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A metasynthesis of nurses and midwives' experiences of clinical supervision
No full textProblem: Given the current rate of burnout and attrition among nurses and midwives globally, there is a need to understand the effectiveness of supportive strategies to help retain this workforce. Background: Clinical supervision can help to ensure that nurses and midwives are supported and have the capacity to cope with their job demands. Yet there are no metasyntheses that provide a collective understanding of their experiences with clinical supervision. Aim: To synthesise the experiences of nurses and midwives who have accessed clinical supervision. Methods: A metasynthesis was conducted by systematically searching academic databases for relevant publications; assessing their quality using an established checklist; extracting and analysing qualitative content; and synthesising key findings about the experiences of nurses and midwives regarding clinical supervision. Findings: Themes and subthemes were identified from 12 papers, including: optimal logistics; support; safety and confidentiality; improving practice through reflection; and trust in the group. Discussion: For clinicians to feel comfortable discussing their practice and workplace with the facilitator and colleagues, nurses and midwives needed to feel safe during clinical supervision and trust the process and their peers. Despite common difficulties of finding time for the sessions, clinical supervision can enhance collaboration and communication in the workplace. Conclusion: Clinical supervision that adheres to group rules can provide professional support within a safe, confidential space. Having trust in peers and facilitators at the sessions can help staff develop confidence, provide personal development and professional sustenance
Transient model and parameters matching of a segmented solar thermoelectric system
No full textSolar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) with segmented thermoelectric (TE) materials have higher energy conversion efficiency than traditional STEGs with uniform TE materials. This paper constructs a transient model to investigate the dynamic heat conduction characters of the segmented STEGs. The solutions of temperature field and energy conversion efficiency are obtained. The parameters matching problem of segmented TE materials is also studied based on the developed transient model. Numerical results show that there exists an optimum parameter matching at which the efficiency could attain its local maximum value. In addition, tuning and matching segmented TE material parameters could enhance the efficiency and might increase thermal stress simultaneously. Therefore, in this paper, an optimization purpose function is defined to analyze the effect of parameters matching on both performance and structural safety. Neural network (NN) is also used to find segmented STEGs with high efficiency and low thermal stress. This work may offer useful information for the optimal design of real segmented STEGs and promote their practical applications
Australia and COVID-19 : cracks in the Commonwealth
No full textIn the chapter on COVID in Australia, Charles Hawksley (University of Wollongong) and Nichole Georgeou (Western Sydney University) explore the problems that eventuated in a wealthy developed state when the federal government did not actually have the emergency powers to manage the pandemic and where individual state and territory governments of Australia led the response to COVID. The Commonwealth government sought to project an image that it was indeed managing events; however, it mismanaged key aspects of the response, in particular the vaccine rollout and the administration of elder care in nursing homes. The chapter also explores the economic response and the unequal enforcement of restrictions in lower-socio-economic status suburbs that were policed more rigorously than in wealthier suburbs
A qualitative study of adults' and support persons' experiences of support after autism diagnosis
No full textAdulthood autism diagnosis has become increasingly common, but little is known about post-diagnosis support experiences and needs. We interviewed 19 autistic adults and 4 support persons on experiences of formal and informal post-diagnosis support. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes. Participants reported difficulties accessing suitable formal support, especially regarding education and employment. Informal support was helpful but created challenges in the relationships between autistic adults and support persons. For autistic adults, support from autistic peers fostered belonging and self-acceptance. We also identified complex interactions between adults’ post-diagnosis identity development and support experiences as they resolved the dilemma between self-acceptance and a desire to change. Findings have important implications for services working with autistic adults and their families
Transformative epistemologies for regenerative tourism : towards a decolonial paradigm in science and practice?
No full textThere is a growing scholarly interest in the potential of regenerative tourism approaches to address sustainability challenges. Drawing from an ecological worldview that interweaves Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, regenerative tourism approaches seek to increase the capacity of support systems for fulfilling net-positive social-ecological effects. We argue that Western scientific paradigms drive current tourism research methodologies and are sometimes insufficient and unfit to (advance) regenerative tourism research. The extent to which new research methodological approaches can align with the ecological worldview and regenerative paradigm is an underpinning premise. As part of a broader study of the emerging regenerative tourism concept, a
scoping review of 84 peer-reviewed and 116 grey literature articles,
supplemented by consultations with nine regenerative tourism practitioners,
six Indigenous practitioners and one cultural knowledge holder,
identified nine research gaps that explicate this mismatch. An analytical
framework guided the gap analysis and the formulation of a future research agenda. Findings suggest that tourism scholarship is not keeping pace with the evolution of regenerative tourism, requiring additional and new approaches. A transformational decolonial, transdisciplinary research paradigm is proposed that fully embraces the regenerative tourism paradigm and thus enables knowledge production that facilitates plural regenerative tourism futures
Adaptive NN zeta-backstepping control with its application to a quadrotor over
No full textThis paper presents an adaptive neural network (NN) zeta-backstepping control method for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with unknown nonlinearities. Different form the traditional adaptive NN backstepping control scheme, the proposed adaptive NN zeta-backstepping control approach can regulate the damping ratio of a system by using prescribed parameter selection rules. To guarantee the stability of the closed-loop system, a second-order Lyapunov function method is presented, which proves that the target signal can be boundedly tracked by the system output with adjustable damping ratios. Finally, experimental results on a real quadrotor hover system are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme
Housing in the capitalocene : environmental education and sustainable living
No full textCapital and property have been combined since Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital in 1867. Indeed, capitalism and the housing market are interlinked because property is an asset whose indexed value upholds global markets. On the other side of property as real estate is the environmental damage and augmentation of climate change that housing represents - mostly in advanced, technological societies. This paper attends to capital investment in housing as the Capitalocene and subsequently through environmental education according to environmental and social principles (social ecology). This article examines what is offered in the Australian curriculum for pre-tertiary and university students in terms of sustainable housing and uses the latest in sustainable housing research and practice to provide a new, visionary basis for environmental education, that tackles housing through 3D printing. The current Australian curriculum on sustainable housing centers on the ‘Illawarra Flame’ house (University of Wollongong), that presents a retrofitting solution to improve the quality of life of the occupants. Illawarra Flame house is a net-zero, energy-efficient, solar powered house which provides the tenants with thermal comfort. This article expands and updates the data on sustainable housing from the ‘Illawarra Flame’ house to 3D printing and applies the principles of social ecology to make a link with environmental education that deals with the Capitalocene by offering affordable and sustainable housing
[In Press] Mediating effect of white blood cells and tobacco exposure on cervical neoplasm risk among Taiwanese women
No full textBackground: Both the high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and tobacco exposure are significantly associated with cervical neoplasm risk. Immune cells play important roles in carcinogenesis. However, it is still unclear whether immune cells have a mediating effect on the HR-HPV infection and tobacco exposure with cervical neoplasm development. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine how the increased white blood cell (WBC) count affects the relationship between HR-HPV DNA load and tobacco exposure in the development of cervical neoplasia. Methods: A hospital-based case–control study design was conducted with a total of 108 cases of Taiwanese women with ≥ cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I confirmed by biopsy, and 222 healthy Taiwanese female subjects with negative findings on a Pap smear were assigned to the control group. The study evaluated HR-HPV status and immune cell counts (WBCs, natural killer (NK) cells) and tobacco exposure by a self-construct questionnaire. Results: Both HR-HPV DNA load and tobacco exposure significantly independently increased cervical neoplasm risk (AORs: 1.28 and 1.42, respectively). Similar significant results were found for WBCs and NK cells, with respective AORs of 1.20 and 1.00. Moreover, increased WBCs (β = 0.04, 95% CI corrected: 0.01–0.07) and tobacco exposure (β = 0.02, 95% CI corrected: 0.01–0.04) mediated the relationship between the high-risk HPV DNA load and cervical neoplasm risk. Conclusions: Elevated WBC count acts as both predictor and mediator in cervical neoplasm development linked to HR-HPV DNA load. Monitoring and maintaining WBC levels within the normal range could be a preventive strategy for cervical neoplasm development
Influence of perceived value on omnichannel usage : mediating and moderating roles of the omnichannel shopping habit
No full textToday, most retail profits are driven by customers’ habitual buying behaviour. However, there is a lack of comprehensive theoretical understanding regarding how omnichannel habit affects customers’ perceived value and usage. This study uses customer value theory to investigate the various roles of shopping habit (as antecedent, mediator and moderator) in omnichannel retail. To achieve this goal, survey data from 512 omnichannel shoppers in Australia was analysed using the partial least squares method with SmartPLS software version 3. The findings confirm that omnichannel shopping habit plays significant roles as antecedent, mediator, and moderator in the relationship between perceived value and usage. Additionally, the study reveals the positive impact of factors such as security and privacy, seamless experience, personalisation, and social communications. This research expands upon customer value theory by examining the complex relationships between various aspects of omnichannel shopping habit, perceived value and omnichannel usage. For marketers looking to strengthen habitual buying, the study suggests prioritising security and privacy, promoting social communications, and offering personalised services. Recognising the integral influence of habitual buying on value perception and usage, marketers should adopt a cohesive strategy for communicating their value propositions to target customers across multiple channels. This approach can ultimately boost omnichannel usage
Cognitive health treatment priorities and preferences among young people with mental illness : the your mind, your choice survey
No full textAim: Cognitive impairments negatively impact the everyday functioning of young people with mental illness. However, no previous study has asked young people (1) how much of a priority cognitive functioning is within mental health treatment, and (2) what types of cognition-focused treatments are most appealing. The current study aimed to address these questions. Methods: Your Mind, Your Choice was a survey-based study involving an Australian sample of young people who were receiving mental health treatment. The survey asked participants to (1) provide demographic and mental health history, (2) rate the importance of 20 recovery domains, including cognition, when receiving mental health treatment, (3) share their experiences of cognitive functioning, and (4) rate their likelihood of trying 14 different behavioural, biochemical, and physical treatments that may address cognitive functioning. Results: Two-hundred and forty-three participants (Mage = 20.07, SD = 3.25, range = 15–25, 74% female) completed the survey. Participants reported that addressing cognitive functioning in mental health care was very important (M = 76.33, SD = 20.7, rated on a scale from 0 = not important to 100 = extremely important), ranking cognition among their top six treatment needs. Seventy percent of participants reported experiencing cognitive difficulties, but less than one-third had received treatment for these difficulties. Compensatory training, sleep interventions and psychoeducation were ranked as treatments that participants were most likely to try to support their cognitive functioning. Conclusions: Young people with mental ill-health commonly experience cognitive difficulties and would like this to be a focus of treatment; however, this need is often unmet and should be a focus of research and implementation