Search

The tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), once common in the eastern United States, has experienced significant mortality due to white‐nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that primarily affects bats hibernating in caves and mines. In coastal regions of the southeastern United States, where caves and mines are scarce, tricolored bats often use roadway culverts as hibernacula. However, WNS infection dynamics in culverts are poorly understood. Previous research indicated that bats with higher body mass at the onset of hibernation have a higher probability of surviving repeated arousal events from WNS. Therefore, we compared tricolored bat winter body mass between cave and culvert hibernacula and identified culvert characteristics influencing body mass during hibernation in Georgia, USA. From 2018 to 2022, we measured body mass of 754 individuals in early and late hibernation across 32 culverts (n = 497) and four caves (n = 257). Our study revealed a southward spread of the fungus over multiple years, with the first confirmed case of WNS in a Georgia culvert in 2022. Overall, tricolored bats in caves weighed more in early hibernation than those in culverts, but bats in culverts weighed more in late hibernation. Across all sites, female tricolored bats entering and leaving hibernation had greater mass than males but lost more mass during hibernation, possibly due to differences in torpor‐arousal patterns and WNS infection rates. Additionally, all bats lost more mass in longer culverts. Understanding culvert characteristics affecting bat body mass will inform management strategies to mitigate WNS effects. Identifying risk factors for specific tricolored bat hibernacula can guide managers on where to focus winter WNS monitoring efforts and potential treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite assessment and feedback being important elements of the student experience, it is not clear how students connect these two elements together to improve their learning. What are students doing with the assignment feedback that they receive from tutors, and how do they make use of this feedback in their future assessments? A research study was undertaken to deconstruct feedback from the perspective of the tutor giving the feedback and the student receiving the feedback in order to explore the connections that students are able to make between the feedback received and future assessments. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with tutor and student participants, during which they were invited to articulate their practices and interactions with feedback at each stage of the assessment process. This paper reports on both student and tutor actions at each stage of the assessment process and discusses the implications of these behaviours for enhancing student engagement with feedback.

Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) in the Northwest Atlantic have been managed with interim harvest control rules (HCRs). A stakeholder-driven management strategy evaluation (MSE) was conducted that incorporated a broad range of objectives. The MSE process was completed within 1 year. Constant catch, conditional constant catch, and a biomass-based (BB) HCR with a 15% restriction on the interannual change in the quota could achieve more stable yields than BB HCRs without such restrictions, but could not attain as high of yields and resulted in more negative outcomes for terns (Sterna hirundo; a predator of herring). A similar range of performance could be achieved by applying a BB HCR annually every 3 years or every 5 years. Predators (i.e., dogfish (Squalus acanthias), bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), and terns) were generally insensitive to the range of HCRs. While median net revenues were sensitive to some HCRs, time series analysis suggests that most HCRs produced a stable equilibrium of net revenue. To meet management needs, some aspects of the simulations were less than might be considered scientifically ideal, but using 'models of intermediate complexity' were informative for managers and formed a foundation for future improvements. Les harengs (Clupea harengus) dans le nord-ouest de l'ocean Atlantique ont ete geres en utilisant des regles de controle des prises (RCP) provisoires. Une evaluation des strategies de gestion (ESG) menee par les parties prenantes et visant toute une gamme d'objectifs a ete effectuee. Le processus d'ESG a pris 1 an. Des politiques de prises constantes et de prises constantes conditionnelles et une RCP basee sur la biomasse (BB) prevoyant une limite de 15 % des variations interannuelles des quotas permettent l'atteinte de rendements plus stables que des RCP BB sans de telles limites, mais ne permettent pas des rendements aussi eleves et se traduisent par des resultats plus negatifs pour les sternes (Sterna hirundo; des predateurs du hareng). Une fourchette semblable de performances pourrait etre possible en appliquant une RCP BB annuellement, tous les 3 ans ou tous les 5 ans. Les predateurs (c.-a-d. squales (Squalus acanthias), thons (Thunnus thynnus) et sternes) sont generalement insensibles a la fourchette de RCP. Si les recettes medianes nettes sont sensibles a certaines RCP, l'analyse de series chronologiques porte a croire que la plupart des RCP produisent un equilibre stable des recettes nettes. Pour repondre aux besoins de gestion, certains aspects des simulations ne sont pas ideaux du point de vue scientifique, mais l'utilisation de << modeles de complexite intermediaire >> fournit de l'information utile aux gestionnaires et sert de base pour des ameliorations futures. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Atlantic herring (hereinafter herring; Clupea harengus) in the Northwest Atlantic are preyed upon by fish, seabirds, and marine mammals and can account for 20%-50% of the diet of these [...]

In this paper, we introduce the ensemble Kaiman--Stein gradient descent (EnKSGD) class of algorithms. The EnKSGD class of algorithms builds on the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) line of work, applying techniques from sequential data assimilation to unconstrained optimization and parameter estimation problems. An essential idea is to exploit the EnKF as a black box (i.e., derivative-free, zeroth order) optimization tool if iterated to convergence. In this paper, we return to the foundations of the EnKF as a sequential data assimilation technique, including its continuous-time and mean-field limits, with the goal of developing faster optimization algorithms suited to noisy black box optimization and inverse problems. The resulting EnKSGD class of algorithms can be designed to both maintain the desirable property of affine-invariance and employ the well-known backtracking line search. Furthermore, EnKSGD algorithms are designed to not necessitate the subspace restriction property and to avoid the variance collapse property of previous iterated EnKF approaches to optimization, as both these properties can be undesirable in an optimization context. EnKSGD also generalizes beyond the L² loss and is thus applicable to a wider class of problems than the standard EnKF. Numerical experiments with empirical risk minimization type problems, including both linear and nonlinear least squares problems, as well as maximum likelihood estimation, demonstrate the faster empirical convergence of EnKSGD relative to alternative EnKF approaches to optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries and aquaculture provide food and economic security, especially in the developing world, but both face challenges from infectious disease. Here, we consider management of disease issues from a structured decision‐making perspective to examine how infectious disease can threaten seafood production and influence management decisions. For both wild fisheries and aquaculture, disease‐management objectives generally aim to mitigate the severity and economic burden of outbreaks. General management strategies include manipulating host densities, reducing system connectivity, conserving or improving habitat, and implementing direct treatments or some other biological interventions. To inform decisions, mathematical models can be used to explore disease dynamics and to forecast the potential effectiveness of alternative management actions. Developing and implementing disease‐management strategies also involve considering uncertainties and balancing competing stakeholder interests and risk tolerances. We conclude by outlining several steps for applying structured decision making that are broadly useful to decision makers facing issues related to disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores a "pedagogy first" approach to technology enhanced learning developed by Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) as a method to encourage use of, and experimentation with, technology within teaching practice and to promote the mainstreaming of innovative practice. Through a consultative approach where all staff members were invited to contribute, SHU has created a Teaching Approaches Menu that reflects practice at the institution and can be used to explore teaching practice and appropriate supporting technology either by individuals or as part of a facilitated discussion. Background to the project is provided, along with the design philosophy and approach, including a brief review of other frameworks. The Teaching Approaches Menu is introduced, its development outlined, and some initial feedback is presented.

This paper explores the potential of technology to enhance the assessment and feedback process for both staff and students. The "Making Connections" project aimed to better understand the connections that students make between the feedback that they receive and future assignments, and explored whether technology can help them in this activity. The project interviewed 10 tutors and 20 students, using a semi-structured approach. Data were analysed using a thematic approach, and the findings have identified a number of areas in which improvements could be made to the assessment and feedback process through the use of technology. The findings of the study cover each stage of the assessment process from the perspective of both staff and students. The findings are discussed in the context of current literature, and special attention is given to projects from the UK higher education sector intended to address the same issues.

Feedback to students has been highlighted in the literature as an area where improvements are needed. Students need high quality, prompt feedback, but they also need guidance and tools to help them engage with and learn from that feedback. This case study explores staff and student perceptions of a tool at Sheffield Hallam University which releases electronic feedback to students before allowing them to access their grades. This approach was designed to encourage feedback engagement and connection with future assessments. The methods employed were student interviews and staff questionnaires about their experiences. The data were analysed to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, create recommendations for institutions looking to improve feedback engagement and identify areas for further development.

This paper explores the potential of technology-enabled feedback to improve student learning. "Technology, Feedback, Action!: The impact of learning technology upon students' engagement with their feedback" aimed to evaluate how a range of technical interventions might encourage students to engage with feedback and formulate actions to improve future learning. The study used qualitative methods and worked in partnership with 23 undergraduate students to explore their experiences of receiving different forms of feedback with varying degrees of technical intervention including, but not limited to, electronic feedback with grades withheld; online grade publication; criteria-based feedback; and more traditional feedback methods. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, student participants were encouraged to articulate their experiences of feedback. The online publication of grades and feedback and the adaptive release of grades were found to significantly enhance students' engagement with their feedback. Data were analysed using a thematic approach, and the main themes were used to inform the development of a series of good practice guides. The findings are discussed in the context of current literature.

There have been calls in the literature for changes to assessment practices in higher education, to increase flexibility and give learners more control over the assessment process. This article explores the possibilities of allowing student choice in the format used to present their work, as a starting point for changing assessment, based on recent studies and current examples of flexible assessment practice in higher education. The benefits of this flexible assessment format approach are highlighted, along with a discussion of classic assessment considerations such as validity, reliability and marking concerns. The role of technology in facilitating assessment method choice is considered, in terms of new opportunities for providing student choice in the way they evidence their learning and present their work. Considerations for implementing flexible assessment choices into the curriculum are presented, along with a call that further research into such practice is needed to develop a comprehensive set of practical recommendations and best practice for the implementation of flexible assessment choice into the curriculum. The article should be of interest to curriculum developers and academics considering implementing changes to the assessment process to increase student ownership and control.

Teacher education involves an identity transformation for trainees from being a student to being a teacher. This discourse analysis examined the online discussion board communications of a cohort of trainee teachers to better understand the situated identities of the trainees and how they were presented online. Their discussion board posts were the primary method of communication during placement periods and, as such, provided insight into how the trainees situated their identities in terms of being a student or being a teacher. During the analysis, the community boundaries, language and culture were explored along with the tutor's power and role in the identity transformation process. This involved looking at the lexis used by the students, the use of pronouns to refer to themselves and others such as teachers and pupils, the types of messages allowed in the community and the effect of the tutor's messages on their communication. The research found that the trainees felt comfortable with teaching but did not feel like teachers during the course. Tutors and school teachers need to develop an awareness of the dual nature of trainees' identities and help promote the transition from student to teacher. In the beginning of the course, trainees should be familiarised with teacher vocabulary and practical concepts in addition to pedagogical theory. Towards the end of the course, trainee identity as teachers could be promoted through the use of authentic assessments that mirror real teacher tasks and requirements.

A collaborative research project between Sheffield Hallam University and Nottingham Trent University in the UK investigated the use of blogs with trainee teachers as an alternative to reflective paper-based diaries. An action research case study, involving focus groups of post-graduate (secondary) trainee teachers (one group from each University) was undertaken to determine attitudes and perceptions of blogging as an appropriate tool to support reflective professional development. The findings indicate that the use of blogs by the trainee teachers had a positive impact overall, and provide concrete evidence of their development as emerging professional teachers. Unlike traditional paper-based systems, blogs provided ongoing opportunities for the tutor to assist the trainees in their development as reflective practitioners. This paper seeks to share the findings of this research which the authors believe could be applicable to other areas of Higher Education.

The St. Marys River (SMR) historically has been a major producer of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the early 2000s, a decision analysis (DA) project was conducted to evaluate sea lamprey control policies for the SMR; this project suggested that an integrated policy of trapping, sterile male releases, and Bayluscide treatment was the most cost-effective policy. Further, it concluded that formal assessment of larval sea lamprey abundance and distribution in the SMR would be valuable for future evaluation of control strategies. We updated this earlier analysis, adding information from annual larval assessments conducted since 1999 and evaluating additional control policies. Bayluscide treatments continued to be critical for sea lamprey control, but high recruitment compensation minimized the effectiveness of trapping and sterile male release under current feasible ranges. Because Bayluscide control is costly, development of strategies to enhance trapping success remains a priority. This study illustrates benefits of an adaptive management cycle, wherein models inform decisions, are updated based on learning achieved from those decisions, and ultimately inform future decisions. Historiquement, la riviere St. Marys (SMR) a ete un important producteur de lamproies (Petromyzon marinus) dans le reseau des Grands Lacs laurentiens. Au debut des annees 2000, un projet d'analyse decisionnelle (AD) a ete mene pour evaluer les politiques de controle des lamproies pour la SMR; ce projet suggerait qu'une approche integree de piegeage, de lachers de males steriles et de traitements au Bayluscide constituait la politique la plus efficiente. Il concluait en outre que l'evaluation formelle de l'abondance et de la repartition des larves de lamproie dans la SMR serait utile pour l'evaluation future des strategies de controle. Nous avons mis a jour cette analyse en y ajoutant des donnees d'evaluations annuelles des larves menees depuis 1999 et en evaluant d'autres politiques de controle. Les traitements au Bayluscide ont continue de jouer un role essentiel dans le controle des lamproies, mais un recrutement compensatoire eleve a minimise l'efficacite du piegeage et des lachers de males steriles dans les conditions de faisabilite actuelles. Parce que le controle au Bayluscide est couteux, l'elaboration de strategies permettant d'ameliorer le succes du piegeage est une priorite. L'etude illustre les avantages d'un cycle de gestion adaptatif dans lequel les modeles eclairent les decisions, puis sont mis a jour a la lumiere des apprentissages decoulant de ces decisions pour ensuite eclairer de nouvelles decisions. [Traduit par la Redaction], Introduction Decision analysis (DA; Clemen and Reilly 2001) is a valuable tool for informing managers about expected performance of different decision choices in meeting management objectives, as well as identifying [...]