Generating Coherent Messages in Real-time Decision Support: Exploiting Discourse Theory for Discourse Practice

This paper presents a message planner, TraumaGEN, that draws on rhetorical structure and discourse theory to address the problem of producing integrated messages from individual critiques, each of which is designed to achieve its own communicative goal. TraumaGEN takes into account the purpose of the messages, the situation in which the messages will be received, and the social role of the system.Comment: 6 page

Challenge accepted: Women claiming leadership in higher education learning and teaching

A recognised challenge for women in higher education learning and teaching is of rightfully claiming leadership. Higher education processes for recruitment, promotion, awards, grants and fellowship are founded on an ability to document and convincingly present one’s leadership contribution. The focus is on evidencing from a traditional, formal positional role view of leadership. However, the leadership contribution of women to learning and teaching often accords with a more distributed leadership approach. This may lead to women, unguided in how to evidence their leadership contribution and impact, being unable to self-acknowledge and claim their leadership contribution. The challenge for women is in claiming their leadership contribution and impact so as not to be disadvantaged in academic career progression and recognition. Drawing on a database of 15 years of research into a distributed leadership in learning and teaching, a Linguistics Inquiry approach is employed to explore reflections of female academics to their leadership contributions in learning and teaching. This reveals evidence-based strategies that have successfully supported a positive transition, by women, to self-acknowledge their leadership contributions. Many of these are resource intensive and difficult to sustain in the current higher education sector context of diminishing and reduced resources. To present a low-resource alternative, the six tenets of a Distributed Leadership approach structure a low-resource framework alternative that provides key conceptual prompts for presenting a leadership case. Vignettes of applying the framework in practice are provided to illustrate its transferability across a range of scenarios for women to rightfully claim their leadership contribution

Challenges and Opportunities in the Introduction of a Tertiary Education Program in Regional South Australia: A Case Study

This paper explores the implementation of a Bachelor of Education program in regional South Australia. Using a case study approach, this paper describes the site of implementation, with attention paid to the challenges regional locations experience in attracting and retaining suitably qualified staff. It will explore the program model and consider the challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation and sustainability. At the individual level, it has provided students with an additional study option that negates the costs and stresses of relocation. At an organisational and community level, there is benefit for local schools as the provision of students and future professionals, who already have demonstrated commitment to the region, may assist in reducing staff turnover. The model presented could be adapted to similar locations, and while it is not a panacea to address regional teaching staff shortages, it offers another educational model that can help alleviate the issue

Occupational Therapy in Secondary Transition: A Case Report

Introduction: This case report aims to inform the occupational therapy profession of best practice by providing an example of the profession’s role in secondary transition for students with disabilities. Method: This qualitative case report examines the value of occupational therapy during transition in the life of one student with a disability. Six weeks of coaching and collaboration were provided to facilitate student engagement to enhance independent living skills, work-related skills, and self-determination. Pre-test and post-test results of the Roll Evaluation of Life Activities (REAL), the Goal-Oriented Assessment of Lifeskills (GOAL), the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), interviews, informal discussions, and observations were used to identify performance challenges and improvements achieved after intervention. Results: Kasey (pseudonym) met her occupational therapy-related goals that were written in her individualized education plan, including daily living skills, self-determination skills, and gross motor improvements. She exhibited improvement in scores on the GOAL. Her baseline progress score was 349, and at re-assessment 384. Her REAL activities of daily living scores also improved by 7%, and 3% in the domain of instrumental activities of daily living. Conclusion: This case report describes the advantages of occupational therapy in secondary transition services. Post-test measures and informal interviews with transition team members, caregiver, and the student identified improvements in independent living skills and self-determination skills, leading to improvement in participation and skill readiness for transitional roles

Subliminal perception and the Stroop effect

The Stroop effect and subliminal perception are two phenomena which have been studied for years. However, the potential relation between the two has not been conclusively explored. This experiment was designed to demonstrate that a relationship between the two may exist. The procedure consisted of subliminally presenting the name of a color written in black letters simultaneously with a colored stimulus. The supraliminal colored stimulus and subliminal word stimulus were presented on a screen by use of a projector and a tachistoscope (t-scope) respectively. It was hypothesized that subliminal perception would create interference on the projected Stroop Test simulating a Stroop effect. Statistical analysis of the data showed a significant increase in reaction times on the projected Stroop test indicating a possible subliminal interference. No correlation was found between the percent increases in reaction times between the paper test and the projected test

Cohesion, Instructional Time and Reading Performance at MUGC Summer Enrichment Program

As schools attempt to improve the services to struggling readers, teacher are encouraged to work collaboratively to enhance instruction. Studies are needed to examine the effects of teaming on student performance. The purpose of this study was to determine if team cohesion or instructional time at Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program (MUGCSEP) would be correlated with measures of reading performance for students who attended the program. Statistical analyses yielded a statistically significant correlation between cohesion, instructional time and reading performance during the 2006 program. While in 2007, instructional time was not significantly correlated, cohesion results yielded a mildly inverse statistically significant correlation with reading performance. Due to differences in assessment procedures between the years, this finding supports the possibility that team cohesion may be an important factor in the assessment of children\u27s reading performance

Evidence-based benchmarking framework for a distributed leadership approach to capacity building in learning and teaching

The intent of this project was to develop a systematic, evidence-based benchmarking framework for distributed leadership to build leadership capacity in learning and teaching. It built on the outcome of a previous Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) funded project that had identified the principles and practices for distributed leadership and synthesised these in the form of the Action Self Enabling Reflection Tool (ASERT)

Influence of Strings with Axionic Content on the Polarization of Extragalactic Sources

It is shown that the axion concentrated in electroweak strings which are consequently stabilized may produce a rotation of the polarization angle of radiation from extragalactic sources larger than that caused by a background field, and that axionic walls attached to global strings have an effect which depends on the frequency. We discuss the validity of the classical and quantum treatments of radiation and indicate that the latter produces conversion of linear into circular polarization. We describe possible anomalies in the observations which might suggest these influences of the axion.Comment: 11 pages, latex, no figure

System-level intersectoral linkages between the mental health and non-clinical support sectors: a qualitative systematic review

Objectives: Concerns about fragmented mental health service delivery persist, particularly for people with severe and persistent mental illness. The objective was to review evidence regarding outcomes attributed to system-level intersectoral linkages involving mental health services and non-clinical support services, and to identify barriers and facilitators to the intersectoral linkage process

Mental and substance use disorders in sub-saharan Africa: predictions of epidemiological changes and mental health workforce requirements for the next 40 years

The world is undergoing a rapid health transition, with an ageing population and disease burden increasingly defined by disability. In Sub-Saharan Africa the next 40 years are predicted to see reduced mortality, signalling a surge in the impact of chronic diseases. We modelled these epidemiological changes and associated mental health workforce requirements. Years lived with a disability (YLD) predictions for mental and substance use disorders for each decade from 2010 to 2050 for four Sub-Saharan African regions were calculated using Global Burden of Disease 2010 study (GBD 2010) data and UN population forecasts. Predicted mental health workforce requirements for 2010 and 2050, by region and for selected countries, were modelled using GBD 2010 prevalence estimates and recommended packages of care and staffing ratios for low- and middle-income countries, and compared to current staffing from the WHO Mental Health Atlas. Significant population growth and ageing will result in an estimated 130% increase in the burden of mental and substance use disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2050, to 45 million YLDs. As a result, the required mental health workforce will increase by 216,600 full time equivalent staff from 2010 to 2050, and far more compared to the existing workforce. The growth in mental and substance use disorders by 2050 is likely to significantly affect health and productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. To reduce this burden, packages of care for key mental disorders should be provided through increasing the mental health workforce towards targets outlined in this paper. This requires a shift from current practice in most African countries, involving substantial investment in the training of primary care practitioners, supported by district based mental health specialist teams using a task sharing model that mobilises local community resources, with the expansion of inpatient psychiatric units based in district and regional general hospitals