Investigating the use of podcasts to support basic and intermediary skills development, in excel, at undergraduate and foundation levels

Audio or video podcasts can offer students different ways of learning and can add value by providing access to learning materials ‘on the move’. This paper presents an initial investigation into the use of excel podcasts for undergraduate and foundation level students in different faculties at a single university. The podcasts were shown in lecture and seminar settings and uploaded to an online server for all students to access in their own time; either via a web browser or portable video player such as an iPod. Results for the on-going study were positive with the majority of students using them for developing their understanding of excel and exam revision. Students expressed an interest in having similar supplementary learning materials for other modules. Such conclusions drawn from this study highlight the need to investigate the use of podcasts further in the teaching and learning environment

The taste of togetherness.

The larvae of fruit flies produce pheromones to control whether they are attracted to others of the same species or whether they avoid members of a different species

Rhythmic constant pitch time stretching for digital audio

Constant pitch time stretching is not uncommon in audio editing software, however several issues arise when it is used on musical recordings, most notably the doubling and skipping of rhythmic transients. This paper examines three signal processing algorithms which are commonly used to provide constant pitch time stretching: these are SOLA (Synchronous Overlap and Add), TD-PSOLA (Time Domain Pitch Synchronous Overlap and Add), and Phase Vocoder. Enhancements to the SOLA and TD-PSOLA algorithms are provided which may make them more suited to rhythmic music. It is found that each of these three algorithms introduce audible artifacts in the time stretched waveform, the severity of these side effects and what causes them is also discussed

A Political History of Hawaii: Sovereignty and the future of Native self-determination

This project will examine the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement through a historical perspective. Beginning with the unification of the Hawaiian Islands, every major event leading to the modern day conflicts of Mauna Kea and Red Hill will be analyzed. The aim of this paper is to predict how the future prospects of Hawaiian Independence fair compared with the existential threats caused by American Hegemony. In doing so, topics such as the broader colonial debate, and native sovereignty are included in the conversation, in an attempt to see how the Hawaiian example stacks up in the broader decolonial discussion

Running to behavior change

Levels of overweight and obese individuals have been seen as rising across the globe. This has caused concerns with regard to how active individuals are and realization that a high percentage of the population do not meet the weekly requirement of physical activity. Current focus has been on the capabilities that new technologies can offer as an intervention technique. This paper offers an initial investigation into one such technology, namely the iPod Nike+ kit, which acts as a tracker for running behaviors. This scoping study was conducted via a questionnaire and analysis of customer reviews. Participants were assessed on their stage of change for physical activity behavior, based on the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM), before and after using the technology. The results from this study showed that the technology was received positively from those who used it and the predominant outcome was that individuals were more enthusiastic about running

The design, development and survey reaction to a normative form of clinically oriented optometric software

Software was written to aid the Doctor of Optometry in providing a more detailed, precise and time efficient form of case analysis (normative). A survey of practitioner opinion was also conducted (in DHSS Region X) to assess their value of this type of software and to solicit ideas on their needs. The survey results indicated a limited interest and application for case analysis programming and a much greater interest in business oriented software

What difference does dance make? Critical conversations across dance, physical activity and public health

Critical conversations concerning if and how dance ‘fits’ within current (dominant) discourse across physical activity (PA), public health (PH) and sport policy are presented here in the form of commentaries from a ‘collective’ research base and individual ‘worldviews’ that includes the director of an established community-based dance organisation, a local authority PH commissioner and three academic researchers (a sociologist, cultural geographer and technologist). Dynamic dialogue between all parties has been encouraged throughout the research process (January–December 2015). From our viewpoints, discursive differences and occasional disciplinary dilemmas are regarded as potentially knowledge producing. We share transcribed parts of our critical conversations to illustrate how evaluating dance as PA represents opportunities for challenging if not disrupting some discursive terrain, whilst concurrently being somewhat constrained by that terrain. Our broader research remit contributes to ongoing debates surrounding ‘what works’ in relation to PA. Our dynamic interactions are thus constitutive of and productive within wider circuits or discourses of policy and provision. Paradigmatic rivalry or epistemological ‘tensions’ may well be hindering attempts to demonstrate that dance does have positive impacts on health. Acknowledgement and engagement with these tensions can arguably inform policy and practice in effective and meaningful ways and contribute further to debates regarding an evidence base seeking to ‘prove’ the benefits of activity-based programmes and interventions as we look across PA, PH and sport

Changing eating behaviors through a cooking-based website for the whole family

This paper reports on the results of a study investigating how nutritional eating behaviors can be improved by presenting a cooking-based website for parents to use with their children. Participants' eating behaviors were closely monitored via questionnaires and food diaries. Results show that over the course of the study, children's willingness to consume fruit and vegetables had improved and they enjoyed participating in food preparation. This was supported by the participants' food diaries, which showed a statistically significant increase in the number of portions of fruit and vegetables consumed by both children and parents. An attempt was made to place participants in a stage of change before and after the study (Transtheoretical Model). This was flawed, however, due to inaccurate measurements and the short study duration. Overall, this study provides support for the use of educational websites, in particular a cooking website, to improve nutritional eating behaviors in children. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg