Long-term observations of atmospheric CO2 and carbon isotopes at continental sites in Germany

A network for regional atmospheric CO2 observations had already been established in Germany by 1972, consisting of 5 stations with basically different characteristics: Westerland, a coastal station at the North Sea, 2 regional stations, Waldhof and Deuselbach, as well as 2 mountain stations, Brotjacklriegel at the eastern border of Germany and Schauinsland in the Black Forest. In addition to CO2 concentration observations, from 1977 onwards quasi-continuous 13CO2 and 14CO2 measurements were performed on samples from the Schauinsland site, and for the short period 1985-1988, 14CO2 measurements were also made on Westerland samples. CO2 data selection based on wind velocity allows for an estimate of the representative continental CO2 level over Europe. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the seasonal cycles and the German sites is shifted if compared to maritime background sites with the concentration maxima occuring already between beginning of February and beginning of April, the minima in August. The long-term mean CO2 increase rate in the last 20 years at Westerland and Schauinsland is 1.49 and 1.48 ppmv yr-1, respectively. The mean delta13C of the seasonal source CO2 at Schauinsland is calculated from unselected delta13C and CO2 data to be -25.1 permil. From the 14C observations in unselected CO2, we derive yearly mean fossil fuel contributions at Westerland of 4 ppmv, and at Schauinsland of only 2.5 ppmv. Based on the sesonality of the fossil fuel CO2 component at Schauinsland and on concurrently observed atmospheric 222Radon activities, we derive a seasonal amplitude of the fossil fuel CO2 source which is higher by a factor of 3 compared to emission estimates for Europe

Creating partnerships in suporting student learning: A paradigm shift in student learning support

The main focus of this paper is the creation of partnerships between learning development academics and curricula, faculty staff and the institution that seek to ensure students achieve at their potential. These partnerships are part of a paradigm shift in learning support that has replaced a remedial philosophy with a developmental philosophy. The paper also focuses on the value of these partnerships to curricula, discipline academics, faculties and the institution as well as to students. It highlights three issues: the creation of partnerships to ensure student learning; the benefits of these partnerships to learning across an institution; the benefits of these partnerships to teaching across an institution. Evaluation of the model and its partnerships has shown that: staff acquire a level of explanatory power about tertiary writing that allows them to rethink curriculum development and teach and assess skills as well as content; rich, inclusive curricula are produced that allow students to acquire skills quickly during the course of a semester; instruction can be integrated into core curricula across 3 or 4 year degree programs to ensure that degree programs produce quality graduates and that students progressively acquire the skills needed for success in the discipline; faculties can more easily teach and assess generic and professional skills within such a model; greater levels of student development in required skills are achieved than in a regular curriculum; significant development in generic and discipline-specific skills is achieved across the whole cohort of students within a subject; the institution is provided with an avenue for the development of both teaching and learning

Sulfur hexafluoride - A powerful new atmospheric tracer

Long-term observations of the atmospheric trace gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) at four background monitoring stations, Neumayer, Antarctica (1986-1994), Cape Grim, Tasmania (1978-1994), Izana, Canary Islands (1991-1994) and Alert, Canada (1993-1994) are presented. These data sets are supplemented by two meridional profiles collected over the Atlantic Ocean (1990 and 1993) and occasional observations at the regional site Fraserdale, Canada (1994). The analytical system and the method of SF6 calibration are described. Compared with data from Neumayer and Izana reported earlier, measurements are updated for all sites until the end of 1994 and the precision has improved by more than a factor of 2. With the Cape Grim archived air samples, the atmospheric SF6 chronology is extended by 8 more years back to 1978. For the period from January 1978 to December 1994 the data confirm a stable and unbroken quadratic rise in tropospheric SF6 from 0.50 to 3.11 ppt in the southern hemisphere and for July 1991 to December 1994 from 2.69 to 3.44 ppt in the northern hemisphere. The global mean tropospheric increase rate in late 1994 was 0.225 ppt/yr (6.9%/yr). The long term trend and interhemispheric gradients are due to industrial production and emission, rising approximately linearly with time and located predominantly (94%) in the northern hemisphere. The interhemispheric exchange time (1.7+/-0.2 yr) derived from SF6 ground level observations when using a two-box model of the atmosphere is considerably larger if compared to the exchange time derived from two- and three-dimensional models (1.1 yr). The chemical and biological inertness of SF6 up to stratospheric conditions results in an atmospheric lifetime of more than 800 years and makes SF6 a powerful tool for modelling transport processes in the atmosphere. Moreover, the tropospheric SF6 chronology is a very valuable input function for mixing studies in linked compartments like the stratosphere, the hydrosphere and the cryosphere

Integrating tertiary literacy into the curriculum: effects on performance and retention

Tertiary literacy instruction and assessment were introduced into two first year biology subjects as part of a collaboration between Biological Sciences and Learning Development staff at the University of Wollongong. In both subjects, the project focussed on scientific report assessment items based on aspects of the practical curriculum. The project involved production and use of a web site giving instruction in report writing and general guidance on scientific writing, marking schemes using explicit criteria including literacy based criteria, a peer marking tutorial, and marking and feedback using the schemes. The results from assessments in the second subject, which included the biology cohort but also a new cohort from another faculty, indicated improved literacy in those students who had received instruction in the first subject. Moreover, longitudinal data suggests that this benefit was translated into higher pass rates and greater retention rates for the students in these classes compared to others in the Faculty. While it is impossible to make a causal link between these pass and retention rates and the literacy instruction, the quantitative results and qualitative observations indicate the value of such an approach

Flexible delivery of communication skills to science students: a faculty-wide project

Science graduates need to be effective communicators. Improvement in communication skills may also improve general learning outcomes by enhancing critical thinking ability and understanding of the subject material. It is generally acknowledged that students acquire communication skills most effectively when they are explicitly taught and embedded within the science curriculum. Our faculty-wide project has developed a program that provides all science, engineering and technology students with appropriate instruction in discipline specific tertiary literacy skills. At the core of the project is a web-based resource that is accessible by all students and all academics of the faculty. This interactive instructional resource supports the development of academic writing skills, essay and report writing, and oral communication skills. The resource contains discipline-specific material that may be used by students individually or incorporated into classroom activities. The resource also contains teaching and assessment tools to help staff integrate communication skills into their own curriculum. The impact of the project upon learning outcomes for students across the faculty is being assessed throughout 2003. This paper describes the development of the resource, and illustrates ways in which it is being incorporated into teaching

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK

Background A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. Methods This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. Findings Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0–75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4–97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8–80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3–4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. Interpretation ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials

Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK.

BACKGROUND: A safe and efficacious vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), if deployed with high coverage, could contribute to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine in a pooled interim analysis of four trials. METHODS: This analysis includes data from four ongoing blinded, randomised, controlled trials done across the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Participants aged 18 years and older were randomly assigned (1:1) to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine or control (meningococcal group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccine or saline). Participants in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group received two doses containing 5 × 1010 viral particles (standard dose; SD/SD cohort); a subset in the UK trial received a half dose as their first dose (low dose) and a standard dose as their second dose (LD/SD cohort). The primary efficacy analysis included symptomatic COVID-19 in seronegative participants with a nucleic acid amplification test-positive swab more than 14 days after a second dose of vaccine. Participants were analysed according to treatment received, with data cutoff on Nov 4, 2020. Vaccine efficacy was calculated as 1 - relative risk derived from a robust Poisson regression model adjusted for age. Studies are registered at ISRCTN89951424 and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04324606, NCT04400838, and NCT04444674. FINDINGS: Between April 23 and Nov 4, 2020, 23 848 participants were enrolled and 11 636 participants (7548 in the UK, 4088 in Brazil) were included in the interim primary efficacy analysis. In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62·1% (95% CI 41·0-75·7; 27 [0·6%] of 4440 in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group vs71 [1·6%] of 4455 in the control group) and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90·0% (67·4-97·0; three [0·2%] of 1367 vs 30 [2·2%] of 1374; pinteraction=0·010). Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70·4% (95·8% CI 54·8-80·6; 30 [0·5%] of 5807 vs 101 [1·7%] of 5829). From 21 days after the first dose, there were ten cases hospitalised for COVID-19, all in the control arm; two were classified as severe COVID-19, including one death. There were 74 341 person-months of safety follow-up (median 3·4 months, IQR 1·3-4·8): 175 severe adverse events occurred in 168 participants, 84 events in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group and 91 in the control group. Three events were classified as possibly related to a vaccine: one in the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 group, one in the control group, and one in a participant who remains masked to group allocation. INTERPRETATION: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 has an acceptable safety profile and has been found to be efficacious against symptomatic COVID-19 in this interim analysis of ongoing clinical trials. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation, National Institutes for Health Research (NIHR), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lemann Foundation, Rede D'Or, Brava and Telles Foundation, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Thames Valley and South Midland's NIHR Clinical Research Network, and AstraZeneca

The IDEALL approach to Learning Development: a model for fostering improved literacy and learning outcomes for students

An increasingly accepted viewpoint in tertiary education today is that the diverse student population entering university at first year level requires support with the transition process from previous education contexts to that of tertiary education. While Learning Centres were initially developed to assist that transition, the support they offered was limited: it was remedial in the sense of \u27fixing-up\u27 the students who were diagnosed (either by themselves or their lecturers) as needing \u27help\u27; it was inequitable, assisting only a very small proportion of the students population; and it was generic in that the learning support was offered outside of the disciplines being studied

How do we know if students learn online? A case study of the deep integration of tertiary literacy and discipline-specific skills into a flexibly delivered first year subject

As universities globally move toward the flexible delivery of subjects and courses, the issue of how students learn from these modes is increasingly important for the design of these subjects. Using an action learning approach, this paper will show that this integration of learning skills into subject curriculum results in significant improvements in students’ skills levels. The main focus of the paper is to show that the conversion of subjects into flexible delivery allows a deeper level of integration of tertiary literacy instruction than is possible in campus based subjects. To explore this, the paper will present a case-study on the conversion of a core first year subject for the Bachelor of Commerce, MGMT110: Introduction to Management. This paper will outline the development and application of an online study guide that has been integrated into the flexibly delivered version of MGMT110, which includes the collaborative process between subject staff and Learning Development in the design of this subject for flexible delivery, discusses issues on the design and delivery of such integration, discusses evaluation techniques and results and poses further questions based on issues arising from the evaluation

The Unilearning project: online academic learning support

The Unilearning project has developed a website that provides students with academic writing and study skills instruction. The development of the website has involved partnerships in three key areas. These are: a partnership between teaching and technology, a partnership between teaching and learning, and a partnership between theory and practice