title: Fate of allochthonous dissolved organic carbon in Lakes: A quantitative approach

authors: Hanson, Paul C.

abstract: Inputs of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to lakes derived from the surrounding landscape can be stored, mineralized or passed to downstream ecosystems. The balance among these OC fates depends on a suite of physical, chemical, and biological processes within the lake, as well as the degree of recalcintrance of the allochthonous DOC load. The relative importance of these processes has not been well quantified due to the complex nature of lakes, as well as challenges in scaling DOC degradation experiments under controlled conditions to the whole lake scale. We used a coupled hydrodynamic-water quality model to simulate broad ranges in lake area and DOC, two characteristics important to processing allochthonous carbon through their influences on lake temperature, mixing depth and hydrology. We calibrated the model to four lakes from the North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research site, and simulated an additional 12 ‘hypothetical’ lakes to fill the gradients in lake size and DOC concentration. For each lake, we tested several mineralization rates (range: 0.001 d−1 to 0.010 d−1) representative of the range found in the literature. We found that mineralization rates at the ecosystem scale were roughly half the values from laboratory experiments, due to relatively cool water temperatures and other lake-specific factors that influence water temperature and hydrologic residence time. Results from simulations indicated that the fate of allochthonous DOC was controlled primarily by the mineralization rate and the hydrologic residence time. Lakes with residence times <1 year exported approximately 60% of the DOC, whereas lakes with residence times >6 years mineralized approximately 60% of the DOC. DOC fate in lakes can be determined with a few relatively easily measured factors, such as lake morphometry, residence time, and temperature, assuming we know the recalcitrance of the DOC.

text: Fate of allochthonous dissolved organic carbon in Lakes: A quantitative approach Inputs of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to lakes derived from the surrounding landscape can be stored, mineralized or passed to downstream ecosystems. The balance among these OC fates depends on a suite of physical, chemical, and biological processes within the lake, as well as the degree of recalcintrance of the allochthonous DOC load. The relative importance of these processes has not been well quantified due to the complex nature of lakes, as well as challenges in scaling DOC degradation experiments under controlled conditions to the whole lake scale. We used a coupled hydrodynamic-water quality model to simulate broad ranges in lake area and DOC, two characteristics important to processing allochthonous carbon through their influences on lake temperature, mixing depth and hydrology. We calibrated the model to four lakes from the North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research site, and simulated an additional 12 ‘hypothetical’ lakes to fill the gradients in lake size and DOC concentration. For each lake, we tested several mineralization rates (range: 0.001 d−1 to 0.010 d−1) representative of the range found in the literature. We found that mineralization rates at the ecosystem scale were roughly half the values from laboratory experiments, due to relatively cool water temperatures and other lake-specific factors that influence water temperature and hydrologic residence time. Results from simulations indicated that the fate of allochthonous DOC was controlled primarily by the mineralization rate and the hydrologic residence time. Lakes with residence times <1 year exported approximately 60% of the DOC, whereas lakes with residence times >6 years mineralized approximately 60% of the DOC. DOC fate in lakes can be determined with a few relatively easily measured factors, such as lake morphometry, residence time, and temperature, assuming we know the recalcitrance of the DOC.

year: 2011

title: Unveiling the layers of educational reform: A critical realist analysis of the ideation, development and enactment of the Philippine professional standards for teachers policy

authors: Macam, Alea

subjects: teacher professionalism

abstract: This study investigates changes in teacher professionalism in the Philippines in response to globalising education policies, with a particular focus on the impact of the 2017 Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST) policy introduced under the conditions of official development assistance. With the technical and financial support of the government of Australia, this policy introduces clear indicators of professional competence that challenge traditional views of teacher professionalism and redefine teacher quality. Anchored by the ontological and epistemological foundations of critical theory and critical realism, and the theoretical and methodological framework of the Critical, Cultural Political Economy of Education (Dale & Robertson, 2015), this study explores the underlying mechanisms that have shaped the ideation, development and enactment of the professional standards policy and its impact on teacher professionalism.

Based on interviews with policymakers, Department of Education (DepEd) officers, a public school district supervisor, school heads and teachers, the findings of the study indicate the emergence of idealised professionalism, a term used to describe how the context and policymaking process of the professional standards policy was heavily influenced by broader economic, political, and cultural globalisation. However, this idealised professionalism remains primarily a theoretical construct that is not grounded in the actual realities of teaching in the Philippines.  The introduction of the policy has resulted in ongoing tension between state regulation and teachers’ professional autonomy. This tension is further complicated by the fact that policy enactment is not always consistent across different schools and jurisdictions, with various cultural practices and contextual socio-economic factors shaping teachers’ agentic responses. Ironically, the institutionalisation of clear expectations for teachers embodied in idealised professionalism has led to teaching practices characterised by complexity rather than certainty.

This study makes a contribution to the continuing debate over the role of official development assistance in driving education policies that not only perpetuate neoliberal and neocolonial practices but also fail to align with the local context of aid-receiving countries.  It prompts critical reflection on whose interests are ultimately served by externally induced official development assistance project reforms in developing countries. 

The study recommends redirecting official development assistance towards areas of government where its benefits would be maximised, such as institutional building and capacity development, rather than project-based reforms. Additionally, establishment of a mechanism for local school stakeholders and the local community to actively participate in national policymaking could help ensure that policies are appropriate and relevant to teachers. Lastly, future studies could re-narrativise the globalisation story by concentrating on local contexts and using them as the vantage point from which to better understand the modernisation of education.

text: Unveiling the layers of educational reform: A critical realist analysis of the ideation, development and enactment of the Philippine professional standards for teachers policy This study investigates changes in teacher professionalism in the Philippines in response to globalising education policies, with a particular focus on the impact of the 2017 Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST) policy introduced under the conditions of official development assistance. With the technical and financial support of the government of Australia, this policy introduces clear indicators of professional competence that challenge traditional views of teacher professionalism and redefine teacher quality. Anchored by the ontological and epistemological foundations of critical theory and critical realism, and the theoretical and methodological framework of the Critical, Cultural Political Economy of Education (Dale & Robertson, 2015), this study explores the underlying mechanisms that have shaped the ideation, development and enactment of the professional standards policy and its impact on teacher professionalism.

Based on interviews with policymakers, Department of Education (DepEd) officers, a public school district supervisor, school heads and teachers, the findings of the study indicate the emergence of idealised professionalism, a term used to describe how the context and policymaking process of the professional standards policy was heavily influenced by broader economic, political, and cultural globalisation. However, this idealised professionalism remains primarily a theoretical construct that is not grounded in the actual realities of teaching in the Philippines.  The introduction of the policy has resulted in ongoing tension between state regulation and teachers’ professional autonomy. This tension is further complicated by the fact that policy enactment is not always consistent across different schools and jurisdictions, with various cultural practices and contextual socio-economic factors shaping teachers’ agentic responses. Ironically, the institutionalisation of clear expectations for teachers embodied in idealised professionalism has led to teaching practices characterised by complexity rather than certainty.

This study makes a contribution to the continuing debate over the role of official development assistance in driving education policies that not only perpetuate neoliberal and neocolonial practices but also fail to align with the local context of aid-receiving countries.  It prompts critical reflection on whose interests are ultimately served by externally induced official development assistance project reforms in developing countries. 

The study recommends redirecting official development assistance towards areas of government where its benefits would be maximised, such as institutional building and capacity development, rather than project-based reforms. Additionally, establishment of a mechanism for local school stakeholders and the local community to actively participate in national policymaking could help ensure that policies are appropriate and relevant to teachers. Lastly, future studies could re-narrativise the globalisation story by concentrating on local contexts and using them as the vantage point from which to better understand the modernisation of education.

year: 2025-03-10

title: Efficacy of an incentive intervention on secondary prophylaxis for young people with rheumatic fever: a multiple baseline study

authors: Oetzel, John G.

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: Background
Acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand persists and is a barometer of equity as its burden almost exclusively falls on Māori and Pacific Island populations. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether an incentive programme will result in increased secondary prophylaxis injections over a one-year period compared to a baseline period prior to the intervention.

Methods
The evaluation used a multiple baseline study to determine whether an incentive consisting of a mobile phone and monthly “top-up” (for data/calls) resulted in increased injections, increased texts/calls with nurses, reduced number of visits to get a successful injection, less medicine wasted, and increased nurse satisfaction. Participants were 77 young people (aged 14–21) on an acute rheumatic fever registry in Waikato region, New Zealand classified as either fully adherent (all injections received and no more than one late) or partially adherent based on injections at baseline.

Results
There was a sharp increase in injections for intermittent patients post-intervention and then a slight decrease overtime, while fully adherent patients maintained their high rate of injections (p = .003). A similar pattern for nurse satisfaction emerged (p = .001). The number of calls/texts increased for all patients (p = .003). The number of visits went down for partially adherent patients and up for fully adherent patients (p = .012). The overall incremental cost-effectiveness was $989 per extra successful injection although costs increased sharply toward the end of the intervention.

Conclusions
Incentivising secondary prophylaxis appears to have a strong impact for partially adherent patients, particularly during the early periods following the initiation of the intervention. Enhancing communication with patients who returned to care may result in more sustainable adherence.

Trial registration
Retrospectively registered: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001150235, 12 July 2018.

text: Efficacy of an incentive intervention on secondary prophylaxis for young people with rheumatic fever: a multiple baseline study Background
Acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand persists and is a barometer of equity as its burden almost exclusively falls on Māori and Pacific Island populations. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether an incentive programme will result in increased secondary prophylaxis injections over a one-year period compared to a baseline period prior to the intervention.

Methods
The evaluation used a multiple baseline study to determine whether an incentive consisting of a mobile phone and monthly “top-up” (for data/calls) resulted in increased injections, increased texts/calls with nurses, reduced number of visits to get a successful injection, less medicine wasted, and increased nurse satisfaction. Participants were 77 young people (aged 14–21) on an acute rheumatic fever registry in Waikato region, New Zealand classified as either fully adherent (all injections received and no more than one late) or partially adherent based on injections at baseline.

Results
There was a sharp increase in injections for intermittent patients post-intervention and then a slight decrease overtime, while fully adherent patients maintained their high rate of injections (p = .003). A similar pattern for nurse satisfaction emerged (p = .001). The number of calls/texts increased for all patients (p = .003). The number of visits went down for partially adherent patients and up for fully adherent patients (p = .012). The overall incremental cost-effectiveness was $989 per extra successful injection although costs increased sharply toward the end of the intervention.

Conclusions
Incentivising secondary prophylaxis appears to have a strong impact for partially adherent patients, particularly during the early periods following the initiation of the intervention. Enhancing communication with patients who returned to care may result in more sustainable adherence.

Trial registration
Retrospectively registered: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001150235, 12 July 2018.

year: 2019