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This paper describes an initiative commenced in Semester 1 2012 in a small rural town in Queensland, Australia, to address the high level of attrition experienced by tertiary bridging students studying by distance in regional areas. It was hypothesised that the attrition was caused by a lack of social and academic integration into the program. The initiative involved the conducting of face-to-face teaching and a study group on a weekly basis at a partner institution. The collaboration between the university, the local partner institution and representatives of local government and community organisations involved in identifying potential students and supporting those students once enrolled is described. The major findings of the initiative to date relate to the high incidence of a change in the circumstances of students which challenged continued attendance in the bridging program, the difficulties of distance students in relation to the administrative requirements of the university and the challenges associated with the completion of a high volume of assessment in the early transition weeks of the semester. The primary relevance the initiative has for providers of distance tertiary bridging programs relates to the lack of support that distance students have when experiencing these challenges.

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) can be used to characterize a woodland site by measuring structural attributes of the vegetation community. In Australia, government funded programs monitor vegetation structure using manual field surveys to assess change and ecological condition. In this study, we examined whether structural attributes commonly assessed in woodland ecology surveys can be extracted from a single TLS scan. Attributes of the ground, shrub and overstory vegetation layers were evaluated at nine open woodland sites in central Western Queensland. We used 0.1 m voxels to aggregate returns. Our results show that, compared with field assessment by highly experienced ecologists, TLS can rapidly characterize structural attributes for tree canopy cover, maximum tree height, average tree height (R² > 0.9) and average diameter at breast height (R² = 0.77). However, we could not accurately determine shrub height, shrub canopy cover, shrub average height, ground cover (grass, litter and coarse woody debris) or the number of trees per hectare (R² 0.9) and average diameter at breast height (R² = 0.77). However, we could not accurately determine shrub height, shrub canopy cover, shrub average height, ground cover (grass, litter and coarse woody debris) or the number of trees per hectare (R²

In this short report we explore the predictive nature of finger digit ratio (i.e., second/index finger length divided by fourth/ring finger length; 2D:4D) and achievement. This research, with niche and specialized populations, was intended to support and grow on knowledge obtained from other large population 2D:4D studies and help form a directional hypothesis for future work exploring finger digit ratio and "success." Twenty-nine professional rugby players aged 25.1 ± 4.2 years, height 185.2 ± 6.3 cm and weight 101.9 ± 11.8 kg; n = 16 orthopedic surgeons aged 55.3 ± 9.3 years with height 183.8 ± 10.2 cm and weight 90.8 ± 14.0 kg; and n = 18 political journalists with age, height and weight of 38.8 ± 7.3 years, 182.8 ± 7.8 cm, and 84.4 ± 11.4 kg, respectively, were recruited. Three experiments were conducted where we (1) explored relationships for 2D:4D with testosterone and cortisol responsiveness to low stress exercise, (2) explored relationships for 2D:4D with pupil constriction and pupil constriction latency (pupillometry measures related to testosterone and cortisol responsiveness and to attentiveness), and (3) compared 2D:4D between rugby players, surgeons, and journalists. Our results revealed 2D:4D was not predictive of testosterone and cortisol responsiveness to low-level exercise stress. However, relationships exist for 2D:4D and pupillometry measures (p p

Background: The primary aim of our systematic scoping review was to explore the factors influencing team function and performance across various industries and discuss findings in the context of the high-performance sport support team setting. These outcomes may also be used to inform future research into high-performance teamwork in sport. Methods: A systematic scoping review of literature published in English since 2000 reporting team-based performance outcomes and included a performance metric that was 'team outcome based' was conducted using search of the Academic Search Ultimate, Medline, Business Source Ultimate, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Military database (ProQuest) using the terms: 'team', 'function' OR 'dysfunction', 'Perform*' OR 'outcome'. Results: Application of the search strategy identified a total of 11,735 articles for title and abstract review. Seventy-three articles were selected for full-text assessment with the aim to extract data for either quantitative or qualitative analysis. Forty-six of the 73 articles met our inclusion criteria; 27 articles were excluded as they did not report a performance metric. Eleven studies explored leadership roles and styles on team performance, three studies associated performance feedback to team performance, and 12 studies explored the relationship between supportive behaviour and performance. Team orientation and adaptability as key figures of team performance outcomes were explored in 20 studies. Conclusions: Our findings identified 4 key variables that were associated with team function and performance across a variety of industries; (i) leadership styles, (ii) supportive team behaviour, (iii) communication, and (iv) performance feedback. High-performance teams wishing to improve performance should examine these factors within their team and its environment. It is widely acknowledged that the dynamics of team function is important for outcomes in high-performance sport, yet there is little evidence to provide guidance. This inequality between ...

Over the past few decades, many countries have issued legislation for risk based management of contaminated soils, sediments and water. Establishing appropriate guidelines for risk based management of antimony contaminated environments is of great importance due to its toxicological properties. Antimony (Sb) is a toxic metalloid with a wide range of industrial applications that can cause adverse effects on natural ecosystems and human health. There are numerous soil and water national and international toxicity guidelines, legislation and clean up target values for evaluating the risks and health hazards associated with Sb contaminated soils and water. Although they are not accurate definitive indices of environmental hazards, they can be used as a surrogate tool for estimating harmful effects of contaminants. In this summary report, five common soil and sediment toxicity guidelines set by the USA, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Finland as well as some of water toxicity guidelines and their derivation methods are compared. There are, however, substantial variations between toxicity threshold values due to the different scientific bases, software models and ecotoxicological criteria used for developing these guidelines. It is evident from the literature that site specific factors e.g. redox potential, pH and ageing may greatly affect the environmental availability of Sb. Hence, establishing universally acceptable regulatory guidelines and toxicity essays with an array of bioavailability based approach and site specific considerations would greatly improve the reliability and robustness of the current techniques used for environmental management and remediation of contaminated soils.

Image data is one of the primary sources of ecological data used in biodiversity conservation and management worldwide. However, classifying and interpreting large numbers of images is time and resource expensive, particularly in the context of camera trapping. Deep learning models have been used to achieve this task but are often not suited to specific applications due to their inability to generalise to new environments and inconsistent performance. Models need to be developed for specific species cohorts and environments, but the technical skills required to achieve this are a key barrier to the accessibility of this technology to ecologists. Thus, there is a strong need to democratize access to deep learning technologies by providing an easy-to-use software application allowing non-technical users to train custom object detectors. U-Infuse addresses this issue by providing ecologists with the ability to train customised models using publicly available images and/or their own images without specific technical expertise. Auto-annotation and annotation editing functionalities minimize the constraints of manually annotating and pre-processing large numbers of images. U-Infuse is a free and open-source software solution that supports both multiclass and single class training and object detection, allowing ecologists to access deep learning technologies usually only available to computer scientists, on their own device, customised for their application, without sharing intellectual property or sensitive data. It provides ecological practitioners with the ability to (i) easily achieve object detection within a user-friendly GUI, generating a species distribution report, and other useful statistics, (ii) custom train deep learning models using publicly available and custom training data, (iii) achieve supervised auto-annotation of images for further training, with the benefit of editing annotations to ensure quality datasets. Broad adoption of U-Infuse by ecological practitioners will improve ecological image ...

The project, Bite size maths: Building mathematics low socioeconomic student capability in regional/remote Australia, establishes the foundations for a change in the way that online education is offered to low socioeconomic students in regional/remote Australia. The Bite size maths project is a $140,000 project funded in 2016 through the Department of Education and Training (DET) as part of the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme (HEPPP) 2015 National Priorities Pool. The Bite size maths project has delivered an innovative set of interactive modules (as an online learning system) that can be used singly or linked together in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC—http://www.bitesizemaths.net). The 20 interactive modules developed within the project provide a foundation for improvements in mathematics education across the higher education sector as well as throughout the school system in regional/remote Australia. The use of self-paced learning in the form of guided instruction and opportunities for practice have the potential to profoundly impact on the learning experiences of undergraduate students who have little or no experience in mathematics. Mathematics forms the core of multiple course structures at universities, and previous research emphasises the importance of engaging undergraduate students in building a strong mathematics foundation. This is particularly the case in regional/remote Australia where universities, like those in the Regional Universities Network (RUN), focus particularly on professional careers, such as education and health care, that require mathematical competencies. Contemporary students need to be both proficient in and comfortable with mathematics, so as to bridge the gap between curriculum and understanding the mathematics that is required in such careers. The Bite size maths project showed, for the first time, that a MOOC can be designed on the basis of studies of human cognitive architecture, in this case the principles and effects of cognitive load theory. Development and trials of five modules demonstrated that the combination of worked examples and practice questions (the worked example effect in cognitive load theory) makes a significant difference to test results of students who have little experience in mathematics. After the initial trials, a MOOC (comprised of 20 interactive modules) was built incorporating a number of improvements and innovations. These included other cognitive load effects, as well as point-of-contact feedback. This is the first time that point-of-contact feedback developed at SCU has been used as part of a MOOC. This feedback serves to let students know about their learning approaches, provides guidance on appropriate learning styles, and allows feedback from the students on how well the MOOC facilitated their learning. The end result is a set of integrated resources that can be embedded in undergraduate mathematics units as interactive modules or as a MOOC. The interactive modules in the MOOC offer course-based resources that are designed to allow students to tackle 'bite-size chunks' of the coursework mathematics in which they must develop expertise. The MOOC offers a self-paced introduction to key features of undergraduate mathematics, and is adaptive in that it also offers continual graded assessment and point-of-contact feedback. The content of the modules is based on the literature, as well as on a dedicat students. Many of these students have had less experience in mathematics than their urban counterparts. Furthermore, there is a broad range of mathematical capabilities within this group. As one of the 21 projects funded under the HEPPP 2015 National Priorities Pool, Bite size maths addresses the HEPPP Priority Funding Area, "More effective programme implementation". The Bite size maths project facilitates more equitable and effective program delivery via a mathematics intervention resource that caters for the wide range of student abilities and economic circumstances evident in the education sector in regional/remote areas. In so doing, the Bite size maths project targets low socioeconomic students who are at particular disadvantage, and provides modules that build student expertise and confidence. Commonwealth and State governments, via the National STEM School Education Strategy (Education Council, 2015) have mandated increased emphasis on science and mathematics in pre-service teaching and increased rigour of pre-service courses. This project will assist not only education students, but also those in other courses that require mathematics skills. It provides higher education teachers, senior managers and policy advisors with a tested approach to support significant long-term improvements in the quality of mathematics learning in universities. Importantly, the Bite size maths project offers: • A new vision of the way that mathematics can be learned in online settings and how this can be integrated in the preparation of graduates with mathematics capabilities suited to their professions, and • A mechanism for university teachers to grow the mathematics capability of their students. Successful take-up of the interactive modules or the MOOC requires: • Leadership, clarity of purpose and influence whereby the Bite size maths partners champion the mathematics MOOC at regional and national levels • Strong collaborative relationships between RUN partners to be nurtured and strengthened • Planning for 2017 trials and subsequent roll-out of the interactive modules or the MOOC • Communication about the resource to mathematics students at risk of failure, university mathematics teachers, staff in other disciplines, senior management teams at tertiary institutions, educational policy makers and other senior government strategists • Review of institutional protocols around enrolment, pre-requisites, course accreditation and assessment in order to successfully embed the interactive modules and the MOOC • Resourcing for trials, development and embedding of the interactive modules in mathematics units • Mentoring mechanisms such as workshops for university educators and a website for feedback/support, and • Promotion of the modules and the MOOC by the Department of Education and Training as a means of improving the mathematical capabilities of low socioeconomic or otherwise disadvantaged students at regional/rural universities. This report presents the four main components of the project: • Reviewing undergraduate mathematics in regional/rural Australia (identification of at- risk students, overview of intervention processes and identification of major issues) • Developing and trialling of five online learning system modules • Developing 20 interactive modules that comprise the MOOC, using feedback from the trial • Reporting on the potential of the MOOC as a resource for use in the university sector.

This article outlines a structured investigative activity for students in lower secondary school. It was developed for the Australian Mathematics and Science Partnership Programme, a government initiative intended to promote the employment of more hands-on investigations in secondary science within Australian schools. The investigation focuses on water purification and is intended to develop conceptual knowledge of this topic and also high-level skills such as experimental design, particularly in relation to identifying and controlling variables. The investigation is outlined in detail and was trialed with practicing science teachers, school students and preservice secondary teachers. All of these groups provided feedback in various forms that indicated the investigation was valuable, relevant, interesting and allowed students to take some responsibility for their own inquiry learning.

Adulteration and substitution of herbal drugs are trending issue in the herbal industry, posing a serious threat to commercial natural product research. Anatomical and chemical studies were carried out on Camellia sinensis and 6 commercial tea samples using chemical maceration technique (C-tea, L-tea, T-tea, H-tea, N-tea and A-tea). C. sinensis has hypostomatic leaves with paracytic and anomocytic stomatal complex types and thick-cell wall. The plant also possessed non-glandular unicellular trichomes. The anticlinal wall pattern was straight and rectangular, and it is undulating on the adaxial surface. Anatomically, C-tea has paracytic and pericytic stomatal complex types and unicellular non-glandular and multicellular glandular trichomes. L-tea has paracytic and anomocytic with unicellular glandular and multicellular non glandular trichomes. Paracytic, polocytic and anisocytic stomatal complex types with unicellular glandular and multicellular non-glandular trichomes were observed in T-tea. Occurrence of paracytic and anomocytic stomata was observed in H-tea; paracytic and tetracytic stomata were present in N-tea while paracytic stomata were observed in A-tea with unicellular glandular trichomes. The chemical tests shown that Prussian blue was present in three commercial samples of black tea and turmeric was present in two commercial green tea samples. Anatomical studies revealed that four of the selected commercial tea samples shown traces of adulteration.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 saw the rapid adoption of fully online higher education (HE) academic programmes across the world. With the likely post-pandemic return to on-campus education, online learning in some form is expected to continue. It is apparent also that globally, students' mindsets about online learning have changed during the pandemic period. It is thus timely to investigate the potential of blended learning (BL), a hybrid form of online and faceto-face education, as a pedagogical approach for HE in the future worldwide. As academic staff are instrumental in implementing effective HE pedagogical approaches, this study explored the academic staff's views and practices with BL. The study implemented the qualitative case study approach, and the in-depth interview method was applied with eight academic staff representing different departments in a Singaporean higher education institution. Thematic analysis on the qualitative data gathered in accordance with the study's foci elicited inputs about the academic staff's BL understandings, usage and impacts, as well as challenges and suggestions for enhancing BL in HE. The findings revealed the academic staff's positive BL perceptions, sound understandings, and strong experience with various digital tools. From this sound foundation, the staff interviewees made suggestions for developing effective BL practices which apply for HE in the future. The study's important implication is that the findings are relevant and valuable in the situation where, post the pandemic, HE adjusts for students return to campuses where BL is likely to replace the face-to-face education. Importantly, these suggestions form the elements of a BL ecosystem that includes policy, infrastructure, training and evaluation and demonstrates flexibility for the ecosystem's application to both the Singaporean context and to effective HE BL design globally post the pandemic.