59974 research outputs found
Sort by
Microclimate, soil nutrients and stable isotopes in relation to elevation in the Australian Wet Tropics
Get PDFMicroclimate, such as soil and surface air temperatures, and edaphic factors, such as soil organic matter content and nutrient availability, are important parameters of the below-canopy environment that shape vegetation communities. Yet, the literature examining how microclimate and edaphic properties vary along elevation gradients in tropical rainforests is limited, hindering our understanding of key ecological processes in the forest understory. Here we present an analysis of high-resolution (15-min frequency) microclimate data spanning approximately 3 years (December 2019–September 2022) across 20 rainforest sites, ranging from 40 to 1550 meters above sea level (a.s.l.). We also present analyses of soil chemical properties, including δ15N isotope composition from the same study sites. Our study found soils were consistently cooler than air during the day and warmer than air during the night across all sites. The difference in mean temperature between the wettest (summer) and the driest (winter) quarter for both soil and air also increased with elevation, as did the annual temperature range. Soil organic matter content and C:N ratio increased with elevation, in concert with a decline in soil pH. Together, edaphic factors displayed a strong correlation with climatic factors, suggesting temperature as an important driver of soil properties across elevation. Finally, soil δ15N was found to decline with increasing elevation, suggesting a tighter N cycle in high elevation, higher organic matter soils. These observations highlight the existing elevational trends in both microclimate and edaphic variables in the Australian Wet Tropics; understanding how these trends may shift with climate change could be important for predicting impacts on species distributions
Master of nursing programs in Australia: A desktop analysis
Get PDFBackground: Master of Nursing (MN) programs serve as an important structured pathway to prepare the nursing workforce to develop advanced capabilities. Little research has been done to examine the key characteristics of MN programs in Australia and their responsiveness to meeting the health needs of the community.
Aim: The aim of this desktop analysis is to provide a detailed overview of the key characteristics of MN programs in Australia.
Method: A desktop analysis of MN programs in Australia utilising content analysis of publicly available information gathered from program websites of Australian Universities.
Results: A total of 70 MN programs were analysed from the 28 that offered these programs. Nine categories were developed that describe the key characteristics of these programs: nomenclature and program focus, program outcomes, regulation and professional recognition, structure, work integrated learning, delivery mode, admission, and tuition fees. Inconsistencies were identified across all categories.
Discussion: While Australian universities offer a diverse range of MN programs, inconsistencies across the programs can impact quality and intent and have implications for students, employees, and universities.
Conclusion: There is a pressing need to ensure the quality of MN education is maintained and adequate to meet healthcare needs. The benefits and risks of professional regulation of all MN programs should be considered as a mechanism for enhancing the quality of nursing education
A Response to a Comment on Hall et al. (2024)
Get PDF[Extract] The conditions under which laypeople attribute knowledge to protagonists have long been debated by experimental philosophers (Colaço et al., 2014; Nagel et al., 2013; Weinberg et al., 2001). Consider the case of “Darrel,” who accurately recognizes the species of an animal in the woods even though it was the only one of its kind among many animals of an identical-looking species. Responses to this so-called “Gettier-type” case have been studied to examine whether laypeople consider luckily true beliefs as constituting actual knowledge. In their Experiment 1, Turri et al. (2015) compared knowledge attributions in this version of the “Darrel” case to a version in which his belief is a clear case of knowledge; they found no difference between these conditions and concluded that “a salient but failed threat to the truth of a judgment does not significantly affect whether it is viewed as knowledge” (p. 381). Hall et al. (2024) replicated and extended Experiment 1 of Turri et al., testing condition differences by using the Darrel case alongside two other counterfeit-object Gettier-type cases in a large multinational study. Hall et al. found that participants were less likely to attribute knowledge to the protagonists when beliefs were only luckily true (i.e., the Gettier conditions) than when the truth of the beliefs was not under threat (i.e., the knowledge conditions). This significant condition difference reported by Hall et al. stands in contrast to the null result reported by Turri et al. In their commentary on Hall et al., Buckwalter and Friedman (2024) claimed that the replication should have been interpreted as successful, argued that the researchers’ conclusions were incorrect, and implied that the replication effort was misguided. As a subset of contributors to the Hall et al. replication, we appreciate the opportunity to respond to their comment. Although we recognize the potential for disagreement in the interpretation of research results, Buckwalter and Friedman’s critique ignored several key features of the research, and many of their arguments and proposed interpretations were already addressed by Hall et al. (2024). In response to their comment, we (a) explain why Hall et al. did not replicate all of the original findings, (b) emphasize how Hall et al. were accurate and nuanced in the description and interpretation of their results, and (c) caution against focusing on the mechanisms underlying a psychological phenomenon before it is clearly established
Access to Australian community palliative care services: the influence of peri-urban location
Get PDFShirley Papavasiliou explored the challenges faced in accessing community palliative care services in peri-urban regions of Australia, shedding light on the complexities of service provision in rural-urban locations. The findings resulted in recommendations to future policy and resource allocation which are being discussed with SA Health and community providers
Comparative studies of seafood and reptile α- and β-parvalbumins
No full textSmall calcium-binding proteins such as parvalbumins (PVs) are major seafood and fish allergens. However, the impact of structural changes on their capacity to bind IgE has not been studied in detail. Therefore, fish and reptilian PVs, as well as human α-PV, were selected for biochemical, structural, and IgE binding studies. Likely due to their high solubility, crystallization proved difficult, so additional techniques were used to promote crystallization of the proteins. Novel crystal structures were determined for human PV, cod allergen Gad m 1.0201, saltwater crocodile allergen Cro p 1.0101, and the α-PV from thornback ray. β-PVs are considered the major fish allergens, while α-PVs are rarely categorized as allergens. To explain these differences, the results of structural and IgE binding studies were combined. This approach allowed us to provide new insight into IgE binding epitopes present on PVs, focusing on cross-reactivity among the selected α- and β-PVs. In addition, we have shown that these proteins display remarkable thermal stability across a range of pH conditions, which is relevant in the case of food allergens and food processing. Moreover, it is shown that the presence of calcium cations is critical for stability of the studied PVs via their protein folding, which has an impact on the formation of IgE binding epitopes. These studies shows the stability of fish and reptile PV allergens, and it allows for further evaluation of their IgE cross-reactivity
Big data analysis of Terror Management Theory's predictions in the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThe current study aimed to address the limitations of the terror management theory literature by using big data analysis to examine the theory’s predictions in the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, Google Trends were examined before and after the first COVID-19 case was identified in Singapore. The results showed that there was a significant increase in mortality salience, intergroup conflict, and prosocial behavior, and a significant decrease in materialism after the first COVID-19 case was identified. However, no significant differences were found for anxiety. Limitations include the assumption that search terms reflect intentions that would eventually lead to a relevant behavior and the lack of data from other sources to corroborate with the results from Google Trends. Future research could use data from other sources to examine the effects of COVID-19 on theoretically relevant behaviors
CONNECT:a framework to enhance student connection to their course content, peers, and teaching staff in online learning environments
Get PDFThis article presents a framework designed for use at the course level to assist higher education teaching staff in increasing students’ feelings of belonging and connectedness in a 100% online postgraduate nursing course. Using a deductive process spanning several years, the framework was developed to improve student retention and success by establishing clear strategies for academic staff to enhance student connection to course content, peers and teaching staff. Although the CONNECT framework presented in this paper was developed for use in a 100% online postgraduate nursing course, the strategies described can be applied or adapted to suit an online course in any discipline
Enhancing precision of the 16-item Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE-16) using Rasch methodology
No full textObjective: This study aimed to investigate psychometric properties and enhance precision of the 16-item Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE-16) up to interval-level scale using Rasch methodology. Design: Partial Credit Rasch model was applied to the IQCODE-16 scores using longitudinal data spanning 10 years of biennial follow-up. Setting: Community-dwelling older adults aged 70-90 years and their informants, living in Sydney, Australia, participated in the longitudinal Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS). Participants: The sample included 400 participants of the MAS aged 70 years and older, 109 out of those were diagnosed with dementia 10 years after the baseline assessment. Measurements: The IQCODE-16. Results: Initial analysis indicated excellent reliability of the IQCODE-16, Person Separation Index (PSI) = 0.92, but there were four misfitting items and local dependency issues. Combining locally dependent items into four super-items resulted in the best Rasch model fit with no misfitting or locally dependent items, strict unidimensionality, strong reliability, and invariance across person factors such as participants' diagnosis and relationship to their informants, as well as informants' age and sex. This permitted the generation of conversion algorithms to transform ordinal scores into interval data to enhance precision of measurement. Conclusions: The IQCODE-16 demonstrated strong reliability and satisfied expectations of the unidimensional Rasch model after minor modifications. Ordinal-to-interval transformation tables published here can be used to increase accuracy of the IQCODE-16 without altering its current format. These findings could contribute to enhancement of precision in assessing clinical conditions such as cognitive decline in older people
Social, Political and Cultural Remittances: Implications for the Origin and Destination Countries
No full textRemittances have been one of the most critical components of the population migration debate. Since migration has been studied academically, the ‘remittance equals cash’ idea has dominated other types of remittances. This study focuses on in-kind remittances, which are transfers of goods and services sent by migrants (other than money) from their destination country. We examined the literature using content analysis. The research investigates how a nation takes shape through the injection of remittances in kind (RK) brought by ‘migrant populations’ of both origins and destinations, using empirical and theoretical evidence. RK are worth considering for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is that they play an essential part in international collectivist development. Second, they highlight the societal effects of migration. Third, they have a chance of gaining public support. With great transformative power, RK has the capacity to alter a nation’s economy, values and lifestyle. This article establishes for the first time, by re-conceptualizing conventional wisdom, that the major development paradigm shift that has occurred in Asia’s economies over the decades has been largely due to the contribution of RK brought and sent to by individuals such as Gandhi in India, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, Shinawatra in Thailand, Jose Rizal in the Philippines and Suu Kyi in Myanmar. We conducted qualitative research and relied heavily on secondary data sources. This article delves into a fresh idea about migration and remittances. This is a new addition to the migration and development scholarship
A Pre-Science Style Model of Aquaculture Tourism Businesses
Get PDFThis research note introduces a research agenda for the development of aquaculture tourism. The first aim of this research piece is to present the emerging phenomenon of tourism based on aquaculture operations. These businesses may conveniently be collected under the umbrella term aquaculture tourism by designing tourist experiences based on aquaculture farm setup. The second aim is to provide a structure for the investigation of these facilities. Building on three pillars of allied academic effort-sideline tourism, lifestyle entrepreneurship and tourism engagement, this study offers a pre-science model for aquaculture tourism businesses. A model with an incremental insight is introduced based on the notion of visitor engagement, connecting engagement to economic performance in a new context wherein existing aquaculture enterprises adopt tourism to present a new product. The value of this kind of model lies in its potential benefit to those who seek to offer and market a range of opportunities for small scale, less resilient businesses