Extralimital Sighting of a Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, in Northeast Saskatchewan

The first documented occurrence of a Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) in northeastern Saskatchewan, 420 km from the western coast of Hudson Bay, is described. The bear was most likely a sub-adult male in fair condition, with respect to body fat. Early break-up of ice on Hudson Bay in the spring of 1999 may have contributed to this significant extralimital sighting

Participatory action research: challenging the dominant practice architectures of physical education

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyResearch shows that the dominant pedagogical practices of physical education are irrelevant to young people in the 21st century, and that physical education currently exists in a time of innovation without change. Subsequently, physical education as a curriculum subject is at risk of becoming extinct unless the 'talked' about pedagogical innovations that provide authentic, relevant and transferable learning experiences can become sustainable 'actioned' futures. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to explore how a pedagogical innovation, the Cooperative Learning model, could be used over an enduring period of time. Participatory action research (PAR) was used as the methodology to scaffold the inquiry and to support eight secondary school physical education teachers' learning and use of Cooperative Learning during an academic year. This thesis considers how PAR enabled teachers to break the dominant practice architectures of physical education and how PAR supported teachers‘ use of an emergent pedagogical approach within and beyond the honeymoon period of implementation. In other words, how PAR facilitated teachers' ability to work beyond the dominant pedagogical practices of physical education and the practices endorsed by the school as an institution. Furthermore, how PAR sustained teachers' engagement with, and use of, the Cooperative Learning model. Indeed, Cooperative Learning was firstly immersed within the milieu of the practice architectures. Yet through the use of PAR the teachers were motivated to move beyond the honeymoon period and began to use the model within, with and then against the mess of the practice architectures. Subsequently, Cooperative Learning was emerging as the dominant pedagogical approach. However, this only occurred for some teachers where social connectivity and an emerging community of practice were significant variables in sustaining and adapting the use of Cooperative Learning. The contribution to knowledge is therefore the methodological processes of how to move beyond dominant pedagogical practices and facilitate innovation with change. In order for a pedagogical innovation to become a sustainable 'actioned' future its use is context dependent and PAR facilitates its sustainability. Furthermore, teacher learning should be advanced and teachers should be encouraged to create communicative spaces with colleagues and researcher facilitators

Effects of deleting cannabinoid receptor-2 on mechanical and material properties of cortical and trabecular bone

Acknowledgements We thank Dr J.S. Gregory for assistance with Image J and Mr K. Mackenzie for assistance with Micro-CT analysis. Funding ABK was funded by a University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Sciences studentship and the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Mechanical and material properties of cortical and trabecular bone from cannabinoid receptor-1-null (Cnr1-/-) mice

Funding ABK was funded by a studentship from the University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Sciences, and the Overseas Research Students Awards Scheme Acknowledgments We are grateful to Dr J.S. Gregory for assistance with Image J and Mr K. Mackenzie for assistance with Micro-CT analysis.Peer reviewedPostprin

Can cooperative learning achieve the four learning outcomes of physical education? A review of literature

Physical learning, cognitive learning, social learning, and affective learning are positioned as the legitimate learning outcomes of physical education. It has been argued that these four learning outcomes go toward facilitating students’ engagement with the physically active life (Bailey et al., 2009; Kirk, 2013). With Cooperative Learning positioned as a pedagogical model capable of supporting these four learning outcomes (Dyson & Casey, 2012), the purpose of this review was to explore the empirical research in the use of Cooperative Learning in physical education reported on the achievement of learning in the physical, cognitive, social, and affective domains (or their equivalents). The review found that while learning occurred in all 4 domains, the predominant outcomes were reported in the physical, cognitive, and social domains. Affective learning was reported anecdotally, and it became clear that more work is required in this area. The article concludes by suggesting that research into the outcomes of this and other pedagogical models needs to focus on learning beyond the initial instructional unit and extend over a period of years and not just weeks

Balancing ion parameters and fluorocarbon chemical reactants for SiO2 pattern transfer control using fluorocarbon-based atomic layer etching

In manufacturing, etch profiles play a significant role in device patterning. Here, the authors present a study of the evolution of etch profiles of nanopatterned silicon oxide using a chromium hard mask and a CHF3/Ar atomic layer etching in a conventional inductively coupled plasma tool. The authors show the effect of substrate electrode temperature, chamber pressure, and electrode forward power on the etch profile evolution of nanopatterned silicon oxide. Chamber pressure has an especially significant role, with lower pressure leading to lower etch rates and higher pattern fidelity. The authors also find that at higher electrode forward power, the physical component of etching increases and more anisotropic etching is achieved. By carefully tuning the process parameters, the authors are able to find the best conditions to achieve aspect-ratio independent etching and high fidelity patterning, with an average sidewall angle of 87° ± 1.5° and undercut values as low as 3.7 ± 0.5% for five trench sizes ranging from 150 to 30 nm. Furthermore, they provide some guidelines to understand the impact of plasma parameters on plasma ion distribution and thus on the atomic layer etching process

Practice architectures and sustainable curriculum renewal

While there are numerous pedagogical innovations and varying forms of professional learning to support change, teachers rarely move beyond the initial implementation of new ideas and policies and few innovations reach the institutionalised stage. Building on both site ontologies and situated learning in communities of practice perspectives, this paper explores the theory of practice architectures to offer a different and legitimate perspective on sustainable curriculum renewal. Specifically, a practice architecture either enables or constrains particular practice and constitutes the construction of practice from semantic (e.g. language), social (e.g. power relations), and physical (e.g. materials) spaces. Through the juxtaposition of practice architectures with an empirical illustration of longer-term pedagogical change, the paper argues that for pedagogical change to be sustained a practice architecture that relates to an innovation’s intended learning outcomes and the contexts in which an innovation can be used needs to be created. Consequently, the theory of practice architectures can guide reform programmes. Curricularists can begin programmes with a pre-planned approach to assist, a) teachers’ understanding of how to use an innovation, and b) the deconstruction and reconstruction of practice architectures to support an innovation’s survival