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Does financial development enhance the environmental benefits of technological progress? An empirical investigation
No full textA country’s financial development and technological advancement are key drivers of economic progress, which in turn impact environmental conditions. Although prior research has extensively investigated the individual roles of financial development and technological advancement in shaping environmental outcomes, their joint implications for environmental quality have received comparatively limited scholarly attention. This study seeks to bridge this gap by empirically analysing the moderating role of financial development in the relationship between technological advancement and environmental outcomes, considering both overall technological advancement and environmentally oriented technological progress. The econometric strategy employed in this study is the autoregressive distributed lag method, using data from 1980 to 2021 for Australia. The findings indicate that although financial development exacerbates environmental degradation, both overall technological advancement and environmentally related technological progress exert a favourable influence on environmental quality. The combined effect reveals that financial development moderates overall technological advancement in the short run, thereby enhancing environmental quality, although its moderating role becomes negligible in the long run. However, financial development moderates the relationship between environmentally oriented technological advancement and environmental quality in both the short run and long run, yielding consistently positive environmental outcomes. Additionally, the adverse environmental consequences of economic growth and energy consumption warrant careful consideration, as both contribute to environmental degradation. These findings offer valuable implications for policymakers, underscoring the need to align financial development with technological progress to achieve environmental sustainability objectives while also providing a potential policy model for other advanced economies
I knew you were truffle when I walked in: truffle oil bait improves surveys of mycophagous mammals on camera traps
No full textMycophagous species are significant ecosystem engineers. However, many of these species are difficult to survey, which limits scientific understanding of their ecology and impacts on ecosystems. This study aimed to determine a bait preference for opportunistic mycophagous mammals by comparing detection rates and duration of time spent in front of cameras at different baits. We used camera traps and four different bait types to attract mycophagous species in two sympatric habitat types in south-eastern Queensland. No specific species were targeted, but rather the study aimed to detect any mycophages that may be present in the ecosystem. In total, 399 mycophagous mammal detections from 11 species were recorded in the study. The detection rates using different baits varied among species, but overall, mycophagous mammals tended to spend longer in front of the camera trap, and be detected sooner, at cameras baited with the truffle oil bait. By determining which bait attracts the most mycophages, whether they be obligate or occasional consumers of fungi, ecologists can target survey efforts when investigating these fungi–vertebrate relationships
Cattle chill events in northern Australia: observations and predictions
No full textExtended periods of cold, wet and windy conditions, known as ‘chill events', rapidly increase potential heat loss in livestock. Such events pose substantial risks to cattle, particularly breeds in northern Australia, that are acclimatised and bred for warmer conditions. Yet due to their rarity, very little is known about chill events in tropical climates, particularly during the dry season (May to October). This study provides an observational analysis of two multi-day chill events over Australia's Northern Territory in June 2007 and September 2021; combined, these events caused the deaths of over 700 cattle at two pastoral stations. Here we investigate the meteorological evolution and biometeorological severity of each event using livestock-specific thermal stress indices: the Cattle Comfort Index (CCI) and Livestock Chill Index (LCI). In both events, unusual warmth gave way to extremely cold conditions (CCI < the long-term 1st percentile), including high to very high LCI values despite the events occurring during the May to October dry season. We find that established LCI absolute thresholds developed for southern sheep do not adequately reflect chill severity in northern cattle systems, underscoring the need for locally derived percentile-based measures. We also present an illustrative example of the early-warning signals for the September 2021 event that could have been produced using the Bureau of Meteorology's operational numerical weather prediction system ACCESS-G. Several forecast initialisations indicated a shift towards markedly colder conditions up to 8-10 days in advance. Our results highlight the benefit of integrating agri-climatic indices into forecast products and the need to develop region- and species-appropriate chill thresholds for northern Australia livestock
Communal Knowing in Nursing: A Novel Pattern of Knowing From the African Philosophical Lens
No full textAfrican philosophical thoughts suggest that personhood is founded on and can be understood as emerging from the community. Thus, the community is essential to understanding personhood. In other words, we cannot know the person, without first knowing the community. This assertion brings to the fore a potentially novel pattern of knowing which has received limited attention in the discipline of nursing: communal knowing. This paper presents the authors preliminary thoughts on communal knowing as a novel pattern of knowing from the African philosophical perspective. Communal knowing, an epistemology deeply rooted in African philosophical traditions prioritizes interdependence, collective wisdom, and harmony over individualism. This approach to generating and transmitting knowledge is context-dependent and arises from dynamic social interactions, shared experiences, and the guidance of elders, ancestors, and community leaders. The primary aim of communal knowing is the restoration and preservation of social, spiritual, and environmental equilibrium—where healing is understood not as an isolated biological event but as the re-establishment of balance within the collective. Knowledge in this system is embedded in cultural symbols, oral traditions—such as proverbs, storytelling, poetry, and rituals—and expressive forms like Adinkra and Samai symbols, which encode values like unity, humility, resilience, and mutual support. These mediums serve as vehicles for moral education, critical reflection, and the reinforcement of virtues essential for communal well-being. The community itself acts as an educational institution, where learning is continuous, relational, and hierarchically structured—integrating the living with ancestral wisdom. This epistemology challenges Western individualistic models by framing knowledge as a process rather than a possession, inseparable from culture, spirituality, and relational contexts
Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association Conference 2025 (ANZSSA 2025)
No full texttaff wellbeing emerged as a critical concern within the Student Success Advising (SSA) Team, with increasing reports of fatigue, burnout and vicarious trauma stemming from emotionally intense student interactions. These experiences mirror those in high-intensity service professions, where sustained interpersonal engagement and emotional labour can lead to emotional exhaustion, disengagement, and burnout (Deery et al., 2002).
To address this, a multi-layered wellbeing approach informed by psychosocial hazards legislation was implemented (WorkSafe Queensland, 2022). This approach centred on the cocreation of a tailored SSA Wellbeing Strategy. This strategy integrated individual self-care practices with organisational supports such as mandatory training, caseload management, resilience-building, and structured debriefing after challenging conversations (Deery et al., 2002; Roskams et al., 2021; Sansbury et al., 2015).
Evaluation was conducted through direct staff feedback, focusing on shifts in morale, teamwork and perceived support. Post implementation results were encouraging: the SSA Team maintained high staff retention, sustained modest leave rates, and scored above institutional benchmarks on the University’s Pulse Survey. Staff comments underscored the value of feeling heard and supported: “Knowing we can debrief when we need to has made a big difference in how I feel coming to work” (SSA staff member).
Key reflections highlight the importance of normalising wellbeing conversations and embedding support into everyday practice. By integrating wellbeing structures and fostering open dialogue, the SSA Wellbeing Strategy empowered staff to acknowledge the emotional impact of their work and seek help when needed. This approach has fostered a sustainable culture of care, resilience, and connectio
Green space, blue space and psychological distress in regional Australia: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses
No full textEvidence on the relationship between green and blue spaces and mental health in regional areas of Australia is limited. This study assessed associations between green space, blue space, green-blue space (GBS), and psychological distress in regional Australia, and examined effect modification by age, remoteness, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from Waves 17 (2017) and 21 (2021) of the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, we analysed data from 5186 adults at baseline and 3146 at follow-up. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Green space and GBS were quantified as percentage coverage, and blue space was classified as present or absent in the residential environment. Generalized Estimating Equation models were used to assess associations, and stratified analyses were conducted by age, geographic remoteness, and socioeconomic disadvantage to examine potential effect modification. At baseline, no statistically significant associations were found between green space, blue space, or GBS and psychological distress. GBS cover of 11–20 % was associated with a 34 % lower incidence of psychological distress at follow-up (OR = 0.65, 95 % CI: 0.45, 0.95). In stratified analyses, green space cover of 11–20 % (OR = 0.55, 95 % CI: 0.34, 0.89) and GBS cover of 11–20 % (OR = 0.48, 95 % CI: 0.29, 0.79) were associated with reduced psychological distress at baseline in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Additionally, GBS cover of 21–40 % was associated with a lower incident psychological distress in outer regional areas (OR = 0.56, 95 % CI: 0.31, 0.99). These findings suggest that green space and GBS may mitigate psychological distress, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, highlighting their potential to support mental health and reduce health inequalities
Airborne re-entry observation campaign of the Cluster-II salsa re-entry
Full text linkAfter their end of operation, the four Cluster-II satellites are re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The first Cluster-II satellite, named Salsa, re-entered on the 8th of September at 18:46 UTC (2024-09-08T18:46 UTC) over the South Pacific, approximately 2000 km west of Easter Island. An airborne observation team was on station aiming to observe the satellite’s break-up. This paper reports the design and execution of the airborne observation under the challenging situation of an entry under plain daylight conditions. The mission planning and preparation in coordination with the observation prediction leads to the flight mission details. Due to the highly eccentric orbit, the entry predictions were particularly challenging and resulted in a wider spread of potential entry corridors. Therefore, based on the very last perigee, only 52 h before the actual entry, and spacecraft data after the maneuver, the team received the last orbit information at 20:30 UTC on the 7th of September (2024-09-07T20:30UTC). Based on this data an appropriate flight path for the aircraft was designed. On board a Falcon 900 business jet, the team deployed six different stations with a total of 26 cameras. All cameras were time-synchronized to the GPS time using a centralized time server. The mission was successful. The infrared cameras detected the entry for approximately 23 s beginning at around 18:47:08 UTC
Flow-Through Hollow Fiber Gas Diffusion Electrodes with Morphology-Controlled In Situ Galvanic Grown Silver Catalysts for Enhanced CO Selectivity in CO2 Electroreduction
No full textElectrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) into value-added products offers a promising strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, particularly when powered by renewable electricity. However, CO2RR faces challenges, including high activation energy barriers, competing side reactions, and limited CO2 mass transport. Addressing these limitations requires not only the development of advanced electrocatalysts to enhance CO2RR activity but also the design of electrodes to optimize gas-catalyst-electrolyte interfaces and facilitate efficient mass transport, thereby advancing CO2RR toward industrial-scale applications. Herein, we developed flow-through hollow fiber gas diffusion electrodes (HFGDEs) featuring in situ galvanic growth of flower-like silver structures. The abundant ultrathin 2D nanosheets enhance active sites and CO2RR activity, and the resulting electrode achieves a high Faradaic efficiency of CO of 91% at −1.2 (V vs RHE). Furthermore, the HFGDE configuration ensured sufficient CO2 delivery to the active sites, enabling a partial current density of CO of 280.8 mA cm−2. In situ Raman spectroscopy revealed that the in situ-grown silver flower structure promotes the adsorption of *COOH intermediate, thereby accelerating CO2RR kinetics. Moreover, the robust CO2 supply afforded by the HFGDE configuration is crucial to suppress competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and maintain high CO2RR activity under industrially relevant current densities
Green fabrication of fully bio-based poly (vinyl alcohol)/phytic acid composite aerogels with robust 3D networks for sustainable thermal insulation and fire safety
No full textThe development of sustainable thermal insulation materials that combine light weight, high strength, and fire retardancy is essential to support global carbon neutrality goals. Herein, fully bio-based polyvinyl alcohol/phytic acid (PVA/PA) composite aerogels were fabricated through an environmentally benign refrigerator-assisted freezing process without the use of toxic solvents. The strong reactivity of bio-based phytic acid enabled the formation of a robust micro-nano three-dimensional (3D) network, yielding an aerogel with low density (0.075 g cm–3), high porosity (94.21%), and ultralow thermal conductivity (33.1 mW·m–1·K–1). Benefiting from its micro-nano 3D network, the aerogel exhibited excellent mechanical robustness, with compressive strength and specific modulus increasing by 125.7% and 194.5%, respectively. Due to the formation of intrinsic intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system, the aerogel achieved an extremely high limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 41.9% and a UL 94 V–0 rating (self-extinguishing time of only 1.8 s) with significantly reduced heat and smoke release during combustion. Furthermore, a solvent-free thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) treatment imparted durable hydrophobicity (water contact angle = 145.6°). This work provides a green and scalable strategy for producing multifunctional bio-based aerogels with great potential for high-performance and sustainable thermal insulation applications
Postgraduate-qualified teachers' experiences interacting with educators of their own disabled children
No full textResearch and policy espouse the virtues of parent–school partnerships in delivering positive outcomes for students with disabilities, however an erosion of trust can lead to a breakdown in the relationship. Though, parents who share cultural capital with teachers experience more successful parent–school partnerships, parents who act as allies for their disabled children can be labelled as tricky or difficult. This article
examines the experiences of four parents who hold postgraduate qualifications in education when interacting with the schools of their disabled children. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), this study explored how, when, and why parents with postgraduate qualifications in education experienced difficulties within the parent–school partnership. It was found that bringing their knowledge and expertise to the table when acting as allies to their children could deliver benefits, but often resulted in a partnership breakdown that positioned the
teacher as the expert and the parent as the subordinate partner