Didiman: Australian agricultural extension officers in the territory of Papua and New Guinea, 1945-1975

Historically, the development philosophy for the two Territories of Papua and New Guinea (known as TPNG, formerly two territories, Papua and New Guinea) was equated with economic development, with a focus on agricultural development. To achieve the modification or complete change in indigenous farming systems the Australian Government’s Department of External Territories adopted and utilised a programme based on agricultural extension. Prior to World War II, under Australian administration, the economic development of these two territories, as in many colonies of the time, was based on the institution of the plantation. Little was initiated in agriculture development for indigenous people. This changed after World War II to a rationale based on the promotion and advancement of primary industry, but also came to include indigenous farmers. To develop agriculture within a colony it was thought that a modification to, or in some cases the complete transformation of, existing farming systems was necessary to improve the material welfare of the population. It was also seen to be a guarantee for the future national interest of the sovereign state after independence was granted. The Didiman and Didimisis became the frontline, field operatives of this theoretical model of development. This thesis examines the Didiman’s field operations, the structural organisation of agricultural administration and the application of policy in the two territories

Cooperative Child Care for Rural Residents: The Experience from California

Over the past third of a century, Western welfare states have made policy shifts toward decentralization and privatization, and expected the private non-profit sector to take a larger role in addressing social welfare needs. In the US, welfare policies that focus on employment for the parents of young children, the large number of parents in the workforce, and inadequate child care services in rural communities combine to make the case for innovative child care strategies particularly compelling. This article reports the findings of a project that explored the feasibility of using cooperative models of child care to address the needs of rural communities in California. The project examined relevant literature and identified existing federal and state programs involved with child care for low-income families, as well as relevant funding sources for cooperative development. Interviews were conducted with those involved in low-income housing, early childhood development, welfare-to-work programs, and economic development in rural communities. Interviews also helped identify rural affordable housing developments and rural communities for specific feasibility studies. The findings of the project demonstrate compelling reasons that cooperative models of child care, especially the parent model, can offer effective strategies for expanding needed child care in rural communities.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,

Intra-accumbens baclofen, but not muscimol, increases second order instrumental responding for food reward in rats

Stimulation of either GABA(A) or GABA(B) receptors within the nucleus accumbens shell strongly enhances food intake in rats. However the effects of subtype-selective stimulation of GABA receptors on instrumental responses for food reward are less well characterized. Here we contrast the effects of the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol and GABA(B) receptor agonist baclofen on instrumental responding for food using a second order reinforcement schedule. Bilateral intra-accumbens administration of baclofen (220-440 pmol) stimulated responding but a higher dose (660 pmol) induced stereotyped oral behaviour that interfered with responding. Baclofen (220-660 pmol) also stimulated intake of freely available chow. Muscimol (220-660 pmol) was without effect on responding for food on this schedule but did stimulate intake of freely available chow. Unilateral administration of either baclofen or muscimol (220 pmol) induced similar patterns of c-fos immunoreactivity in several hypothalamic sites but differed in its induction in the central nucleus of the amygdala. We conclude that stimulation of GABA(A) or GABA(B) receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell of rats produces clearly distinguishable effects on operant responding for food

Acute hydrogen sulfide-induced neuropathology and neurological sequelae: challenges for translational neuroprotective research.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), the gas with the odor of rotten eggs, was formally discovered in 1777, over 239 years ago. For many years, it was considered an environmental pollutant and a health concern only in occupational settings. Recently, however, it was discovered that H2 S is produced endogenously and plays critical physiological roles as a gasotransmitter. Although at low physiological concentrations it is physiologically beneficial, exposure to high concentrations of H2 S is known to cause brain damage, leading to neurodegeneration and long-term neurological sequelae or death. Neurological sequelae include motor, behavioral, and cognitive deficits, which are incapacitating. Currently, there are concerns about accidental or malicious acute mass civilian exposure to H2 S. There is a major unmet need for an ideal neuroprotective treatment, for use in the field, in the event of mass civilian exposure to high H2 S concentrations. This review focuses on the neuropathology of high acute H2 S exposure, knowledge gaps, and the challenges associated with development of effective neuroprotective therapy to counteract H2 S-induced neurodegeneration

Pre-play Learning and the Preference Reversal Phenomenon

Elicited preference rankings for two lotteries are typically inconsistent in choice and price. We test whether pre-play learning makes preference rankings consistent. Pre-play learning denotes ex-ante lottery learning, where subjects observe playing lotteries before making decisions. We find that pre-play learning makes the average selling prices for the p-bet, of subjects who choose the p-bet, higher than their average selling prices for the $-bet. However, pre-play learning is not strong enough to equalize the rates of standard and non-standard reversals, although pre-play learning reduces the rate of standard reversals

The effects of light spectra on stress and behavior.

Modern Western culture has brought most of us indoors and away from extreme changes in temperature and weather, and perhaps more importantly, away from the sun. Nevertheless, the sun plays a critical role in our survival. Wurtman (1975) has summarized the known and crucial roles played by the sun in human biology. Sunlight acts on the skin to produce vitamin D which is essential for the development of a strong bone structure in children and equally essential for the maintenance of a healthy skeletal structure in the elderly. Sunlight is also known to activate and regulate many biological mechanisms such as the timing of biological clocks, endocrine control, immunologic responsiveness, sexual growth and development, stress and fatigue, and control of colds and infections

The Effects of the Use of a Self-monitoring Form on Achievement and Self-regulated Learning in a Developmental Mathematics Course

For most undergraduate degrees, students are required to fulfill a baseline of mathematics requirements. However, some students are not prepared to begin in a college-level mathematics course and must begin coursework in a developmental mathematics course. Therefore, identifying ways to increase the student success rate in developmental mathematics courses is an important issue faced by many post-secondary institutions. The purpose of this study was to investigate student use of a self-monitoring instrument when working online in a university developmental mathematics course, Intermediate Algebra, which blended online learning and face-to-face instruction. Comparisons of achievement on exams, self-regulated learning levels, and course grade were made between students using a self-monitoring instrument while working online and those that did not use this instrument. There were 661 students included in this semester-long study. There were three phases in this study. In Phase 1, students in the experimental group received the most intense treatment. Students were asked to complete a self-monitoring record form after every online assignment for a total of four times. During Phase 2, the treatment was moderate as students were asked to complete the online record form after every other online assignment for an additional two occurrences. In Phase 3 the treatment was removed and students were not required to complete any online record forms. All participants were asked to complete a questionnaire in class four different times throughout the semester to measure levels of self-regulation when working online. This study used a nonequivalent-control-group experimental design with repeated measures. ANCOVA results indicated that the experimental group as a whole performed slightly but statistically significantly better than the control group on two of the three unit assessments- the Unit 3 Exam which was completed at the end of Phase 2 and the Unit 4 Exam which was completed at the end of Phase 3. ANOVA revealed that during Phase 2, the experimental group as a whole had a small yet statistically significant increase in their level of self-regulation compared to the control group yet in Phase 3 those differences did not remain statistically significant. Positive correlations were identified between students’ composite score on the fourth measurement of levels of self-regulated learning and their final course grade as well as subscale scores, Goal Setting, Environment Structuring, Help Seeking, and Self-evaluation, and students’ final course grade

World Rabies Day - a decade of raising awareness

World Rabies Day was set up in 2007 to raise global awareness about rabies, to provide information on how to prevent the disease in at-risk communities and support advocacy for increased efforts in rabies control. It is held annually on September 28th, with events, media outreach and other initiatives carried out by individuals, professionals, organisations and governments from the local to the international level. The Global Alliance for Rabies Control coordinates World Rabies Day, amplifying the campaign's reach through the provision of a central event platform and resources to support events across the world, the promotion of messages through key rabies stakeholders, and the implementation of specific activities to highlight particular issues. Over the last decade, more than 1,700 registered events have been held across the world and shared with others in the global rabies community. Events in canine rabies endemic countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, have increased over time. Beyond the individual events, World Rabies Day has gained the support of governments and international agencies that recognise its value in supporting existing rabies control initiatives and advocating for improvements. As the rabies landscape has changed, World Rabies Day remains a general day of awareness but has also become an integral part of national, regional and global rabies elimination strategies. The global adoption of 2030 as the goal for the elimination of rabies as a public health threat has led to even greater opportunities for World Rabies Day to make a sustainable impact on rabies, by bringing the attention of policy makers and donors to the ongoing situation and elimination efforts in rabies-endemic countries