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Australian Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools National Conference 2025 (APACS 2025)
No full textAs a result of the Australian Federal Government's Senate inquiry into the national trend of school refusal and related matters, there is a spotlight on the challenges faced by children and young people in attending school. With growing concerns over the use of the term ‘school refusal’ and the emphasis on a deficit view of the student, there are calls to reconceptualise the way school psychologists and counsellors understand the phenomenon. This in turn requires updated language to reflect the recognition of the role emotional distress plays. Drawing on a dynamic socio-ecological model. This paper highlights the relationship between the structural, interpersonal and individual factors that influence school attendance difficulties. Understanding the relationship between stress and distress will help school well-being professionals to recognise the students who are experiencing school can’t and move away from pathologising them as school refusers. We recommend using the terms school-related emotional stress/distress and school can’t to better capture the emotional impact of school-based stressors
Top ten research priorities in global burns care: findings from the James Lind Alliance Global Burns Research Priority Setting Partnership
Get PDFBurns are a global issue that can result in lifelong multimorbidities and disproportionately affect people in low-resource settings. Prioritising research of importance to patients and health-care professionals improves evidence-based care. This prioritisation setting partnership was undertaken in global burn care (focusing on thermal non-electrical burns) by establishing a James Lind Alliance research priority setting partnership. Over 2 years, two online multilingual surveys with patients, carers, and clinicians, 16 interviews, and a virtual priority setting workshop were conducted to identify and prioritise questions for research. Survey responses were received from participants in 88 countries (1617 survey one respondents; 630 survey two respondents). A short-list of 19 research priorities were ranked at an online workshop attended by 28 participants (14 health-care professionals, ten burn survivors, and four carers or advocates) from 15 countries to produce the final top ten research priorities. These priorities provide opportunities for researchers, funders, and clinicians to shape the future of burns research and improve burns care globally
eXplainable expert systems for potato tuber yield prediction in the Maritime provinces of Canada
Get PDFThe potato crop is vital to the economy of Canada’s Maritime provinces. Prince Edward Island (PEI) and New Brunswick (NB) contribute significantly to Canadian potato production and gross domestic product (GDP). Estimating potato tuber yields helps farmers to make informed decisions for sustainable and profitable farming. This study investigated fluctuations in tuber yield based on 30 soil properties gathered over four seasons through experimental trials. An emerging eXplainable high-dimensional feature vote-based ensemble framework explained with SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) tool was employed to estimate potato tuber yield accurately. In order to develop the model, the most influential feature was first filtered using the Boruta-SHAP feature selection. Afterwards, the most deserved combinations (four scenarios) were ascertained using the best subset regression (BSR) integrated with two Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), namely Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) and Multi-Objective Optimization methods were adopted based on the Ratio Analysis (MOORA). To estimate potato tuber yield, we adopted a novel explainable ensemble machine learning model, called VOTE-LGCB, that combines voted Categorical Boosting and the Light Gradient-Boosting Machine framework. We evaluated our approach against Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, elastic net regression, Extra Tree, classical LightGBM, and classical CatBoost baselines. Six metric performances such as correlation coefficient (R), root mean square error (RMSE), and reliability were implemented to validate the multi-process ML models. All the metrics were singularized using WASPAS and MOORA to determine the best input combination related to each model separately. We found that the VOTE-LGCB-Combo 3 outperformed baseline methods (R = 0.8958, RMSE = 5088.5087, Reliability = 93.7500, WASPAS = 0.00023, and MOORA = 0.3788). Moisture content was identified as the most significant feature, followed by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The modeling framework we advance can be used as a reliable simulation system for various aspects of agricultural production systems that involve high-dimensional features
Fabaceous and Cucurbitaceous Hosts Are Infected With Distinct Populations of the Powdery Mildew Species Podosphaera xanthii
Get PDFTwo species of powdery mildew, Podosphaera xanthii and Erysiphe vignae, cause disease in mungbean (Vigna radiata) in Australia. P. xanthii is reported to have a wide host range, occurring worldwide on many different host families, including the Cucurbitaceae. It is unclear whether the P. xanthii populations that infect mungbean also infect other crops, such as cucurbits. In this study, we conducted cross-inoculation experiments to determine whether P. xanthii collected from mungbean infects a range of cucurbits; and conversely, whether P. xanthii from cucurbits infect mungbean and other Vigna species. P. xanthii collected from mungbean heavily infected black gram (Vigna mungo), native mungbean (V. radiata subsp. sublobata) and maloga bean (Vigna lanceolata); it did not infect zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), butternut pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata), cucumber (Cucumis sativus) or watermelon (Citrullus lanatus); and it produced small colonies on squash (C. pepo), marrow (C. pepo) and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima). Conversely, P. xanthii from melon (Cucumis melo) heavily infected zucchini, pumpkin, butternut pumpkin and cucumber; it did not infect mungbean or black gram; it caused moderate infections on native mungbean and maloga bean. A search for genetic markers that differentiate the P. xanthii populations collected from mungbean and melon, used as inoculum sources in this investigation, revealed a 377 bp difference in the size of the promoter region of the cyp51 gene. This was found to be a robust molecular marker in this work. This study revealed clear differences in the host range of the two P. xanthii populations infecting fabaceous and cucurbitaceous species
Nursing students' Grit and Psychological Capital after a crisis: A repeated cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: Grit is characterised by perseverance and consistency of interest and among nursing students it drives predictor of academic and professional success. The aim is to examine the predictive factors of grit among nursing students two years after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Using a repeated cross-sectional design, all students studying a Baccalaureate of Nursing at an Australian university were invited to complete an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS structural equation modelling. Significance was two-tailed p≤.05. The study adhered to STROBE guidelines.
Results: Among students, grit remained stable over time. Conscientiousness emerged as a significant predictor of perseverance of effort and consistency of interest, while agreeableness influenced perseverance of effort after crises.
Conclusion: A complex interplay of personality traits, psychological factors, and environmental influences shape grit among nursing students. Developing crucial determinants of grit, such as self-efficacy and hope, vitally empowers nursing students to face large-scale or personal crises
Clonal Expansion from Standing Genetic Variation Underpins the Evolution of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens in Australia
No full textPathogens can evolve rapidly, leading to the emergence of novel strains that can overcome commercially deployed host plant resistance. Understanding the genetic and phenotypic diversity and population dynamics of plant pathogens is crucial to inform breeding programs targeting resistance. Tan spot, otherwise known as bacterial wilt, caused by Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens, is an increasingly significant pathogen affecting beans and mungbean worldwide. Since the 1990s, several mungbean cultivars with partial resistance to tan spot have been released in Australia; however, cultivars initially rated as moderately resistant were later rated as moderately susceptible to tan spot. This study investigated the genetic and phenotypic diversity and temporal evolutionary dynamics of C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens in Australian mungbean fields. Whole-genome sequencing of 119 isolates collected from mungbean and other legumes (1986 to 2019) enabled analyses of pathogen evolution in Australia and in a global context. Results revealed that clonal expansion from standing genetic variation, rather than introduction of novel genotypes, has driven the evolution of this pathogen in Australia since the 1980s. Glasshouse trials confirmed the role of a plasmid in pathogenicity of C. flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens but found no significant differences in aggressiveness between clonal lineages. Our research provides insights into genetic and phenotypic diversity of this important plant pathogen and temporal changes in its population structure in Australia and highlights the need for further studies on the competitive fitness of isolates and characterisation of private alleles linked to dominant clonal lineages
Pulsations in binary stars – a short review
Get PDFAsteroseismology has become an indispensable method for measuring stellar ages and radii, while binary systems remain the most prevalent tool for determining stellar masses. The synergy of the two, namely pulsating stars in binary systems, offer even more than the sum of their parts. The sometimes-overwhelming number of pulsation models to be examined for asteroseismic modelling can be tightly constrained when dynamical masses for both components are available. Binaries offer twice the opportunity to measure an asteroseismic age, which is then applicable to both components of a system, often providing ages for stars that are otherwise very difficult to determine. Some stellar physics, such as the strength of internal mixing or of core overshoot, is so difficult to infer that only in binary systems do sufficient constraints exist to advance our asteroseismic models. The pulsations themselves can also be used to infer dynamical masses through pulsation timing, while eclipsing binaries provide opportunities to test asteroseismic scaling relations. In these proceedings of an invited talk I selectively review the synergies afforded by pulsations in binaries, even when their companions are undetectable. I also describe how the field is changing as we become more data rich through each generation of large photometric survey
Predicting failure envelopes of skirted spudcan footings under combined loads using ACO–optimized extremely randomized trees
No full textSkirted spudcan foundations are widely employed in offshore geotechnical engineering due to their enhanced penetration capability and superior load resistance in soft clay soils. In this study, the undrained failure envelope of skirted spudcan subjected to combined vertical, horizontal, and moment (VHM) loading is investigated using Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA). A total of 624 simulations are performed in OptumG3, systematically varying the embedment ratio (L/D), soil strength heterogeneity (κ), vertical load mobilization (V/V0), and loading limit for the FELA (β) to construct the VHM failure envelope in non-homogeneous clay. To complement the numerical approach and mitigate computational intensity, a machine learning model is developed using Extremely Randomized Trees (ET) optimized via Ant Colony Optimization (ACO). The resulting ET-ACO model demonstrates excellent agreement with the FELA outcomes, achieving R² values exceeding 0.998. Feature importance analysis highlights the FELA loading limit (β) and embedment ratio (L/D) as the most influential parameters governing failure capacity. This data-driven methodology provides a reliable and effective alternative for evaluating offshore foundation performance, as it not only accelerates the prediction of failure envelopes but also significantly reduces computational costs
Enhanced magnetic activity in rapidly rotating binary stars
No full textStellar activity is fundamental to stellar evolution and the formation and habitability of exoplanets. Magnetic surface activity is driven by the interaction between convective motions and rotation in cool stars, resulting in a dynamo process. In single stars, activity increases with rotation rate until it saturates for stars with rotation periods Prot < 3–10 d. However, the mechanism responsible for saturation remains unclear. Observations indicate that red giants in binary systems that are in spin–orbit resonance exhibit stronger chromospheric activity than single stars with similar rotation rates, suggesting that tidal flows can influence surface activity. Here, we investigate the chromospheric activity of main-sequence binary stars to understand the impact of tidal forces on saturation phenomena. For binaries with 0.5 < Prot (d) < 1, mainly contact binaries that share a common thermal envelope, we find enhanced activity rather than saturation. This result supports theoretical predictions that a large-scale α–ω dynamo during common-envelope evolution can generate strong magnetic fields. We also observe supersaturation in chromospheric activity, a phenomenon tentatively noted previously in coronal activity, where activity levels fall below saturation and decrease with shorter rotation periods. Our findings emphasize the importance of studying stellar activity in stars with extreme properties compared with the Sun’s
Modelling perennial cereals within the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM)
No full textAnnual grain cropping has been associated with environmental degradation, including a rundown in soil organic carbon, increased rates of erosion, and nutrient leaching into waterways. The partial replacement of annual grain cropping systems with novel perennial plants, developed for grain production, has been proposed as a method to improve the sustainability of cereal cropping. However, the environmental requirements of candidate perennial species need to be well understood to accurately define target environments. To gain this knowledge, field experiments are useful, but expensive and time consuming. A simulation crop growth model for perennial cereal species is a practical way to help address this challenge. The aim of this research was to build a simulation model that could predict phenology and yields of a perennial cereal in diverse environments. Three experimental approaches were undertaken: a) the establishment of two field experiments comparing the growth and yield of candidate perennial cereals with an annual wheat in contrasting environments, b) a controlled growth chamber and glasshouse experiment to better understand the climatic requirements and reproductive triggers of two of the candidate perennial cereals (mountain rye and intermediate wheatgrass), and c) the development and testing of a simulation model using parameterisation and validation data gained from the field experiments, the glasshouse experiment, and from the literature. The perennial cereal model that was subsequently developed accurately (within an acceptable error range) predicted the phenological development and yield of intermediate wheatgrass under a range environments and management factors. Sensibility tests for fertiliser levels, irrigation quantity, and latitude produced the expected directional variations in phenology and yield predictions. The findings of the field, glasshouse, and modelling research indicated that the high vernalisation requirements of both intermediate wheatgrass and mountain rye, at their current state of development, restricts their useful range to farming systems in the cooler temperate areas of Australia