Showing items 161 - 180 of 12222

Wave 2 strains of atypical Vibrio cholerae El Tor caused the 2009-2011 cholera outbreak in Papua New Guinea

- Greenhill, Andrew, Mutreja, Ankur, Bulach, Dieter, Belousoff, Matthew, Jonduo, Marinjho, Collins, Deirdre, Kas, Monalisa, Wapling, Johanna, Seemann, Torsten, Lafana, Alice, Dougan, Gordon, Brown, Mark, Horwood, Paul

  • Authors: Greenhill, Andrew , Mutreja, Ankur , Bulach, Dieter , Belousoff, Matthew , Jonduo, Marinjho , Collins, Deirdre , Kas, Monalisa , Wapling, Johanna , Seemann, Torsten , Lafana, Alice , Dougan, Gordon , Brown, Mark , Horwood, Paul
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Microbial genomics Vol. 5, no. 3 (2019), p. 1-5
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  • Description: Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a globally important human disease for at least 200 years. In 2009-2011, the first recorded cholera outbreak in Papua New Guinea (PNG) occurred. We conducted genetic and phenotypic characterization of 21 isolates of V. cholerae, with whole-genome sequencing conducted on 2 representative isolates. The PNG outbreak was caused by an atypical El Tor strain harbouring a tandem repeat of the CTX prophage on chromosome II. Whole-genome sequence data, prophage structural analysis and the absence of the SXT integrative conjugative element was indicative that the PNG isolates were most closely related to strains previously isolated in South-East and East Asia with affiliations to global wave 2 strains. This finding suggests that the cholera outbreak in PNG was caused by an exotic (non-endemic) strain of V. cholerae that originated in South-East Asia.

What's in a name? Clarifying the nomenclature of virtual simulation

- Cant, Robyn, Cooper, Simon J., Sussex, Roland, Bogossian, Fiona

  • Authors: Cant, Robyn , Cooper, Simon J. , Sussex, Roland , Bogossian, Fiona
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Clinical Simulation in Nursing Vol. 27, no. (2019), p. 26-30
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  • Description: Clinical simulation is an essential component of health professional education. Digital technologies can provide students with near-reality, interactive virtual simulation learning experiences on static and mobile appliances. Clarification is needed, however, regarding the various types of virtual simulation and the different program components. We drew on published literature to define virtual simulation modalities and to offer definitive terminology to clarify the nomenclature and composition of virtual simulation. Reporting should include description of ‘Fidelity’ ‘Immersion’ and ‘Patient’ to add clarity and utility to research in the field.

When is a subsea anchor required for a short pipeline/SCR system?

- Reda, Ahmed, McKee, Kristoffer, Howard, Ian, Sultan, Ibrahim

  • Authors: Reda, Ahmed , McKee, Kristoffer , Howard, Ian , Sultan, Ibrahim
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping Vol. 171, no. (2019), p. 278-298
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  • Description: Connection of floating production vessels to subsea pipelines requires careful consideration of the stresses placed on the steel catenary riser (SCR), subsea spool and pipeline end termination (PLET). Due to vessel motion, environmental conditions, flow conditions and pipeline temperature gradients during start-up/shut-down and operation, the forces on all sections of the subsea pipeline system may deviate from their static configurations. Pipeline risers, PLETs and spools have design limits that must not be exceeded in order to ensure the integrity of the pipeline/SCR system. The operational/dynamic loads on the pipeline/SCR system cause expansion and contraction of the pipeline at the riser and free end locations, and these also need to be kept within the pipeline system design limits. The most appropriate method to account for the pipeline system movement is to ensure the pipeline has sufficiently long run-out to accommodate the pipeline system loading or to provide anchoring locations for the pipeline section. This paper addresses, with examples and calculations, the criteria that must be considered during the design of the pipeline/SCR system to determine if hold-back anchors are needed and their optimum locations in the system. The criteria for the anchoring are valid for short pipelines with route bend and no lateral buckling.

Who are these Australian fellows with ‘Grim determination and astounding stamina’?

- Ponsford, Megan

  • Authors: Ponsford, Megan
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Sport in Society Vol. 22, no. 1 (2019), p. 73-96
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  • Description: In light of the absence of living participants, this article extrapolates what the Australian cricketers departing on the inaugural cricket tour of India in 1935 may have known about late colonial-era India. This article argues that the depiction of India by the British Empire was a consciously evoked and celebrated construct perpetuated by orthodox ideology and popular culture. Through a close analysis of press reportage it is determined that the Australian public, and the departing cricketers, were ignorant of accurate knowledge of Indian culture and politics. The Australian media’s portrayal of Kipling’s writings, Indian religious practices and Indian cinema is compared with the cricketers’ response to these themes. Correspondingly, the Indian communities’ knowledge of Australia through evaluating the, at times, propagandistic promotional material generated for the tour is also critiqued. It is argued that representations of the Australian cricketers and the populist depiction of Indian culture are correspondingly implausible and driven by idealized expectations and stereotypes of national identity.

Who owns this data? using dialogic reflection to examine an ethically important moment

- McDonough, Sharon, Brandenburg, Robyn

  • Authors: McDonough, Sharon , Brandenburg, Robyn
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Reflective Practice Vol. 20, no. 3 (2019), p. 355-366
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  • Description: There has been growing use of reflective practice as a means for examining ethically important moments that occur during research. Reflective practice enables researchers to be alert to the unfolding of these ethically important moments and to consider how they will respond to them. In this paper, we use dialogic reflection to explore an ethically important moment that occurred during one of our research projects. We present our dialogic reflective conversation as a means of exploring the ethical issues associated with data ownership. We draw on this conversation to describe a framework for dialogic reflection that provides researchers with a process for engaging in reflection on their practice as ethical researchers.

Why articles continue to be cited after they have been retracted : An audit of retraction notices

- Gray, Richard, Al-Ghareeb, Amal, McKenna, Lisa

  • Authors: Gray, Richard , Al-Ghareeb, Amal , McKenna, Lisa
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Nursing Studies Vol. 90, no. (2019), p. 11-12
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  • Description: Background: Papers continue to be cited by authors even after they have been retracted. Retraction notices provide readers with information about retracted papers and may help minimise post-retraction citation. To date, a review of the quality of retraction notices in nursing science has not been reported. Design: An audit of retraction notices associated with 29 retracted manuscripts published in nursing science journals. Methods: Retraction notices were reviewed again using the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Results: In total, 28 retraction notices were retrieved and reviewed (one retracted paper did not have a retraction notice). Details of the retracted manuscripts were included in all reviewed notices and, in all but two, author names were reported. Details of the time between a paper being published and retracted were not reported and generally there was a little information in notices about how the retraction decisions were made. All retraction notices were freely available. Seven notices stated who had made the decision to retract. Twenty-two (77%) notices stated the reason for retraction. Notices were brief and contained factual information. The webpages of three retracted articles did not clearly indicate that the paper had been retracted. Conclusion: More detailed and informative retraction notices will inform readers and may help reduce post- retraction citation.

Wildlife of the Otways and Shipwreck Coast

- Palmer, Grant

  • Authors: Palmer, Grant
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Book
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  • Description: The Otways and Shipwreck Coast is known for its natural beauty and attracts millions of visitors each year, particularly along the Great Ocean Road. The value of the region's rich biodiversity is recognised at the national and global level and its wildlife is markedly different to other regions, including eastern Victoria which supports similar vegetation types. This is a photographic field guide to the vertebrate wildlife of Victoria's south-west. It covers all the mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs that occur in the region, including on land and in coastal waters. Each species profile includes a description and information on range, conservation status, habitat use and ecology and is complemented by an exquisite colour photograph and a detailed distribution map. It also includes chapters on habitat types, conservation and management and on 14 key spots in the region to view wildlife. This book will allow those interested in wildlife, including residents and visitors, to identify mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs found in the region. Readers will become more familiar with the region's remarkable wildlife and the distinct role the Otways region has in conserving Australia's biodiversity.

Workplace injuries in the Australian allied health workforce

- Anderson, Sarah, Stuckey, Rwth, Fortington, Lauren, Oakman, Jodi

  • Authors: Anderson, Sarah , Stuckey, Rwth , Fortington, Lauren , Oakman, Jodi
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Australian Health Review Vol. 43, no. 1 (2019), p. 49-54
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  • Description: Objective: This study aims to identify the number, costs and reported injury mechanisms of serious injury claims for allied health professionals. Methods: Using Australian Workers' Compensation injury data, the number, mechanism, and costs of injury claims were calculated for eight groups of allied health professions (chiropractors and osteopaths, speech pathologists and audiologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, podiatrists, social workers and prosthetists/orthotists) between the 2000-01 and 2013-14 financial years. Workforce injury rates were calculated using the 2011 Australian Census Workforce data (denominator) and 2011 Workers' Compensation Statistics claims data (numerator). Results: Across the allied health professions, 7023 serious injuries (minimum 5 days absence from work) were recorded with an associated total compensation cost of A$201 970 000. Fewer than 1.5% of each allied health professional group had an injury claim, with the exception of prosthetists/orthotists who had a rate of 25.9% serious injury claims (95% confidence interval 21.9-30.4). The average cost per claim varied across the allied health professions, from the lowest cost of A$19 091 per injury for occupational therapists to the highest of A$48 466 per claim in chiropractic and osteopathy. Body stressing followed by mental stress were the most common mechanisms of injury. Conclusions: Mechanism of injury, both physical and psychosocial, were identified. Prosthetists/orthotists are at the highest risk of workplace injury of all allied health professions. This suggests the need for further investigation and development of appropriately targeted injury prevention programs for each allied health profession. What is known about this topic?: Retention of allied health professionals is a significant issue, with workplace injuries identified as one contributing factor to this problem. Healthcare workers are potentially at high risk of injury as they are exposed to a range of physical and psychosocial hazards in their workplace. What does this paper add?: This paper is the first to report on serious injuries, minimum 5 days absence from work, from Australian Workers' Compensation data, across a range of allied health professions. Various allied health professions were examined to identify the number, mechanism and cost of serious workplace injuries finding there is an average of 500 serious claims per year at a cost of A$14 million. Prosthetists/orthotists were identified as having the highest proportion of claims per workforce population. What are the implications for practitioners?: These results suggest highly varied injury rates across allied health professions. Compensation data does not enable accurate identification of causal factors. Further work is required to identify relevant causal factors so that targeted risk reduction strategies can be developed to reduce workforce injuries. © 2019 AHHA.

‘Working together’ : Public libraries supporting rural, regional, and remote low-socioeconomic student success in partnership with universities

- Power, Emma, Partridge, Helen, Owen, Sue, Kelly, Kathryn, Jeffries, Sandra

  • Authors: Power, Emma , Partridge, Helen , Owen, Sue , Kelly, Kathryn , Jeffries, Sandra
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association Vol. 68, no. 2 (2019), p. 105-125
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  • Description: University students living in rural, regional, and remote (RRR) areas of Australia face unique challenges including geographical isolation, lack of access to face-to-face support, and technological barriers. Additionally, RRR students from low-socioeconomic (low-SES) backgrounds experience multiple forms of disadvantage compared to their on-campus peers, and require additional study, learning, and social support. Partnerships between universities and local public libraries can enhance RRR low-SES student success through increased access to face-to-face support, reliable technologies, and study facilities. This exploratory research, led by five regional universities, presents the first national-level empirical data exploring how Australian public libraries and universities can work together to facilitate success for RRR low-SES students. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with public librarians from RRR low-SES communities across Australia. Thematic analysis findings explore themes of librarians’ perceptions of students as persons; the role of regional librarians in supporting RRR low-SES students; RRR low-SES students’ access to learning support; and the critical elements of sustainable partnerships between RRR public libraries and universities. Key recommendations are provided to guide future partnerships between public libraries and universities, including building the foundations of partnerships; professional development to support partnerships; and recommendations for good partnership practices. © 2019 Emma Power, Helen Partridge, Sue Owen, Kathryn Kelly and Sandra Jeffries.

"...like you're pushing the snowball back up hill"-the experiences of Australian physiotherapists promoting non-treatment physical activity : A qualitative study

- Kunstler, Breanne, O'Halloran, Paul, Cook, Jill, Kemp, Joanne, Finch, Caroline

  • Authors: Kunstler, Breanne , O'Halloran, Paul , Cook, Jill , Kemp, Joanne , Finch, Caroline
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Aims Medical Science Vol. 5, no. 3 (2018), p. 224-237
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  • Description: Participating in physical activity is important for maintaining general health. When physiotherapists promote physical activity for the purposes of maintaining or improving a patient’s general health, they are promoting non-treatment physical activity. Physiotherapists have a responsibility to promote non-treatment physical activity to their patients while also providing the patient with treatment for their presenting complaint. This qualitative study explored the experiences of Australian physiotherapists promoting non-treatment physical activity to patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Ten Australian physiotherapists treating patients with musculoskeletal conditions in private practice and outpatient settings were recruited using a social media campaign and snowballing. All interviewees received one $AU20 gift card for participating. Sixty-minute semi-structured interviews were conducted and were transcribed verbatim. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to design the interview guide and analyse data. Transcripts were used to identify emergent and superordinate themes. Most interviewees were female, aged between 25–34 years, physically active and reported promoting NTPA. The superordinate themes that emerged from the transcripts included: Internal and external influences on NTPA promotion, approach taken by the physiotherapist towards NTPA promotion, challenges experienced when promoting NTPA, and skills and training. In conclusion, physiotherapists reported they were well-placed to promote NTPA, but they face many challenges. The perceived inability to motivate patients to become physically active and the need to prioritise patient expectations of hands-on therapy made NTPA promotion difficult. Workplace specific factors, such as having an open-plan clinic environment and having other staff who promote NTPA, were perceived to make NTPA promotion easier. Using effective marketing strategies that portray the physiotherapy clinic as a physically active environment might see patients expect NTPA promotion, making NTPA promotion easier for Australian physiotherapists in the future.

"All that appears possible now is to mitigate as much as possible the trials of their closing years"

- Cahir, David (Fred), Tout, Dan

  • Authors: Cahir, David (Fred) , Tout, Dan
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Australian Journal of Politics and History Vol. 64, no. 2 (2018), p. 177-193
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  • Description: This article examines Alfred Deakin’s attitudes towards, and impacts upon, Aboriginal people during the period 1880-1910, drawing on newspaper articles and parliamentary debates as principal source materials. The discussion begins by charting the long, influential and often positive relationships Deakin had with several Aboriginal communities during a period as a Victorian MLA between 1881 and 1884. It then proceeds to document Deakin’s extraordinary descent into paternalism and racially-based fatalism which pervaded his later association with Aboriginal affairs whilst Victoria’s Chief Secretary (1886–1890), Victorian MLA for Essendon and delegate to Federal conventions (1890-1900), as the Federation debates took shape. And finally, the article outlines the attitudes Deakin expressed towards Aboriginal people in his various post-Federation political roles, including Attorney-General, Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs. In doing so, the discussion draws out the connections between Deakin’s advocacy of a white Australia and his attitudes towards Aboriginal Australia, and demonstrates the extent to which the creation of a new nation both informed and responded to socio-racial ideologies that mandated the exclusion of non-white identities from the nation-to-come

"Beyond home and sex?" : Gender and sexuality in Elizabeth Moon's

- O'Sullivan, Jennifer

  • Authors: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
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  • Description: Historically, fantasy fiction has tended to present sexuality and gender in a conservative light. Contemporary authors in this genre have the opportunity to imagine worlds in which they can critique these norms and offer new and subversive alternatives. Elizabeth Moon’s work has been seen by some readers and critics (Mains, et al, Bach) to challenge conservative gender roles, and while in some areas this is evident, a critical reading of her Paksworld series through a feminist lens reveals that her work is still largely restricted by normative notions of gender and heteronormative contexts and ideals. In this thesis I argue that while Moon’s female characters are allowed a certain amount of autonomy, they are still often repressed by those around them, silenced, or subject to male dominance and/or sexual violence. Those women in the novels who achieve a position of social, political or spiritual power are forced to make choices between roles: for example, between being a warrior and a mother, and are not allowed to ‘have it all’. Moon does subvert some familiar feminine tropes – her fantasy princesses for example avoid being married against their will, and her female warriors are more complex than simply being ‘sheroes’. Utilising masculinities and disability theory, I also analyse Moon’s treatment of men and masculinity. While Moon presents several familiar male fantasy tropes, she also portrays some surprisingly subversive men. These men are forced to reimagine and reinterpret their own masculine identities by having to confront ageing, disability, mutilation and loss of personal power while negotiating traditionally masculine homo-social environments. Finally, I argue that Moon’s presentation of sexuality in the Paksworld series is problematic and conservative in that very few of her characters are having pleasurable, consensual sex, especially not outside traditional marriage structures. Furthermore, the Paksworld series is largely heteronormative, with same-sex desire identified predominantly with a character who is presented as an antagonist to Paks. Paks herself is asexual, and I argue that Moon uses this as a way to avoid dealing with the issue of female sexual desire rather than an opportunity to explore asexuality as a valid sexual preference or identity. Overall, I argue that despite some subversive elements, Moon’s characters are still largely restricted by conservative expectations of genre, culture, gender and sexuality.
  • Description: Masters by Research

"Regardless of age" : Australian university managers' attitudes and practices towards older academics

- Earl, Catherine, Taylor, Philip, Cannizzo, Fabian

  • Authors: Earl, Catherine , Taylor, Philip , Cannizzo, Fabian
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Work, Aging and Retirement Vol. 4, no. 3 (2018), p. 300-313
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  • Description: As with other industrialized nations Australia's population is aging and older workers are encouraged to work for longer. At the same time, Australia's university sector, which is aging, is being reconfigured through changes that potentially marginalize its older workers as higher education institutions try to become more competitive in a global market. In this context, youthfulness appears to embody competitiveness and academic institutions are increasingly aspiring to a young workforce profile. This qualitative article builds on previous research to explore to what extent ageist assumptions shape attitudes to older workers and human resource management (HRM) practices within Australian universities even when HRM practitioners are well versed in antidiscrimination legislation that (unlike the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in the United States) applies to workers of all ages. Semistructured interviews conducted with 22 HRM practitioners in Australian universities reveal that university HRM practices generally overlook the value of retaining an older workforce by conflating "potential" with "youthfulness," assuming that staff potential and performance share a negative correlation with age. While mostly lower-ranked institutions have attempted to retain older academics to maintain an adequate labor supply, this study finds that university policies targeting the ongoing utilization of older workers generally are underdeveloped. Consequently, the availability of late career employment arrangements is dependent upon institutions' strategic goals, with favorable ad hoc solutions offered to academics with outstanding performance records, while a rhetoric of performance decline threatens to marginalize older academic researchers and teachers more generally.

"There needs to be something there for people to remember" : Industrial heritage in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley, Australia

- Eklund, Erik

  • Authors: Eklund, Erik
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Industrial Heritage and Regional Identities (Routledge Cultural Heritage and Tourism Series) Chapter 8 p. 168-189
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  • Description: Newcastle is located on the east coast of Australia in the state of New South Wales (NSW). Coal mining began in the early 19th centrury, and from the 1850s encouraged the development of pit-top towns gathered around an increasingly busy river port. Coal mining shifted west into the Hunter Valley where there are still vast amounts of open pit coal production. Mining also encouraged industrial development in engineering, transport and, from 1915, iron and steel production. Deindustrialization in Newcastle dates from the mid-1970s and plant closures accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s as the steel works and other related manufacturing industries closed down.

'EYE' : the End of Year Exhibition 2018

  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Visual art work
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  • Description: 1st-9th December 2018. The Arts Academy at Federation University Australia presents the formal opening of ‘EYE’: the 2018 End of Year Exhibition, showcasing the extraordinary breadth and talent of the graduating visual arts and communication design students. Passionate, contemporary, challenging and visionary, audiences will navigate a highly diverse and eclectic exhibition, a feast of contemporary art that will excite and ignite Ballarat’s Mining Exchange. The annual EYE Exhibition represents an opportunity for the Ballarat community to step into the creative hothouse of the Arts Academy and explore the future of contemporary art in Australia. The Arts Academy strives for excellence in the visual and performing arts and prides itself as a centre for culture and artistic practice. The exhibiting students are emerging artists who continue to broaden their horizons by immersing themselves into the wider world of the Arts and the community in general.

3D Finite element modeling of circular reinforced concrete columns confined with FRP using a plasticity based formulation

- Piscesa, Bambang, Attard, Mario, Samani, Ali Khajeh

  • Authors: Piscesa, Bambang , Attard, Mario , Samani, Ali Khajeh
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Composite Structures Vol. 194, no. (2018), p. 478-493
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  • Description: Strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) columns with external confining devices such as FRP wraps or steel tube is widely used in construction. By using external confining devices, both the strength and ductility of RC columns are significantly improved. However, numerical modeling to predict the capacity of strengthened RC columns is limited and often oversimplified. One of the biggest challenges in numerical modeling is to deal with unequal dilation between the concrete inner core (enclosed by both transverse steel and FRP wraps) and the concrete outer core (between the transverse steel and FRP wraps). Inaccurate modeling on the concrete dilatant behavior can lead to incorrect strength prediction. Sophisticated constitutive models which are able to model concrete dilation and robust modeling techniques are required. In this paper, three-dimensional non-linear finite element analysis (3D-NLFEA) of circular RC columns confined with conventional steel stirrups and FRP wraps is presented. In the FEA, the initial stiffness method with Process Modification (acceleration technique) is used to solve the equilibrium forces in the global solution. The constitutive model is based on the plasticity formulation proposed by the authors, which can capture the effective lateral modulus (EL) of the confining devices. This lateral modulus is obtained by observing the principal incremental stresses and strains at each element gauss point. It was found that, the lateral modulus is greatly affected by the boundary condition, dilatant behavior of the constitutive model and the Poisson's ratio of the external confining device. To validate the performance of the proposed model, several comparisons of the proposed model, using 3D-NLFEA, with experimental results is presented. The comparisons show that the predicted response using 3D-NLFEA and the experimental results of RC columns confined with FRP are in a good agreement.

A 'program of such potential' : The Australian Assistance Plan

- Scott, Joanne, Oppenheimer, Melanie, Eklund, Erik

  • Authors: Scott, Joanne , Oppenheimer, Melanie , Eklund, Erik
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Book chapter , Text
  • Relation: The state of welfare : comparative studies of the welfare state at the end of the long boom, 1965-1980 Chapter 5 p. 85-104
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  • Description: The Australian Assistance Plan (AAP) was an innovative programme of social welfare reform. Foreshadowed in the late 1960s, launched in 1973, and abolished in 1977, it was the subject of substantial commentary during and immediately after its brief existence. Attracting more brickbats than bouquets, the AAP was variously described as ‘a feasible and indeed exciting approach’, ‘the most random of random experiments’, ‘welfare on the cheap’, ‘a confusing program’ and ‘good news’.2 In contrast to other major initiatives of the Whitlam Labor government, it has attracted almost no scholarly analysis since the 1970s.

A 12-month prospective cohort study of symptoms of common mental disorders among professional rugby players

- Gouttebarge, Vincent, Hopley, Philip, Kerkhoffs, Gino, Verhagen, Evert, Viljoen, Wayne, Wylleman, Paul, Lambert, Mike

  • Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Hopley, Philip , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Verhagen, Evert , Viljoen, Wayne , Wylleman, Paul , Lambert, Mike
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: European Journal of Sport Science Vol. 18, no. 7 (2018), p. 1004-1012
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  • Description: The primary aims were to determine the 12-month incidence (and comorbidity) of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) among male professional rugby players and to explore their association with potential stressors. A secondary aim was to explore the view of male professional rugby players about the consequences of symptoms of CMD and related medical support/needs. An observational prospective cohort study with three measurements over a 12-month period was conducted among male professional rugby players from several countries. Symptoms of CMD (distress, anxiety/depression, sleep disturbance, eating disorders and adverse alcohol use) and stressors (adverse life events, rugby career dissatisfaction) were assessed through validated questionnaires. A total of 595 players (mean age of 26 years; mean career duration of 6 years) were enrolled, of which 333 completed the follow-up period. The incidence of symptoms of CMD were: 11% for distress, 28% for anxiety/depression, 12% for sleep disturbance, 11% for eating disorders and 22% for adverse alcohol use (13% for two simultaneous symptoms of CMD). Professional rugby players reporting recent adverse life events or career dissatisfaction were more likely to report symptoms of CMD but statistically significant associations were not found. Around 95% of the participants stated that symptoms of CMD can negatively influence rugby performances, while 46% mentioned that specific support measures for players were not available in professional rugby. Supportive and preventive measures directed towards symptoms of CMD should be developed to improve not only awareness and psychological resilience of rugby players but also their rugby performance and quality-of-life. © 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

A chronological history of the school

- Reeves, Mark, Dyson, Michael, Plunkett, Margaret

  • Authors: Reeves, Mark , Dyson, Michael , Plunkett, Margaret
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Surviving, thriving and reviving in adolescence : Research and narratives from the school for student leadership Chapter 2 p. 7-25
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  • Description: This chapter introduces the Alpine School and its original purpose and goals before leading into the story of the historical development of the current School for Student Leadership (SSL). It outlines the extensive political background behind the creation of this unique Victorian school and the search for an appropriate principal. The development of the school from a single campus to the current three campuses is detailed, with photos of each included to illustrate the diverse environmental contexts that are represented. Also presented is an outline of some of the major differences in the curriculum and overall experience that students receive through a term spent at the SSL, compared to that offered via traditional mainstream education. The different learning opportunities resulting from a program that focuses on providing a rite of passage for adolescents and includes experiential learning, reflection and a Community Learning Project are discussed, illustrating the contemporary approach used at the school to meet the cognitive, physical, social and emotional needs of the attending Year 9 students.

A comparative assessment of models to predict monthly rainfall in Australia

- Bagirov, Adil, Mahmood, Arshad

  • Authors: Bagirov, Adil , Mahmood, Arshad
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Water Resources Management Vol. 32, no. 5 (2018), p. 1777-1794
  • Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140103213
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  • Description: Accurate rainfall prediction is a challenging task. It is especially challenging in Australia where the climate is highly variable. Australia’s climatic zones range from high rainfall tropical regions in the north to the driest desert region in the interior. The performance of prediction models may vary depending on climatic conditions. It is, therefore, important to assess and compare the performance of these models in different climatic zones. This paper examines the performance of data driven models such as the support vector machines for regression, the multiple linear regression, the k-nearest neighbors and the artificial neural networks for monthly rainfall prediction in Australia depending on climatic conditions. Rainfall data with five meteorological variables over the period of 1970–2014 from 24 geographically diverse weather stations are used for this purpose. The prediction performance of each model was evaluated by comparing observed and predicted rainfall using various measures for prediction accuracy. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature.