Research UNE (University of New England)
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Inclusion, Innovation, and AI: Collaboration to support student learning and wellbeing at UNE
No full textIn this session, we explore progressive strides made in university teaching methodologies, specifically focusing on enhancing online social presence and implementing trauma-informed practices. Anchored in the rich collaborative groundwork laid from 2021 to 2024, this initiative has expanded across all faculties at UNE, incorporating insights from the Oorala Aboriginal Centre and the Wellness Centre. Central to our discussion is the effective dissemination of a student-centric pedagogy that addresses inclusion and a pedagogy of care. Digital tools are profiled and examples of practice are showcased that provide practical examples for academics to develop inclusive and innovative practices. This presentation provides academics with ways forward to improve retention and reduce attrition among students from diverse backgrounds, including those of low socioeconomic status and Indigenous heritage. Our discussion will cover the theoretical underpinnings of these innovations, provide practical applications, and highlight the tangible impacts on student retention and well-being. The session also aims to inspire academics by demonstrating the potential of AI to transform educational practices, ensuring a responsive, inclusive, and empathetic teaching environment that aligns with the strategic objectives of UNE’s Future-Fit 2021-2030 plan
The Role of Regenerative Agricultural Practices in Balancing Food Security Concerns and Natural Resources Management
No full textIn terms of food security, agricultural practices are a subject of concern. Often, considerations about the need for sufficient food production to feed the growing population are often coupled with concerns about unsustainable food systems. In this chapter, forms of balancing between two interests, that of environmental sustainability and food sustainability, which are not divergent, but rather complementary, are discussed. These are, in particular, agroforestry management practices that reconcile nature conservation with economic and social benefits. Chapter 3 shows both environmental and food sustainability can be achieved using agroforestry management practice, promoting conservation of nature while also providing economic and social benefits. This chapter provides an example of how regenerative farming can aid in reaching food security targets
The Creepy side of privacy – and then it gets worse
No full textFrom George Orwell's 1984, to the British thriller TV series The Last Enemy, science fiction has shown us the dystopian view of being tracked every moment of the day. Yet now the reality has snuck up on us, for many the response is: 'So what?
Antimony release and volatilization from organic-rich and iron-rich submerged soils
No full textAntimony (Sb) is an poorly understood, increasingly common pollutant, especially in soils susceptible to waterlogging. We investigated the impact of waterlogging on Sb release, methylation, and volatilization from an organic-rich wetland soil and an iron (Fe)-rich floodplain soil in a 27-day microcosm experiment. The release of Sb into the porewaters of the organic-rich soil was environmentally relevant and immediate with waterlogging (3.2 to 3.5 mg L− 1), and likely associated with a complex interplay of sulfide precipitation, sorption with organic matter and manganese (Mn) (oxyhydr)oxides in the soil. The release of Sb from the Fe-rich soil was likely associated with Fe-(oxyhydr)oxide reduction and immobilized due to co-precipitation with Fe-sulfides or as Sbsulfides. Volatile Sb was produced from the soils after waterlogging. The organic-rich soil produced more volatile Sb (409 to 835 ng kgsoil − 1 ), but the Fe-rich soil volatilized Sb more efficiently. The negligible association of Sb volatilization with soil parameters indicates a more complex underlying, potentially microbial, mechanism and that antimony volatilization could be ubiquitous and not dependent on specific soil properties. Future works should investigate the microbial and physiochemical drivers of Sb volatilization in soils as it may be an environmentally relevant part of the biogeochemical cycle
Fungal consumption by marsupials in southern Tasmania
No full textIn Australia, many mycophagous (fungus feeding) mammals that disperse fungal spores are extinct or threatened throughout much of their historic range. Using live-trapping, we collected scats from eastern bettongs (Bettongia gaimardi), long-nosed potoroos (Potorous tridactylus), brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), eastern barred bandicoots (Perameles gunnii) and southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) at two sites in southern Tasmania. Microscopic analysis of scats revealed that all species in this study consumed fungi (over 24 fungal taxa), and the composition varied between some species and sites. This study highlights the need for additional research to gain insight into the ecological implications of spore dispersal by native marsupials
Cranial osteology and palaeobiology of the Early Cretaceous bird Jeholornis prima (Aves: Jeholornithiformes)
No full textJeholornis is a representative of the earliest-diverging bird lineages, providing important evidence of anatomical transitions involved in bird origins. Although ~100 specimens have been reported, its cranial morphology remains poorly documented owing to poor two-dimensional preservation, limiting our understanding of the morphology and ecology of the key avian lineage Jeholornithiformes, in addition to cranial evolution during the origin and early evolution of birds. Here, we provide a detailed description of the cranial osteology of Jeholornis prima, based primarily on high-quality, three-dimensional data of a recently reported specimen. New anatomical information confirms the overall plesiomorphic morphology of the skull, with the exception of the more specialized rostrum. Data from a large sample size of specimens reveal the dental formula of J. prima to be 0–2–3 (premaxillary–maxillary–dentary tooth counts), contrary to previous suggestions that the presence of maxillary teeth is diagnostic of a separate species, Jeholornis palmapenis. We also present evidence of sensory adaptation, including relatively large olfactory bulbs in comparison to other known stem birds, suggesting that olfaction was an important aspect of Jeholornis ecology. The digitally reconstructed scleral ring suggests a strongly diurnal habit, supporting the hypothesis that early-diverging birds were predominantly active during the day
Prevalence and magnitude of gastrointestinal helminth infections in cage-free laying chickens in Australia
No full textHelminth infections have been re-emerging with the growing popularity of free-range and floor-based chicken production systems. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and worm burdens of intestinal helminth infection in cage-free laying chickens in Australia. In an online survey about worm prevalence, a high proportion of respondents reported the detection of Ascaridia galli (77%), followed by tapeworms (69%) and caecal worms (Heterakis gallinarum) (62%), whereas fewer respondents (23%) reported the presence of hair worms (Capillaria spp.) in their flocks. Total worm recovery from 407 laying hens on four farms found that 92.1% of hens harboured one or more helminth parasite with a prevalence of 73 to 100% across farms. Mixed infections were common with 79% of hens harbouring two or more helminth species. The prevalence of nematode species H. gallinarum, A. galli and Capillaria spp. was 87, 82 and 35% respectively. Five cestode species were found with a low individual chicken prevalence (Raillietina tetragona 4.7%, Raillietina echinobothrida 3.2%, Raillietina cesticillus 5.2%, Choanotaenia infundibulum 4.4%, and Hymenolepis cantaniana 4.4%). The hens harboured an average of 71 worms with H. gallinarum having the highest mean burden (45.5 worms/hen) followed by A. galli (22.0 worms/ hen), Capillaria spp. (2.7 worms/hen) and cestodes (0.8 worms/hen). The sex ratio (female:male worms) was 1.38:1 for A. galli, and 1.77:1 for H. gallinarum. There was a strong positive correlation between A. galli female worm count and excreta egg count (EECs) (rs = 0.94, P s = 0.82, P n = 10) and caecal excreta (n = 10) of 16 chicken flocks the prevalence of infection with ascarid worms in intestinal and caecal excreta was 71 and 78% respectively and 27% prevalence of Capillaria spp. in intestinal excreta with mean EECs of 407, 404, and 18 eggs/g of excreta (EPG), respectively. These results suggest that most chickens kept in free-range or floor production systems are infected with one or more helminth parasite species. Heavy worm infections would likely affect the production performance and welfare of birds with adverse economic impact. Strategic or tactical anthelmintic treatment with effective anthelmintic could reduce this impact
Genetic Modeling and Genomic Analyses of Yearling Temperament in American Angus Cattle and Its Relationship With Productive Efficiency and Resilience Traits
No full textCattle temperament has been considered by farmers as a key breeding goal due to its relevance for cattlemen’s safety, animal welfare, resilience, and longevity and its association with many economically important traits (e.g., production and meat quality). The definition of proper statistical models, accurate variance component estimates, and knowledge on the genetic background of the indicator trait evaluated are of great importance for accurately predicting the genetic merit of breeding animals. Therefore, 266,029 American Angus cattle with yearling temperament records (1–6 score) were used to evaluate statistical models and estimate variance components; investigate the association of sex and farm management with temperament; assess the weighted correlation of estimated breeding values for temperament and productive, reproductive efficiency and resilience traits; and perform a weighted single-step genome-wide association analysis using 69,559 animals genotyped for 54,609 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Sex and extrinsic factors were significantly associated with temperament, including conception type, age of dam, birth season, and additional animal–human interactions. Similar results were observed among models including only the direct additive genetic effect and when adding other maternal effects. Estimated heritability of temperament was equal to 0.39 on the liability scale. Favorable genetic correlations were observed between temperament and other relevant traits, including growth, feed efficiency, meat quality, and reproductive traits. The highest approximated genetic correlations were observed between temperament and growth traits (weaning weight, 0.28; yearling weight, 0.28). Altogether, we identified 11 genomic regions, located across nine chromosomes including BTAX, explaining 3.33% of the total additive genetic variance. The candidate genes identified were enriched in pathways related to vision, which could be associated with reception of stimulus and/or cognitive abilities. This study encompasses large and diverse phenotypic, genomic, and pedigree datasets of US Angus cattle. Yearling temperament is a highly heritable and polygenic trait that can be improved through genetic selection. Direct selection for temperament is not expected to result in unfavorable responses on other relevant traits due to the favorable or low genetic correlations observed. In summary, this study contributes to a better understanding of the impact of maternal effects, extrinsic factors, and various genomic regions associated with yearling temperament in North American Angus cattle
Meeting Students on Their Turf: An Exploration of Attitudes Towards Using Social Media to Activate Student Engagement and Community While Promoting Accessibility and Skills Development
No full textSince the inception of social media in the early 2000s, its popularity and centrality to people’s lives has been growing exponentially. As this evolution has been transpiring, so have the ramifications, both positive and negative, of using these platforms in a variety of settings. This innovation document explores the journey and findings of a legal academic who chose to investigate different ways of engaging and communicating with her students. The initial goal of the innovation was to explore how social media could be used to promote student engagement. As often happens, the results from this innovation highlighted many more issues than the initial expectation. Instead, it challenged the author to critique and analyse the effectiveness of social media use in tertiary teaching while also reflecting on the important social, health, legal and philosophical challenges that tertiary students and staff are currently facing. The author started this process by investigating the academic literature surrounding the use of social media in the tertiary environment. To obtain further data for the author’s specific purpose, two survey instruments were designed and used. The first survey instrument examined attitudes and beliefs relating to using social media in the tertiary context. This survey was directed towards academic staff and students of the University of New England. The second survey was created to explore how the use of professional social media in the law units the author coordinated/created was perceived by students. Overall, this innovation document provides a comprehensive overview of the benefits and risks of using social media in a tertiary setting. It also explores the changing nature of tertiary education and the importance of promoting digital skills into tertiary units. It concludes that even though there are risks related to using social media in the tertiary environment, these can be largely be mitigated by academics through careful management and an understanding of the legal and other risks
Introduction: Reframing the Struggle for New Decolonial Futures
No full textThis chapter introduces the cross-cutting themes and arguments advanced in the book. It highlights key questions and how they are addressed in the collection of chapters: How were languages, cultures, and the Euro-modernist colonial project co-constructed? How might we decolonise languages and cultures and rehabilitate them at the same time? The chapter also lays out the organisation of the volume, showing how theoretical contributions and those that showcase empirical studies and applications speak to one another to constitute a coherent story on decolonising language and knowledge, and how this could be done