13361 research outputs found
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China’s Assertiveness and the Indo-Pacific Response: Australia’s Strategic Calculus
No full textAfter decades of economic success and relative political stability at home, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has become confident in its governance model, particularly in the wake of its successful navigation of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. The Party’s growing confidence in China’s rise and its grip on power has fuelled a more assertive foreign policy on the global stage. This article contends that China’s global assertiveness, if taken too far, could ultimately weaken the Party at home. This is because the Party’s economic successes have been a result of the PRC’s successful integration into the world economy and maintenance of harmonious trade relations with the world’s major economies
Cultural Safety: A First Nations Perspective
No full textCurriculum designed to promote the cultural safety of health professionals is now expected in Australia. There is, however, limited research demonstrating the relationship between this curriculum content and the ability to work in a culturally safe manner. Eleven advisory group members were recruited from various First Nations groups in Australia. Through participation in Yarns, members were invited to describe their experiences of cultural safety in healthcare and their desires regarding the education of healthcare students. Yarns were digitally audio-recorded and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. For First Nations Peoples, cultural safety is a multifaceted, lifelong journey, marked by continuous growth and relational learning. The experience of cultural safety is unique to each person receiving care. Authentic relationships and respect for cultural protocols and responsibilities are essential. Forming genuine connections with local First Nations Communities and sustaining authentic relationships through empathy, respect and deep listening is fundamental. Structural barriers to addressing cultural safety were identified, including: constraints on the time and resources of health professionals; the enduring impact of colonial policies; the role of tertiary institutions in marginalising Indigenous knowledges and voices, and the fact that opportunities for creating respectful and direct engagement with First Nations Communities remain limited in tertiary education programmes.</p
Oversight of Research Outputs by Public Organisations as a Threat to Research Integrity: A Personal Account from Australia
No full textResearch governance processes in Australian public organisations raise significant concerns for research integrity, particularly regarding the pre-dissemination review and editing of research outputs. While these processes are designed to ensure compliance with regulations and mitigate organisational risks, they often extend to controlling research outputs, including editing or suppressing findings. Notably, these governance processes apply to independently initiated and funded research. In this opinion article, we describe a personal case study illustrating an experience with these practices in action. To explore the extent of the issue, we also outline an informal content analysis of the research governance guidelines from various Australian public organisations, including ambulance, police, corrections, and education. Public health services were excluded as they do not require centralised review of outputs prior to dissemination in Australia. The guidelines revealed substantial variation in review requirements, with some organisations required no review, some allowing only factual corrections, and others retaining unrestricted authority to modify or block publications. We outline how a lack of restrictions on these processes can undermine research integrity and violate ethical principles as outlined in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research. To address these issues, we propose five recommendations: 1) Clear boundaries for pre-dissemination edits; 2) Prevention of complete suppression of findings; 3) Defined review timelines; 4) Clear dispute resolution processes; and 5) The establishment of independent research integrity infrastructure. These measures are crucial to protect the validity of research findings and maintain public trust in research
Book Review: Seminal Ideas and Controversies in Statistics, by Rod Little. CRC Press. 2025. 223+XVİİİ pp., ISBN 9781032493565
No full textAs the name of the book suggests, Seminal Ideas and Controversies in Statistics by Rod Little is a fascinating and novel kind of book published by Chapman & Hall under its Monographs on Statistics and Applied Probability series. Each chapter of the book is based on some seminal ideas and the corresponding papers by eminent statisticians, and other relevant readings are given. The controversies regarding these seminal ideas are also discussed in that chapter. Some of the top celebrated statisticians whose ideas and papers are discussed in the book include Fisher, Neyman, Box, Rubin, Efron, Cox, Tukey, Breiman, etc. Plenty of examples are given in each chapter regarding these seminal ideas and controversies. Each chapter concludes with some thoughtful questions about that seminal idea
Adverse effects and discontinuation rates for darifenacin in overactive urinary bladder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Full text linkThe aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to identify the discontinuation rates, and incidence of adverse effects (AEs) for patients on prescribed oral darifenacin for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB). PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched for randomized controlled trials. A risk of bias assessment and a Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation were used to assess the certainty of evidence. The primary outcome was OAB patient discontinuation and AEs in darifenacin and placebo groups, and reporting was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Seven studies of 2381 participants were included. The most reported AEs were dry mouth and constipation. There were more participants with dry mouth in the darifenacin group compared to the placebo (p < 0.0001, moderate level of certainty) and a dose–response pattern was observed. There was a higher rate of constipation in the darifenacin group than in the placebo group (p < 0.0001, high level of certainty), with evidence of a dose–response pattern. There were no differences between the darifenacin group and the placebo group in total discontinuations (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.72–1.20) or undefined discontinuations (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.54–1.33). Studies were generally rated at low or unclear risk of bias for most domains. While patients prescribed darifenacin do experience a higher rate of side-effects, which increases with dose, they seem to be tolerated as both the intervention and placebo groups reported similar rates of discontinuation
Influences of information intervention on public acceptance of NIMBY facilities: An exploration based on a behavioral investigation experiment
No full textNot-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY) facilities, often characterized by their negative externalities, are frequently opposed or resisted by the public. To examine the impact of information interventions on public acceptance of NIMBY facilities, a behavioral investigation experiment consisting of a survey of 100 college students before and after viewing negative videos of either environmentally polluting or psychologically excluding types of NIMBY facilities was conducted to assess the efficacy of these interventions in shaping public perceptions and attitudes. Differences in respondent’s attitudes toward the types of NIMBY facilities demonstrated that the information intervention affected perceptions and attitudes toward NIMBY facilities. Changes in response variables for perceived risk, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, positive emotion label, social environment, and public acceptance showed that environmentally polluting NIMBY facilities elicited a more negative response than psychologically excluding NIMBY facilities. Postintervention, significant differences emerged across all six dimensions, and attitudes toward environmentally polluting NIMBY facilities became more negative than those toward psychologically excluding NIMBY facilities, with a significant increase in the perceived risk and a significant decrease in the perceived benefit. The study demonstrated that information interventions influenced attitudes toward NIMBY facilities, and that this influence differed between the two facility types
Exploring the Emergence of Contractors' Low-Carbon Attention in Public Projects: Perspectives From an Attention-Based View
Full text linkThe role of public project construction in achieving net-zero carbon emissions highlights the imperative for contractors to prioritize low-carbon practices. This study investigates the emergence of contractors' low-carbon attention (LCA) based on the attention-based view (ABV), focusing on structural factors (i.e., institutional logic and low-carbon resources) and the situated factor of green organization image. Data from 164 public construction contractors was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The PLS-SEM results indicate that commercial and pro-environmental logics, low-carbon resources, and the green organization image significantly influence contractors' LCA, whereas regulatory logic exerts no significant impact. The fsQCA results identify three sufficient configurations, illustrating how institutional logic, in combination with low-carbon resources and the green organization image, foster contractors' LCA. This study advances understanding of organizational environmental cognition and carbon reduction by revealing the complex emergent mechanism of contractors' LCA.</p
Embracing a Mobius strip metaphor and a critical reflection framework to explore personal barriers to service-learning
Full text linkOver the past thirty years, community engagement has increasingly become an important pedagogical tool for higher education practitioners. One of the most frequently utilized ways of embedding this into course design is through a practice called service-learning which provides students with opportunities to explore, engage, and contribute to the communities of which they are a part. Although service-learning projects and programs have the potential to respond to society’s most pressing needs, for some educators, this promise may be hindered by perceived personal and institutional barriers. To explore these barriers, our research group engaged in collaborative ethnography over a two-year period to nurture a space of collaboration, insight, and vulnerability. We explored two macro level categories of barriers – personal and institutional – before identifying four sub-themes within the personal category: life balance, reputational risk, cancel culture, and student reality. Our findings contribute to theory by demonstrating how the use of a Mobius strip metaphor, when viewed through four critically reflective lenses, helps educators to explore and understand the “wholeness” of the intertwining relationships between our perceived internal and external barriers to service-learning engagement
The Effect of a Daily Undulating Periodization Program on the Physical Performance of Trainee Tactical Police Officers
No full text The effect of a daily undulating periodization program on the physical performance of trainee tactical police officers. Specialist tactical police officers, like Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, require exceptional muscular strength, power, speed, and aerobic fitness. However, physical training is often constrained by demanding operational schedules and competing tactical priorities. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP) program on specialist tactical police officer trainee fitness. A within-subjects, repeated measures, cohort study was conducted with eight police officers undergoing specialist training (29.3 ± 5.5 years, 180.6 ± 6.0 cm, 85.4 ± 7.4 kg). They were assessed before and after a 12-week DUP training cycle consisting of planned varied resistance training sessions emphasizing hypertrophy, max strength, and power development, implemented across 5 days each week to optimize recovery and adaptation. Outcomes included measures of strength (e.g., deadlift, bench press, and pull-up), lower limb peak velocity and power (loaded counter movement jump [CMJ]), and anaerobic (Repeated Anaerobic Sprint Test [RAST]) and aerobic (the Maximum Aerobic Speed [MAS]) fitness. Significant improvements in strength (pull-ups and split squat, p < 0.001) and CMJ peak velocity and power output in the unloaded, 20-kg load, and 40-kg load conditions (p = 0.005-0.04) were found. Significant improvements in the RAST for total time, average power, and maximum power (p = 0.02) along with MAS (p = 0.006) and maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2 max) (p = 0.006) were identified. A DUP program might be an effective method of enhancing the physical fitness required in specialist police officers for the performance of their occupational tasks within their workplace constraints. A DUP program may elicit positive anaerobic and aerobic fitness changes with concurrent increases in lower limb power and strength measures in police officers undergoing specialist police tactical training.</p
Critically appraised paper: In youth with mild traumatic brain injury, early prescribed step-count focused activity, despite symptoms, and a resilience health app, provides no added benefit over standard care for improving symptoms or quality of life [synopsis]
Full text linkSummary of: Thomas DG, Erpenbach H, Smith CN, Hickey RW, Waltzman D, Haarbauer-Krupa J, et al. Impact of Early Activity and Behavioral Management on Acute Concussion Recovery: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Pediatr. 2025;283:114596