The emerging interventionists of the GCC

There is a shift occurring within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in which new regional leaders are emerging, buoyed by a decade of unprecedented wealth generation from the 2000s commodities boom and increased foreign investment. Specifically, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have emerged as activist states in their interest and willingness to intervene both militarily and financially in the politics of neighbouring Arab states. Contrary to their collective and individual foreign policies of the last 40 years, the GCC states have intervened in each other’s domestic politics and in the domestic politics and revolutions of the wider Middle East and North Africa region. While Saudi Arabia enjoyed a period of dominance among its Gulf Arab neighbours for many years, even occasionally threatening the borders of Qatar and the UAE, the prevailing policy of Gulf states has been non-interference and support for Arab leaders, as a principle of religion and politics. In essence, the evolving nature of interventionism in the GCC is moving away from Saudi dominance towards the emergence of new actors willing to engage in the region and on the international stage. We can trace this policy shift through the simultaneous yet separate evolution of domestic, regional and international political economy. This paper argues that shifts in leadership at the national levels have coincided with larger trends in the regional and international economy which have enabled different, yet both assertive, interventionist foreign policies to emerge from Qatar and the UAE. The result is a moment of financial and military interventionism unprecedented in Arab Gulf politics

Story Based Learning: A Student Centred Practice-Oriented Learning Strategy

Story based learning (SBL) has evolved as a way to promote quality in nursing education by assisting faculty to develop a student-centred learning environment. SBL is a teaching/learning strategy that also strengthens learners’ capacities to provide quality nursing care. Health professional education has been identified as a key contributor to advancing quality care. Key documents identify the pillars of quality health professional education as client–centred care, inter-professional education, teamwork and collaborative learning, knowledge mobilization and evidence-based practice, awareness of the limits of one’s knowledge as a foundation for reflective practice and life-long learning, and mastery of a field of practice. SBL incorporates elements of problem-based learning, case method teaching, and narrative pedagogy. The student-centred orientation of SBL aligns with the philosophical principles of client-centred nursing: respect for lived experience, participatory dialogue, and critical appraisal of health–related contexts. After providing an overview of SBL, we discuss the power of stories to engage learners in focused practice learning. We show how SBL sensitizes learners to: identify learning needs, develop information literacy, and recognize ethical, personal, interpersonal, and health team issues. We address how SBL fosters collaborative and participatory learning. Through a nursing lens learners using SBL identify a focus for nursing action, a process for negotiating nursing care, and appropriate nursing supports. The SBL process concludes with learners reflecting on what they have learned about learning and nursing. SBL is designed to develop in learners a habit of mind for clinical reasoning, reflective practice, and the delivery of quality nursing care. _________________ L’apprentissage au moyen de récits (AMR) est devenu une manière de favoriser la qualité de la formation en sciences infirmières en amenant le corps professoral à créer un environnement d’apprentissage centré sur l’étudiant(e). L’AMR est une stratégie d’enseignement et d’apprentissage qui renforce également les capacités des apprenants à offrir des soins infirmiers de qualité. La formation des professionnels de la santé constitue un élément essentiel pour l’amélioration de la qualité des soins. Les piliers d’une formation de qualité pour les professionnels de la santé ont été présentés dans des documents clés comme étant des soins centrés sur le client, une formation interprofessionnelle, un travail d’équipe et un apprentissage collaboratif , la mobilisation du savoir et la pratique fondée sur des résultats probants, la conscience des limites de son savoir comme fondement d’une pratique réflexive et d’un apprentissage continu, ainsi que la maîtrise d’un domaine de pratique. L’AMR intègre des éléments de l’apprentissage par problèmes, de la méthode d’ études de cas et de la pédagogie narrative. Le fait que l’AMR soit centré sur l’étudiant(e) cadre avec les principes philosophiques des soins infirmiers centrés sur le client : le respect de l’expérience vécue, le dialogue participatif et l’évaluation critique des contextes liés à la santé. Après avoir donné un aperçu de l’AMR, nous discutons du pouvoir des récits à engager les apprenants dans un apprentissage orienté vers la pratique. Nous présentons la manière dont l’AMR sensibilise les apprenants à identifier les besoins d’apprentissage, à développer une maîtrise de l’information et à reconnaître les questions éthiques, personnelles, interpersonnelles et liées à l’équipe de santé. Nous abordons la manière dont l’AMR favorise l’apprentissage collaboratif et participatif. À partir d’une perspective infirmière, les apprenants qui utilisent l’AMR déterminent une orientation pour l’intervention infirmière, un processus de négociation des soins infirmiers et les sources de soutien appropriées. Le processus d’AMR se termine en amenant les apprenants à réfléchir à ce qu’ils ont appris sur l’apprentissage et sur les sciences infirmières. L’AMR est conçu pour que les apprenants développent une habitude de la pensée pour le raisonnement clinique, la pratique réflexive et la prestation de soins infirmiers de qualité

Young Children’s Decisions to Include Peers with Physical Disabilities in Play

The authors examined factors related to preschool children’s reasoning about including a hypothetical peer with a physical disability in different play activities. They hypothesized that children’s inclusion decisions would be influenced by features of the physical environment, attention to issues of fairness and equity, and individual child characteristics. Participants comprised 72 children enrolled in inclusive preschool classrooms. Children’s ideas about inclusion and their inclusion decisions were gathered in response to vignettes reflecting experiences that children are likely to encounter in preschool. The authors found that children were significantly more likely to say that they would include a child with a physical disability in an activity requiring few motor skills. Children’s inclusion decisions were also significantly associated with their developing theory-of-mind skills and with prompts that encouraged them to consider issues of fairness and equity when making a decision. These results suggest that adaptations of planned activities that promote participation by reducing motor demands for all children, along with attention to issues of fairness and equity of opportunity, may be effective classroomwide interventions to support inclusion of children with disabilities in play activities with peers

Challenges to Disciplinary Knowing and Identity: Experiences of Scholars in a SoTL Development Program

Faculty members from five years of an annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) development program were invited to participate in a study about the impact of SoTL on their teaching, scholarship, and career trajectory. During semi-structured interviews, many expressed feeling discomfort during their journey into SoTL. A qualitative analysis using the constant comparison method showed that this discomfort was sometimes due to contrasts between SoTL and their discipline’s epistemology, as well as challenges to their identity as a teacher, researcher, and a colleague. We conclude with suggestions for how faculty development and multidisciplinary SoTL communities of practice can be planned and managed

Challenges to Disciplinary Knowing and Identity: Experiences of Scholars in a SoTL Development Program

Faculty members from five years of an annual Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) development program were invited to participate in a study about the impact of SoTL on their teaching, scholarship, and career trajectory. During semi-structured interviews, many expressed feeling discomfort during their journey into SoTL. A qualitative analysis using the constant comparison method showed that this discomfort was sometimes due to contrasts between SoTL and their discipline’s epistemology, as well as challenges to their identity as a teacher, researcher, and a colleague. We conclude with suggestions for how faculty development and multidisciplinary SoTL communities of practice can be planned and managed

How Behavior of Nontarget Species Affects Perceived Accuracy of Scat Detection Dog Surveys

Detection dogs, specially trained domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), have become a valuable, noninvasive, conservation tool because they remove the dependence of attracting species to a particular location. Further, detection dogs locate samples independent of appearance, composition, or visibility allowing researchers to collect large sets of unbiased samples that can be used in complex ecological queries. One question not fully addressed is why samples from nontarget species are inadvertently collected during detection dog surveys. While a common explanation has been incomplete handler or dog training, our study aimed to explore alternative explanations. Our trials demonstrate that a scat’s genetic profile can be altered by interactions of nontarget species with target scat via urine-marking, coprophagy, and moving scats with their mouths, all pathways to contamination by nontarget species’ DNA. Because detection dogs are trained to locate odor independent of masking, the collection of samples with a mixed olfactory profile (target and nontarget) is possible. These scats will likely have characteristics of target species’ scats and are therefore only discovered faulty once genetic results indicate a nontarget species. While the collection of nontarget scats will not impact research conclusions so long as samples are DNA tested, we suggest ways to minimize their collection and associated costs

Relating Linear and Volumetric Variables Through Body Scanning to Improve Human Interfaces in Space

Designing space suits and vehicles for the diverse human population present unique challenges for the methods of traditional anthropometry. Space suits are bulky and allow the operator to shift position within the suit and inhibit the ability to identify body landmarks. Limited suit sizing options also cause variability in fit and performance between similarly sized individuals. Space vehicles are restrictive in volume in both the fit and the ability to collect data. NASA's Anthropometric and Biomechanics Facility (ABF) has utilized 3D scanning to shift from traditional linear anthropometry to explore and examine volumetric capabilities to provide anthropometric solutions for design. Overall, the key goals are to improve the human-system performance and develop new processes to aid in the design and evaluation of space systems. Four case studies are presented that illustrate the shift from purely linear analyses to an augmented volumetric toolset to predict and analyze the human within the space suit and vehicle. The first case study involves the calculation of maximal head volume to estimate total free volume in the helmet for proper air exchange. Traditional linear measurements resulted in an inaccurate representation of the head shape, yet limited data exists for the determination of a large head volume. Steps were first taken to identify and classify a maximum head volume and the resulting comparisons to the estimate are presented in this paper. This study illustrates the gap between linear components of anthropometry and the need for overall volume metrics in order to provide solutions. A second case study examines the overlay of the space suit scans and components onto scanned individuals to quantify fit and clearance to aid in sizing the suit to the individual. Restrictions in space suit size availability present unique challenges to optimally fit the individual within a limited sizing range while maintaining performance. Quantification of the clearance and fit between similarly sized individuals is critical in providing a greater understanding of the human body's function within the suit. The third case study presented in this paper explores the development of a conformal seat pan using scanning techniques, and details the challenges of volumetric analyses that were overcome in order to develop a universal seat pan that can be utilized across the entire user population. The final case study explores expanding volumetric capabilities through generation of boundary manikins. Boundary manikins are representative individuals from the population of interest that represent the extremes of the population spectrum. The ABF developed a technique to take three-dimensional scans of individuals and manipulate the scans to reflect the boundary manikins' anthropometry. In essence, this process generates a representative three-dimensional scan of an individual from anthropometry, using another individual's scanned image. The results from this process can be used in design process modeling and initial suit sizing work as a three dimensional, realistic example of individuals from the population, maintaining the variability between and correlation to the relevant dimensions of interest

Stellar Hydrodynamics in Radiative Regions

We present an analysis of the response of a radiative region to waves generated by a convective region of the star; this wave treatment of the classical problem of ``overshooting'' gives extra mixing relative to the treatment traditionally used in stellar evolutionary codes. The interface between convectively stable and unstable regions is dynamic and nonspherical, so that the nonturbulent material is driven into motion, even in the absence of ``penetrative overshoot.'' These motions may be described by the theory of nonspherical stellar pulsations, and are related to motion measured by helioseismology. Multi-dimensional numerical simulations of convective flow show puzzling features which we explain by this simplified physical model. Gravity waves generated at the interface are dissipated, resulting in slow circulation and mixing seen outside the formal convection zone. The approach may be extended to deal with rotation and composition gradients. Tests of this description in the stellar evolution code TYCHO produce carbon stars on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), an isochrone age for the Hyades and three young clusters with lithium depletion ages from brown dwarfs, and lithium and beryllium depletion consistent with observations of the Hyades and Pleiades, all without tuning parameters. The insight into the different contributions of rotational and hydrodynamic mixing processes could have important implications for realistic simulation of supernovae and other questions in stellar evolution.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, accepted to the Astrophysical Journa

Climate Change and Biosphere Response: Unlocking the Collections Vault

Natural history collections (NHCs) are an important source of the long-term data needed to understand how biota respond to ongoing anthropogenic climate change. These include taxon occurrence data for ecological modeling, as well as information that can be used to reconstruct mechanisms through which biota respond to changing climates. The full potential of NHCs for climate change research cannot be fully realized until high-quality data sets are conveniently accessible for research, but this requires that higher priority be placed on digitizing the holdings most useful for climate change research (e.g., whole-biota studies, time series, records of intensively sampled common taxa). Natural history collections must not neglect the proliferation of new information from efforts to understand how present-day ecosystems are responding to environmental change. These new directions require a strategic realignment for many NHC holders to complement their existing focus on taxonomy and systematics. To set these new priorities, we need strong partnerships between NHC holders and global change biologists