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The Honeymooners : the impact of victorian football league expansion on the Victorian Football Association
Get PDFThe Victorian Football League (VFL) and Victorian Football Association (VFA) were rival leagues that retained closed structures, expanding by admitting new teams. The issue of admitting new teams was important to the VFL, because only nine teams were in operation in 1918. Left with only seven clubs at the end of 1896, the VFA pursued a strategy of admitting new clubs in Melbourne’s outer suburbs, which increased the proportion of the metropolitan population living in areas with a local VFA club. We consider the effects of the VFL expansion of 1925 on its three new clubs, and on the League as a whole. Several new VFA clubs enjoyed a ‘honeymoon’ period of early success, which they did not maintain. As the VFA expanded, some clubs were subject to inconsistent on-field performance — ‘yo-yoing’ up and down the league table, and between divisions after the Association introduced a divisional structure with promotion and relegation in 1961. © Australian Society for Sports History
Calculating chance : card and casino games
No full text• Provides a gentle but rigorous introduction to probability theory • Provides suitable resource material for students and teachers • Suitable for students who are studying college mathematics at any year This book offers a gentle yet rigorous introduction to probability theory, with a special focus on finite probability spaces. Drawing inspiration from card games, casino games, mahjong, and two-up, it also delves into real-world applications such as weather forecasting, lotteries, hereditary diseases, and PCR virus testing. Discover which casino game gives you the best chance of winning and which one offers the worst odds. Assuming only a high school mathematics background, this book is an excellent resource for both students and teachers, providing clear explanations and engaging examples. The technical material is lightened with entertaining stories, such as how someone became a millionaire by spotting a flaw in a national lottery and how another person helped fund a war using winnings from a well-known card game he invented. Engaging and informative, this book is perfect for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of probability theory while enjoying some fascinating anecdotes along the way. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
Sustainability accounting education-a student’s perspective
Get PDFPurpose: The objective of this paper is to examine whether accounting students foster changing attitudes and broader critical thinking when a new and transformative subject comprising sustainability, the environment, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is included as part of their master’s course. Methodology/approach: To determine these perceived transformative outcomes, this study relies on qualitative data derived through the written reflections of students. Reflective journals provide the voice of students, and the rich data were analysed thematically through the NVIVO software. Findings: The reflections show that new and transformative student outcomes emerge that can stimulate meaningful action. These outcomes included changing attitudes, selfefficacy to bring about positive change, developing critical thinking, and a greater understanding of how business practices can impact the environment. Most students also noted that they would prefer to work for a business that does not harm the environment. Originality/value: There has been limited research on the attitudes of accounting students when contemporary issues such as sustainability, the environment, and the SDGs are presented in an accounting degree. The findings have added student opinions to the previous research that calls for developing a definition of accounting beyond its technical practice. © 2024 Stowarzyszenie Księgowych w Polsce
Identifying fake news in online social media
Get PDFIn the digital age, news shapes perception, but fake news distorts views and erodes trust. Online social network(OSN) accelerates its spread, complicating detection with rapid content generation and bias. This thesis develops robust methods to tackle evolving news and its rapid propagation. A key challenge in fake news detection is handling cross-domain data, which refers to news originating from different subject areas such as politics, health, or finance. Variations in language, misinformation tactics, and contextual nuances across these domains make detection models less effective when applied beyond their training scope. To address this, this research first identifies 'cross-domain features' to en- hance generalization, eliminate the need for separate models, and improve detection accuracy—outperforming traditional methods by 11% and existing cross-domain approaches by 9%, making detection more scalable. Secondly, building on cross-domain feature identification, this thesis explores the role of user comments in fake news detection, recognising their significance in OSN. It analyses comment relationships across platforms and their uncertainties, finding that true news is rich in content, while fake news attracts a 'higher volume of user comments'. Incorporating comments as additional evidence enhances detection accuracy by 7% over text-based methods. Thirdly, while cross-domain methods improve detection, their effectiveness is lim- ited when domain-specific data is available. To address this, this thesis introduces an approach that retrains machine learning models with domain-specific data, enabling dynamic adaptation to 'evolving news trends'. By integrating recent, contextually relevant data, the models improve accuracy in distinguishing true news from fake news. This adaptive strategy enhances performance by 5% over comparable methods. Fourthly, acknowledging the role of images in OSN, this thesis extends detection with a 'multimodal attention-based method', integrating image and text data. This approach improves accuracy by 4% over the best existing methods, adapts to evolving trends, and demonstrates that multimodal models significantly enhance fake news detection. Consequently, this research develops fake news detection systems by integrating cross-domain learning, user interactions, domain adaptation, and multimodal analysis. Enhancing accuracy across evolving news trends, it strengthens digital discourse integrity and supports democratic processes.Doctor of Philosoph
Designing and studying the impact of health information visualisations
No full textRationale: Shared decision making facilitates and promotes Patient Centred Care (PCC). Decisions that combine a patient’s values along with expert opinions tend to be superior to the ones that are solely made by health care professionals. However, patients often face communication barriers when engaging in treatment conversations with health care professionals. The shift from a doctor-centred to a patient- centred care approach creates a need to translate clinical information into a form that can be easily understood by patients so that they can actively participate in decisions about their own care. Not only will this lead to better health outcomes for the patients, but an educated and empowered patient is more likely to make a balanced decision about their health and this can potentially improve medication adherence. Presenting information visually is a very powerful way to communicate complex information in many fields but has not yet been explored for the presentation of health-related information for patients to participate in shared care. This study explores the role visuals can play in a patient’s journey. Research objective: The purpose of this research is to discover how health information can be presented visually so that it can be easily understood by patients. The study sets out to produce personalised visual aids that can be used by patients as well as healthcare professionals. A second objective is to understand factors that impact the use of visuals. Research design: The framework proposed by Design Science researchers for Information Systems by (Pefers et al., 2007) was adopted to create and evaluate an artifact that was a set of visual aids. The study progressed in three phases: • In the first phase, Multi-Disciplinary Meetings (MDMs) that follow a group decision making model with some similarities to shared care collaborations, were observed. MDMs have been identified as a useful setting that leads to a better treatment plan for the patient. The brief and incomplete verbal narration of a patient’s journey by a clinician to MDM participants was identified as a limitation that could be addressed by summarising the journey visually. • In the second phase of the study, diagrams for four different stages in a patient’s journey were designed and evaluated. These were called: Snapshot Diagram, Diagnosis Diagram, Strength of Evidence Diagram and Patient Pathway Diagram. The diagrams were analysed using a subset of Gestalt principles(Kofka, 2013). This was augmented with a qualitative analysis of interview dataobtained by showing diagrams to participants from varied backgrounds. • The themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis of the four Diagrams guided the third phase of the study where one of the Diagrams namely Snapshot Diagram which showed patient’s treatment at a given point in time was redesigned and relabeled The Treatment Diagram. This diagram was enhanced, elaborated, and converted into an online, web-based Treatment Dashboard. The Treatment Dashboard was analysed and revised using Nielsen’s user interface design Heuristics (Nielsen, 1994). Further, a Treatment Dashboard for a hypothetical case study was developed. The Treatment Dashboard was shown to participants from different age groups and varied backgrounds. Interview data was analysed thematically to understand how participants interpret and use treatment information presented visually. Results: The study identified factors that impact the usage and adoption of visuals in healthcare. Some key findings were: • Visualisation can help patients and health care professionals; • Diagrams should be designed for a specific audience; a diagram that can be useful for a Healthcare Professional may not be suited to the needs of patients; the purpose for which the diagram is designed is identified as an important factor in a user’s understanding of the visual; • A User’s health literacy level impacts their interpretation of the visual; • Visualisation may lead to an increase in time while the users are learning to use the diagram. Contributions: The study illustrates the role visualisations can play in shared decision making by educating patients about their condition and/or treatment. It contributes to the literature on the patient’s usage of visualisation in shared decision making by studying the factors that impact its usage. It identifies the key aspects of the usability issues that are related to the user’s interpretation of the visual elements and the user’s comprehension of the overall visual. This study advances the use of a Gestalt-based framework to evaluate visualisations for shared decision making model. This is something that hasn’t been explored before. It also provides new insights into factors that should be taken into consideration while designing patient-centric visualisations. The study explores the communication gap between patients and health care professionals and the difficulties that are faced by patients in understanding their treatment. It explores the difficulties faced by patients in understanding all the different factors related to their medications even when the knowledgeis conveyed by expert medical professionals. It further explores how an informed patient can more effectively contribute and participate in treatment decision-making. It explores how visual decision aids can educate and empower a patient to play a more active role in medical decision making.Doctor of Philosoph
Indicators for measuring and reporting corporate nature-related impacts, dependencies, and risks
No full textBusinesses are embedded within nature. Their supply chains, operations, and products fundamentally depend on and impact nature. These impacts and dependencies can give rise to nature-related risks (as well as related opportunities). However, despite growing expectations from stakeholders, most businesses are currently not adequately measuring and reporting on these. To date, it has not been clear whether this requires the development of entirely new indicators, or whether various existing sustainability reporting frameworks could provide sufficient information on nature-related risks. This paper evaluates the decision-usefulness of existing indicators for the softwood plantation forestry industry in Australia. Decision-usefulness is assessed against three criteria: (1) relevance and completeness; (2) faithful representation; and (3) comparability. The results show some potential for adaptation of indicators already used in sustainability-related corporate accounting and reporting, which could help reduce the reporting burden and encourage uptake. However, gaps remain in measuring the financial consequences for business from nature-related risks and in providing sufficient comparable information to evaluate performance across industries and locations. Implications are discussed in relation to recent recommendations from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) sustainability standards IFRS S1 and S2. © 2024 The Author
Hydro-pedotransfer functions : a roadmap for future development
Get PDFHydro-pedotransfer functions (PTFs) relate easy-to-measure and readily available soil information to soil hydraulic properties (SHPs) for applications in a wide range of process-based and empirical models, thereby enabling the assessment of soil hydraulic effects on hydrological, biogeochemical, and ecological processes. At least more than 4 decades of research have been invested to derive such relationships. However, while models, methods, data storage capacity, and computational efficiency have advanced, there are fundamental concerns related to the scope and adequacy of current PTFs, particularly when applied to parameterise models used at the field scale and beyond. Most of the PTF development process has focused on refining and advancing the regression methods, while fundamental aspects have remained largely unconsidered. Most soil systems are not represented in PTFs, which have been built mostly for agricultural soils in temperate climates. Thus, existing PTFs largely ignore how parent material, vegetation, land use, and climate affect processes that shape SHPs. The PTFs used to parameterise the Richards-Richardson equation are mostly limited to predicting parameters of the van Genuchten-Mualem soil hydraulic functions, despite sufficient evidence demonstrating their shortcomings. Another fundamental issue relates to the diverging scales of derivation and application, whereby PTFs are derived based on laboratory measurements while often being applied at the field to regional scales. Scaling, modulation, and constraining strategies exist to alleviate some of these shortcomings in the mismatch between scales. These aspects are addressed here in a joint effort by the members of the International Soil Modelling Consortium (ISMC) Pedotransfer Functions Working Group with the aim of systematising PTF research and providing a roadmap guiding both PTF development and use. We close with a 10-point catalogue for funders and researchers to guide review processes and research. © 2024 Tobias Karl David Weber et al
Development and evaluation of a driving clinical decision pathway for non–driver trained occupational therapists to guide return-to-driving practices for adults following a change-in-health status
Get PDFDriving is a meaningful occupation that provides adults of all ages with the independence and freedom to access and interact with their communities to fulfil life roles (Fristedt et al., 2011). However, as many health events can interfere with the physical, cognitive and perceptual skills needed for safe-driving performance (Austroads, 2022), all occupational therapists have a duty of care to address driving as an occupation (Occupational Therapy Australia, 2022). In Australia, some occupational therapists complete postgraduate training to specialise in driving assessment and rehabilitation. They are known as occupational therapy driver assessors (OTDAs) whose practice is well supported by clinical guidelines and competency standards (Unsworth, 2007). However, non–driver trained occupational therapists (non-OTDAs) lack similar evidence-based guidelines and standards to guide their practice. Clinical decision pathways (CDPs) have been used in health care to link evidence to practice while also providing a standardised method to guide clinical decision-making for specific health conditions and have been found to improve the consistency of care and patient outcomes (Rotter et al., 2010; Schrijvers et al., 2012). The purpose of the research program that is the subject of this thesis was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a driving CDP used by non-OTDAs to guide return-to-driving practices for adults following a change-in-health status. A convergent mixed-methods design was used within a pragmatist research paradigm (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018), which included four separate research studies. In the first study, a descriptive survey and file audits were used to understand the practices of non-OTDAs when addressing driving. This study found functional observations were commonly being used; however, driving was not being consistently addressed in practice due to gaps in self-reported knowledge, skills and the confidence of non-OTDAs. The study also found that non-OTDAs lacked the confidence to interpret assessment findings and the potential impact on driving. The second study investigated whether a performance-based assessment tool, the Multiple Errands Test-Home (Burns et al., 2019), could, alone or in combination with other standardised cognitive tests, predict driving outcomes that could help inform non-OTDA decision-making. While this assessment tool is not associated with driving outcomes, non-OTDAs still require further resources to inform their decision-making regarding driving. As a result, a comprehensive driving CDP was developed. In the third study, OTDA and non-OTDA focus groups reviewed and identified content changes to a newly developed driving CDP for use by non-OTDAs. A high level of consensus on inclusion of content and level of clinical usefulness was obtained to validate the driving CDP for clinical practice. Finally, a before–and-after design was used to evaluate practice changes following the implementation of the driving CDP in non-OTDA practice. This study demonstrated that there had been an increase in the number and type of assessments used and recommendations provided by non-OTDAs as well as an increase in self-reported knowledge, skills and confidence when addressing driving following the implementation of the driving CDP in practice. The research presented in this thesis has made a substantial contribution to non-OTDA practice in Australia. An evidence-based driving CDP has been developed, validated and evaluated to guide non-OTDA practice when addressing driving for adults following a change-in-health status. Finally, this research has described a process for developing CDPs which could be used by occupational therapists in other health related practice areas.Doctor of Philosoph
The feasibility and impact of a brief behavioural intervention for anxiety in later life : perceptions of general practice nurses
Get PDFBackground: Anxiety is prevalent in older people and is associated with adverse health outcomes. Early detection and intervention are imperative, yet clinically significant anxiety in older people is often under-diagnosed. When diagnosed, pharmacotherapy is often the initial treatment, but resistance due to stigma, polypharmacy concerns, and side effects are common among the elderly. Non-pharmacological interventions such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation may offer more acceptable and cost-effective options to managing anxiety. While primary care is ideal for addressing anxiety in older adults, it is important to assess the feasibility and acceptability of nurse-led interventions in general practice. Objective: To explore the perspectives of General Practice Nurses (GPNs) on the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a guided relaxation intervention for older people living with symptoms of anxiety, in Australian metropolitan and regional settings. Methods: GPNs were trained and then administered a guided relaxation intervention to older people at three metropolitan general practices and one large rural practice encompassing four sites. Subsequently, five GPNs participated in semi-structured interviews exploring the acceptability and feasibility of implementing the intervention. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and findings were mapped to four key domains of interest: “Screening”, “Training and Delivery”, “Perceived impact of the Intervention” and “Barriers to the intervention”. Results: Overall, GPNs reported that the intervention was easy to implement, was well received, helped build relationships and enabled conversations about mental health and well-being. They noted broader applicability of acquired knowledge and skills with other clients. Conclusion: The intervention shows promise in promoting and supporting healthcare capabilities in primary care. GPNs are ideally placed to detect clinical symptoms of anxiety among older people and deliver brief well-being initiatives. However, to sustain and scale well-being interventions structured skill development, commitment from general practices, and policy shifts such as government rebates for GPNs are required. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Ethical decision-making in East Africa : predictors of whistleblowing intention
No full textPurpose: This paper aims to understand employees’ propensity to blow the whistle in two East African countries. This study develops a model of ethical decision-making (EDM) to assist management in predicting the probability of whistleblowing in Kenya and Uganda. It also seeks to find the moderating effect of perceived retaliation on whistleblowing intention. Design/methodology/approach: This study administers a standardized questionnaire to employees in Kenya and Uganda to measure their perceptions about whistleblowing in their organizations. This study uses partial least square structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. This study uses four constructs, namely, awareness, judgment, retaliation and likelihood, of blowing the whistle. These constructs are measured with multiple-item scales. Findings: The results show that ethical awareness and judgment significantly increase willingness to engage in whistleblowing in East Africa. However, this study does not find a significant retaliation effect on whistleblowing intention. Instead, this study finds that awareness and judgment mediate between retaliation and willingness to engage in whistleblowing. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to EDM topics. It advances the understanding of the whistleblowing concept, the retaliation effect and the reasons to encourage blowing the whistle in Africa. However, this study did not consider cultural factors, such as nationality, patriotism and ethnicity. Moreover, the results are only based on data from Uganda and Kenya and may not apply to other sub-Saharan nations. Practical implications: These findings are particularly significant for managers and policymakers in East Africa, where fear of retaliation and lack of awareness are the main barriers to whistleblowing. The results may help managers develop human resource practices to include policies to support moral behavior. It may also provide insights to the policymakers to understand the factors that facilitate whistleblowing practices and help them to adopt new strategies or policies to stimulate whistleblowing culture. Originality/value: This study is one of the initial empirical studies in the East Africa context to explore the EDM predictors and the impact of retaliation on the whistleblowing intention. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited