āwhina: a programme for Māori and Pacific tertiary science graduate and postgraduate success

In New Zealand, Māori (indigenous New Zealanders) and Pacific students tend not to attain the same levels of educational success as Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent). Addressing this problem is a particular challenge in the sciences. The kaupapa (values-base) of Te Rōpū Āwhina (Āwhina) is to produce Māori and Pacific professionals to contribute to Māori and Pacific development and leadership through the creation of an inclusive off- and on-campus whānau (extended family) environment where high expectations, aspirations and achievement, collective success, and reciprocity are normalised. This paper reviews theories and practices of recruitment and retention relevant to Māori and Pacific students at tertiary level, presents the rationale for Āwhina in the Faculties of Science and Architecture and Design at Victoria University of Wellington, and assesses the impact of the whānau. Based on analyses of quantitative measures of student achievement, and biennial surveys of student responses from the first 6 years of Āwhina, it is suggested that the results are consistent with improving Māori and Pacific graduate and postgraduate achievement and retention. Potential implications for efforts to reduce disparities in tertiary education in New Zealand and elsewhere are summarised.     

An evolving Learning Management System for new educational environments using 2.0 tools

The tools used in learning processes are in a continuous state of flux. One of the most significant changes is the application of Information and Communications technologies (ICTs) to educational contexts. This provides new possible ways to carry out learning activities, new learning services, the possibility to use new kinds of contents and activities, etc. However, ICTs have not provided as many advantages as they were supposed to, so changes are necessary. In this context, a new set of tools, Web 2.0, offers a new way to understand the Web, in which the user is the centre. Further, users can cooperate in order to define contents. This concept is also applied in technology-mediated learning but there are important problems when one tries to integrate such tools and concepts with existing systems. This paper explores the integration of these tools in traditional learning environments, the various possibilities and their advantages and drawbacks. After that, an interoperability scenario is described and two experiences are presented to show how 2.0 tools can be integrated in learning activities, and its effect in educational process.     

Vertical microbubble column–A photonic lab-on-chip for cultivation and online analysis of yeast cell cultures

This paper presents a vertically positioned microfluidic system made of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and glass, which can be applied as a microbubble column (μBC) for biotechnological screening in suspension. In this μBC, microbubbles are produced in a cultivation chamber through an integrated nozzle structure. Thus, homogeneous suspension of biomass is achieved in the cultivation chamber without requiring additional mixing elements. Moreover, blockage due to produced carbon dioxide by the microorganisms—a problem predominant in common, horizontally positioned microbioreactors (MBRs)—is avoided, as the gas bubbles are released by buoyancy at the upper part of the microsystem. The patterned PDMS layer is based on an optimized two-lithographic process. Since the naturally hydrophobic PDMS causes problems for the sufficient production of microbubbles, a method based on polyelectrolyte multilayers is applied in order to allow continuous hydrophilization of the already bonded PDMS-glass-system. The μBC comprises various microelements, including stabilization of temperature, control of continuous bubble formation, and two optical configurations for measurement of optical density with two different sensitivities. In addition, the simple and robust application and handling of the μBC is achieved via a custom-made modular plug-in adapter. To validate the scalability from laboratory scale to microscale, and thus to demonstrate the successful application of the μBC as a screening instrument, a batch cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is performed in the μBC and compared to shake flask cultivation. Monitoring of the biomass growth in the μBC with the integrated online analytics resulted in a specific growth rate of 0.32 h⁻¹, which is almost identical to the one achieved in the shake flask cultivation (0.31 h⁻¹). Therefore, the validity of the μBC as an alternative screening tool compared to other conventional laboratory scale systems in bioprocess development is proven. In addition, vertically positioned microbioreactors show high potential in comparison to conventional screening tools, since they allow for high density of integrated online analytics and therefore minimize time and cost for screening and guarantee improved control and analysis of cultivation parameters.     

单纤维对训练的适应

随着特殊的训练计划被教练员们采用以促进运动员的肌肉适应能力,肌肉训练也成为渐进式康复的重要组成部分,它能阻止与丧失运动能力、老化、疾病或微重力相关的萎缩效应。为了优化不同类型的干扰措施,需要更好地理解运动训练产生的反应,以及识别决定肌肉功能的各种机制。虽然整体肌肉活动在某种程度上是通过适应运动神经元爆发、运动单元补充模式或者肌肉量来进行的,本研究着重探讨肌肉纤维类型的表达以及训练后收缩肌的功能性适应能力。单一无皮纤维被证明是常用的实验模型,用于研究与肌浆球蛋白重链对碘氧基苯甲醚相关的试管内收缩特性。人体纤维主要的功能和生化特性在过去二十年中已经被详细研究了,但近来,无皮纤维模式正被用于研究不同类型的诱发训练后单纤维的功能适应性。本文的目的是概述收缩肌对于特定运动训练计划的反应,以及帮助形成适用于运动科学和康复的训练计划。     

Arousal and cognition: The stimulation-seeking motive and structural effects in the comprehension of film

The authors present a study of comprehension as a function of the stimulation-seeking motive in relation to the degree of structure involved in information presented in film. While no significant effects were obtained in measuring comprehension of verbal and pictorial stimuli and literal and inferential processing, the stimulation-seeking motive may have had a moderating effect on the relationship among memory or information-processing systems. This would indicate possible differential-encoding or information-processing strategies between individuals high and low in the stimulation-seeking motive.