Who's keeping count? The need for regulation is a relative matter
- Authors: Sawyer, Neroli
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Fertility and Sterility Vol. 92, no. 6 (2009), p. 1811-1817
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: It is important to have an accurate model for calculating limits to sperm donation so as to avoid inadvertent half-sibling mating and help protect the rights and welfare of the donor- inseminated child. The most highly developed model to date cannot be used as there is inadequate regulation of donor insemination among United States sperm banks. © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- Description: It is important to have an accurate model for calculating limits to sperm donation so as to avoid inadvertent half-sibling mating and help protect the rights and welfare of the donor- inseminated child. The most highly developed model to date cannot be used as there is inadequate regulation of donor insemination among United States sperm banks. © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- Authors: Sawyer, Neroli
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Fertility and Sterility Vol. 92, no. 6 (2009), p. 1811-1817
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: It is important to have an accurate model for calculating limits to sperm donation so as to avoid inadvertent half-sibling mating and help protect the rights and welfare of the donor- inseminated child. The most highly developed model to date cannot be used as there is inadequate regulation of donor insemination among United States sperm banks. © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- Description: It is important to have an accurate model for calculating limits to sperm donation so as to avoid inadvertent half-sibling mating and help protect the rights and welfare of the donor- inseminated child. The most highly developed model to date cannot be used as there is inadequate regulation of donor insemination among United States sperm banks. © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Analysis of a reactive agility field test
- Authors: Young, Warren , Willey, Ben
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 13, no. 3 (2010), p. 376-378
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this research was to evaluate a reactive agility test by determining the relationships between the total time recorded for the test and various components. A tester used side-step movements to provide a stimulus for the athlete to change direction. By using electronic timing and high speed video analysis of the test, three times were recorded. These were the time taken for the tester to display the stimulus to change direction (tester time), the time taken by the participant to respond to the stimulus (decision time), and the time taken by the participant to change direction and sprint to the left or right (response movement time). Thirty-one semi-professional Australian Rules football players were assessed by analysing the mean of eight trials of the reactive agility test. The greatest correlation with total time was r = 0.77 for decision time (p = 0.00), with movement time and tester time producing coefficients of 0.59 (p = 0.00) and 0.37 (p = 0.04), respectively. The coefficient of variation for the mean tester time was 5.1%. It was concluded that perceptual skill as measured by decision time is an important component of the reactive agility test and the tester time should be controlled by using high speed video recordings to isolate its influence. © 2009 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Authors: Young, Warren , Willey, Ben
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 13, no. 3 (2010), p. 376-378
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The purpose of this research was to evaluate a reactive agility test by determining the relationships between the total time recorded for the test and various components. A tester used side-step movements to provide a stimulus for the athlete to change direction. By using electronic timing and high speed video analysis of the test, three times were recorded. These were the time taken for the tester to display the stimulus to change direction (tester time), the time taken by the participant to respond to the stimulus (decision time), and the time taken by the participant to change direction and sprint to the left or right (response movement time). Thirty-one semi-professional Australian Rules football players were assessed by analysing the mean of eight trials of the reactive agility test. The greatest correlation with total time was r = 0.77 for decision time (p = 0.00), with movement time and tester time producing coefficients of 0.59 (p = 0.00) and 0.37 (p = 0.04), respectively. The coefficient of variation for the mean tester time was 5.1%. It was concluded that perceptual skill as measured by decision time is an important component of the reactive agility test and the tester time should be controlled by using high speed video recordings to isolate its influence. © 2009 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Hayen, Andrew, Dennis, Rebecca, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Hayen, Andrew , Dennis, Rebecca , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 10, no. 4 (2007), p. 201-210
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sports injury etiological studies explore the relationships between potential injury risk factors and injury outcomes. The ability of such studies to clearly identify intrinsic risk factors for sports injury depends on the accuracy of their measurement. Measurements need to be reproducible over time and repeatable by different observers, as well as within a given individual. The importance of the reliability of pre-participation screening protocols and other clinical assessment tools has been identified in a number of published studies. However, a review of these studies indicates that a variety of statistical techniques have been used to calculate intra- and inter-observer reliability. While the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) is the most often cited measure, a range of statistical approaches to estimating ICCs have been used. It is therefore difficult to determine which statistical method is most appropriate in the context of measuring intrinsic risk factors in sports injury research. This paper summarises a statistical method for the concurrent assessment of intra- and inter-observer reliability and presents an argument for why this approach should be adopted by sports injury researchers using screening protocols that collect continuous data.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005882
Ecological response to hydrological variability and catchment development : Insights from a shallow oxbow lake in Lower Mississippi Valley, Arkansas
- Bhattacharya, Ruchi, Hausmann, Sonja, Hubeny, J. Bradford, Gell, Peter, Black, Jessica
- Authors: Bhattacharya, Ruchi , Hausmann, Sonja , Hubeny, J. Bradford , Gell, Peter , Black, Jessica
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 569-570, no. (2016), p. 1087-1097
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The ecological response of shallow oxbow lakes to variability in hydrology and catchment development in large river floodplain ecosystems (RFE) in Arkansas remains largely unknown. Investigating these responses will advance our understanding of ecological evolution of oxbow lakes in response to the major environmental drivers, which will establish baseline conditions required to develop effective management practices for RFE. In this pilot study, we examined the potential of using a dated surface sediment core from Adams Bayou, a floodplain lake located within the Cache-Lower White River Ramsar site in SE Arkansas. Stratigraphic records of diatoms and sediment geochemistry were used to ascertain variation in Adams Bayou's ecological condition. During 1968–2008, in response to hydrological and anthropogenic changes, Adams Bayou's diatom assemblages progressed from predominantly benthic (Gomphonema parvulum and Meridion circulare) to primarily planktonic assemblage (Aulacoseira granulata and Cyclotella meneghiniana), along with a decrease in magnetic susceptibility (k) and % silt. Statistical analyses reveled that during 1968–2000, higher hydrological connectivity and catchment alterations drove Adams Bayou's ecosystem. After 2000, lower hydrological connectivity and increase in cultivation were the major drivers. The potential impact of increasing air temperature was also noted. The shift in Adams Bayou from a connected, clear, mesotrophic state to a relatively isolated, turbid and nutrient enriched state is consistent with regime shift models and highlights its sensitivity to a combination of environmental stresses prevalent in the catchment. Although fluvial systems pose challenges in establishing clear chronologies, oxbow lake sediments can be a effective paleoecological archives. Our work provides clear evidence for the change in the ecological character of this wetland of international significance and flags the need for a wider assessment of water bodies across this site under obligations to the Ramsar Convention.
- Description: The ecological response of shallow oxbow lakes to variability in hydrology and catchment development in large river floodplain ecosystems (RFE) in Arkansas remains largely unknown. Investigating these responses will advance our understanding of ecological evolution of oxbow lakes in response to the major environmental drivers, which will establish baseline conditions required to develop effective management practices for RFE. In this pilot study, we examined the potential of using a dated surface sediment core from Adams Bayou, a floodplain lake located within the Cache-Lower White River Ramsar site in SE Arkansas. Stratigraphic records of diatoms and sediment geochemistry were used to ascertain variation in Adams Bayou's ecological condition. During 1968–2008, in response to hydrological and anthropogenic changes, Adams Bayou's diatom assemblages progressed from predominantly benthic (Gomphonema parvulum and Meridion circulare) to primarily planktonic assemblage (Aulacoseira granulata and Cyclotella meneghiniana), along with a decrease in magnetic susceptibility (k) and % silt. Statistical analyses reveled that during 1968–2000, higher hydrological connectivity and catchment alterations drove Adams Bayou's ecosystem. After 2000, lower hydrological connectivity and increase in cultivation were the major drivers. The potential impact of increasing air temperature was also noted. The shift in Adams Bayou from a connected, clear, mesotrophic state to a relatively isolated, turbid and nutrient enriched state is consistent with regime shift models and highlights its sensitivity to a combination of environmental stresses prevalent in the catchment. Although fluvial systems pose challenges in establishing clear chronologies, oxbow lake sediments can be a effective paleoecological archives. Our work provides clear evidence for the change in the ecological character of this wetland of international significance and flags the need for a wider assessment of water bodies across this site under obligations to the Ramsar Convention. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.
- Authors: Bhattacharya, Ruchi , Hausmann, Sonja , Hubeny, J. Bradford , Gell, Peter , Black, Jessica
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Science of the Total Environment Vol. 569-570, no. (2016), p. 1087-1097
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The ecological response of shallow oxbow lakes to variability in hydrology and catchment development in large river floodplain ecosystems (RFE) in Arkansas remains largely unknown. Investigating these responses will advance our understanding of ecological evolution of oxbow lakes in response to the major environmental drivers, which will establish baseline conditions required to develop effective management practices for RFE. In this pilot study, we examined the potential of using a dated surface sediment core from Adams Bayou, a floodplain lake located within the Cache-Lower White River Ramsar site in SE Arkansas. Stratigraphic records of diatoms and sediment geochemistry were used to ascertain variation in Adams Bayou's ecological condition. During 1968–2008, in response to hydrological and anthropogenic changes, Adams Bayou's diatom assemblages progressed from predominantly benthic (Gomphonema parvulum and Meridion circulare) to primarily planktonic assemblage (Aulacoseira granulata and Cyclotella meneghiniana), along with a decrease in magnetic susceptibility (k) and % silt. Statistical analyses reveled that during 1968–2000, higher hydrological connectivity and catchment alterations drove Adams Bayou's ecosystem. After 2000, lower hydrological connectivity and increase in cultivation were the major drivers. The potential impact of increasing air temperature was also noted. The shift in Adams Bayou from a connected, clear, mesotrophic state to a relatively isolated, turbid and nutrient enriched state is consistent with regime shift models and highlights its sensitivity to a combination of environmental stresses prevalent in the catchment. Although fluvial systems pose challenges in establishing clear chronologies, oxbow lake sediments can be a effective paleoecological archives. Our work provides clear evidence for the change in the ecological character of this wetland of international significance and flags the need for a wider assessment of water bodies across this site under obligations to the Ramsar Convention.
- Description: The ecological response of shallow oxbow lakes to variability in hydrology and catchment development in large river floodplain ecosystems (RFE) in Arkansas remains largely unknown. Investigating these responses will advance our understanding of ecological evolution of oxbow lakes in response to the major environmental drivers, which will establish baseline conditions required to develop effective management practices for RFE. In this pilot study, we examined the potential of using a dated surface sediment core from Adams Bayou, a floodplain lake located within the Cache-Lower White River Ramsar site in SE Arkansas. Stratigraphic records of diatoms and sediment geochemistry were used to ascertain variation in Adams Bayou's ecological condition. During 1968–2008, in response to hydrological and anthropogenic changes, Adams Bayou's diatom assemblages progressed from predominantly benthic (Gomphonema parvulum and Meridion circulare) to primarily planktonic assemblage (Aulacoseira granulata and Cyclotella meneghiniana), along with a decrease in magnetic susceptibility (k) and % silt. Statistical analyses reveled that during 1968–2000, higher hydrological connectivity and catchment alterations drove Adams Bayou's ecosystem. After 2000, lower hydrological connectivity and increase in cultivation were the major drivers. The potential impact of increasing air temperature was also noted. The shift in Adams Bayou from a connected, clear, mesotrophic state to a relatively isolated, turbid and nutrient enriched state is consistent with regime shift models and highlights its sensitivity to a combination of environmental stresses prevalent in the catchment. Although fluvial systems pose challenges in establishing clear chronologies, oxbow lake sediments can be a effective paleoecological archives. Our work provides clear evidence for the change in the ecological character of this wetland of international significance and flags the need for a wider assessment of water bodies across this site under obligations to the Ramsar Convention. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.
The lifestyle of our kids (LOOK) project : Outline of methods
- Telford, Richard, Bass, Shona, Budge, Marc, Byrne, Donald, Carlson, John, Coles, David, Cunningham, Ross, Daly, Robin, Dunstan, David, English, Rowena, Fitzgerald, Robert, Eser, Prisca, Gravenmaker, Karen, Haynes, Wayne, Hickman, Peter, Javaid, Ahmad, Jiang, Xiaoli, Lafferty, Tony, McGrath, Mark, Martin, Mary Kay, Naughton, Geraldine, Potter, Julia, Potter, Stacey, Prosser, Laurie, Pyne, David, Reynolds, Graham, Saunders, Philo, Seibel, Markus, Shaw, Jonathan, Southcott, Emma, Srikusalanukul, Wichat, Stuckey, Darryl, Telford, Rohan, Thomas, Kerry, Tallis, Ken, Waring, Paul
- Authors: Telford, Richard , Bass, Shona , Budge, Marc , Byrne, Donald , Carlson, John , Coles, David , Cunningham, Ross , Daly, Robin , Dunstan, David , English, Rowena , Fitzgerald, Robert , Eser, Prisca , Gravenmaker, Karen , Haynes, Wayne , Hickman, Peter , Javaid, Ahmad , Jiang, Xiaoli , Lafferty, Tony , McGrath, Mark , Martin, Mary Kay , Naughton, Geraldine , Potter, Julia , Potter, Stacey , Prosser, Laurie , Pyne, David , Reynolds, Graham , Saunders, Philo , Seibel, Markus , Shaw, Jonathan , Southcott, Emma , Srikusalanukul, Wichat , Stuckey, Darryl , Telford, Rohan , Thomas, Kerry , Tallis, Ken , Waring, Paul
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 12, no. 1 (2009), p. 156-163
- Full Text:
- Description: This methods paper outlines the overall design of a community-based multidisciplinary longitudinal study with the intent to stimulate interest and communication from scientists and practitioners studying the role of physical activity in preventive medicine. In adults, lack of regular exercise is a major risk factor in the development of chronic degenerative diseases and is a major contributor to obesity, and now we have evidence that many of our children are not sufficiently active to prevent early symptoms of chronic disease. The lifestyle of our kids (LOOK) study investigates how early physical activity contributes to health and development, utilizing a longitudinal design and a cohort of eight hundred and thirty 7-8-year-old (grade 2) school children followed to age 11-12 years (grade 6), their average family income being very close to that of Australia. We will test two hypotheses, that (a) the quantity and quality of physical activity undertaken by primary school children will influence their psychological and physical health and development; (b) compared with existing practices in primary schools, a physical education program administered by visiting specialists will enhance health and development, and lead to a more positive perception of physical activity. To test the first hypothesis we will monitor all children longitudinally over the 4 years. To test the second we will involve an intervention group of 430 children who receive two 50 min physical education classes every week from visiting specialists and a control group of 400 who continue with their usual primary school physical education with their class-room teachers. At the end of grades 2, 4, and 6 we will measure several areas of health and development including blood risk factors for chronic disease, cardiovascular structure and function, physical fitness, psychological characteristics and perceptions of physical activity, bone structure and strength, motor control, body composition, nutritional intake, influence of teachers and family, and academic performance. © 2007 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Authors: Telford, Richard , Bass, Shona , Budge, Marc , Byrne, Donald , Carlson, John , Coles, David , Cunningham, Ross , Daly, Robin , Dunstan, David , English, Rowena , Fitzgerald, Robert , Eser, Prisca , Gravenmaker, Karen , Haynes, Wayne , Hickman, Peter , Javaid, Ahmad , Jiang, Xiaoli , Lafferty, Tony , McGrath, Mark , Martin, Mary Kay , Naughton, Geraldine , Potter, Julia , Potter, Stacey , Prosser, Laurie , Pyne, David , Reynolds, Graham , Saunders, Philo , Seibel, Markus , Shaw, Jonathan , Southcott, Emma , Srikusalanukul, Wichat , Stuckey, Darryl , Telford, Rohan , Thomas, Kerry , Tallis, Ken , Waring, Paul
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 12, no. 1 (2009), p. 156-163
- Full Text:
- Description: This methods paper outlines the overall design of a community-based multidisciplinary longitudinal study with the intent to stimulate interest and communication from scientists and practitioners studying the role of physical activity in preventive medicine. In adults, lack of regular exercise is a major risk factor in the development of chronic degenerative diseases and is a major contributor to obesity, and now we have evidence that many of our children are not sufficiently active to prevent early symptoms of chronic disease. The lifestyle of our kids (LOOK) study investigates how early physical activity contributes to health and development, utilizing a longitudinal design and a cohort of eight hundred and thirty 7-8-year-old (grade 2) school children followed to age 11-12 years (grade 6), their average family income being very close to that of Australia. We will test two hypotheses, that (a) the quantity and quality of physical activity undertaken by primary school children will influence their psychological and physical health and development; (b) compared with existing practices in primary schools, a physical education program administered by visiting specialists will enhance health and development, and lead to a more positive perception of physical activity. To test the first hypothesis we will monitor all children longitudinally over the 4 years. To test the second we will involve an intervention group of 430 children who receive two 50 min physical education classes every week from visiting specialists and a control group of 400 who continue with their usual primary school physical education with their class-room teachers. At the end of grades 2, 4, and 6 we will measure several areas of health and development including blood risk factors for chronic disease, cardiovascular structure and function, physical fitness, psychological characteristics and perceptions of physical activity, bone structure and strength, motor control, body composition, nutritional intake, influence of teachers and family, and academic performance. © 2007 Sports Medicine Australia.
Herbicides have negligible effects on ants and springtails in an Australian wheat field
- Greenslade, Penelope, Reid, Ian, Packer, Ian
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope , Reid, Ian , Packer, Ian
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Soil Biology and Biochemistry Vol. 42, no. 7 (2010), p. 1172-1175
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The effects of herbicides applied to a direct drilled and traditionally tilled wheat field on trap catches of the abundant Collembola and Formicidae were examined. Significantly higher abundances of Collembola and species richness of ants were found on the direct-drilled plots. A significant effect of the herbicides, bromoxynil (C7H3Br2NO) and hoegrass (diclofop-methyl), on the activity of two of the fourteen species of surface-dwelling Collembola was detected but no effect was observed on surface-active Formicidae. Jeannenotia stachi numbers were significantly more reduced on the direct-drilled compared to the traditionally tilled plot after herbicide treatment possibly because of higher predator abundance on the latter. In the short term, herbicides have a minimal effect on most species of surface-active arthropods although Collembola were more adversely affected than Formicidae. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Greenslade, Penelope , Reid, Ian , Packer, Ian
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Soil Biology and Biochemistry Vol. 42, no. 7 (2010), p. 1172-1175
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The effects of herbicides applied to a direct drilled and traditionally tilled wheat field on trap catches of the abundant Collembola and Formicidae were examined. Significantly higher abundances of Collembola and species richness of ants were found on the direct-drilled plots. A significant effect of the herbicides, bromoxynil (C7H3Br2NO) and hoegrass (diclofop-methyl), on the activity of two of the fourteen species of surface-dwelling Collembola was detected but no effect was observed on surface-active Formicidae. Jeannenotia stachi numbers were significantly more reduced on the direct-drilled compared to the traditionally tilled plot after herbicide treatment possibly because of higher predator abundance on the latter. In the short term, herbicides have a minimal effect on most species of surface-active arthropods although Collembola were more adversely affected than Formicidae. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for stable conjugate duality
- Burachik, Regina, Jeyakumar, Vaithilingam, Wu, Zhiyou
- Authors: Burachik, Regina , Jeyakumar, Vaithilingam , Wu, Zhiyou
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Nonlinear Analysis Vol. 64, no. 9 (2006), p. 1998-2005
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The conjugate duality, which states that infx∈X φ(x, 0) = maxv∈Y ' −φ∗(0,v), whenever a regularity condition on φ is satisfied, is a key result in convex anal¬ysis and optimization, where φ : X × Y → IR ∪{+∞} is a convex function, X and Y are Banach spaces, Y ' is the continuous dual space of Y and φ∗ is the Fenchel-Moreau conjugate of φ. In this paper, we establish a necessary and sufficient condition for the stable conjugate duality, ∗ ∗ ∈ X' inf {φ(x, 0) + x ∗(x)} = max {−φ ∗(−x ,v)}, ∀x, x∈Xv∈Y ' and obtain a new global dual regularity condition, which is much more general than the popularly known interior-point type conditions, for the conjugate duality. As a consequence we present an epigraph closure condition which is necessary and sufficient for a stable Fenchel-Rockafellar duality theorem. In the case where one of the functions involved in the duality is a polyhedral convex function, we also provide generalized interior-point conditions for the epigraph closure condition. Moreover, we show that a stable Fenchel’s duality for sublinear functions holds whenever a subdifferential sum formula for the functions holds. As applications, we give general sufficient conditions for a minimax theorem, a subdifferential composition formula and for duality results of convex programming problems.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003003596
- Authors: Burachik, Regina , Jeyakumar, Vaithilingam , Wu, Zhiyou
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Nonlinear Analysis Vol. 64, no. 9 (2006), p. 1998-2005
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The conjugate duality, which states that infx∈X φ(x, 0) = maxv∈Y ' −φ∗(0,v), whenever a regularity condition on φ is satisfied, is a key result in convex anal¬ysis and optimization, where φ : X × Y → IR ∪{+∞} is a convex function, X and Y are Banach spaces, Y ' is the continuous dual space of Y and φ∗ is the Fenchel-Moreau conjugate of φ. In this paper, we establish a necessary and sufficient condition for the stable conjugate duality, ∗ ∗ ∈ X' inf {φ(x, 0) + x ∗(x)} = max {−φ ∗(−x ,v)}, ∀x, x∈Xv∈Y ' and obtain a new global dual regularity condition, which is much more general than the popularly known interior-point type conditions, for the conjugate duality. As a consequence we present an epigraph closure condition which is necessary and sufficient for a stable Fenchel-Rockafellar duality theorem. In the case where one of the functions involved in the duality is a polyhedral convex function, we also provide generalized interior-point conditions for the epigraph closure condition. Moreover, we show that a stable Fenchel’s duality for sublinear functions holds whenever a subdifferential sum formula for the functions holds. As applications, we give general sufficient conditions for a minimax theorem, a subdifferential composition formula and for duality results of convex programming problems.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003003596
The policies and practices of sports governing bodies in relation to assessing the safety of sports grounds
- Swan, Peter, Otago, Leonie, Finch, Caroline, Payne, Warren
- Authors: Swan, Peter , Otago, Leonie , Finch, Caroline , Payne, Warren
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 12, no. 1 (2009), p. 171-176
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Description: Sport is an important context for physical activity and it is critical that safe environments are provided for such activity. Sports safety is influenced by the presence of sports ground environmental hazards such as ground hardness, poorly maintained playing fields, surface irregularities and the presence of debris/rubbish. To reduce injury risk, sports governing bodies need to ensure regular assessment of grounds safety and the removal of identified hazards. This study describes sports ground safety guidelines and recommendations of a sample of sports governing bodies and provides recommendations for how they could be improved. Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with nominees of state governing bodies for Australian football, cricket, soccer and hockey. The use of matchday checklists to identify ground hazards, as mandated by insurance companies was widely promoted across all levels of play. Sports governing bodies had more direct involvement in assessing grounds used for higher level of play, than grounds used for community or junior sport. There was a general presumption that identified hazards on community grounds would be corrected by local councils or clubs before anyone played on them, but this was rarely monitored. Sports governing bodies run the risk of being negligent in their duty of care to sports participants if they do not formally monitor the implementation of their ground safety polices and guidelines. There is also further scope for sports bodies to work closely with insurers to develop ground safety assessment guidelines specific to their sport. © 2008 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: 2003008186
- Authors: Swan, Peter , Otago, Leonie , Finch, Caroline , Payne, Warren
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 12, no. 1 (2009), p. 171-176
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Description: Sport is an important context for physical activity and it is critical that safe environments are provided for such activity. Sports safety is influenced by the presence of sports ground environmental hazards such as ground hardness, poorly maintained playing fields, surface irregularities and the presence of debris/rubbish. To reduce injury risk, sports governing bodies need to ensure regular assessment of grounds safety and the removal of identified hazards. This study describes sports ground safety guidelines and recommendations of a sample of sports governing bodies and provides recommendations for how they could be improved. Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with nominees of state governing bodies for Australian football, cricket, soccer and hockey. The use of matchday checklists to identify ground hazards, as mandated by insurance companies was widely promoted across all levels of play. Sports governing bodies had more direct involvement in assessing grounds used for higher level of play, than grounds used for community or junior sport. There was a general presumption that identified hazards on community grounds would be corrected by local councils or clubs before anyone played on them, but this was rarely monitored. Sports governing bodies run the risk of being negligent in their duty of care to sports participants if they do not formally monitor the implementation of their ground safety polices and guidelines. There is also further scope for sports bodies to work closely with insurers to develop ground safety assessment guidelines specific to their sport. © 2008 Sports Medicine Australia.
- Description: 2003008186
Data-driven computational social science : A survey
- Zhang, Jun, Wang, Wei, Xia, Feng, Lin, Yu-Ru, Tong, Hanghang
- Authors: Zhang, Jun , Wang, Wei , Xia, Feng , Lin, Yu-Ru , Tong, Hanghang
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Big Data Research Vol. 21, no. (2020), p. 1-22
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Social science concerns issues on individuals, relationships, and the whole society. The complexity of research topics in social science makes it the amalgamation of multiple disciplines, such as economics, political science, and sociology, etc. For centuries, scientists have conducted many studies to understand the mechanisms of the society. However, due to the limitations of traditional research methods, there exist many critical social issues to be explored. To solve those issues, computational social science emerges due to the rapid advancements of computation technologies and the profound studies on social science. With the aids of the advanced research techniques, various kinds of data from diverse areas can be acquired nowadays, and they can help us look into social problems with a new eye. As a result, utilizing various data to reveal issues derived from computational social science area has attracted more and more attentions. In this paper, to the best of our knowledge, we present a survey on datadriven computational social science for the first time which primarily focuses on reviewing application domains involving human dynamics. The state-of-the-art research on human dynamics is reviewed from three aspects: individuals, relationships, and collectives. Specifically, the research methodologies used to address research challenges in aforementioned application domains are summarized. In addition, some important open challenges with respect to both emerging research topics and research methods are discussed.
- Authors: Zhang, Jun , Wang, Wei , Xia, Feng , Lin, Yu-Ru , Tong, Hanghang
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Big Data Research Vol. 21, no. (2020), p. 1-22
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Social science concerns issues on individuals, relationships, and the whole society. The complexity of research topics in social science makes it the amalgamation of multiple disciplines, such as economics, political science, and sociology, etc. For centuries, scientists have conducted many studies to understand the mechanisms of the society. However, due to the limitations of traditional research methods, there exist many critical social issues to be explored. To solve those issues, computational social science emerges due to the rapid advancements of computation technologies and the profound studies on social science. With the aids of the advanced research techniques, various kinds of data from diverse areas can be acquired nowadays, and they can help us look into social problems with a new eye. As a result, utilizing various data to reveal issues derived from computational social science area has attracted more and more attentions. In this paper, to the best of our knowledge, we present a survey on datadriven computational social science for the first time which primarily focuses on reviewing application domains involving human dynamics. The state-of-the-art research on human dynamics is reviewed from three aspects: individuals, relationships, and collectives. Specifically, the research methodologies used to address research challenges in aforementioned application domains are summarized. In addition, some important open challenges with respect to both emerging research topics and research methods are discussed.
Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Lancet Vol. 396, no. 10258 (2020), p. 1250-1284
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (>= 65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0-100 based on the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target-1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023-we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45.8 (95% uncertainty interval 44.2-47.5) in 1990 to 60.3 (58.7-61.9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2.6% [1.9-3.3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010-2019 relative to 1990-2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0.79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388.9 million (358.6-421.3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3.1 billion (3.0-3.2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968.1 million [903.5-1040.3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people-the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close-or how far-all populations are in benefiting from UHC. Copyright (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the Federation University Australia affiliate is provided in this record**
- Description: Lucas Guimaraes Abreu acknowledges support from Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior -Brasil (Capes) -Finance Code 001, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). Olatunji O Adetokunboh acknowledges South African Department of Science & Innovation, and National Research Foundation. Anurag Agrawal acknowledges support from the Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance Senior Fellowship IA/CPHS/14/1/501489. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi acknowledges Grant U01HG010273 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the H3Africa Consortium. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi is further supported by the FLAIR fellowship funded by the UK Royal Society and the African Academy of Sciences. Syed Mohamed Aljunid acknowledges the Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University and International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. Marcel Ausloos, Claudiu Herteliu, and Adrian Pana acknowledge partial support by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNDSUEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0084. Till Winfried Barnighausen acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the Alexander von Humboldt Professor award, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Juan J Carrero was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2019-01059). Felix Carvalho acknowledges UID/MULTI/04378/2019 and UID/QUI/50006/2019 support with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds. Vera Marisa Costa acknowledges support from grant (SFRH/BHD/110001/2015), received by Portuguese national funds through Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma TransitA3ria DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006. Jan-Walter De Neve acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Kebede Deribe acknowledges support by Wellcome Trust grant number 201900/Z/16/Z as part of his International Intermediate Fellowship. Claudiu Herteliu acknowledges partial support by a grant co-funded by European Fund for Regional Development through Operational Program for Competitiveness, Project ID P_40_382. Praveen Hoogar acknowledges the Centre for Bio Cultural Studies (CBiCS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education(MAHE), Manipal and Centre for Holistic Development and Research (CHDR), Kalghatgi. Bing-Fang Hwang acknowledges support from China Medical University (CMU108-MF-95), Taichung, Taiwan. Mihajlo Jakovljevic acknowledges the Serbian part of this GBD contribution was co-funded through the Grant OI175014 of the Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Aruna M Kamath acknowledges funding from the National Institutes of Health T32 grant (T32GM086270). Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi acknowledges funding from the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12017/13 & MC_UU_12017/15), Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU13 & SPHSU15) and an NRS Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02). Yun Jin Kim acknowledges support from the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUMRF/2018-C2/ITCM/0001). Kewal Krishan acknowledges support from the DST PURSE grant and UGC Center of Advanced Study (CAS II) awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Manasi Kumar acknowledges support from K43 TW010716 Fogarty International Center/NIMH. Ben Lacey acknowledges support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Oxford. Ivan Landires is a member of the Sistema Nacional de InvestigaciA3n (SNI), which is supported by the Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia Tecnologia e Innovacion (SENACYT), Panama. Jeffrey V Lazarus acknowledges support by a Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities Miguel Servet grant (Instituto de Salud Carlos III/ESF, European Union [CP18/00074]). Peter T N Memiah acknowledges CODESRIA; HISTP. Subas Neupane acknowledges partial support from the Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Tampere University Hospital. Shuhei Nomura acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (18K10082). Alberto Ortiz acknowledges support by ISCIII PI19/00815, DTS18/00032, ISCIII-RETIC REDinREN RD016/0009 Fondos FEDER, FRIAT, Comunidad de Madrid B2017/BMD-3686 CIFRA2-CM. These funding sources had no role in the writing of the manuscript or the decision to submit it for publication. George C Patton acknowledges support from a National Health & Medical Research Council Fellowship. Marina Pinheiro acknowledges support from FCT for funding through program DL 57/2016 -Norma transitA3ria. Alberto Raggi, David Sattin, and Silvia Schiavolin acknowledge support by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico C Besta, Linea 4 -Outcome Research: dagli Indicatori alle Raccomandazioni Cliniche). Daniel Cury Ribeiro acknowledges support from the Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship -Health Research Council of New Zealand (18/111). Perminder S Sachdev acknowledges funding from the NHMRC Australia. Abdallah M Samy acknowledges support from a fellowship from the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. Milena M Santric-Milicevic acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Contract No. 175087). Rodrigo Sarmiento-Suarez acknowledges institutional support from University of Applied and Environmental Sciences in Bogota, Colombia, and Carlos III Institute of Health in Madrid, Spain. Maria Ines Schmidt acknowledges grants from the Foundation for the Support of Research of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (IATS and PrInt) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam acknowledges a fellowship from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Deakin University. Aziz Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. Kenji Shibuya acknowledges Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Joan B Soriano acknowledges support by Centro de Investigacion en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain. Rafael Tabares-Seisdedos acknowledges partial support from grant PI17/00719 from ISCIII-FEDER. Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla acknowledges support from the National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship, Australia. Marcello Tonelli acknowledges the David Freeze Chair in Health Services Research at the University of Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Lancet Vol. 396, no. 10258 (2020), p. 1250-1284
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (>= 65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0-100 based on the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target-1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023-we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45.8 (95% uncertainty interval 44.2-47.5) in 1990 to 60.3 (58.7-61.9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2.6% [1.9-3.3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010-2019 relative to 1990-2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0.79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388.9 million (358.6-421.3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3.1 billion (3.0-3.2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968.1 million [903.5-1040.3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people-the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close-or how far-all populations are in benefiting from UHC. Copyright (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the Federation University Australia affiliate is provided in this record**
- Description: Lucas Guimaraes Abreu acknowledges support from Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior -Brasil (Capes) -Finance Code 001, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). Olatunji O Adetokunboh acknowledges South African Department of Science & Innovation, and National Research Foundation. Anurag Agrawal acknowledges support from the Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance Senior Fellowship IA/CPHS/14/1/501489. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi acknowledges Grant U01HG010273 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the H3Africa Consortium. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi is further supported by the FLAIR fellowship funded by the UK Royal Society and the African Academy of Sciences. Syed Mohamed Aljunid acknowledges the Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University and International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. Marcel Ausloos, Claudiu Herteliu, and Adrian Pana acknowledge partial support by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNDSUEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0084. Till Winfried Barnighausen acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the Alexander von Humboldt Professor award, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Juan J Carrero was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2019-01059). Felix Carvalho acknowledges UID/MULTI/04378/2019 and UID/QUI/50006/2019 support with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds. Vera Marisa Costa acknowledges support from grant (SFRH/BHD/110001/2015), received by Portuguese national funds through Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma TransitA3ria DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006. Jan-Walter De Neve acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Kebede Deribe acknowledges support by Wellcome Trust grant number 201900/Z/16/Z as part of his International Intermediate Fellowship. Claudiu Herteliu acknowledges partial support by a grant co-funded by European Fund for Regional Development through Operational Program for Competitiveness, Project ID P_40_382. Praveen Hoogar acknowledges the Centre for Bio Cultural Studies (CBiCS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education(MAHE), Manipal and Centre for Holistic Development and Research (CHDR), Kalghatgi. Bing-Fang Hwang acknowledges support from China Medical University (CMU108-MF-95), Taichung, Taiwan. Mihajlo Jakovljevic acknowledges the Serbian part of this GBD contribution was co-funded through the Grant OI175014 of the Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Aruna M Kamath acknowledges funding from the National Institutes of Health T32 grant (T32GM086270). Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi acknowledges funding from the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12017/13 & MC_UU_12017/15), Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU13 & SPHSU15) and an NRS Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02). Yun Jin Kim acknowledges support from the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUMRF/2018-C2/ITCM/0001). Kewal Krishan acknowledges support from the DST PURSE grant and UGC Center of Advanced Study (CAS II) awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Manasi Kumar acknowledges support from K43 TW010716 Fogarty International Center/NIMH. Ben Lacey acknowledges support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Oxford. Ivan Landires is a member of the Sistema Nacional de InvestigaciA3n (SNI), which is supported by the Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia Tecnologia e Innovacion (SENACYT), Panama. Jeffrey V Lazarus acknowledges support by a Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities Miguel Servet grant (Instituto de Salud Carlos III/ESF, European Union [CP18/00074]). Peter T N Memiah acknowledges CODESRIA; HISTP. Subas Neupane acknowledges partial support from the Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Tampere University Hospital. Shuhei Nomura acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (18K10082). Alberto Ortiz acknowledges support by ISCIII PI19/00815, DTS18/00032, ISCIII-RETIC REDinREN RD016/0009 Fondos FEDER, FRIAT, Comunidad de Madrid B2017/BMD-3686 CIFRA2-CM. These funding sources had no role in the writing of the manuscript or the decision to submit it for publication. George C Patton acknowledges support from a National Health & Medical Research Council Fellowship. Marina Pinheiro acknowledges support from FCT for funding through program DL 57/2016 -Norma transitA3ria. Alberto Raggi, David Sattin, and Silvia Schiavolin acknowledge support by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico C Besta, Linea 4 -Outcome Research: dagli Indicatori alle Raccomandazioni Cliniche). Daniel Cury Ribeiro acknowledges support from the Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship -Health Research Council of New Zealand (18/111). Perminder S Sachdev acknowledges funding from the NHMRC Australia. Abdallah M Samy acknowledges support from a fellowship from the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. Milena M Santric-Milicevic acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Contract No. 175087). Rodrigo Sarmiento-Suarez acknowledges institutional support from University of Applied and Environmental Sciences in Bogota, Colombia, and Carlos III Institute of Health in Madrid, Spain. Maria Ines Schmidt acknowledges grants from the Foundation for the Support of Research of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (IATS and PrInt) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam acknowledges a fellowship from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Deakin University. Aziz Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. Kenji Shibuya acknowledges Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Joan B Soriano acknowledges support by Centro de Investigacion en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain. Rafael Tabares-Seisdedos acknowledges partial support from grant PI17/00719 from ISCIII-FEDER. Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla acknowledges support from the National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship, Australia. Marcello Tonelli acknowledges the David Freeze Chair in Health Services Research at the University of Calgary, AB, Canada.
Applying self-determination theory to understand the motivation for becoming a physical education teacher
- Spittle, Michael, Jackson, Kevin, Casey, Meghan
- Authors: Spittle, Michael , Jackson, Kevin , Casey, Meghan
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Teaching and Teacher Education Vol. 25, no. 1 (2009), p. 190-197
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study explored the reasons people choose physical education teaching as a profession and investigated the relationship of these choices with motivation. Physical education pre-service teachers (n = 324) completed the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and a measure of reasons for choosing physical education teaching. Confident interpersonal service reasons were linked with intrinsic motivation; whereas sport and physical activity reasons were related to extrinsic motivation. Enrolling because teaching seemed easy was linked with amotivation. Motivation was similar for different course entry methods, however, females were more intrinsically motivated than males and third year students were lower in motivation than other year levels. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Authors: Spittle, Michael , Jackson, Kevin , Casey, Meghan
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Teaching and Teacher Education Vol. 25, no. 1 (2009), p. 190-197
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study explored the reasons people choose physical education teaching as a profession and investigated the relationship of these choices with motivation. Physical education pre-service teachers (n = 324) completed the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and a measure of reasons for choosing physical education teaching. Confident interpersonal service reasons were linked with intrinsic motivation; whereas sport and physical activity reasons were related to extrinsic motivation. Enrolling because teaching seemed easy was linked with amotivation. Motivation was similar for different course entry methods, however, females were more intrinsically motivated than males and third year students were lower in motivation than other year levels. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
A review of mathematical models used to determine sperm donor limits for infertility treatment
- Sawyer, Neroli, McDonald, John
- Authors: Sawyer, Neroli , McDonald, John
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Fertility and Sterility Vol. 90, no. 2 (2008), p. 265-271
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To review mathematical models used to determine sperm donor limits for infertility treatment and to consider the need to develop a new, internationally recognized and applicable model for calculating limits. Design: Literature review. Setting: Models for determining sperm donor limits were identified through bibliographic databases. Patient(s): Published models. Intervention(s): Variables used in the models were defined, evaluated, and assessed for relevancy and applicability. Main Outcome Measure(s): Relevance and applicability of model variables used to predict the number of consanguineous matings, probability of unwitting sibling mating and contribution to F (coefficient of inbreeding). Result(s): Models found to be outdated and inadequate for the present-day. Conclusion(s): Many countries have introduced limits to the number of offspring each anonymous sperm donor can father but these limits vary considerably. Published models for calculating sperm donor limits are in need of improvement and it is recommended that an enhanced, internationally applicable formula be developed for calculating acceptable limits. Moreover, it is recommended that further research be undertaken into the social and familial consequences of the revocation of sperm donor anonymity and the implications for the setting of sperm donor limits. © 2008 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- Description: C1
- Authors: Sawyer, Neroli , McDonald, John
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Fertility and Sterility Vol. 90, no. 2 (2008), p. 265-271
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To review mathematical models used to determine sperm donor limits for infertility treatment and to consider the need to develop a new, internationally recognized and applicable model for calculating limits. Design: Literature review. Setting: Models for determining sperm donor limits were identified through bibliographic databases. Patient(s): Published models. Intervention(s): Variables used in the models were defined, evaluated, and assessed for relevancy and applicability. Main Outcome Measure(s): Relevance and applicability of model variables used to predict the number of consanguineous matings, probability of unwitting sibling mating and contribution to F (coefficient of inbreeding). Result(s): Models found to be outdated and inadequate for the present-day. Conclusion(s): Many countries have introduced limits to the number of offspring each anonymous sperm donor can father but these limits vary considerably. Published models for calculating sperm donor limits are in need of improvement and it is recommended that an enhanced, internationally applicable formula be developed for calculating acceptable limits. Moreover, it is recommended that further research be undertaken into the social and familial consequences of the revocation of sperm donor anonymity and the implications for the setting of sperm donor limits. © 2008 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- Description: C1
Bayes, time perception, and relativity : The central role of hopelessness
- Kent, Lachlan, Van Doorn, George, Hohwy, Jakob, Klein, Britt
- Authors: Kent, Lachlan , Van Doorn, George , Hohwy, Jakob , Klein, Britt
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Consciousness and Cognition Vol. 69, no. (2019), p. 70-80
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Time judgement and time experience are distinct elements of time perception. It is known that time experience tends to be slow, or dilated, when depressed, but there is less certainty or clarity concerning how depression affects time judgement. Here, we use a Bayesian Prediction Error Minimisation (PEM) framework called 'distrusting the present' as an explanatory and predictive model of both aspects of time perception. An interval production task was designed to probe and modulate the relationship between time perception and depression. Results showed that hopelessness, a symptom of severe depression, was associated with the ordering of interval lengths, reduced overall error, and dilated time experience. We propose that 'distrusting the future' is accompanied by 'trusting the present', leading to the experiences of time dilation when depressed or hopeless. Evidence was also found to support a relative difference model of how hopelessness dilates, and arousal accelerates, the rate of experienced time.
- Authors: Kent, Lachlan , Van Doorn, George , Hohwy, Jakob , Klein, Britt
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Consciousness and Cognition Vol. 69, no. (2019), p. 70-80
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Time judgement and time experience are distinct elements of time perception. It is known that time experience tends to be slow, or dilated, when depressed, but there is less certainty or clarity concerning how depression affects time judgement. Here, we use a Bayesian Prediction Error Minimisation (PEM) framework called 'distrusting the present' as an explanatory and predictive model of both aspects of time perception. An interval production task was designed to probe and modulate the relationship between time perception and depression. Results showed that hopelessness, a symptom of severe depression, was associated with the ordering of interval lengths, reduced overall error, and dilated time experience. We propose that 'distrusting the future' is accompanied by 'trusting the present', leading to the experiences of time dilation when depressed or hopeless. Evidence was also found to support a relative difference model of how hopelessness dilates, and arousal accelerates, the rate of experienced time.
Detection of enteric viral and bacterial pathogens associated with paediatric diarrhoea in Goroka, Papua New Guinea
- Soli, Kevin, Maure, Tobias, Kas, Monalisa, Bande, Grace, Bebes, Sauli, Luang-Suarkia, Dagwin, Siba, Peter, Morita, Ayako, Umezaki, Masahiro, Greenhill, Andrew, Horwood, Paul
- Authors: Soli, Kevin , Maure, Tobias , Kas, Monalisa , Bande, Grace , Bebes, Sauli , Luang-Suarkia, Dagwin , Siba, Peter , Morita, Ayako , Umezaki, Masahiro , Greenhill, Andrew , Horwood, Paul
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol. 27, no. (2014), p. 54-58
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the viral and bacterial causes of acute watery diarrhoea in hospitalized children in Papua New Guinea. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on stool samples collected from 199 children (age > 5 years) admitted to the paediatric ward of Goroka General Hospital from August 2009 through November 2010. A large range of viral and bacterial enteric pathogens were targeted using real-time PCR/RT-PCR assays. Results: Young children were much more likely to be admitted with acute gastroenteritis, with 62.8% of patients aged >1 year and 88.4% aged >2 years. An enteric pathogen was detected in 69.8% (n= 138) of patients. The most commonly detected pathogens were Shigella spp (26.6%), rotavirus (25.6%), adenovirus types 40/41 (11.6%), enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (11.1%), enteropathogenic E. coli (8.5%), norovirus G2 (6.0%), and Campylobacter spp (4.0%). Norovirus G1, sapovirus, and Salmonella spp were also detected, but below our statistical limit of detection. Vibrio cholerae and astrovirus were not detected in any patients. Mixed infections were detected in 22.1% of patients, with Shigella and rotavirus most commonly detected in co-infections with other pathogens. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that Shigella and rotavirus are the major pathogens associated with acute paediatric gastroenteritis in this setting. © 2014 The Authors.
- Authors: Soli, Kevin , Maure, Tobias , Kas, Monalisa , Bande, Grace , Bebes, Sauli , Luang-Suarkia, Dagwin , Siba, Peter , Morita, Ayako , Umezaki, Masahiro , Greenhill, Andrew , Horwood, Paul
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol. 27, no. (2014), p. 54-58
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the viral and bacterial causes of acute watery diarrhoea in hospitalized children in Papua New Guinea. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on stool samples collected from 199 children (age > 5 years) admitted to the paediatric ward of Goroka General Hospital from August 2009 through November 2010. A large range of viral and bacterial enteric pathogens were targeted using real-time PCR/RT-PCR assays. Results: Young children were much more likely to be admitted with acute gastroenteritis, with 62.8% of patients aged >1 year and 88.4% aged >2 years. An enteric pathogen was detected in 69.8% (n= 138) of patients. The most commonly detected pathogens were Shigella spp (26.6%), rotavirus (25.6%), adenovirus types 40/41 (11.6%), enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (11.1%), enteropathogenic E. coli (8.5%), norovirus G2 (6.0%), and Campylobacter spp (4.0%). Norovirus G1, sapovirus, and Salmonella spp were also detected, but below our statistical limit of detection. Vibrio cholerae and astrovirus were not detected in any patients. Mixed infections were detected in 22.1% of patients, with Shigella and rotavirus most commonly detected in co-infections with other pathogens. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that Shigella and rotavirus are the major pathogens associated with acute paediatric gastroenteritis in this setting. © 2014 The Authors.
A scale for monitoring students' attitudes to learning mathematics with technology
- Pierce, Robyn, Stacey, Kaye, Barkatsas, Anastasios
- Authors: Pierce, Robyn , Stacey, Kaye , Barkatsas, Anastasios
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Computers and Education Vol. 48, no. 2 (2007), p. 285-300
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Mathematics and Technology Attitudes Scale (MTAS) is a simple scale for middle secondary years students that monitors five affective variables relevant to learning mathematics with technology. The subscales measure mathematics confidence, confidence with technology, attitude to learning mathematics with technology and two aspects of engagement in learning mathematics. The paper presents a model of how technology use can enhance mathematics achievement, a review of other instruments and a psychometric analysis of the MTAS. It also reports the responses of 350 students from 6 schools to demonstrate the power of the MTAS to provide useful insights for teachers and researchers. 'Attitude to learning mathematics with technology' had a wider range of scores than other variables studied. For boys, this attitude is correlated only with confidence in using technology, but for girls the only relationship found was a negative correlation with mathematics confidence. These differences need to be taken into account when planning instruction. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003004898
- Authors: Pierce, Robyn , Stacey, Kaye , Barkatsas, Anastasios
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Computers and Education Vol. 48, no. 2 (2007), p. 285-300
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Mathematics and Technology Attitudes Scale (MTAS) is a simple scale for middle secondary years students that monitors five affective variables relevant to learning mathematics with technology. The subscales measure mathematics confidence, confidence with technology, attitude to learning mathematics with technology and two aspects of engagement in learning mathematics. The paper presents a model of how technology use can enhance mathematics achievement, a review of other instruments and a psychometric analysis of the MTAS. It also reports the responses of 350 students from 6 schools to demonstrate the power of the MTAS to provide useful insights for teachers and researchers. 'Attitude to learning mathematics with technology' had a wider range of scores than other variables studied. For boys, this attitude is correlated only with confidence in using technology, but for girls the only relationship found was a negative correlation with mathematics confidence. These differences need to be taken into account when planning instruction. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003004898
Making sporting clubs healthy and welcoming environments : A strategy to increase participation
- Eime, Rochelle, Payne, Warren, Harvey, Jack
- Authors: Eime, Rochelle , Payne, Warren , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 11, no. 2 (2008), p. 146-154
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sporting clubs are an ideal setting to promote community-wide participation in physical activity. Using the principles of the Ottawa Charter as a guide, this study explored the factors affecting the development of supportive environments as a mechanism to increase participation in club sport. The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) funds State Sporting Associations (SSAs) to develop healthy and welcoming environments (HWE) in their associated clubs. The program focus areas are: welcoming and inclusive environments, sports injury prevention, 'smoke-free' environments, responsible serving of alcohol, sun protection and healthy eating. This paper sought to determine whether or not SSA Executive Officers (EOs) believe that the creation of a supportive environment will facilitate sporting club membership and to identify the factors that affect the development of the HWEs. Forty-two (82.4%) of the 51 funded SSAs completed a general survey and 36 (70.6%) of EOs responded to questions that were specifically addressed to them. EOs from six SSAs also participated in semi-structured interviews. SSA EOs (97.2%) believed that the creation of HWE in clubs would facilitate increases in participant membership. However, the data indicate incomplete development of the HWE focus areas at the club level because of limited club capacity and limited SSA support. Reportedly, the SSAs are at the stage of raising program awareness at the club level. It is suggested that SSAs should plan a structured approach to the development of HWEs that acknowledges the diverse capacity of their clubs, and garner the support of key club volunteers in order to establish HWEs. Crown Copyright © 2007.
- Description: C1
The impact of deforestation and pasture abandonment on soil properties in the wet tropics of Australia
- Rasiah, Velu, Florentine, Singarayer, Williams, B. L., Westbrooke, Martin
- Authors: Rasiah, Velu , Florentine, Singarayer , Williams, B. L. , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Geoderma Vol. 120, no. 1-2 (2004), p. 35-45
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Limited information exists on the changes in soil properties, particularly from the wet tropics of Australia, under long-term abandoned pasture, which was previously grazed and was established on deforested tropical rainforest. This information may be help in successful forest reestablishment. The objectives of this study were to assess the cumulative impact deforestation, grazed and abandoned pasture on selected soil physico-chemical properties from (i) an abandoned pastureland and (ii) a recently planted rainforest (PRF), planted in the abandoned pastureland. The experimental site is a field in the Northeast Queensland (NEQ) wet tropical region of Australia. This site was deforested approximately 70 years ago and brought under unfertilized grazed pasture for 30 years. Subsequently the grazed pastureland was abandoned and remains un-grazed for 40 years. A section of the abandoned pastureland was planted, 10 years ago, with native forest species, involving different combinations in five treatments in a completely randomised block design. A nearby undisturbed rainforest is used as the background against which assessment was carried out. Soil samples from 0- to 15-cm depth were collected in July 2000 and analyzed for nitrate-N, ammonium-N, total N, total soil organic C (SOC) and labile-C, pH (in water and CaCl2), electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Al, and bulk density. Compared to the rainforest, the N and C concentrations of different forms under abandoned pasture and PRF were significantly less, exclusive of the total N under abandoned pasture. More specifically, the SOC under the abandoned pasture was 37,600 mg/kg compared with 74,800 mg/kg under rainforest and 27,000 mg/kg in the PRF. The exchangeable Al under rainforest was 8.5 c molc/kg compared with 42. 4 to 80.2 c molc/kg under abandoned pasture and PRF. In general exchangeable cations (sum of Ca, Mg, K, and Na) under the rainforest were higher than the abandoned pasture. Soil under the abandoned pasture and PRF are more acidic by 0.5 to 1 units than the rainforest. Higher bulk densities under abandoned pasture and PRF led to 0.03% to 0.07% reductions in total porosities. Though we did not anticipate the soil under the abandoned pasture to recover 100% in 30-40 years, the results indicate that 40 years under abandoned pasture or 30 years of abandoned pasture plus 10 years under PRF was not sufficient to bring about substantial improvement in soil properties comparable to the rainforest. This implies the resiliency of tropical soils, in general, to recover from deforestation and cultivation induced degradation is poor. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000713
- Authors: Rasiah, Velu , Florentine, Singarayer , Williams, B. L. , Westbrooke, Martin
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Geoderma Vol. 120, no. 1-2 (2004), p. 35-45
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Limited information exists on the changes in soil properties, particularly from the wet tropics of Australia, under long-term abandoned pasture, which was previously grazed and was established on deforested tropical rainforest. This information may be help in successful forest reestablishment. The objectives of this study were to assess the cumulative impact deforestation, grazed and abandoned pasture on selected soil physico-chemical properties from (i) an abandoned pastureland and (ii) a recently planted rainforest (PRF), planted in the abandoned pastureland. The experimental site is a field in the Northeast Queensland (NEQ) wet tropical region of Australia. This site was deforested approximately 70 years ago and brought under unfertilized grazed pasture for 30 years. Subsequently the grazed pastureland was abandoned and remains un-grazed for 40 years. A section of the abandoned pastureland was planted, 10 years ago, with native forest species, involving different combinations in five treatments in a completely randomised block design. A nearby undisturbed rainforest is used as the background against which assessment was carried out. Soil samples from 0- to 15-cm depth were collected in July 2000 and analyzed for nitrate-N, ammonium-N, total N, total soil organic C (SOC) and labile-C, pH (in water and CaCl2), electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Al, and bulk density. Compared to the rainforest, the N and C concentrations of different forms under abandoned pasture and PRF were significantly less, exclusive of the total N under abandoned pasture. More specifically, the SOC under the abandoned pasture was 37,600 mg/kg compared with 74,800 mg/kg under rainforest and 27,000 mg/kg in the PRF. The exchangeable Al under rainforest was 8.5 c molc/kg compared with 42. 4 to 80.2 c molc/kg under abandoned pasture and PRF. In general exchangeable cations (sum of Ca, Mg, K, and Na) under the rainforest were higher than the abandoned pasture. Soil under the abandoned pasture and PRF are more acidic by 0.5 to 1 units than the rainforest. Higher bulk densities under abandoned pasture and PRF led to 0.03% to 0.07% reductions in total porosities. Though we did not anticipate the soil under the abandoned pasture to recover 100% in 30-40 years, the results indicate that 40 years under abandoned pasture or 30 years of abandoned pasture plus 10 years under PRF was not sufficient to bring about substantial improvement in soil properties comparable to the rainforest. This implies the resiliency of tropical soils, in general, to recover from deforestation and cultivation induced degradation is poor. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000713
Ant community responses to farmland use and revegetation in a fragmented agricultural landscape
- Ng, Katherine, Nowrouzi, Somayeh, Staunton, Kyran, Barton, Philip, Driscoll, Don
- Authors: Ng, Katherine , Nowrouzi, Somayeh , Staunton, Kyran , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment Vol. 311, no. (May 2021), p. 8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Recent alarming losses of insects from agricultural landscapes in multiple countries around the world have brought into sharp focus the urgent need to identify ways to manage these landscapes to avoid further biodiversity decline. Identifying the drivers of insect declines, such as land use change, is critical to this effort. We examined ant communities at the interface between remnant vegetation patches and three adjoining farmland types (wheat crop, rested from cropping and restoration plantings) in a fragmented landscape in temperate Australia. We asked: do ant communities and occurrence of individual species differ between remnant patches and farmlands with more intensive farmland use (restoration plantings < rested farmlands < wheat crop)? We recorded 13,283 ants belonging to 102 species from 30 genera. Excluding 21 singletons, 27 species only occurred in remnant patches compared to ten species found only in farmlands. Ant community composition in wheat crop and rested farmlands significantly differed from their adjacent remnant patches and were more homogeneous. In contrast, ant communities from restoration plantings in farmland were not significantly different in composition from those in the adjacent remnant patch. The large, aggressive Australian meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus) showed significantly higher occurrence in the remnant patch than all farmland types, and we suggest that the absence of this strongly interacting species from farmlands may have contributed to biotic homogenisation. Our findings show that native vegetation provides crucial habitat resources for many ant species that are not provided by farmlands, and native plantings can, in some cases, ameliorate negative effects of farmland clearing over relatively short time scales (<7 years). Agricultural intensification that involves loss of remnant native vegetation or reduced revegetation will contribute to ongoing losses and changes to ant biodiversity in farming landscapes. However, replanting native vegetation can lead to rapid restoration, signifying a possible simple remedy to insect declines.
- Authors: Ng, Katherine , Nowrouzi, Somayeh , Staunton, Kyran , Barton, Philip , Driscoll, Don
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment Vol. 311, no. (May 2021), p. 8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Recent alarming losses of insects from agricultural landscapes in multiple countries around the world have brought into sharp focus the urgent need to identify ways to manage these landscapes to avoid further biodiversity decline. Identifying the drivers of insect declines, such as land use change, is critical to this effort. We examined ant communities at the interface between remnant vegetation patches and three adjoining farmland types (wheat crop, rested from cropping and restoration plantings) in a fragmented landscape in temperate Australia. We asked: do ant communities and occurrence of individual species differ between remnant patches and farmlands with more intensive farmland use (restoration plantings < rested farmlands < wheat crop)? We recorded 13,283 ants belonging to 102 species from 30 genera. Excluding 21 singletons, 27 species only occurred in remnant patches compared to ten species found only in farmlands. Ant community composition in wheat crop and rested farmlands significantly differed from their adjacent remnant patches and were more homogeneous. In contrast, ant communities from restoration plantings in farmland were not significantly different in composition from those in the adjacent remnant patch. The large, aggressive Australian meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus) showed significantly higher occurrence in the remnant patch than all farmland types, and we suggest that the absence of this strongly interacting species from farmlands may have contributed to biotic homogenisation. Our findings show that native vegetation provides crucial habitat resources for many ant species that are not provided by farmlands, and native plantings can, in some cases, ameliorate negative effects of farmland clearing over relatively short time scales (<7 years). Agricultural intensification that involves loss of remnant native vegetation or reduced revegetation will contribute to ongoing losses and changes to ant biodiversity in farming landscapes. However, replanting native vegetation can lead to rapid restoration, signifying a possible simple remedy to insect declines.
The arid land invasive weed Nicotiana glauca R. Graham (Solanaceae) : Population and soil seed bank dynamics, seed germination patterns and seedling response to flood and drought
- Florentine, Singarayer, Westbrooke, Martin, Gosney, Kathleen, Ambrose, Graeme, O’Keefe, M.
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Westbrooke, Martin , Gosney, Kathleen , Ambrose, Graeme , O’Keefe, M.
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Arid Environments Vol. 66, no. (2006), p. 218-230
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Disturbances in plant communities provide opportunities for weed germination, propagation, spread, and invasion. When the population density of a weed increases, fast-tracked and appropriate control management strategies are required. The objectives of this study were to: (i) examine the population and soil seed bank dynamics of Nicotiana glauca; (ii) compare the germination patterns of invasive N. glauca seeds collected from two states in Australia, and (iii) investigate the impact of a flood in September 1997 and subsequent drought on N. glauca seedlings. The density of N. glauca followed a steep positive increment during the sampling time (September 1999 to October 2004). The increment pattern was similar in flooded fenced and unfenced plots. Plant density increased over much of the observation period, but had declined to 80 and 432 stems ha−1, respectively, by October 2004. Stem density recorded in October 2004 along two transects radiating from the central point of the newly created lake demonstrated that a significant number of stems appeared to be dead. A soil seed bank study revealed that seed density varied significantly (p=0.0001) between flooded fenced (598.75±71) and flooded unfenced (327.5±66) plots. In contrast, no N. glauca seedlings were recruited from the soil collected from the control plots. Germination trials were undertaken on N. glauca seed collected from New South Wales. There was no significance difference detected between treatments light and temperature. Similarly, no interaction was found between light and temperature. A comparative study on seed germination patterns of N. glauca seeds collected from Ivanhoe, New South Wales, and the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, showed that temperature had a significant effect on N. glauca seed germination. The effect varied significantly with main variables (state, length and time) and also with different interactions, except state×light (p=0.3840). N. glauca seedlings exposed to flood were found to withstand partial flooding for at least 58 days. Under waterlogged conditions, the seedlings showed stem hypertrophy and produced adventitious roots. Only one seedling was found dead in the drought treatment. In conclusion, it is clear that N. glauca invaded the area after a rare flood event and began to function as a casual weed. Established seedlings in the field can withstand extreme ecological events such as flood and drought. Understanding the plants’ ecological characteristics through a study such as this at an early rather than late stage in the invasion will help us to take appropriate control measures for this species.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001616
- Authors: Florentine, Singarayer , Westbrooke, Martin , Gosney, Kathleen , Ambrose, Graeme , O’Keefe, M.
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Arid Environments Vol. 66, no. (2006), p. 218-230
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Disturbances in plant communities provide opportunities for weed germination, propagation, spread, and invasion. When the population density of a weed increases, fast-tracked and appropriate control management strategies are required. The objectives of this study were to: (i) examine the population and soil seed bank dynamics of Nicotiana glauca; (ii) compare the germination patterns of invasive N. glauca seeds collected from two states in Australia, and (iii) investigate the impact of a flood in September 1997 and subsequent drought on N. glauca seedlings. The density of N. glauca followed a steep positive increment during the sampling time (September 1999 to October 2004). The increment pattern was similar in flooded fenced and unfenced plots. Plant density increased over much of the observation period, but had declined to 80 and 432 stems ha−1, respectively, by October 2004. Stem density recorded in October 2004 along two transects radiating from the central point of the newly created lake demonstrated that a significant number of stems appeared to be dead. A soil seed bank study revealed that seed density varied significantly (p=0.0001) between flooded fenced (598.75±71) and flooded unfenced (327.5±66) plots. In contrast, no N. glauca seedlings were recruited from the soil collected from the control plots. Germination trials were undertaken on N. glauca seed collected from New South Wales. There was no significance difference detected between treatments light and temperature. Similarly, no interaction was found between light and temperature. A comparative study on seed germination patterns of N. glauca seeds collected from Ivanhoe, New South Wales, and the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, showed that temperature had a significant effect on N. glauca seed germination. The effect varied significantly with main variables (state, length and time) and also with different interactions, except state×light (p=0.3840). N. glauca seedlings exposed to flood were found to withstand partial flooding for at least 58 days. Under waterlogged conditions, the seedlings showed stem hypertrophy and produced adventitious roots. Only one seedling was found dead in the drought treatment. In conclusion, it is clear that N. glauca invaded the area after a rare flood event and began to function as a casual weed. Established seedlings in the field can withstand extreme ecological events such as flood and drought. Understanding the plants’ ecological characteristics through a study such as this at an early rather than late stage in the invasion will help us to take appropriate control measures for this species.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001616
Teacher ratings of ODD symptoms: Measurement equivalence across Malaysian Malay, Chinese and Indian children
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Asian Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 8, no. 1 (2014), p. 52-55
- Full Text:
- Description: Background The study examined the measurement equivalence for teacher ratings across Malaysian Malay, Chinese and Indian children. Methods Malaysian teachers completed ratings of the ODD symptoms for 574 Malay, 247 Chinese and 98 Indian children. Results The results supported the equivalences for the configural, metric, and error variances models, and the equivalences for ODD latent variances and mean scores. Discussion Together, these findings suggest good support for measurement and structural equivalences of the ODD symptoms across these ethnic groups. The theoretical and clinical implications of the findings for cross-cultural equivalence of the ODD symptoms are discussed.
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Asian Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 8, no. 1 (2014), p. 52-55
- Full Text:
- Description: Background The study examined the measurement equivalence for teacher ratings across Malaysian Malay, Chinese and Indian children. Methods Malaysian teachers completed ratings of the ODD symptoms for 574 Malay, 247 Chinese and 98 Indian children. Results The results supported the equivalences for the configural, metric, and error variances models, and the equivalences for ODD latent variances and mean scores. Discussion Together, these findings suggest good support for measurement and structural equivalences of the ODD symptoms across these ethnic groups. The theoretical and clinical implications of the findings for cross-cultural equivalence of the ODD symptoms are discussed.