title: Carbon stable isotopes as a palaeoclimate proxy in vascular plant dominated peatlands

authors: Amesbury, Matthew J.

abstract: Carbon stable isotope (δ¹³C) records from vascular plant dominated peatlands have been used as a palaeoclimate proxy, but a better empirical understanding of fractionation processes in these ecosystems is required. Here, we test the potential of δ¹³C analysis of ombrotrophic restiad peatlands in New Zealand, dominated by the wire rush (Empodisma spp.), to provide a methodology for developing palaeoclimatic records. We took surface plant samples alongside measurements of water table depth and (micro)climate over spatial (six sites spanning > 10 latitude) and temporal (monthly measurements over 1 year) gradients and analysed the relationships between cellulose δ¹³C values and environmental parameters. We found strong, significant negative correlations between δ¹³C and temperature, photosynthetically active radiation and growing degree days above 0 C. No significant relationships were observed between δ¹³C and precipitation, relative humidity, soil moisture or water table depth, suggesting no growing season water limitation and a decoupling of the expected link between δ¹³C in vascular plants and hydrological variables. δ¹³C of Empodisma spp. roots may therefore provide a valuable temperature proxy in a climatically sensitive region, but further physiological and sub-fossil calibration studies are required to fully understand the observed signal.

text: Carbon stable isotopes as a palaeoclimate proxy in vascular plant dominated peatlands Carbon stable isotope (δ¹³C) records from vascular plant dominated peatlands have been used as a palaeoclimate proxy, but a better empirical understanding of fractionation processes in these ecosystems is required. Here, we test the potential of δ¹³C analysis of ombrotrophic restiad peatlands in New Zealand, dominated by the wire rush (Empodisma spp.), to provide a methodology for developing palaeoclimatic records. We took surface plant samples alongside measurements of water table depth and (micro)climate over spatial (six sites spanning > 10 latitude) and temporal (monthly measurements over 1 year) gradients and analysed the relationships between cellulose δ¹³C values and environmental parameters. We found strong, significant negative correlations between δ¹³C and temperature, photosynthetically active radiation and growing degree days above 0 C. No significant relationships were observed between δ¹³C and precipitation, relative humidity, soil moisture or water table depth, suggesting no growing season water limitation and a decoupling of the expected link between δ¹³C in vascular plants and hydrological variables. δ¹³C of Empodisma spp. roots may therefore provide a valuable temperature proxy in a climatically sensitive region, but further physiological and sub-fossil calibration studies are required to fully understand the observed signal.

year: 2015-09

title: The Globalization of English: Its Impact on English Language Education in the Tertiary Education Sector in Taiwan

authors: Her, Jia-Huey

subjects: English language teaching in Taiwan

abstract: The overall agenda for the research reported here grew out of semi-structured
interviews with senior educational managers from a tertiary educational institution
in Taiwan. These managers raised a number of issues, including the changing
profile of tertiary students, the changing nature of English curricula, the
increasing need for English teaching staff to be adaptable, highly qualified and
research-active, and the growing pressure on institutions to introduce English
language proficiency benchmarking. Each of these issues can be related to the
impact of globalization and, in particular, the impact of the globalization of
English, on the education sector. Following a critical review of selected literature
on the impact of globalization on the teaching and learning of English, each of
these issues, as it affects the tertiary education sector in Taiwan, was explored.
Analysis of the Taiwanese national curriculum guidelines for schools, strongly
influenced by academics in the tertiary education sector, revealed a number of
problems relating to a lack of proficiency benchmarking and a lack of coherence,
consistency and transparency in some areas. These problems may be associated
with the initial phase of transition from a grammar-based curriculum to a more
communicatively-oriented, outcomes-centered one. Problems of a similar type
were indicated in responses to questions relating to curriculum matters included in
a questionnaire distributed to a sample of teachers of English in the tertiary sector.
Among other things revealed by questionnaire responses was the fact that many
survey participants had received no training in English teaching.
The results of a C-test (one that was initially used in a major European study)
taken by a sample of entry-level and exit-level Bachelors degree students
indicated a wide variation in proficiency, with individual scores differing by as
much as 64 percentage points in the case of exit-level students. Furthermore, there
was a difference of almost 10 percentage points between the mean scores of
students from two different institutions who had majored in English. These results
indicate some of the difficulties that Taiwan faces in attempting to establish
graduation proficiency benchmarking.
-ii-
C-test participants completed a background questionnaire, the responses
indicating a generally positive attitude towards English-speaking people, a general
willingness to use English in situations where there was the option of not doing
so, and a strong tendency towards instrumental motivation. Although one of the
factors that appeared to have a positive impact on C-test performance was time
spent in an English-speaking country, fewer than 18% of respondents had done so.
Although there appears to be considerable anxiety and uncertainty associated with
the teaching of English at tertiary level in Taiwan, and some genuine cause for
concern, there are also many positive indicators of future success. Teachers and
educational managers are aware of the problems they currently face and appear
determined to resolve them. Taiwanese academics are increasingly involved in
language-related research and increasingly prepared to interrogate their own
practices, and Taiwan, unlike some other countries in Asia, is moving towards
graduation proficiency benchmarking.

text: The Globalization of English: Its Impact on English Language Education in the Tertiary Education Sector in Taiwan The overall agenda for the research reported here grew out of semi-structured
interviews with senior educational managers from a tertiary educational institution
in Taiwan. These managers raised a number of issues, including the changing
profile of tertiary students, the changing nature of English curricula, the
increasing need for English teaching staff to be adaptable, highly qualified and
research-active, and the growing pressure on institutions to introduce English
language proficiency benchmarking. Each of these issues can be related to the
impact of globalization and, in particular, the impact of the globalization of
English, on the education sector. Following a critical review of selected literature
on the impact of globalization on the teaching and learning of English, each of
these issues, as it affects the tertiary education sector in Taiwan, was explored.
Analysis of the Taiwanese national curriculum guidelines for schools, strongly
influenced by academics in the tertiary education sector, revealed a number of
problems relating to a lack of proficiency benchmarking and a lack of coherence,
consistency and transparency in some areas. These problems may be associated
with the initial phase of transition from a grammar-based curriculum to a more
communicatively-oriented, outcomes-centered one. Problems of a similar type
were indicated in responses to questions relating to curriculum matters included in
a questionnaire distributed to a sample of teachers of English in the tertiary sector.
Among other things revealed by questionnaire responses was the fact that many
survey participants had received no training in English teaching.
The results of a C-test (one that was initially used in a major European study)
taken by a sample of entry-level and exit-level Bachelors degree students
indicated a wide variation in proficiency, with individual scores differing by as
much as 64 percentage points in the case of exit-level students. Furthermore, there
was a difference of almost 10 percentage points between the mean scores of
students from two different institutions who had majored in English. These results
indicate some of the difficulties that Taiwan faces in attempting to establish
graduation proficiency benchmarking.
-ii-
C-test participants completed a background questionnaire, the responses
indicating a generally positive attitude towards English-speaking people, a general
willingness to use English in situations where there was the option of not doing
so, and a strong tendency towards instrumental motivation. Although one of the
factors that appeared to have a positive impact on C-test performance was time
spent in an English-speaking country, fewer than 18% of respondents had done so.
Although there appears to be considerable anxiety and uncertainty associated with
the teaching of English at tertiary level in Taiwan, and some genuine cause for
concern, there are also many positive indicators of future success. Teachers and
educational managers are aware of the problems they currently face and appear
determined to resolve them. Taiwanese academics are increasingly involved in
language-related research and increasingly prepared to interrogate their own
practices, and Taiwan, unlike some other countries in Asia, is moving towards
graduation proficiency benchmarking.

year: 2007

title: Delivering the Maori-language newspapers on the Internet

authors: Apperley, Mark

subjects: computer science

abstract: Although any collection of historical newspapers provides a particularly rich and valuable record of events and social and political commentary, the content tends to be difficult to access and extremely time-consuming to browse or search. The advent of digital libraries has meant that for electronically stored text, full-text searching is now a tool readily available for researchers, or indeed anyone wishing to have asscess to specific information in text. Text in this form can be readily distributed via CD-ROM or the Internet, with a significant impact on accessibility over traditional microfiche or hard-copy distribution. For the majority of text being generated de nouveau, availability in electronic form is standard, and hence the increasing use of full-text search facilities. However, for legacy text available only in printed form, the provision of these electronic search tools is dependent on the prior electronic capture of digital facsimile images of the printed text, followed by the conversion of these images to electronic text through the process of optical character recognition (OCR). This article describes a project undertaken at the University of Waikato over the period 1999 to 2001 to produce a full-text searchable version of the Niupepa or Maori- language newspaper collection for delivery over the Internet.

text: Delivering the Maori-language newspapers on the Internet Although any collection of historical newspapers provides a particularly rich and valuable record of events and social and political commentary, the content tends to be difficult to access and extremely time-consuming to browse or search. The advent of digital libraries has meant that for electronically stored text, full-text searching is now a tool readily available for researchers, or indeed anyone wishing to have asscess to specific information in text. Text in this form can be readily distributed via CD-ROM or the Internet, with a significant impact on accessibility over traditional microfiche or hard-copy distribution. For the majority of text being generated de nouveau, availability in electronic form is standard, and hence the increasing use of full-text search facilities. However, for legacy text available only in printed form, the provision of these electronic search tools is dependent on the prior electronic capture of digital facsimile images of the printed text, followed by the conversion of these images to electronic text through the process of optical character recognition (OCR). This article describes a project undertaken at the University of Waikato over the period 1999 to 2001 to produce a full-text searchable version of the Niupepa or Maori- language newspaper collection for delivery over the Internet.

year: 2002