The LAST word on coaching as a stroke intervention?

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Review of the Supply of and Demand for Further Education in Scotland

These documents provide are an Executive Summary and Full Report of the background to, methodology for, and overall conclusions and recommendations of a review of the supply of and demand for Further Education (FE) provision in Scottish Further Education colleges in 2000. The review was commissioned by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC), and carried out between November 1999 and June 2000 by a team of researchers drawn from the Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU), the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning, Glasgow Caledonian University/University of Stirling, and the Applied Statistics Group, Napier University

Random forest prediction of Alzheimer's disease using pairwise selection from time series data

Time-dependent data collected in studies of Alzheimer's disease usually has missing and irregularly sampled data points. For this reason time series methods which assume regular sampling cannot be applied directly to the data without a pre-processing step. In this paper we use a machine learning method to learn the relationship between pairs of data points at different time separations. The input vector comprises a summary of the time series history and includes both demographic and non-time varying variables such as genetic data. The dataset used is from the 2017 TADPOLE grand challenge which aims to predict the onset of Alzheimer's disease using including demographic, physical and cognitive data. The challenge is a three-fold diagnosis classification into AD, MCI and control groups, the prediction of ADAS-13 score and the normalised ventricle volume. While the competition proceeds, forecasting methods may be compared using a leaderboard dataset selected from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and with standard metrics for measuring accuracy. For diagnosis, we find an mAUC of 0.82, and a classification accuracy of 0.73. The results show that the method is effective and comparable with other methods.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, 6 table

Arid rangeland degradation in an oil-rich gulf state; Inertia of perceived heritage and pro-agricultural policies

© 2010 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Over the last 35 years land management and farmer lifestyles have changed dramatically on the rangelands of the United Arab Emirates. The human relationship with rangelands has moved from subsistence to a secondary income or hobby. Both ecological health and indigenous knowledge of rangelands are in decline. Large areas of the inland desert of the country are rapidly becoming urbanized. This paper reviews threats to the 225 km2 Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR). Inland desert rangelands are threatened by groundwater depletion, habitat fragmentation, exotic species introductions and overgrazing. The paper argues that overgrazing is currently the most serious threat to the inland desert, reducing range species diversity, production and available forage. Reduction of stocking rates requires a revision of pro-agricultural policies and resolving the legal ambiguity surrounding common grazing lands. It can be reasonably expected that environmental attitudes will shift from anthropocentric to ecocentric over time, but a shift in cultural heritage perceptions may also be needed to reassert a balanced approach to rangeland management

Final report to the Higher Education Academy. managing connections: using e-learning tracking information to improve retention rates in higher education

The Final Report provides an outline of the research design, the findings and the recommendations which arose from the ‘Managing Connections: using e-learning tracking information to improve retention rates in higher education’ project, which was funded by the Higher Education Academy and Middlesex University between 2007 and 2008

Effects of camel grazing on the ecology of small perennial plants in the Dubai (UAE) inland desert

Camel grazing is recognized as a primary cause of ecological degradation in the UAE. A study of perennial plant species \u3c1 m in height was conducted along a fence separating continuously camel grazed land from land in which camels had been replaced by oryx and gazelle species for 5 years (Al Maha). Vegetation regeneration in Al Maha in the absence of camels was considerable on all substrates (gravel, stable sand, and semi-stable sand) but was greatest on the gravel substratum, indicating that ecology in this habitat is most at risk. Observed regeneration was primarily through vegetative reproduction and growth of existing plants, showing that existing species can tolerate heavy grazing. Therefore, an equilibrium grazing model of continuous and reversible vegetation dynamics is most suitable for management of this ecological zone. Species richness was greater in Al Maha due to the greater number of plants, but biodiversity was unaffected. There was some evidence of localized dune stabilization within Al Maha due to increased vegetative cover. Further recovery of vegetation within Al Maha is discussed. This study highlights the need for reduced grazing pressure throughout the Dubai inland desert, and in particular on gravel substrata. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

An exploration of perceptions of learning and e-learning held by students who withdraw and those who persist with UK higher education

This paper discusses the relationships that first-year students have with learning and with technology. Due to the lack of previous work linking e-learning with student retention, differences between ‘withdrawers’ and ‘persisters’ were explored. Data were collected using interviews and questionnaires and analysed using thematic analysis. Evidence of a deficit approach to e-learning appears to manifest itself in both groups and technologies that promote social interaction were primarily reserved for personal use rather than within an institutional context. Recommendations from this research include the need to learn how technologies promoting social interaction are used and incorporate lessons learnt into the design of e-learning experiences

Effects of camel versus oryx and gazelle grazing on the plant ecology of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve

Grazing of the Dubai inland desert has changed substantially over the last century, and particularly over the last three decades. Populations of oryx, ostriches and gazelles have been replaced by an increased camel herd, which is at least 2.5 times historical levels. Camel grazing patterns differ to smaller herbivores, affecting plant species composition. Camels are given supplementary feed, so their population is not limited by seasonal availability of vegetation. Desert plants face longer periods of heavy grazing from a larger camel population, and shorter periods for recovery. Plant chemical defenses may also be less effective from the different grazing regime. Although widely considered to be overgrazed, there is little information in the UAE on appropriate stocking levels for purposes of ecological sustainability or for maximizing pastoral production. The effect of grazing on vegetation was studied within the recently formed Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve (DDCR). Camel farms on the DDCR release camels during the day, allowing them to graze natural vegetation within the Reserve. It also contains an inner enclosure of five years in which camels were replaced by oryx and gazelles, separated by a 20 km fence. Fence line studies were made of (1) small (\u3c1m high) perennial plants, (2) seedling emergence during the winter of 2004/5, and (3) size and distribution of large shrubs (\u3c1m high). In addition, telephone surveys were conducted on DDCR farmers, and spatial distribution of trees was recorded. Heavy grazing in the DDCR has reduced the cover of small perennial plant species, reducing their capacity for annual forage production. The extent of overgrazing on gravel substrata was severe, but it was also significant on sand substrata. There was some evidence of localized dune stabilization in the camel exclosure, due to increased vegetation. Germination density of perennial species was greater in the camel exclosure, probably caused by higher seed production of the larger plants. Germination density of annual plant species was not affected by grazing, but was much greater in closer proximity to established small shrubs. No germination was observed to be associated with feces of camels, oryx, gazelle or dhub lizards (Uromastyx aegyptiaca). Plants reached reproductive maturity at a height of 10 cm or less. Large shrubs were differentially impacted by grazing systems. Calligonum comosum was devastated by camel grazing. Leptadenia pyrotechnica and Lycium schawii were substantially reduced in size, though their long term impact is not yet known. Two species benefited from heavy grazing; the large shrub Calotropis procera and the sedge Cyperus conglomeratus. Among trees, the regeneration of Prosopis cineraria appears to have been severely reduced by herbivory at the small shrub stage, but no evidence of effects on Acacia tortilis was recorded. Observed vegetation differences were primarily due to a greater level of grazing in the DDCR than the exclosure, but the ecological impact of camel grazing differs to that of oryx and gazelles. Rapid recovery within the camel exclosure indicates that plant species are well adapted to periods of heavy grazing, and ecological degradation in the DDCR is reversible. Nevertheless, complete recovery of plant species composition may take decades after a reduction of stocking rate. Recovery would benefit native wildlife, and also farmers by reducing their reliance of supplementary feed. Several options for reducing the impact of camel grazing are considered. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, London

Effects of camel grazing on density and species diversity of seedling emergence in the Dubai (UAE) inland desert

Germination in the arid rangelands of the UAE occurs as an \u27event\u27 following a mid-winter to spring rainfall. A fence line study of germination events was conducted in 2005 and 2006 to identify the response to differential grazing regimes. Fifty-six 1 m2 seedling plots were destructively sampled each season. Heavy grazing reduced species richness and diversity without significantly reducing seedling density. Both annual and perennial species were impacted, though the reduction in richness of annual species was less pronounced than the natural variation among locations. Direct grazing of seedlings is limited to a few weeks, due to the short annual plant life span. Reduction of perennial seedling density and species richness was likely caused by the reduced size of adult plants under grazing. Recruitment of perennial species could be affected by heavy grazing, leading to loss of habitat, though under moderate grazing levels this could easily be compensated by greater survival. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved