from five artists who were involved in the social cohesion project together. This paper argues that coproducing artistic approaches to social cohesion is a complex, multilayered and sometimes fragile process, but that recognizing and discussing understandings of the role of power and voice within co-produced projects enables effective team communication

An evaluation of a generic course at a university in the Pacific Islands

This study aims to evaluate a generic course at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in order to gather perceived strengths and gaps that may need addressing. A qualitative study, the evaluation was conducted via two methods. The first was through the interviews with four teaching staff of the course. The second involved an email feedback from six academics from different departments of the university. The findings of this study indicate that the course is generally perceived to be achieving its objectives, strong in promoting Pacific consciousness and has very clear and attainable learning outcomes and expectations. Moreover, the use of Pacific terms such as the vaka (canoe) and talanoa (conversation), were seen as strengths of the course. The course being delivered via a variety of mediums by an active, passionate and committed group of staff was viewed as a strength. In terms of areas that may need improvement, there were suggestions that the content and its scope, course description, and the marking rubrics could be re-examined. There was also a suggestion that there needs to be a pool of assignment tasks so that repetition semester after semester does not occur, and to reduce the level of plagiarism. In addition, there is a suggestion to have regular meetings among members of the teaching team, to listen to each other. These suggestions have implications for curriculum decisions regarding the course and its possible revision regarding content and focus, its delivery and assessment

KAYROTYPE OF SOL (CHANNA MARULIUS) FROM INDUS RIVER, PAKISTAN

ABSTRACT Sol (Channa marulius, family: Channidae, order: Perciformes) is an important fish species indigenous to Indo-Pakistan sub-continent, and has a commercial value, adapted to survive in low dissolved oxygen. Three populations (Indus, Indian and Thailand) appear isolated and significant difference between Indus and Indian population has appeared in mansural characters. Karyological studies on Channa marulius suggest a diploid number of 44 for the species but the Indian population and Thailand population are different in number of metacentric and telocentric chromosomes. Sol samples (n =7, 15-20 cm) were collected from Head Tounsa (river Indus) and their gill tissues were removed, torn apart and left in hypotonic solution, fixed and spread over a glass slide, stained with aceto-orcein and studied under microscope (100 X). Study of 45 well spread metaphase suggested a diploid number of 44, 8 metacentric having arm ratio of around 2 and 36 telocentric. Present population shares 2n number of 44 with the stocks of the species present in India and Thailand, yet is different from two other stocks in respect of chromosome morphology (Indian: 40 metacentric + 4 telocentric; Thailand: 4 metacentric + 4 submetacentric + 36 telocentric), suggesting intraspecific differences probably caused by isolation

‘THEY CALL US KILLERS’: AN EXPLORATION OF HERBAL, SPIRITUAL AND WESTERN MEDICAL PRACTICES IN MOMBASA, KENYA

Background: This paper attempts to describe the multi-dimensional perceptions of mganga/waganga (Kiswahili: traditional healers) by members of their constituencies, patients, government health officials and religious leaders in Mombasa, Kenya. It also seeks to investigate how these conceptions and perceptions influence the relationships between traditional healers and other stakeholders in the delivery of public healthcare services in Mombasa. Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach consisting of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions was employed and 43 research participants were interviewed during the period of two months in the summer of 2010. Data were recorded (video and audio), transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparison method. Results: Findings indicate that varied opinions and interpretations of mganga influence both the decision-making process of the patient and the provision of healthcare by the healer. High tensions exist between mganga and other actors, and furthermore, such perceptions seem to evidence themselves in the government’s support for waganga, as well as the delineation of healthcare services—whereby certain stakeholders and participants are relegated to specific tasks. Conclusions: This research builds upon the growing body of knowledge on how African patients—in general and Kenya in particular—and healers inhabit a multifaceted arena of healing in order to effectively negotiate their positions and needs to make complex decisions involving care, contingent upon local economic, social, cultural, and religious factors

Effect of waste materials on acoustical properties of semi-dense asphalt mixtures

Among the urban societal burdens rolling noise generation from tire pavement interaction and urban waste stand apart. Many urban waste materials can be used in pavements with comparable mechanical performance. Noise-related pavement characteristics such as porosity, sound absorption and surface texture, were measured for semi-dense low noise pavement mixtures using urban waste materials namely: recycled concrete aggregates, crumb rubber, polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene. The results show that the use of these materials is a viable sustainable option for low noise pavements, however that may affect the noise reduction properties. With values around 0.2 at 1000 Hz, the sound absorption of all the mixtures is relatively low and the use of mean profile depth (MPD) alone is not enough to characterize the noise reduction properties. Surface texture was altered in different degrees depending on the waste material used. The results presented can aid in policy pertaining to noise abatement and waste reduction