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In this paper we argue that the complexity of education systems can lead to a lack of coherence in the implementation of policy. More effective educational change requires policymakers and researchers to pay more attention to supporting teachers in classrooms. As an example, we consider decades of research attempts in STEM education to implement learning through inquiry and note there has been little change in teaching practices in classrooms. Using formative assessment in science education as a case study, we developed a rubric for teachers that embeds key aspects of the desired pedagogy. We argue this builds teachers' confidence to implement the change in their classrooms and we claim this same principle may apply to the development of rubrics in other disciplines, which can easily be incorporated by researchers into professional learning programs.

One of the enduring problems in the education system is the gap between theory and practice, where the research to improve teaching and learning is not fully realised in the classroom. This has impacted the effectiveness of education reform. We take a systems thinking approach to better understand the complexity of an education system, which involves multiple stakeholders, each with different levels of power, purposes, and perspectives about what is important. Drawing on an extensive body of research we propose a set of six foundational and five enabling principles that support systemic educational reform. These 11 principles are put forward to provide guidance for decision-makers, researchers and practitioners on how a given educational reform might be more effectively implemented.

In primary science education, we face an ongoing concern of helping classroom teachers overcome negative associations with science content, teaching and learning. These associations can often impact how they view the value of science in their classroom teaching and impede the development of innovative teaching practice. This research effort investigated in-service teachers' perceptions, reflections and considerations that resulted from their direct involvement within a science-focused school university partnership. Utilizing a multiple case study design, this research effort analyzed partnership efforts across five established science-focused partnership programs in the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania. Analysis of interview data with 80 in-service teachers from across partner sites indicated an increased valuing of science, where teachers viewed working with pre-service teachers as a professional development opportunity, resulting in additional time spent on developing and teaching through inquiry-based science practices.

This paper addresses the important and linked questions of how to manage academic performance and workload effectively. It highlights the need in a modern, corporatised university to consider the nature of academic work and optimal ways to develop workload allocation and performance management processes. This paper complements two previous papers on time associated with teaching and research components of academic work by exploring service/administration workloads. Data were collected from 665 academics with recent administration experience through a nation-wide survey in 2016 and 2018. The data were analysed to understand the median annual work hours for a range of internal and external service activities, and for a range of formal administrative roles. The analysis showed a further categorisation of academic service into operational and strategic activities. Together, the three papers underpin holistic academic workload model development using empirical annual hour allocations from a large and representative national sample of academics. This article provides an essential basis for any future consideration of performance assessment based on output measures such as research expectations, impact or quality.

Population growth, the impacts of climate change, and the need for greater water security have made the reuse of wastewater, including potable use, increasingly desirable. As interest in potable reuse of wastewater increases, a variety of processes have been proposed for advanced water treatment following conventional wastewater treatment. In all cases, the operation and performance of advanced water treatment facilities (AWTFs) is improved when the treated wastewater feed is of the highest quality that can be achieved and the advanced water treatment (AWT) processes are operated at a constant flow. One proven method of optimizing the performance of wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) is constant flow operation with no extraneous return flows other than internal process recycle flows, such as return settled solids. A number of approaches can be used to achieve constant flow including flow equalization, divided treatment trains, and satellite treatment. The ways in which constant flow wastewater treatment benefits both WWTFs as well as the AWTFs are considered with special emphasis on the ability to achieve predictable log removal credits (LRCs) for specific microorganisms. Actual performance data from constant flow WWTFs are used to illustrate how LRCs are determined. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Constant flow WWTFs should be considered to produce the highest quality secondary effluent for AWT. Flow equalization, divided treatment trains, and satellite treatment can be used to achieve constant flow to optimize wastewater treatment in small and medium size WWTFs. Flow equalization can be used to maximize the amount of wastewater that can be recovered for potable reuse. Important benefits of constant flow for wastewater treatment facilities include economic and operational savings, stable and predictable treatment performance, energy savings, ability to optimize performance for the removal of specific constituents, and the ability to assign pathogen log removal credits (LRCs). Important benefits of constant flow and optimized WWT for AWTFs include economic and operational savings; less pretreatment needed, including energy and chemical usage; elimination of the need to cycle treatment processes; and added factor of safety with respect to the required pathogen LRCs. In large WWTFs, constant flow for AWTFs will typically be achieved by effluent diversion; depending on the effluent quality additional pretreatment may be needed. The design and implementation of WWTFs and AWTFs for potable reuse should be integrated for optimal performance and protection of public health.

This article provides insight into the nature of research workload allocation for Australian academics. It explores the distinction between research performance and research workload allocation. Research performance can be judged at an institutional level, a work group level or an individual level. The process by which an institution's research performance is judged is not necessarily suitable at the level of the individual academic. The research performance of individual academics is based on their 'research output', in the form of publications, grants or supervision of research students, but historically, little attention has been paid to the 'input' or the time required to achieve these outputs. To determine the real costs of research, and to examine academic working conditions, this paper argues the clear distinction must be made that 'output' is about research performance; whereas 'input' is about research workload allocation. Therefore, what is needed is a suite of reasonable time allocations which can be associated with research activities, as is the case for teaching related activities. The paper analyses data from an online survey, circulated to academics across Australia in 2016, in which staff estimated the typical time spent on a wide range of research related tasks. The findings from the 2059 respondents show staff strongly support a transparent and holistic approach to workload planning which acknowledges the full range of activities they undertake. Analysis of the times associated with the research tasks led to the development of a table of suggested time estimates, based on the median values, for many common research activities.

This research effort investigates principal perceptions regarding the impact of science-focused school university partnership programs in primary school contexts. Utilizing a multiple case study design, this research effort analyzed the nature and structure of the partnership efforts across five established science-focused partnership programs in the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania. Analysis of interview data from principals across twelve separate school partner sites indicated that principals depicted that partnership arrangements increased their staffs valuing of science and was a mechanism for teachers to reflect on their practices. Consequently, principals often viewed partnerships as an additional level of professional development. Most importantly, principals articulated that the partnership programs were an important aspect of the school-based culture and they harbored strong desires to continue the partnerships well into the future. Implications for partnership development and key elements of trust, mutuality and reciprocity are discussed.

This paper reports on the STEPS project which addressed international concerns about primary teachers' lack of confidence to teach science, and on-going questions about the effectiveness of teacher education. The five universities involved had each independently established a science education program incorporating school-based partnerships between the university and local schools to enable primary pre-service teachers (PSTs) to teach science. The diversity of the programs enabled an examination of the relevant literature underpinning the approaches and comparison of data from participants to identify key features and success factors for establishing and maintaining working relationships with schools. This preliminary analysis of learning from STEPS uses case studies and feedback from PSTs who participated. These findings indicate that authentic teaching experiences build the confidence of PSTs to teach science. Ultimately, the project will develop an Interpretive Framework which will articulate the characteristics of partnerships to be validated through feedback from other science educators from Australia and overseas.

This paper reports on a partnership approach preparing pre-service primary teachers to teach science. Partnerships involving pre-service teachers and volunteer in-service colleagues were formed to teach science in the classroom of the colleague, with support from the science education lecturer. Each pre-service teacher collaboratively planned and delivered a sequence of at least six science lessons over six weeks. An earlier paper reported on how the program affected the confidence of the pre-service teachers. Over three iterations, 61 in-service teachers from 23 local schools participated. In this paper the data from the colleague teachers and principals who participated is explored. The evidence indicates that the principals valued the program as an opportunity to improve science in their schools and as science professional development for their staff. The in-service teachers were positive and results show that the triadic partnerships offered professional development that addresses common barriers to teaching science in primary schools. (Contains 4 tables.)

This paper presents a detailed case study of the development and implementation of a quantifiable academic workload model in the education faculty of an Australian university. Flowing from the enterprise bargaining process, the Academic Staff Agreement required the implementation of a workload allocation model for academics that was quantifiable in terms of hours with a stipulated annual maximum. Upon its eventual implementation, evidence emerged of academic workloads well beyond the supposed upper limit to hours. The case study demonstrates the highly political nature of defining academic work. With the emphasis in a modern university on competition driven by reduced funding and limited resources, academics are increasingly held accountable through performance management for teaching and research outcomes. The case study revealed the inherent tensions that arose between academics and managers as the related issues were negotiated. (Contains 1 table.)

This paper presents a professional learning (PL) model that emerged from the authors' involvement with PL processes in several rural and remote schools in the state of Tasmania. As is the case for rural areas generally, young people in rural areas of Tasmania have lower retention rates to Year 12 and lower participation rates in higher education than their urban peers. Schools in these regions typically have less experienced staff, higher staff turnover and reduced access to professional networks compared with urban schools. Four case studies are presented to illustrate the experiences that lead to the partnership model of PL and the authors' insights into the nature of collaborative partnerships in rural contexts are discussed The study makes a contribution to understanding of the development of effective PL partnerships in rural schools as well as contributing to broader debates about the nature of partnership between teachers and facilitators of PL. (Contains 2 figures and 1 footnote.)

This paper reports on a partnership based approach for preparing pre-service primary teachers to teach science. It involved forming three-way or "triadic" partnerships, consisting of a final year pre-service primary teacher and an in-service colleague, to teach science in the colleague teacher's classroom, with the support of a teacher-educator. The pre-service teachers had to collaboratively plan, develop and deliver a sequence of science lessons and take major responsibility for teaching a 90 minute science lesson, at least once a week over a six week period. The data was collected during 2007 and 2008. The pre-service teachers kept a reflective journal of their experiences using a process devised to guide and support them. The results indicated improved attitudes to and confidence in teaching science for the pre-service teachers and their in-service colleagues. The results indicate triadic partnership approach may be an effective way to support teacher professional learning in science. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

There is little doubt that the modern university is far different to that of the early 90s and the work of academics has changed considerably over this time driven by the efficiency and accountability agenda. In taking stock of the changes, it needs to be recognised that often the cry for efficiency and accountability has been used as a mechanism for control, cost reductions and to drive particular policy agendas. In broad terms, management practices in the tertiary education sector have shifted from a collegial to a corporate or commercial paradigm. A by-product of this has been a shift in power from academia to the hierarchy, with a managerial emphasis on deploying staff to meet strategic goals and cost effectiveness. These values do not necessarily coincide with or include the values of academics, so over time the influence of academics over decision making has reduced. This article presents a discussion of the state of tertiary education in Australia, linked to an account of the recent experiences in the Faculty of Education at the University of Tasmania. The aim of the article is to consider the cumulative effects of many of the changes that have taken place in tertiary education over recent years and to question whether the prevailing management paradigm in higher education, aimed at increased efficiency and accountability is the most appropriate way forward.

The development of quality learning materials using new technology requires the use of a wide range of skills beyond those possessed by many academic staff. Obtaining quality online learning experiences may require academics to work in teams with others who provide educational design support and technical expertise. The effective management of a team to produce the desired outcomes to a specified quality standard has typically been the responsibility of the project manager. Applying standard project management techniques to teams containing highly independent academics and teachers in an educational environment presents certain cultural and procedural difficulties. This paper reports on some of the current literature on this issue and relates it to the results of a survey of 25 project managers in Australian universities. Parallels are made with the literature of innovative projects. (Contains 8 tables.)

Objectives Juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) affects 15–20% of lupus patients. Clinical heterogeneity between racial groups, age groups and individual patients suggests variable pathophysiology. This study aimed to identify highly penetrant damaging mutations in genes associated with SLE/SLE-like disease in a large national cohort (UK JSLE Cohort Study) and compare demographic, clinical and laboratory features in patient sub-cohorts with 'genetic' SLE vs remaining SLE patients. Methods Based on a sequencing panel designed in 2018, target enrichment and next-generation sequencing were performed in 348 patients to identify damaging gene variants. Findings were integrated with demographic, clinical and treatment related datasets. Results Damaging gene variants were identified in ∼3.5% of jSLE patients. When compared with the remaining cohort, 'genetic' SLE affected younger children and more Black African/Caribbean patients. 'Genetic' SLE patients exhibited less organ involvement and damage, and neuropsychiatric involvement developed over time. Less aggressive first line treatment was chosen in 'genetic' SLE patients, but more second and third line agents were used. 'Genetic' SLE associated with anti-dsDNA antibody positivity at diagnosis and reduced ANA, anti-LA and anti-Sm antibody positivity at last visit. Conclusion Approximately 3.5% of jSLE patients present damaging gene variants associated with younger age at onset, and distinct clinical features. As less commonly observed after treatment induction, in 'genetic' SLE, autoantibody positivity may be the result of tissue damage and explain reduced immune complex-mediated renal and haematological involvement. Routine sequencing could allow for patient stratification, risk assessment and target-directed treatment, thereby increasing efficacy and reducing toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the relative importance of temperate bacteriophage in the horizontal gene transfer of fitness and virulence determinants of Enterococcus faecalis, a panel of 47 bacteremia isolates were treated with the inducing agents mitomycin C, norfloxacin, and UV radiation. Thirty-four phages were purified from culture supernatants and discriminated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and restriction mapping. From these analyses the genomes of eight representative phages were pyrosequenced, revealing four distinct groups of phages. Three groups of phages, [PHI[FL1 to 3, were found to be sequence related, with [PHI]FL1A to C and [PHI]FL2A and B sharing the greatest identity (87 to 88%), while [PHI]FL3A and B share 37 to 41% identity with [PHI]FL1 and 2. [PHI]FL4A shares 3 to 12% identity with the phages [PHI]FL1 to 3. The [PHI]FL3A and B phages possess a high DNA sequence identity with the morphogenesis and lysis modules of Lactococcus lactis subsp, cremoris prophages. Homologs of the Streptococcus mitis platelet binding phage tail proteins, PblA and PblB, are encoded on each sequenced E. faecalis phage. Few other phage genes encoding potential virulence functions were identified, and there was little evidence of carriage of lysogenic conversion genes distal to endolysin, as has been observed with genomes of many temperate phages from the opportunist pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. E. faecalis JH2-2 lysogens were generated using the eight phages, and these were examined for their relative fitness in Galleria mellonella. Several lysogens exhibited different effects upon survival of G. mellonella compared to their isogenic parent. The eight phages were tested for their ability to package host DNA, and three were shown to be very effective for generalized transduction of naive host cells of the laboratory strains OG1RF and JH2-2. doi:10.1128/JB.01293-09

Five clp genes (clpC, clpB, clpP1, clpP2, and clpX), representing chaperone- and protease-encoding genes, were previously identified in Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003. In the present study, we characterize the B. breve UCC 2003 clpP locus, which consists of two paralogous genes, designated clpP1 and clpP2, whose deduced protein products display significant similarity to characterized ClpP peptidases. Transcriptional analyses showed that the clpP1 and clpP2 genes are transcribed in response to moderate heat shock as a bicistronic unit with a single promoter. The role of a clgR homologue, known to control the regulation of clpP gene expression in Streptomyces lividans and Corynebacterium glutamicum, was investigated by gel mobility shift assays and DNase I footprint experiments. We show that ClgR, which in its purified form appears to exist as a dimer, requires a proteinaceous cofactor to assist in specific binding to a 30-bp region of the clpP promoter region. In pull-down experiments, a 56-kDa protein copurified with ClgR, providing evidence that the two proteins also interact in vivo and that the copurified protein represents the cofactor required for ClgR activity. The prediction of the ClgR three-dimensional structure provides further insights into the binding mode of this protein to the clpP1 promoter region and highlights the key amino acid residues believed to be involved in the protein-DNA interaction.