A project management module for virtual teaching

This paper presents design and results of the pilot deliveries of an on-line project management module. The module was part of the First Cycle Degree strand of the European Union funded GENIUS project. The scope and structure of the project management knowledge and competency domain was analysed using a process of decomposition and graphical representation using concept maps. A number of perspective views of the domain emerged which were mapped and analysed to determine a web resource structure and cross-linking methodology. The on-line delivery strategy was positioned on the technological dependency / pedagogical intent space in sympathy with the underlying pedagogical theories employed and the overall learning objectives. The two pilot deliveries demonstrated, qualitatively and, in a limited way quantitatively, that the resource and pedagogical approach were liked by the students and achieved the stated learning objectives and the desired project objectives of the First Cycle Degree strand of the GENIUS project.

IHO S-100: The New Hydrographic Geospatial Standard for Marine Data and Information

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental consultative and technical organization established in 1921 to support the safety of navigation, and to contribute to the protection of the marine environment. One of its primary roles is to establish and maintain appropriate standards to assist in the proper and efficient use of hydrographic data and information. This paper describes the new IHO Geospatial Standard for Hydrographic Data to be known as S-100, together with the Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII) that is in the course of development and implementation by the IHO. In both cases, details have yet to be finalised – for example, the first draft of S-100 – IHO Geospatial Standard for Hydrographic Data was only released for stakeholder comment in March 2008 and S-100 is not expected to be an active standard until at least 2009 or 2010. Nevertheless, the concepts and supporting organisational framework behind the GII are already beginning to take shape. The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to what is happening and thereby promote comment and the active involvement of both existing and potential stakeholders in the development and implementation of both the IHO GII and S-100

Night fever

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Outcomes following childhood head injury : a population study

Objectives: To identify outcomes following head injury (HI) amongst a population of children admitted to one hospital centre and compare outcomes between different severity groups. Methods:A postal follow-up of children admitted with HI to one NHS Trust, between 1992-1998, was carried out. Children were aged 5-15 years at injury (mean 9.8), followed-up at a mean of 2.2 years post-injury. Parents of 526 injured children (419 mild, 58 moderate, 49 severe) and 45 controls completed questionnaires. Outcomes were assessed using the King’s Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury (KOSCHI). Results:Frequent behavioural, emotional, memory and attentional problems were reported by one third of the severe group, one quarter of the moderate, and 10-18% of the mild. Personality change since HI was reported for 148 children (28%) (21% mild HI, 46% moderate, 69% severe). There was a significant relationship between injury severity and KOSCHI outcomes. Following the HI, 252(48%) had moderate disability (43% mild HI, 64% moderate, 69% severe), 270(51%) made a good recovery (57% mild HI, 36% moderate, 22% severe). There was a significant association between social deprivation and poor outcome (p=0.002). Only 30%(158) of children received hospital follow-up after the HI. All children with severe disability received appropriate follow-up, but 64% of children with moderate disability received none. No evidence was found to suggest a threshold of injury severity below which the risk of late sequelae could be safely discounted. Conclusions:Children admitted with mild HI may be at risk of poor outcomes, but often do not receive routine hospital follow-up. A postal questionnaire combined with the KOSCHI to assess outcomes after HI may be used to identify children who would benefit from clinical assessment. Further research is needed to identify factors which place children with mild HI at risk of late morbidity

Return to school after brain injury

Objective: To examine return to school and classroom performance following traumatic brain injury (TBI) Design: Cross-sectional Setting: Community Subjects: 67 school-age children with TBI (35 mild, 13 moderate, 19 severe), and 14 uninjured matched controls. Interventions: Parents and children were interviewed and children assessed at a mean of two years post injury. Teachers reported on academic performance and educational needs. Main measures: Classroom performance, Children’s Memory Scale (CMS), WISC-III, WORD. Results: One third of teachers were unaware of the TBI. On return to school, special arrangements were made for 18 children (27%). Special educational needs were identified for 16 (24%), but only six children (9%) received specialist help. Two-thirds of children with TBI had difficulties with school-work, half had attention/concentration problems and 26 (39%) had memory problems. Compared to other pupils in the class, one third of children with TBI were performing below average. On the CMS, one third of the severe group were impaired/borderline for immediate and delayed recall of verbal material, and over one quarter were impaired/borderline for general memory. Children in the severe group had a mean full-scale IQ significantly lower than controls. Half the TBI group had a reading age ≥1 year below their chronological age, one third were reading ≥2 years below chronological age. Conclusions: Schools rely on parents to inform them about a TBI, and rarely receive information on possible long-term sequelae. At hospital discharge, health professionals should provide schools with information about TBI and possible long-term impairments, so that children returning to school receive appropriate support

Parental stress and burden following traumatic brain injury amongst children and adolescents

Primary objectives: to assess parental stress following paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) and examine the relationship between self-reported problems and parental stress and general health. Research design: controlled interview study Methods and procedures: Parents of ninety-seven children admitted with a TBI (49 mild, 19 moderate, 29 severe) were identified from a case register of all paediatric admissions from 1992-1998. Parents of 31 uninjured children acted as controls. Structured interviews were carried out with families, and parents assessed on the Parenting Stress Index (PSI/SF) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) at recruitment, and repeated 12 months later. Main outcomes and results: regardless of injury severity, parents of injured children suffered greater stress than control parents as measured by the PSI/SF (p = 0.001). There was a highly significant relationship between number of problems reported and level of parental stress (p = 0.001). Financial burden was related to severity of TBI. Conclusions: improved information, follow-up, and support is likely to reduce parental stress and family burden

Children's brain injury : a postal follow-up of 525 children from one health region in the UK

Primary objectives: to follow-up a population of children admitted to one Hospital Trust with traumatic brain injury (TBI), and compare outcomes following mild TBI with outcomes following moderate or severe TBI. Research design: population-based postal questionnaire survey. Methods and procedures: questionnaires were mailed to parents of all 974 surviving children on a register of paediatric TBI admissions, 525 completed questionnaires were returned (56.2%). Most children (419) had suffered mild TBI, 57 moderate, and 49 severe. Main outcomes and results: Thirty percent of parents received no information on post-injury symptoms, and clinical follow-up was limited. Statistically significant differences were observed between mild and moderate/severe groups for cognitive, social, emotional, and mobility problems. Nevertheless, approximately 20% of the mild group suffered from poor concentration, personality change, and educational problems post-injury. Few schools (20%) made special provision for children returning after injury. Conclusions: children can have long lasting and wide ranging sequelae following TBI. Information should be routinely given to parents and schools after brain injury

A chemoenzymatic route to the (+)-form of the amaryllidaceae alkaloid narseronine

The enzymatically derived and enantiopure cis-1,2-dihydrocatechol 1 has been converted, over 14 one-pot operations, into the (+)-form of the alkaloid narseronine (2). The present study, which complements earlier work that established a route from metabolite 1 to enantiomer (–)-2, involves an N-bromosuccinimide/tri-n-butyltin hydride-mediated cyclisation reaction to construct the unsaturated B-ring lactone of the target compound.We thank the Australian Research Council and the Institute of Advanced Studies for generous financial support

Society and the suppression of vice: The sociology of moral indignation

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This study is an exploration of the nature and formation of moral sentiments concerning what constitutes deviance and how deviants should be treated. These sentiments establish the general climate of moral tolerance or intolerance within which reactions to particular instances of deviance take shape. The study is based upon the assumption that differences between people in terms of such moral sentiments reflect further differences in other areas of their lives, in the roles in which they find themselves and the distinctive ideologies to they adhere. The thesis starts from an examination of the work undertaken in this area by Ranulf in developing his theory of moral indignation. This holds that a repressive morality embracing hostility towards hedonism and punitiveness towards deviants is characteristic of the lower middle class as the indirect result of the restraints forced upon its members by their position in the class structure. The present thesis employs the critical appraisal of Ranulf's theory as an opportunity to draw together evidence which serves as a means of elaborating a more comprehensive theory of moral indignation. This evidence is culled from the examination of a number of studies taken from the fields of sociology, social psychology and social anthropology. A study of three "moral crusades" - the Responsible Society, the Nationwide Festival of Light, and the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association – is undertaken to investigate the nature of moral indignation in a contemporary setting. The study concludes by setting forth an explanation of the nature and origin of moral authoritarianism as the product of social constraints

Cognitive Factors and Parasympathetic Regulation as Interacting Mechanisms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in childhood, and yet, the causal mechanisms of the disorder remain unclear. Deficits in attention regulation, inhibition, and working memory are frequently proposed as core mechanisms of ADHD, but these deficits are highly heterogeneous at the individual level, which hampers advances in understanding the etiology of the disorder. Recent research has shown that parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) regulation is linked to cognitive function and emotion regulation; atypical PNS regulation is associated with problems in these domains as well as higher risk for psychopathology overall. This dissertation examined aspects of attention, response inhibition, and working memory, as well as PNS regulation and reactivity, in a sample of children both with and without ADHD; between-groups comparisons were conducted using ANCOVA, as well as examining associations with a continuous measure of ADHD symptom severity using multiple regression. Furthermore, the possible moderating effect of PNS reactivity on the association between each cognitive domain and ADHD was evaluated. Children with ADHD exhibited significantly poorer performance on tests of attention, response inhibition, and attentional regulation. PNS regulation at rest was also significantly reduced among ADHD youth compared to typically developing peers. In addition, there was a consistent moderating effect of PNS reactivity on the continuous associations between each cognitive domain and inattention symptom severity. The possible relevance of these findings is discussed with respect to multiple pathway and additive models of ADHD development, as well as cognitive-energetic etiological models which hypothesize deficits in broad regulatory capacities which cascade into executive functioning difficulties. Future directions are also noted and include the need to examine similar interactions within a longitudinal design, and the need to describe the role of PNS regulation in the development of ADHD in greater detail