The appraisal of music talent of fourth grade children

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

HOPE: THE CORE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

The purpose of Hope: The Core of Social Justice, is to defend the role of hope in social justice movements. For those who are aware of or who face systematic oppression, the idea of having hope can seem ineffective or even detrimental to any progress in overcoming such systems. But, by clearly defining hope and analyzing its characteristics, one may find that the goal of hope and the goal of any social movement are nearly identical. Philosophical, theological, psychological, and historical references help to shine light on the limited conceptions many have of hope and to support the idea that social justice, and life itself, cannot be achieved without it. A true hope protects and motivates social progress and is therefore an integral component of every social justice movement

Audio description and Australian Television: A position paper

Audio description (AD) – also referred to as video description, video programming or descriptive video – is a track of narration included between the lines of dialogue which describes important visual elements of a television show, movie or performance. It is an essential feature in order to make television accessible to audiences who are blind or vision impaired. As the human rights of people with disability become more prioritised and expanding technologies allow an individualisation of the experience of television, AD is becoming increasingly available across the world. For example, from its rudimentary beginnings in Spain in the 1940s, to date AD is available through terrestrial broadcast television in the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Korea, Thailand, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and a number of other European countries. However, it is not available on Australian broadcast television, despite the federally funded agency Screen Australia having created a back catalogue of AD content. Screen Australia is the key funding body for the Australian film industry and according to several policy documents requires funded dramas to create an AD track. While producers may create these tracks, there is no mechanism to broadcast them on television. The Australian government and broadcast industry have stated that they believe it to be too technically complicated and financially prohibitive to offer here. This report outlines an AD position paper based on 5 years of research with Australian audiences with disability conducted by researchers in the Department of Internet Studies and the Critical Disability Research Network at Curtin University Australia. The report focuses in particular on the views of Australians with blindness and vision impairments who have taken part in these projects. The report is divided into three sections. Part 1 considers the broader context of the role of television in facilitating social inclusion, including the idea that television access is a fundamental human right. Part 2 considers the ways AD can be delivered, and begins with a brief history of AD, from its beginnings in the middle part of last century to the modern and innovative formats available today. The Big Access Media (BAM) app is presented as an immediate solution, and we argue the industry, especially the public Audio description position paper • page vii broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), utilise this app to immediately offer AD content to Australians. It will consider how standards, guidelines and legislation have shaped the AD industry worldwide and offer some common guidelines regarding principles, objectivity and voicing. The provision of AD in Australia is also discussed, specifically in relation to a similar accessibility issue – the provision of closed captions. The section concludes by providing case studies on two aspects of Australian media – the two ABC AD trials and the efforts of Screen Australia to increase AD content in this country. While the insights of blind and visually impaired audience members who require AD are featured throughout the report, Part 3 moves on to discuss these observations in more detail. This focuses on feedback from people regarding their access to television which had been carried out in two earlier research projects – this included 13 interview participants with vision impairment and a further 64 who participated in online surveys. Common themes that emerged included: § The importance of the public broadcaster. § Television being a social activity. § The feeling of exclusion – television is considered integral for inclusion. § Issues surrounding cost – the “economics of disability”. § Contradictory approaches to technology – some were willing to try new technology, others preferred older technology and were unwilling to upgrade. § The frustration that Australian content is audio described when exported overseas or released on DVD but is not available on local broadcast television. § Frustration with watching non-AD television content once AD has been experienced. The section concludes by also considering the potential benefits of AD to other audiences, including the elderly, people with intellectual disabilities and people whose first language is not English. The following recommendations are therefore proposed: § AD be made available on Australian free-to-air television either via terrestrial broadcast, catch-up portals or a dedicated app. § Any imported programming with an AD track created for international audiences must be licensed with the AD track for distribution in Australia. Audio description position paper • page viii § Further research is conducted to establish the mainstream benefits of AD and talking electronic programing guides (EPGs). The ways people consume media is constantly changing – if these formats and technologies can be embraced by the mainstream, disability inclusion will improve. § Regulation and standards introduced in the 1990s be brought up to date with the 21st century digital and online television environment: § The Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) 1992 should immediately be expanded to encompass television screened online; § Australian standards should be introduced to ensure set-top boxes can receive and display AD; § The BSA should be expanded to include AD. § The government needs to support people with disability to acquire digital literacy skills. Low income members of this group should also be supported financially to get online. § Innovation and competition in the business sector must be encouraged, for example to develop more apps to facilitate AD. § Screen Australia policy should be expanded to television drama in more explicit terms. § The public broadcasters should be supported to provide AD. § Australian licensing laws be relaxed to allow pubic broadcasters to continue airing shows on their catch-up portals with AD tracks even when they have moved to commercial or subscription channels. § Further audience research into the feasibility of synthetic voice systems be conducted to discover whether this is an acceptable interim or long-term solution to the provision of AD

Video on Demand for People with Disability: Traversing Terrestrial Borders

Within Australia, the approach taken to the ways in which disabled people access television is heavily influenced by legislation and activism from abroad. This is increasingly the case as television moves to online modes of distribution where physical and legislative boundaries are more fluid. While early investigations of the intersections between television and the concept of abroad focused on the impacts of representation and national reputation (Boddy), the introduction of new media technologies saw a shifting focus towards the impact and introduction of new media technologies. Drawing on Chan’s definition of media internationalisation as “the process by which the ownership, structure, production, distribution, or content of a country’s media is influenced by foreign media interests, culture and markets” (Chan 71), this article considers the impacts of legislative and advocacy efforts abroad on Australian television audiences with disabilities accessing subscription Video on Demand (VOD)..

Continuing to build community in qualitative research

YesThis short paper celebrates the tenth year Anniversary of QROM by highlighting the importance of continuing to build community and support for qualitative researchers across the world. It also elaborates the relationship between the journal and the biennial international Qualitative Research in Management conference. The paper aims to discuss these issues

Relationship Between Body Composition, Fitness, and Eating Behaviors and Markers of Metabolic Suppression in Exercising Men

Introduction: Chronic dieting can result in characteristic metabolic adaptations such as a suppression of resting metabolic rate (RMR). Previous research has focused on health outcomes related to metabolic suppression in female athletes, which include impaired menstrual and bone health. The study purpose was to assess the relationship between metabolic suppression and body composition, fitness, and eating behavior traits in exercising men. Approach: Cross-sectional study comparing exercising men who display evidence of metabolic suppression (MS) and a control group (Con). RMR was used as a surrogate marker of metabolic suppression. Results and Discussion: When compared to Con, MS had a higher body fat percentage (p=0.06), consumed more calories (p=0.04) and were in a positive energy balance (p=0.04), scored higher on eating behavior scales related to overeating such as uncontrolled eating (p=0.04), and had a higher incidence of injuries (p=0.03). Future long-term studies are needed to determine a) the underlying factors and b) the long-term risks associated with metabolic suppression

Relationship Between Body Composition, Fitness, and Eating Behaviors and Markers of Metabolic Suppression in Exercising Men

Introduction: Chronic dieting can result in characteristic metabolic adaptations such as a suppression of resting metabolic rate (RMR). Previous research has focused on health outcomes related to metabolic suppression in female athletes, which include impaired menstrual and bone health. The study purpose was to assess the relationship between metabolic suppression and body composition, fitness, and eating behavior traits in exercising men. Approach: Cross-sectional study comparing exercising men who display evidence of metabolic suppression (MS) and a control group (Con). RMR was used as a surrogate marker of metabolic suppression. Results and Discussion: When compared to Con, MS had a higher body fat percentage (p=0.06), consumed more calories (p=0.04) and were in a positive energy balance (p=0.04), scored higher on eating behavior scales related to overeating such as uncontrolled eating (p=0.04), and had a higher incidence of injuries (p=0.03). Future long-term studies are needed to determine a) the underlying factors and b) the long-term risks associated with metabolic suppression

Role of microRNAs in the age-associated decline of pancreatic beta cell function in rat islets

This is a freely-available open access publication. Please cite the published version which is available via the DOI link in this record.AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Ageing can lead to reduced insulin sensitivity and loss of pancreatic beta cell function, predisposing individuals to the development of diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of microRNAs (miRNAs) to age-associated beta cell dysfunction. METHODS: The global mRNA and miRNA profiles of 3- and 12-month-old rat islets were collected by microarray. The functional impact of age-associated differences in miRNA expression was investigated by mimicking the observed changes in primary beta cells from young animals. RESULTS: Beta cells from 12-month-old rats retained normal insulin content and secretion, but failed to proliferate in response to mitotic stimuli. The islets of these animals displayed modifications at the level of several miRNAs, including upregulation of miR-34a, miR-124a and miR-383, and downregulation of miR-130b and miR-181a. Computational analysis of the transcriptomic modifications observed in the islets of 12-month-old rats revealed that the differentially expressed genes were enriched for miR-34a and miR-181a targets. Indeed, the induction of miR-34a and reduction of miR-181a in the islets of young animals mimicked the impaired beta cell proliferation observed in old animals. mRNA coding for alpha-type platelet-derived growth factor receptor, which is critical for compensatory beta cell mass expansion, is directly inhibited by miR34a and is likely to be at least partly responsible for the effects of this miRNA. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Changes in the level of specific miRNAs that occur during ageing affect the proliferative capacity of beta cells. This might reduce their ability to expand under conditions of increased insulin demand, favouring the development of type 2 diabetes.Swiss National Science FoundationFondation Francophone pour la Recherche sur le DiabèteWellcome Trust Senior Investigator AwardMRC Programme GrantRoyal Society Wolfson Research Merit AwardWellcome Trust project gran