Evaluation of the whanau carers training programme delivered by LIFE Unlimited

In response to the needs of Maori informal carers, a training programme was developed for whanau carers in the Waikato region. It was delivered by LIFE Unlimited. It is a unique training programme in that it is community driven and focuses on informal caregivers who are Maori. The overarching aim of the whanau carers training programme is to provide increased training and support of informal carers. This report aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the whanau carers training programme, including: the unique nature of the programme, the critical success factors, the barriers to success if any, and suggested improvements. The report concludes the programme has had a positive and definite impact upon the whanau carers. The evaluation team observed that the overall programme works very well and fulfils its stated obligations to the Ministry of Health. The programmes are delivered well, and are well received by the client group

Introductory Problem Solving in Computer Science

This paper describes our experiences in devising a lightweight, informal methodology for problem solving in introductory, university level, computer science. We first describe the original context of the experiment and the background to the methodology. We then give the details of the steps of the Problem Solving Cycle - Understanding, Designing, Writing and Reviewing - and the lessons we learned about our teaching from devising the material. We also present practical examples of how it has been applied in a variety of units in our programme

Pharmacological properties of recombinant human GABAA receptors

GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate brain mediating its fast inhibitory action via GABAA receptors. This receptor is a hetero-oligomeric protein with the majority of receptors being composed of several distinct polypeptides (α,β,γ,δ,ε,θ,π,ρ). GABAA receptors are allosterically regulated by a large number of compounds, some of which are in clinical use as anxiolytic, sedative and antiepileptic agents. The aim of this study was to characterise the pharmacological properties of novel GABAA receptor subunits or mutated subunits and to examine, in detail, the pharmacology of specific allosteric modulators. Receptors containing the ϵ subunit and the mutated β2 subunit (β2L259S) exhibit a degree of constitutive-activity while still being sensitive to activation by GABA. α1β1ϵ receptors were not modulated by benzodiazepines, displayed intermediate sensitivity to Zn²⁺ (cf α1β1 and α1β1γ2s), were potentiated by the general anaesthetic agents, pentobarbitone (PB), propofol and etomidate and exhibited rapid desensitization kinetics. In contrast, α1β2L259Sγ2s receptors exhibited slow desensitization kinetics, increased sensitivity to GABA and GABA site agonists and were not modulated by various allosteric modulators. Studying the subtype selectivity of PB revealed distinct differences in the direct activation with α6β2γ2s receptors being significantly more sensitive and having greater efficacy than α1-5β2γ2s receptors. The EC₅₀ for the total modulatory effect of PB however was not influenced by the receptor subtype, unlike the efficacy which depended on the type of α subunit present within the αβγ receptor complex. Mutagenesis studies with the selective antagonist furosemide revealed that the β2/3 selectivity was due to Asn 265 within transmembrane domain (TM) 2, while a significant portion of the α6 selectivity was due to Ile 228 within TM1. The allosteric modulator tracazolate displayed opposing functional effects, with α1β1/3ϵ receptors being inhibited while α1β1/3γ2s receptors were potentiated. This study has therefore provided new information on the pharmacology of a number of allosteric modulators and receptor subtypes

Tennyson\u27s Debt to the Morte D\u27Arthur

Summary and critique of Alfred Lord Tennyson\u27s blank verse poem, “The Idylls of the King” with discussion of the credit due to Sir Thomas Mallory’s “Morte D’Arthur” which inspired Tennyson\u27s work

Villa Sylvia, 2020

'The Open Arms' is a virtual pub instigated by Sally O'Reilly in 2020. "'The Open Arms' unbolted its doors when all other pubs closed theirs. It is a focus for and record of locked-down conviviality. Dive in for a swift sharpener or settle down to a hearty session. Turn the music up or off, avoid anyone you don't like the look of. The place is yours. And better still - everything is on the house." 'Villa Sylvia' is one of a series of vignettes which, like a painting, is contained by its edges. Like a painting, one written tableau preserves its relationship to others. 'Villa Sylvia' is an excerpt from a larger in progress project, 'Near Witches', in which paintings are replaced with written stand alone scenes

Reforming the Global Food and Agriculture System: Towards a Questioning Agenda for the New Manifesto

In the face of the pressing challenges posed by hunger, malnutrition and the vulnerability of our food system, it is imperative that radical reforms to the food system are articulated and implemented. Questions about the governance of the current food system need to be posed and answered. Key issues that need to be addressed include the direction of innovation and technological choices, the distribution of costs and benefits amongst producers, consumers and our environment, and the diversity and characteristics of possible socio-technical pathways that could be lead to more sustainable and socially just food futures. This paper presents some ideas on what a comprehensive strategy for reforming the global food and agriculture system might look like, in light of those questions about directionality, distribution and diversity.ESR

Protecting key pedagogical features in the pivot to online hydrology learning at UWA

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid transition to online hydrology instruction at The University of Western Australia (UWA). Key requirements of this transition were to create supportive, inclusive online educational settings, and to maximize student engagement.  Here, we draw on experiences in four hydrology units to illustrate how we used a holistic approach spanning course structure, content delivery, active learning experiences and authentic assessment to protect these key pedagogical features during the transition to online learning.  Learning content that was streamlined, chunked and recorded facilitated effective student-paced learning. Structuring material to support a growth-mindset and providing varied active learning opportunities was also beneficial for establishing a constructive learning culture. Field and laboratory experiences were replaced with digital analogues and “virtual” site visits. While these have limitations for experiential learning, they are also able to span a broader range of conditions than can be physically visited or simulated in the lab. The outcomes in these units as measured by student engagement, enrolment and self-reported satisfaction were positive, with student evaluations remaining similar to those of pre-pandemic levels.  Previous interest in running flipped classrooms and familiarity with technology among instructors and students were helpful in enabling the transition.

The Youth in Service to Elders (YISTE) Program: A Case Study

The Youth In Service To Elders (YISTE) Program was developed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to meet some of the psychosocial needs of the frail elderly and young student volunteers. The objectives were to promote positive interactions between these groups, to improve the psychosocial well-being of the frail elderly, and to improve the student volunteers\u27 feelings about themselves and about aging. This paper describes the YISTE program and its evaluation. The program sequence was recruitment of youth and elders, training of youth participants, supervision of the youth and elder participants, recognition, and evaluation. Two distinctive features of the program were the involvement of a full-time YISTE coordinator and a comprehensive and structured program to train volunteers and their corresponding agencies. During the 1984/85 program year, 300 frail elders and 250 students interacted in a variety of environments and activities. The evaluations for the 1984/85 program year indicated that positive outcomes were obtained for both groups

Mothers of invention: an afterword

This paper offers a personal perspective on exchanges at the 2014 NIME panel entitled Gender, Education, Creativity in Digital Music and Sound Art, and also draws on discussion at the 2013 Oxford MusDig Gender Roundtable. Neither anachronistic institutional positions in a fast evolving cultural environment, nor opportunistic promotion of market-driven education programmes doomed to swift obsolescence, is likely to foster the diversity needed to sustain new creative energies in digital music and sound art. Class and race barriers are often indissociable from those that characterise gender discrimination, but this is not just a question of intersectionality. It also concerns thinking specifically about the gendered constructions of the objects and concepts we employ, and about the objectification of gender itself. This overview of a decidedly heterogeneous array of projects and initiatives endeavours to reflect our panel's emphasis on the imperative to uphold diversity and otherness