title: Contingency Control of Spatial Responding

authors: Sluter, Karen Lorraine

abstract: This study aimed to investigate fluency in domestic hens.  Three experiments involved a simple grid task to see if correct responses, or components such as pecking, could become fluent for reinforcement, whilst incorrect components decreased.  This was unsuccessful in the first experiment with a high rate of incorrect and unnecessary pecking observed, so a three second white screen timeout following incorrect pecks was introduced in Experiment 2.  This was also unsuccessful, so a three-second black screen timeout following incorrect pecks was introduced in Experiment 3.  This was continued along with a black screen timeout following repeated correct pecks on the grid that were unnecessary for reinforcement.  Although incorrect pecks decreased with the introduction of the black screen, they did not fade out completely and repeated correct pecks remained at a much higher rate than necessary for reinforcement.  Fluency was not achieved, because the contingencies still allowed for reinforcement to be earned despite this unnecessary responding.  It is thought that in fluency and precision teaching procedures, the use of the time-restriction is important to increase the speed of correct responses required for reinforcement in order to drive down unnecessary and incorrect components.

text: Contingency Control of Spatial Responding This study aimed to investigate fluency in domestic hens.  Three experiments involved a simple grid task to see if correct responses, or components such as pecking, could become fluent for reinforcement, whilst incorrect components decreased.  This was unsuccessful in the first experiment with a high rate of incorrect and unnecessary pecking observed, so a three second white screen timeout following incorrect pecks was introduced in Experiment 2.  This was also unsuccessful, so a three-second black screen timeout following incorrect pecks was introduced in Experiment 3.  This was continued along with a black screen timeout following repeated correct pecks on the grid that were unnecessary for reinforcement.  Although incorrect pecks decreased with the introduction of the black screen, they did not fade out completely and repeated correct pecks remained at a much higher rate than necessary for reinforcement.  Fluency was not achieved, because the contingencies still allowed for reinforcement to be earned despite this unnecessary responding.  It is thought that in fluency and precision teaching procedures, the use of the time-restriction is important to increase the speed of correct responses required for reinforcement in order to drive down unnecessary and incorrect components.

year: 2014

title: Finding the good vibes of life, man: Identifying catalytic vibrations in enzyme catalysis

authors: Schipper, Daniel-Albert

subjects: MMRT

abstract: Enzyme catalysis is one of the most vital components of life. As such the elucidation of the exact mechanics of this kind of catalysis is important. The aim of this work is to look into enzyme catalysis though the lens of macromolecular rate theory (MMRT). MMRT is an idea focused around the heat capacity of an enzyme changing over the course of a reaction. Our hypothesis is that this change in heat capacity is strongly tied to the nature of enzyme catalysis. As such, the focus of this thesis is to determine what a large change in heat capacity at the transition state on the reaction pathway means and why it happens.     
			
From previous work I know that there is a difference in heat capacity when an enzyme is bound to a reaction state compared to a transition state analog. One of the components of this project is to investigate the causes of this difference using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) and calculations based on the MD trajectories.
			
In the harmonic case, it was found that there was no significant difference between our chosen enzyme in the reaction state and it in a transition state analog; which was possibly either due to insufficient simulation time or higher order anharmonic behavior driving the change in heat capacity. I computed the vibrational frequencies used to test this from the trajectories of a molecular dynamics simulation. 
			
			
In addition, the patterns of how the change in heat capacity evolves with temperature acts similarly to how changes in heat capacity act during phase transitions. These transitions are characterized by long range fluctuations, which I aimed to detect; however, no change in the distance of fluctuations was detected in the harmonic case in the simulations. 
			
Finally, I looked into computing heat capacities for a large system using the variance in energies. Previous attempts at doing this found reasonable values for the change in heat capacity when looking at an enzyme bound to a transition state analog vs bound to the reactant state. However, the absolute values of the heat capacities were an order of magnitude too high for each state. I investigated why this was the case and concluded that it was almost entirely due to not including quantum effects and the fact that interaction energies between the system and the solvent are dynamic.

text: Finding the good vibes of life, man: Identifying catalytic vibrations in enzyme catalysis Enzyme catalysis is one of the most vital components of life. As such the elucidation of the exact mechanics of this kind of catalysis is important. The aim of this work is to look into enzyme catalysis though the lens of macromolecular rate theory (MMRT). MMRT is an idea focused around the heat capacity of an enzyme changing over the course of a reaction. Our hypothesis is that this change in heat capacity is strongly tied to the nature of enzyme catalysis. As such, the focus of this thesis is to determine what a large change in heat capacity at the transition state on the reaction pathway means and why it happens.     
			
From previous work I know that there is a difference in heat capacity when an enzyme is bound to a reaction state compared to a transition state analog. One of the components of this project is to investigate the causes of this difference using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) and calculations based on the MD trajectories.
			
In the harmonic case, it was found that there was no significant difference between our chosen enzyme in the reaction state and it in a transition state analog; which was possibly either due to insufficient simulation time or higher order anharmonic behavior driving the change in heat capacity. I computed the vibrational frequencies used to test this from the trajectories of a molecular dynamics simulation. 
			
			
In addition, the patterns of how the change in heat capacity evolves with temperature acts similarly to how changes in heat capacity act during phase transitions. These transitions are characterized by long range fluctuations, which I aimed to detect; however, no change in the distance of fluctuations was detected in the harmonic case in the simulations. 
			
Finally, I looked into computing heat capacities for a large system using the variance in energies. Previous attempts at doing this found reasonable values for the change in heat capacity when looking at an enzyme bound to a transition state analog vs bound to the reactant state. However, the absolute values of the heat capacities were an order of magnitude too high for each state. I investigated why this was the case and concluded that it was almost entirely due to not including quantum effects and the fact that interaction energies between the system and the solvent are dynamic.

year: 2020

title: “We wanted to see if you were the real deal”: Teaching as a cultural practice in a challenging environment

authors: Lemon, Katrina Suezanne

abstract: Teaching can be viewed as a cultural practice in which teaching is embedded in the culture of the teacher and informed by the culture of the students (Bell, 2011). In this paper, a narrative is presented detailing an authentic example of teaching in New Zealand in which culture is prioritised. It describes the challenges faced by a young female teacher as she worked in a low decile secondary school with male students, the majority of whom were involved in the Mongrel Mob[1] gang. Her approach and responses were centred in her belief in culturally responsive teaching. The deliberate actions of the teacher led to a turning point for the students, allowing their mana to remain intact as she acknowledged their identity, language and culture. This teacher’s experience provides an example of how a teacher can enable learners in diverse classrooms to succeed in their learning.

text: “We wanted to see if you were the real deal”: Teaching as a cultural practice in a challenging environment Teaching can be viewed as a cultural practice in which teaching is embedded in the culture of the teacher and informed by the culture of the students (Bell, 2011). In this paper, a narrative is presented detailing an authentic example of teaching in New Zealand in which culture is prioritised. It describes the challenges faced by a young female teacher as she worked in a low decile secondary school with male students, the majority of whom were involved in the Mongrel Mob[1] gang. Her approach and responses were centred in her belief in culturally responsive teaching. The deliberate actions of the teacher led to a turning point for the students, allowing their mana to remain intact as she acknowledged their identity, language and culture. This teacher’s experience provides an example of how a teacher can enable learners in diverse classrooms to succeed in their learning.

year: 2017