Round goby Neogobius melanostomus sagittal (saccular) otolith morphology was compared between males of the two alternative reproductive tactics (termed guarder and sneaker males) and between males captured from sites of high or low contamination. Otolith size increased with fish size and also displayed an ontogenetic shift in shape, becoming relatively taller as otoliths grew in size. Despite a considerable overlap in age between males adopting the two reproductive tactics, size-at-age measurements revealed that guarder males are significantly larger than sneakers at any given age and that they invest more into somatic growth than sneaker males. Controlling for body size, sneaker males possessed heavier sagittal otoliths than guarder males. Subtle otolith shape differences were also found between the two male tactics and between sites of high and low contaminant exposure. Sneaker males had relatively shorter otoliths with more pronounced notching than guarder males. Fish captured at sites of high contamination had otoliths showing slower growth rates in relation to body size and their shapes had more pronounced caudal points and ventral protrusions when compared with fish captured at sites of low contamination. The results are discussed in relation to life-history tradeoffs between the male tactics in terms of reproductive and somatic investment as well as the putative metabolic costs of exposure to contaminants. Overall, this study reveals that male alternative reproductive tactics and environmental contaminants can have small, yet measurable, effects on otolith morphology and these factors should be accounted for in future research when possible.
This paper presents the findings of the National Fluoride Varnish Workshop in 2018 along with subsequent actions to scale-up the use of fluoride varnish nationally in Australia. The use of fluoride varnish programs to prevent dental caries in high-risk child populations is an evidence-based population health approach used internationally. Such programs have not been implemented at scale nationally in Australia. A National Fluoride Varnish Consensus Workshop was held in Sydney in November 2018 with an aim of sharing the current work in this area being undertaken by various Australian jurisdictions and seeking consensus on key actions to improve the scale-up nationally. Forty-four people attended the Workshop with oral health representatives from all Australian state and territory health departments, as well as the Australian Dental Association (ADA) at both NSW branch and Federal levels. There was strong support for further scale-up of fluoride varnish programs nationally and to see the wider use of having non-dental professionals apply the varnish. This case study identifies key actions required to ensure scale-up of systematic fluoride varnish programs as part of a strategic population oral health approach to preventing dental caries among high-risk children who may not routinely access dental care.
There is good evidence that fluoride varnish programs are effective in preventing dental caries in children. This study aims to provide a costing for the scale-up of a child fluoride varnish program in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Most child fluoride varnish programs are school-based, and a number of studies have examined the acceptability and cost effectiveness of using non-dental providers to apply the fluoride varnish. This paper describes the number of primary schools in Australia that could be targeted using a standard population-based risk criteria based on published data. A costing method was developed for various scenarios of school enrolment and provider types, along with potential revenue from the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). Most of the costs of a school-based fluoride varnish program can be covered by the CDBS with assumptions of 80% child consent and 75% CDBS eligibility. While the scale-up of child fluoride varnish programs to prevent dental caries has been recommended by numerous strategic plans and reports, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, limited progress has been made. This paper concludes that using a standardized criteria for targeting schools using a combination of ICSEA and Aboriginal enrolments, and aiming at four applications a year, is feasible, and that the main costs of the program could be covered by using the CDBS.
When public schooling was first introduced in the United States, early proponents emphasized the need for mathematics as critical for an informed citizenry in a democracy. Half a century later, this purpose of mathematics has been almost entirely overshadowed by the push for mathematics to maintain technological and economic advantages. The belief that preparation for technological careers is, and has historically been, the only purpose for school mathematics in the US has become a myth widely believed by the public and policymakers alike. As this myth took hold, mathematics curricula were narrowed, incorporating only the mathematics, and applications of mathematics, that supported this specific purpose. Not only does this narrowing of school mathematics negatively impact the development of informed citizens, but it limits the extent to which mathematics can be studied in ways that engage all learners. The emergence of mathematics for social justice is thus-in part-an attempt to recapture the broader purposes of school mathematics.
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