Effect of Different Types of Physical Activity on Activities of Daily Living in Older Adults : Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Peer reviewedPostprin

Using technologies in teaching : an initiative in academic staff development

Academic staff development in the pedagogical applications of new technologies is fundamental to the transformation of teaching and learning in tertiary education settings. We present a case study of a staff development activity at Deakin University, a multi-campus university offering on and off-campus programs, which aimed to develop a collegial online experience for academics interested in using online technologies. It is contextualised within a broadly based centrally funded project initiated by the University to extend the use of technologies in significant curriculum areas. The initiative employed a text-based, asynchronous computer conferencing environment. We describe the structure of the online environment and explore the major issues raised by the participants based on their experience and evaluation of the conference. We conclude by raising key questions that draw on our experience of the successful outcome of this initiative to advance relevant and meaningful opportunities for academic staff development.<br /

Conservation Helps Limit Rate Increases for a Colorado Utility

There is a commonly held belief in the water industry that declining per capita usage due to water conservation is forcing rate increases to compensate for fewer units of volume billed. But the rate increases necessitated by conservation are actually much smaller than the rate increases that would be necessary to account for population growth in the absence of conservation. The City of Westminster, CO examined the effects of their conservation program on customer rates and found startling results

IT Workforce Trends: Implications for Curriculum and Hiring

At the 2007 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), panelists discussed a continuing research project about the current IT workforce and future trends, presenting the latest results of an international Web-based survey. The project is sponsored by the Society for Information Management (SIM) International Advocacy Program and consists of two phases. The initial phase was a study of workforce trends in IT client companies and was completed in 2006. IT executives from client firms say it is critical to own business and project management capabilities, and they especially value them in their mid-level hires. Technical capabilities are more likely to be externally sourced, but they are also sought in entry-level hires. The second phase is a study of trends in service provider companies and is ongoing. Our preliminary results indicate that provider firms also value project management and business domain capabilities over technical capabilities. In the panel, we compared the Phase 2 (provider) results to the Phase 1 results from client organizations and discussed the implications of the data for curriculum design, hiring and training practices

Comparative Analysis of Molecular Clouds in M31, M33 and the Milky Way

We present BIMA observations of a 2\arcmin field in the northeastern spiral arm of M31. In this region we find six giant molecular clouds that have a mean diameter of 57$\pm$13 pc, a mean velocity width of 6.5$\pm$1.2 \kms, and a mean molecular mass of 3.0 $\pm$ 1.6 $\times$ 10$^5$\Msun. The peak brightness temperature of these clouds ranges from 1.6--4.2 K. We compare these clouds to clouds in M33 observed by \citet{wilson90} using the OVRO millimeter array, and some cloud complexes in the Milky Way observed by \cite{dame01} using the CfA 1.2m telescope. In order to properly compare the single dish data to the spatially filtered interferometric data, we project several well-known Milky Way complexes to the distance of Andromeda and simulate their observation with the BIMA interferometer. We compare the simulated Milky Way clouds with the M31 and M33 data using the same cloud identification and analysis technique and find no significant differences in the cloud properties in all three galaxies. Thus we conclude that previous claims of differences in the molecular cloud properties between these galaxies may have been due to differences in the choice of cloud identification techniques. With the upcoming CARMA array, individual molecular clouds may be studied in a variety of nearby galaxies. With ALMA, comprehensive GMC studies will be feasible at least as far as the Virgo cluster. With these data, comparative studies of molecular clouds across galactic disks of all types and between different galaxy disks will be possible. Our results emphasize that interferometric observations combined with the use of a consistent cloud identification and analysis technique will be essential for such forthcoming studies that will compare GMCs in the Local Group galaxies to galaxies in the Virgo cluster.Comment: Accepted for Publication in the Astrophysical Journa