http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12841 Because of the many important applications of quadratic programming, fast and efficient methods for solving quadratic programming problems are valued. Gotdfarb and Idnani (1983) describe one such method. Well known to be efficient and numerically stable, the Goldfarb and Idnani method suffers only from the restriction that in its original form it cannot be applied to problems which are positive semi-definite rather than positive definite. In this paper, we present a generalization of the Goldfarb and Idnani method to the positive semi-definite case and prove finite termination of the generalized algorithm. In our generalization, we preserve the spirit of the Goldfarb and Idnani method, and extend their numerically stable implementation in a natural way. 2013-05-02T01:41:26.677Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12828 1. We tested the hypothesis that the pattern and the intensity of autonomic mechanisms causing vasoconstriction in the resting bronchial circulation of awake dogs also exists in awake sheep. It was also postulated that sighing behaviour and the associated bron-chovascular dilatation induced by non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) mechanisms observed in the dog exist in sheep. 2. Bronchial arterial blood flow to lower airways of both lungs of awake sheep was measured continuously using pulsed Doppler flow probes mounted on the bronchial artery at prio. thoracotomy. 3. Cumulative and factorial analysis of responses to randomized combinations of autonomi. α₁-, α₂-, β₁- and β₂-adrenoceptors and cholinoceptor autonomic blockade suggests that resting vasoconstrictor activity is less in sheep than in dogs. At normal aortic pressure, the autonomic activity of these receptor groups in the sheep lowers bronchial blood flow and conductance by 30%, whereas in the awake dog, the corresponding autonomic effect is 50%. 4. Tonic autonomic control of bronchial conductance can be partitioned in sheep to show significant and separat.α- and β-adrenoceptor vasoconstrictor activity at a ratio of 1.8:1, an effect normally offset by a weaker vasodilator α-/β-adrenoceptor interaction. In contrast to the situation in awake dogs, cholinoceptors do not play a role in awake sheep. 5. Nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition in sheep using N^G-nitro-L-arginine following blockade of α- and β-adrenoceptors and cholinoceptors causes hypertension, but minor changes, if any, in pulmonary pressures or heart rate. Bronchial flow and conductance, however, fall from a higher resting conductance by approximately 50%, suggesting that, normally, resting bronchial flow conductance is dominated by strong tonic NO vasodilator effects that interact with weaker tonic autonomic vasoconstrictor effects.6. Superimposed (respiratory) behaviours of sighing, sneezing and coughing, which involve negative swings in intrathoracic pressure and the movement of inspired air, evoke large active bronchovascular dilator effects. These appear to be largely NANC in origin and appear to be dependent, in part, on mechanisms associated with NO release. It is postulated that the C-fibre axon reflex using substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide and neurokinin A may be involved. Vocalization and eructation do not evoke bronchovascular effects. 2013-04-30T06:45:20.384Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2728 This is the first part of a two-part article which documents the conclusions of a group of experienced social work practitioners regarding the theory of social development and its applicability to social work practice in South Africa. Part I examiners the theoretical underpinnings of social development which is advanced as primarily a normative macro-policy perspective within which to situate a changed focus for social work-practice. It is believed that social development does not present anything new for social workers and could even be described as the ecosystems perspective in a new guise. Like the ecosystems perspective, social development attempts too much. (Part 2 will be published in the October l99l edition.) The paper is based on the first Developmental Social Work (DSW) Coursework Master’s Programme taught at the University of Natal in Durban (UND). This two-year Part-time programme was designed specifically for social work practitioners who had graduated at least two years prior to resuming study but preferably who had been in practice for more than five years. Ten students enrolled for the programme, between them they had nearly one hundred and fifty Years of practice experience (Table I ).All were in positions in their work situation where they were able to influence their organisation or the social workers whom they were supervising towards the introduction of developmental social work. In addition to the developmental social work course, students also studied advanced social work theory, research and social policy, and were required to conduct a research project. The first half of the DSW course involved a theoretical study of social development using Midgley (1995) as a foundation text. Students were provided with a detailed course outline and a substantial reading list. In addition, the Social Development Issues Journal was made available to them, with students borrowing and circulating the various issues among themselves. These were the minimum reading requirements which students supplemented with their own literature studies. The second half of the programme involved in-class presentations where students were required to critically evaluate social development theory and to examine its applicability to their particular practice context, suggesting ways in which DSW has in the past, or might in the future, be applied in their organisations. An essay on this topic constituted their course assignment. It is on the content of these essays and class discussions that this paper is based. 2013-03-04T21:20:02.740Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2729 This is the second part of a two-part article which documents the conclusions of a group of experienced social work practitioners regarding the theory of social development and its applicability to social work practice in South Africa. Part I (published in Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk 33(3):210-222) examined the theoretical underpinnings of social development which was advanced as primarily a normative macro policy perspective within which to situate a changed focus for social work practice. It was argued that social development did not present anything radically new to social workers and could even be described as the ecosystems perspective in a new guise and that, like the ecosystems perspective, social development attempted too much. Part 2 examines the relevance of social development theory to social work practice in South Africa across a wide variety of contexts. A pragmatic approach is taken wherein it is argued that the changed focus necessitates a wider use of interventive strategies other than individual and family casework. Of equal importance are the strategies of social policy analysis and development, participatory and action research, rural and multisectoral work, and community development. Social work in South Africa is undergoing a major paradigm shift. This is a process that involves a critical examination of current social work roles, programmes, services and policies. There is increased interest in a developmental paradigm for social welfare. Several writers in social work have called for the transformation and radicalisation of social work roles in response to the socioeconomic conditions that prevail in South Africa (Ntebe 1994; Phiyega 1993). The Reconstruction and Development Programme (ANC 1994) provides a policy framework for developmental social welfare. The development of the White Paper for Social Welfare (1996) marked the acceptance of the developmental approach to social welfare. It brought about an understanding of a vision of a comprehensive, integrative, equitable, multidisciplinary and developmental approach. It set a policy framework that needs to be integrated into various social work practice settings. As Lombard (1996) stated, what is lacking now is knowledge as to 'how' to implement the policy. This paper examines the relevance of social development to social work practice across a wide variety of contexts in South Africa and shows that social workers already have the know-how for its implementation. Social development roles and strategies are not unfamiliar to social workers. All that is required is a change in focus. 2013-03-04T21:20:02.727Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12562 In this paper we study robustness and sensitivity properties of a sampled-data feedback system with a generalized sampled-data hold function (GSHF). We argue that shifting non-minimum phase zeros using GSHF control can lead to difficulties unless the zero is outside the closed-loop bandwidth. 2013-02-21T04:30:05.132Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12202 Despite potential for major benefits, middle-aged women have low levels of aerobic exercise. A 12-week minimal-intervention exercise program was evaluated with female university employees aged 40 to 61. Following pre-testing, participants were randomly assigned to exercise or wait-list control. Testing was repeated at 12, 24 and 48 weeks. Exercisers improved significantly in aerobic fitness at 12 and 24 weeks, both groups decreased resting arterial pnssurc and body composition measures, and improved in exercise knowledge. Effects, however, were not well maintained at 48 weeks. These results are comparable to those obtained fmm intensive interventions and, while modest, suggest that a threshold has been reached for the modification of physiological control systems which are important for reducing cardiovascular disease risk. Middle-aged women face major social and practical baniers to regular exercise, and the minimal-intervention approach allows for a combination of flexibility and structure which seems appropriate for this group. 2012-12-17T00:21:46.444Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6596 Ca²⁺ oscillations can be induced in mammalian eggs and somatic cells by microinjection of a cytosolic sperm protein factor. The nature of the sperm factor-induced Ca²⁺ signaling was investigated by adding sperm protein extracts to homogenates of sea urchin eggs, which contain multiple classes of Ca²⁺ release mechanisms. We show that the sperm factor mobilizes Ca²⁺ from non-mitochondrial Ca²⁺ stores in egg homogenates after a distinct latency. This latency is abolished by preincubation of sperm extracts with egg cytosol. The preincubation step is highly temperature-dependent and generates a high molecular weight, protein-based Ca²⁺-releasing agent that can also mobilize Ca2+ from purified egg microsomes. This Ca²⁺ release appears to be mediated via both inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and ryanodine receptors, since homologous desensitization of these two release mechanisms by their respective agonists inhibits further release by the sperm factor. However, sperm factor-induced Ca²⁺ release by these channels is independent of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate or cADPR since antagonists of either of these two messengers did not block the Ca²⁺ release effected by the sperm factor. The sperm protein factor may cause Ca²⁺ release via an enzymatic step that generates a protein-based Ca²⁺-releasing agent. 2010-07-29T22:20:03.026Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6586 rtPCR and Western blotting were used to determine which members of the PKC family are present in both immature and mature mouse oocytes. Using isoform-specific PCR primers and antibodies PKC-δ and -λ were detected while such techniques failed to observe the conventional isoforms of PKC-α, -β, -γ. This isoform profile was confirmed using an alternative PCR strategy, which allowed discrimination of PCR products derived from conventional and novel PKC isoforms. In addition PKC-ε, -η, -θ and -ζ were not detected by rtPCR. These results suggest that the predominant isoforms in oocytes are PKC-δ and -λ. 2010-07-29T02:10:05.054Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6585 At fertilization periodic Ca²⁺ oscillations release oocytes from meiotic arrest. The present study examined whether these oscillations have a long-term role in pre- and postimplantation development, independent of their immediate effect. Sr²⁺-containing medium was used to induce oscillations during exit from meiosis and first embryonic mitosis and Sr²⁺-activated parthenotes were compared to ethanol-activated parthenotes and embryos generated by in vitro fertilization. After embryo culture, blastocysts were differentially stained for the inner cell mass and trophectoderm. It was found that oscillations both during exit from meiosis and during mitosis acted to increase the number of inner cell mass cells. In contrast, the trophectoderm cell number was largest in ethanol-activated parthenotes and smallest in fertilized embryos. Postimplantation development was also modestly improved by extending the time of exposure to Sr²⁺-containing medium. Together these data suggest that Ca²⁺ oscillations have a role in long-term embryonic events and that they provide more than merely a stimulus for meiotic resumption. 2010-07-29T01:00:02.994Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:6529 This book deals with the issue of fundamental limitations in filtering and control system design. This issue lies at the very heart of feedback theory since it reveals what is achievable, and conversely what is not achievable, in feedback systems. Recent developments in the field of fundamental design limitations include extensions to multivariable linear systems, sampled-data systems, and nonlinear systems. At this point in time, a considerable body of knowledge has been assembled on the topic of fundamental design limitations in feedback systems. It is thus timely to summarize the key developments in a modern and comprehensive text. This has been our principal objective in writing this book. We aim to cover all necessary background and to give new succinct treatments of Bode's original work together with all contemporary results. 2010-07-08T03:50:07.530Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:785 2010-04-27T06:49:13.496Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:811 In this Chapter I will explore whether parents feel they influence schools' community participation. This topic has been 'hot' in most developed nations throughout the 1990s (overlapping political as well as geographical borders) and also has been a key ingredient in reforms in the new countries of Central Europe. As such, education policy—intended or in practise—provides a context where the politics of education emerges with tensions that arise, tradeoffs made, and is at its most transparent. This chapter reports research from Sydney, Australia, with nearly 100 teachers and 700 families in a neighborhood community (Crump and Eltris 1995a, 1995b). This research is part of a broader work with the Institue for Responsive Education and the League of Schools Reaching Out based at Boston University. The chapter thus reports on the intent and practise of recent policy initiatives designed to refom the connections between school and home into a stronger sense of partnership (See Frutcher et al. 1993). 2010-04-27T06:48:36.967Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2128 This paper is a summary of work undertaken by the Ministerial Advisory Council on the Quality of Teaching (MACQT) Working Party on the Standing of Teachers and Teaching. It is based on four papers prepared by the Working Party: * The Image of Teachers and Teaching * Meeting *The Challenges of Change * Schools and their Community * Teacher Educators and Teacher Education. The purpose of this document is to highlight the key issues arising from those papers and to outline possible strategies that could be implemented to improve the standing of teachers and teaching. The attachment to the paper sets out a framework of responsibility and action. At this stage, it has not been possible to establish priorities for action. This is an aspect still to be addressed. 2010-04-27T06:44:17.683Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2127 This paper provides an interim overview of work I am doing on national work in education deriving from the 1992 Mayer Report "Putting General Education To Work" and the promotion of 'key competencies' in education and as a link between education and work. The aim is to show how the convergence of general and vocational education, as a popular policy international across the globe, provided the opportunity for the development of an exemplar of how education policy can be managed so that the dysfunction between policy goals and practice (so well recognised in practice and the literature) need not occur (so extensively) as a destructive, deceptive and manipulative phenomenon. 2010-04-27T06:43:47.633Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2120 This study examines the learning preferences of TAFE students who are characterised by having low socio-economic status backgrounds. These students enter TAFE classrooms with widely different knowledge, varying amounts of work experience, different motivation, language and numeracy levels and, consequently different learning needs. In addition, some students are in transition from school to work. The study suggests that student learning outcomes for this group are a 'co-production', that is, the students and the teacher together create the learning outcomes. The study highlights the central role of vocational teachers and the sophisticated work they do in accommodating curriculum to the learning needs of a student group of considerable diversity and educational disadvantage. Qualitative models are presented which relate students' learning preferences to teaching approaches adopted by vocational teachers. 2010-04-27T06:43:47.583Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2099 In this Chapter I will explore whether parents feel they influence schools' community participation. This topic has been 'hot' in most developed nations throughout the 1990s (overlapping political as well as geographical borders) and also has been a key ingredient in reforms in the new countries of Central Europe. As such, educational policy – intended or in practise – provides a context where the politics of education emerges with the tensions that arise, tradeoffs made, and at its most transparent. This chapter reports research from Sydney, Australia, with nearly 100 teachers and 700 families in a neighbourhood community (Crump and Eltris 1995a, 1995b). This research is part of a broader work with the Institute for Responsive Education and the League of Schools Reaching Out based at Boston University. The chapter thus reports on the intent and practise of recent policy initiatives designed to reform the connections between school and home into a stronger sense of partnership (See Frutcher et al. 1993). 2010-04-27T06:43:35.710Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2101 2010-04-27T06:43:31.863Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2109 2010-04-27T06:43:30.184Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2107 2010-04-27T06:43:27.707Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:842 In this paper I present a collection of names of soups containing words referring to countries, nationalities, and ethnic groups. Among the problems brought up is distinguishing between a name and explanatory words after the name. A possible explanation is put forth for why some ethnomythic and toponymic terms were not found alone in some soup names, but only with other terms, such as names of ingredients. I briefly discuss several other points about the forms of the names, such as the difference between the construction X soup and soup X style. 2010-04-27T06:22:36.121Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:832 Various Indo-European languages form verbs by attaching a prepositional prefix to a verbal stem. Ancient Greek had verbs containing two such prefixes. In this paper I study one verb with two prepositional prefixes, διεκπλέω, the basic meaning of which is given as "sail out through" by Liddell & Scott (1940:424). The main issue to be dealt with is how the complements (in a broad sense) of this verb are marked, in particular, how are the places being sailed from and through indicated, and did this change in the history of Greek? 2010-04-27T06:22:32.821Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2046 2010-04-27T06:21:12.393Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2088 2010-04-27T06:08:48.430Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2098 2010-04-27T06:08:46.280Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2087 2010-04-27T06:08:19.740Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:1058 2010-04-27T06:08:00.551Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:755 This article explores the relationships between management, leadership and organisation during a period of structural renewal in schools, workplaces and government. It assesses assumptions of appropriateness' in attempting to transpose management practices between schools, workplaces and governance, and reports on the application of similar strategies withing these different contexts. The project thus tested the underlying assumptions of various renewal strategies to identify the common ground shared by the solutions attempted so as to formulate improve understanding of the practice and theory of management, leadership and change. The conclusions point to practical applications of power as it applies to organising leadership through a process called Pragmatic Organisation Development. 2010-04-27T06:05:18.520Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:2661 This paper discusses the use of methods for automating the testing and marking of spreadsheet concepts within an introductory service subject offered at the University of Newcastle. The methods reduce logistic and management problems encountered with large classes and enhance individual student learning outcomes. Future extensions to the present work are also described. 2010-04-27T06:04:03.776Z ]]>