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Spittlebug damage on tropical grass and its impact in pasture-based beef production systems
No full textFleury Azevedo Costa, D ORCiD: 0000-0001-8118-8380Spittlebugs are the main pest of tropical pastures and Marandu palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu) is the most representative cultivated pasture in the tropics. Our objective was to characterize Marandu palisade grass responses subjected to Mahanarva (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) attack and to estimate the losses in terms of beef production from pasture-based systems. A set of five experiments were carried out. Three consecutive years of monitoring showed that Mahanarva spittlebugs increased their abundance after first rains with three to four peaks throughout the wet season. A decrease of 66% on herbage yield was observed in the greenhouse trial, with an average decrease of 61% on pools of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, crude protein, neutral-detergent fiber and in vitro digestible dry matter of Marandu palisade grass. Results from field experiments corroborated with greenhouse trial showing decreases on herbage yield varying from 31 to 43% depending on level of fertilization and grazing severity of Marandu palisade grass. Finally, an unprecedented 154-ha field experiment indicated that Mahanarva decreases 74% the beef productivity (i.e. kg body weight ha−1) of Nellore heifers grazing Marandu palisade grass. © 2020, The Author(s)
Invigilated final exams: An outdated or a proper testing scheme for tertiary education?
No full textBokani, A ORCiD: 0000-0001-5160-7724; Hassan, JA ORCiD: 0000-0002-0939-2106; Islam, N ORCiD: 0000-0002-5469-8104In the past few years, the global higher education system has witnessed significant changes and transformation such as changes in the teaching mode, curriculum design, assessment pattern, financing and governance
patterns, evaluation and accreditation mechanisms, etc. With this evolution, the practice of invigilated final examination is becoming a questionable practice. Studies conducted in the literature show that the invigilated exam is a least efficient way of assessing deep conceptual understanding of students. Rather, it is considered as a process of overstuffing the student’s brain with the unit content in the night before the exam day, and dumping that stuff in the exam booklet on the exam day, with very little knowledge retention afterwards. In the defence of keeping final exam, people may argue that invigilated final examinations are inevitable way of preventing students from cheating. However, final exams can be replaced with comprehensive final assessment items in such a way that the scope for cheating/plagiarism can be minimised. These alternative assessments have proven to be more effective in engaging the student in learning. In this presentation, we present some arguments for and against the practice of having closed book invigilated final exams in tertiary education. Our argument will be supported by practical evidence taken from some ICT units coordinated and taught by the authors at Central Queensland University, Australia
Maintaining your resilience
No full textMcallister, MM ORCiD: 0000-0003-1181-1610The purpose of this chapter is to provide various ideas for relaxing and letting go of the tension from work. Although these strategies may be familiar, when nurses are actively experiencing stress from high-pressure jobs—as a new graduate trying to acculturate to the new practice setting, for example—they may forget to implement them. Ruminating about what happened that day at work and taking shortcuts such as eating fast food and watching television, instead of a healthy meal and exercising, is all too easy. However, nurses must remember that work is only one aspect of life, all-consuming although that work may seem at times. To be a success in nursing, a nurse must be a success in life. The ideas in this chapter will help nurses to remember that life is much more than work. Taking time for
some of the suggested activities, or others that are similarly relaxing
and fun, is essential to make sense of life when working in a high pressure environment. This chapter presents some examples of how individuals might react under stress and then discusses how these individuals might react in a more self-affirming way. The chapter also presents coping strategies from the literature that are generally helpful in dealing with stress
Short-term application of mulch, roundup and organic herbicides did not affect soil microbial biomass or bacterial and fungal diversity
No full textHosseini Bai, S ORCiD: 0000-0001-8646-6423Application of synthetic herbicides is currently the most widely used and cost-effective methods to assist with revegetation programs. However, the effects of short-term application of herbicides such as Roundup®, acetic acid, BioWeed™ and Slasher® as compared with mulch, on soil microbial biomass and microbial diversity remain unknown. This study examined the effects of short-term herbicide application on soil microbial biomass, C:N ratio, and fungal and bacterial communities at months 2 and 8 following initiation of treatment application. No effects of treatments on soil pH, C:N and microbial biomass were found. No segregation among treatments in the community structure of bacteria and fungi was observed. However, the fungal phylum Basiodiomycota had one unidentified class, which was only found in the mulch treatment, suggesting the C quality in the mulch treatment may differ compared with the other treatments. The dry and hot conditions experienced throughout the study period may have resulted in fast degradation of the herbicides and may have minimised the impacts of the herbicides on microbial diversity and community structure. Given that the research was undertaken at a single site and over only a short time frame, the results should be extrapolated with caution. Herbicides may have greater impact with long-term use. Future research will need to assess the revegetation success of each treatment and determine if the observed change in Basidiomycota profile and C quality identified in this study becomes significant over the long-term. We hypothesise that mulching may be a preferred treatment to facilitate weed control in riparian zone revegetation. © 2019 Elsevier Lt
Pilot study of the effectiveness of a mindful self‐care and resiliency program for rural doctors in Australia
No full textCrawford, CJ ORCiD: 0000-0003-4957-0613; Hegney, DG ORCiD: 0000-0003-1267-1760Rural doctors are difficult to recruit and retain. Burnout and stress in the medical workforce fluctuates according to location. Overall, doctors have an el-evated risk of depression and suicide compared to the general population and other professionals. Higher levels of occupational stress also effect patient care, levels of work satisfaction and relationships with others. This study evaluated the effec-tiveness, acceptability, feasibility and sustainability of the Mindful Self-Care and Resiliency Program
Operation of the basketball jump shooting accuracy test: Intra- and inter-rater reliability of scoring procedures and floor and ceiling effects for test performance
No full textScanlan, AT ORCiD: 0000-0002-0750-8697The purpose of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of scoring procedures used in the newly developed Basketball Jump Shooting Accuracy Test (BJSAT) and assess for floor and ceiling effects in test performance. Thirty-one semi-professional basketball athletes completed four trials of the BJSAT. The BJSAT contains one jump shot at eight different locations, equally distributed across two- and three-point shots. Intra-rater reliability was determined by assessing the level of agreement between scores live in-person and watching captured video by the same assessor. Inter-rater reliability was determined by examining the level of agreement between two assessors who separately scored the BJSAT while watching captured video. Descriptive statistics and Cohen’s kappa (κ) were calculated to quantify the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the BJSAT. Floor and ceiling effects in scoring outcomes were analyzed to evaluate the suitability of the BJSAT. Significance for the study was set at p <0.05. Intra-rater reliability demonstrated an almost perfect (κ = 0.85, p <0.01) agreement between scores (12.6 ± 2.5 vs. 13.1 ± 2.8). The agreement for inter-rater reliability was rated as substantial (12.3 ± 2.5 vs. 13.5 ± 2.9, κ = 0.70, p <0.01). Floor and ceiling effects were absent in the BJSAT indicating the assessment is suitable for semi-professional basketball athletes. The BJSAT is an assessment where one or multiple assessors can reliably score shooting performance for functions including player monitoring, to assess the efficacy of interventions aimed at improving skills and to assist with team selection across the season. © The Author(s) 2020
Non-adherence with compression garment wear in adult burns patients: A systematic review and meta-ethnography
No full textMeredith, PJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-2981-9189Objective: Up to 40% of adult burn-injured patients are non-adherent with prescribed compression garment wear. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the literature to understand barriers to adherence with compression garment wear. Method: Papers were included if they: investigated adults who required compression garment wear for the management of burns scars; focussed on reasons for non-adherence to compression garment wear; and were available in English. The process of meta-ethnography was then followed to synthesise the findings. Results: The factors impacting adherence to compression garment wear were grouped into six themes: sensory factors, psychological state, the impact of the garment on the patient's function, the availability of social support, the degree of choice, and the education provided to patients by their therapists. A model of compression garment adherence was developed detailing how these factors fit within the continuum of treatment for a burn-injured patient. Conclusions: Adherence to compression garment wear post-burn injury is a complex, dynamic phenomenon impacted by a range of factors. Findings from this review may inform approaches to support more consistent and/or extended garment wear, potentially improving scar outcomes and quality-of-life. Further research is recommended to investigate how each of the six identified themes impact adherence. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and ISB
Physiological responses and activity demands remain consistent irrespective of team size in recreational handball
No full textDalbo, VJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-5944-7558; Scanlan, AT ORCiD: 0000-0002-0750-8697The aim of this study was to examine the impact of team size on acute physiological, perceptual, and activity demands of recreational handball to provide a better understanding for the potential prescription of recreational handball to achieve health benefits. Active, male college students (N=22) completed 3-, 4-, and 5-a-side handball game formats across three separate sessions following a repeated-measures, crossover design. Heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration (BLa), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), distance covered, and frequency of accelerations/decelerations were monitored during games. Each game format elicited vigorous intensities with a mean HR in the range 82–85%HRmax and post-game BLa in the range 3.9–4.4 mmol·L-1. No significant differences (P>0.05) in absolute (ηp2=0.40), relative mean HR (ηp2=0.43), BLa (ηp2=0.16), total distance (ηp2=0.32), total accelerations (ηp2=0.23), or total decelerations (ηp2=0.23) were observed between game formats. A significant effect was observed for RPE (ηp2=0.51), where 3-a-side games elicited a higher RPE than 5-a-side games (P=0.03, large). Modifying player number has a negligible effect on the physiological and activity demands encountered during recreational handball games. Recreational handball consisting of 3–5 players imposes similar intermittent workloads, resulting in vigorous physiological responses concomitant with those recommended for overall health improvements as part of regular training. © 2020 Institute of Sport. All rights reserved
Host species of mistletoes (Loranthaceae and Viscaceae) in Australia
No full textTaylor-Robinson, AW ORCiD: 0000-0001-7342-8348In order to study the relationships between mistletoes and their host species, comprehensive collections of both mistletoes and hosts are needed. The effect of sampling effort on the estimation of mistletoe host range was demonstrated in a comparison of an inventory of host mistletoe interactions published by Downey in 1998 and a 2019 inventory presented here, which is based on data from collections in the Australian Virtual Herbarium and information in the literature. New hosts were recorded for 93% of the 90 Australian mistletoes. There were 338 previously known hosts recorded to be parasitised by additional mistletoe species, and 317 new host species that were not previously known as mistletoe hosts (25 being alien species). These were from 78 new host genera and 13 new host families. The total number of host species was 1186 within 327 genera from 92 host families. A total of 63% of all Australian mistletoes parasitise species of either Eucalyptus or Acacia or both these genera. The large rise in host species recorded in less than two decades between inventories suggests that current knowledge of hosts is still incomplete, such that further new hosts will be discovered in future. Some mistletoe species show a strong preference to one host family or genus but due to insufficient collecting it is premature to conclude that any of the three species known from a single host are host specific. © 2020 CSIRO
A structured e-investigation into the prevalence and acceptance of smartphone applications by exercise professionals
No full textHumphries, B ORCiD: 0000-0003-0153-3629; Stanton, R ORCiD: 0000-0002-6684-5087Bromilow, L, Stanton, R, and Humphries, B. A structured e-investigation into the prevalence and acceptance of smartphone applications by exercise professionals. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2020-The primary purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and acceptance of smartphone applications by exercise professionals when interacting with clients and patients. A 29-item anonymous online survey was designed, containing separate sections on demographics, smartphone proficiency, benefits and barriers to using smartphones, and use of smartphones in a professional setting. Accredited members of the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association, and Exercise and Sports Science Australia received an information sheet through organizational communication channels, inviting them to participate. Two hundred forty-nine exercise professionals completed the survey, with men (71%; n = 176) accounting for most of the respondents. Proficiency using smartphone applications is predominantly-advanced (37%; n = 92), intermediate (33%; n = 82), or expert (14%; n = 35). Identified strategies to find smartphone applications included personal searches (67%; n = 167) and colleague recommendations (55%; n = 137). Reported benefits include fast access to information (67%; n = 167), saves time for record keeping (56%; n = 141), and allows performance tracking (55%; n = 138). Almost all respondents (92%; n = 229) identified barriers, such as inexperience with using particular applications (42%; n = 105). Almost all respondents (96%; n = 239) reported they would recommend smartphone applications to clients and patients, primarily for self-tracking (53%; n = 132). Smartphone use among exercise professionals is prevalent; however, application and sensor technology are reluctantly underused. Increasing acceptance requires embedding within educational curricula, recognition from professional organizations, and collaboration with, to maximize the potential capabilities of smartphone technology within working environments