Pros and Cons of In-Service Teacher Professional Development via Observation of Filmed Classes

Filming lessons is one of the most common and effective tools in teacher professional improvement and development. In-depth interviews with 60 teachers in Israel Southern District reveal their experience with filmed lessons in professional development. This qualitative constructivist study showed that the main reason for teachers' objection to lesson filming is that the camera affects the processes occurring in the classroom. The study further demonstrated that filmed lessons significantly enhance insights into processes of learning and instruction and advance teachers' reflection on their practice.

Pedagogical in-Service Courses and Novice Teachers' Professional Development

Current study aims to investigate the effect of in-service training courses on novice teachers’ professional development. Moreover, the study seeks to examine the types of in-service courses that novice teachers need. The study population is 30 English high school teachers with teaching certificates in the southern district of Israel. The instrument of the study is an online questionnaire with additional open-ended questions. Study findings showed that 47% of the participants prefer courses in social interaction and educational knowledge. However, few participants showed an interest in self-esteem related courses. The researcher advises novice teachers to priorities their needs in social interaction and educational knowledge courses in order to steadily develop professionally. Moreover, further studies need to be explored in order to examine the effect of pedagogical in-service training courses on veteran teachers' professional development and compare the data between two studies.

How Do Nature-Based Solutions’ Color Tones Influence People’s Emotional Reaction? An Assessment via Virtual and Augmented Reality in a Participatory Process

Simulations of urban transformations are an effective tool for engaging citizens and enhancing their understanding of urban design outcomes. Citizens’ involvement can positively contribute to foster resilience for mitigating the impact of climate change. Successful integration of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into the urban fabric enables both the mitigation of climate hazards and positive reactions of citizens. This paper presents two case studies in a southern district of Milan (Italy), investigating the emotional reaction of citizens to existing urban greenery and designed NBS. During the events, the participants explored in Virtual Reality (VR) (n = 48) and Augmented Reality (AR) (n = 63) (i) the district in its current condition and (ii) the design project of a future transformation including NBS. The environmental exploration and the data collection took place through the exp-EIA© method, integrated into the mobile app City Sense. The correlations between the color features of the viewed landscape and the emotional reaction of participants showed that weighted saturation of green and lime colors reduced the unpleasantness both in VR and AR, while the lime pixel area (%) reduced the unpleasantness only in VR. No effects were observed on the Arousal and Sleepiness factors. The effects show high reliability between VR and AR for some of the variables. Implications of the method and the benefits for urban simulation and participatory processes are discussed.

Travel Patterns of Women Giving Birth in the Southern District Health Board

<p>The objective of this mixed method piece of descriptive research is to analyse travel patterns of New Zealand women relating to their selected place of birth, focusing on residents of the Southern District Health Board. It also explores the motivations of a sample of women in this area regarding their birth place choices. Data extracted from Southern District Health Board 2013 electronic records, were analysed using geographic information system software. Spatial modelling was also conducted using this dataset. The second part of the study involved a questionnaire issued to women in Southern District Health Board maternity facilities during a three month period in 2014. In the analysis of 2013 data that women appeared to be by-passing smaller primary maternity units in preference for larger complex care facilities. Spatial modelling examined some possible geographic reasons for this and improved service placement was also modelled based on 2013 demand. Survey results were congruent with other similar research, in that the main reasons for women choosing birth place were a combination of seeking out a safe place whilst remaining as close to home as possible. These priorities caused a tension of distance for rural women. There was no significant statistical variance in the responses between demographic groups. Women are prioritising safety when they choose their birth place. In a large sparsely-populated District Health Board like Southern, this results in some women making long journeys to their chosen birth place as they select complex care facilities over closer primary maternity units or home.</p>

Travel Patterns of Women Giving Birth in the Southern District Health Board

<p>The objective of this mixed method piece of descriptive research is to analyse travel patterns of New Zealand women relating to their selected place of birth, focusing on residents of the Southern District Health Board. It also explores the motivations of a sample of women in this area regarding their birth place choices. Data extracted from Southern District Health Board 2013 electronic records, were analysed using geographic information system software. Spatial modelling was also conducted using this dataset. The second part of the study involved a questionnaire issued to women in Southern District Health Board maternity facilities during a three month period in 2014. In the analysis of 2013 data that women appeared to be by-passing smaller primary maternity units in preference for larger complex care facilities. Spatial modelling examined some possible geographic reasons for this and improved service placement was also modelled based on 2013 demand. Survey results were congruent with other similar research, in that the main reasons for women choosing birth place were a combination of seeking out a safe place whilst remaining as close to home as possible. These priorities caused a tension of distance for rural women. There was no significant statistical variance in the responses between demographic groups. Women are prioritising safety when they choose their birth place. In a large sparsely-populated District Health Board like Southern, this results in some women making long journeys to their chosen birth place as they select complex care facilities over closer primary maternity units or home.</p>

The Persistence of Neutralising Antibodies up to 11 months after SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the Southern Region of New Zealand

SummaryDuring the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection in New Zealand a cohort of 78 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases was recruited in the Southern District Health Board region. Here we report on this unique cohort nearly 1-year after infection. There was no known community transmission in the region over the study period due to New Zealand’s elimination status at the time, nor had any participants received a COVID-19 vaccine. In the absence of re-exposure, antibody reactivity to the viral spike protein, as well as neutralising antibodies to both the ancestral strain and the delta variant remained relatively stable between 8 and 11 months post-infection. This suggests long-lived antibody responses can be generated from a single natural infection event. However, given the risks of serious disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, vaccination is still strongly recommended.

Following a New York Case: The Impact of Vaccination Exemptions for School Aged Children on Biosecurity

The anti-vaccination trend is growing in the United States and with this trend comes risk. Although there are a limited number of people who cannot receive vaccinations for medical reasons, many people who choose not to vaccinate their children use a vaccination exemption to ensure their child(ren) are able to attend school. I will be focusing on the risk associated with school-aged children who are not vaccinated. This risk is primarily focused on public health and biosecurity, which deals specifically with the national health issues and possible bioterrorism threats originating in schools. This risk is only enhanced by the fact that exemptions differ from state to state, and states have broad exemptions. In my analysis of the anti-vaccination trend with school-age children and the risk associated with it, I will be looking at the case of M.A. et al v. Rockland County Health Department out of the Southern District Court of New York and connecting the facts of that case to the countrywide risk. M.A. et al. v. Rockland Cty. Dep’t of Health, No. 7:19-cv-02066 (S.D.N.Y Mar. 06, 2019). My analysis will begin by looking at the specifics of that case and the constitutional implications that came along with it. I will then use that case and the outbreak in Rockland County to present the possible biosecurity and public health implications that come with children not being vaccinated. Finally, I will present my recommendation on vaccination exemptions as it pertains to limiting these implications in the future.

Urban cloverleaves: origin, aesthetics, and contradictions of the Slussen, Stockholm

On 11 October 1935, the inauguration of the Slussen urban cloverleaf took place in front of the excited citizens of Stockholm. It had the attributes of a pure traffic machine taken from the most advanced traffic engineering publications, and it expressed the optimistic cultural modernism that five years ago the Stockholm International Exhibition had promoted.1 This urban cloverleaf was made of translucent glass, reinforced concrete, metallic handrails, and reflective tiles and was meant to solve, in one single gesture, the complex urban link between the Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, between Gamla Stan – the historic city centre – and Södermalm – the southern district built on top of the 35-metre-high plateau [1]. The solution made difficult urban compromises between the foothills of the Brunkeberg topography, the smooth water surfaces of the Stockholm archipelago, the architecture of the historic urban tissue, and the demands of a complex articulated mobility. Boats, goods, suburban trains, subways, trams – later buses – pedestrians, cyclists, and automobiles finally converged on this place at different levels, completing the intricacies of a threedimensional geometry which, for the first time in history, was inserted into a compact city.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brings regulation FD enforcement action against AT&T Inc.

Purpose To explain and analyze the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission’s complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against AT&T Inc. alleging repeated violations of Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure), and against three of AT&T’s Investor Relations executives for aiding and abetting those violations. Design/Methodology/Approach Describes the SEC’s allegations and AT&T’s response and recommends practice points that issuers and their legal counsel can draw from the enforcement action. Findings The SEC’s suit against AT&T and its three IR executives serves as an important reminder that the SEC remains committed to ensuring the full and fair disclosure of information by issuers and is willing to litigate Regulation FD-based enforcement actions when it deems necessary. Practical Implications Every public company must develop systems to manage selective disclosure risks in its investor relations program. Originality/Value Practical guidance from experienced corporate governance, litigation, capital markets, securities enforcement and regulation lawyers.