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Undergraduate research in nursing and health sciences: Curriculum design from first principles
No full textBackground/Objective: Multidisciplinary learning within the framework of undergraduate education has recently been recognised as essential in developing an integrated and resilient healthcare system for the future. This inquiry seeks to derive common learning outcomes for a new multidisciplinary foundation research methods unit for undergraduate health sciences students.Methods: An outcomes-based design was used to determine the learning outcomes from first principles. All academics across multiple health disciplines at a regional university in Australia were invited to a series of meetings to brainstorm a set of common graduate capabilities and the scaffolds required to achieve them. Meetings were carefully documented and agreed to by consensus after member checking. A thematic analysis was undertaken to identify emergent themes. The capabilities themes were checked for alignment with the institutional graduate attributes and the thresholds of learning outcomes (TLOs) set out by the Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching. Results: Three broad theoretical constructs emerged from the thematic analysis for the graduate capabilities: (i) health practitioners as evidence consumers (i.e. knowledge translation); (ii) health practitioners as evidence producers, (i.e. knowledge creation) and; (iii) ethical practice. Conclusions: This study derived a set of learning outcomes from first principles, while applying an outcomes-based curriculum design methodology. This may be a useful approach for finding common learning outcomes within a multidisciplinary health educational framework. Such structures and processes may not only help to provide students with a solid foundation for learning content that they have in common with other disciplines, but may also to facilitate interprofessional communication in future practice
Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) resistance to growth of Leptosphaeria maculans in leaves of young plants contributes to quantitative resistance in stems of adult plants
No full textKey message: One QTL for resistance against Leptosphaeria maculans growth in leaves of young plants in controlled environments overlapped with one QTL detected in adult plants in field experiments. The fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans initially infects leaves of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in autumn in Europe and then grows systemically from leaf lesions along the leaf petiole to the stem, where it causes damaging phoma stem canker (blackleg) in summer before harvest. Due to the difficulties of investigating resistance to L. maculans growth in leaves and petioles under field conditions, identification of quantitative resistance typically relies on end of season stem canker assessment on adult plants. To investigate whether quantitative resistance can be detected in young plants, we first selected nine representative DH (doubled haploid) lines from an oilseed rape DY (\u27Darmor-bzh\u27 × \u27Yudal\u27) mapping population segregating for quantitative resistance against L. maculans for controlled environment experiment (CE). We observed a significant correlation between distance grown by L. maculans along the leaf petiole towards the stem (r = 0.91) in CE experiments and the severity of phoma stem canker in field experiments. To further investigate quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to resistance against growth of L. maculans in leaves of young plants in CE experiments, we selected 190 DH lines and compared the QTL detected in CE experiments with QTL related to stem canker severity in stems of adult plants in field experiments. Five QTL for resistance to L. maculans growth along the leaf petiole were detected; collectively they explained 35% of the variance. Two of these were also detected in leaf lesion area assessments and each explained 10-12% of the variance. One QTL on A02 co-localized with a QTL detected in stems of adult plants in field experiments. This suggests that resistance to the growth of L. maculans from leaves along the petioles towards the stems contributes to the quantitative resistance assessed in stems of adult plants in field experiments at the end of the growing season
Factors associated with type of footwear worn inside the house: a cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: In specific populations, including those at risk of falls or foot ulcers, indoor footwear is an important aspect of preventative care. This study aims to describe the indoor footwear worn most over the previous year in a sample representative of the Australian inpatient population, and to explore the sociodemographic, medical, foot condition and foot treatment history factors associated with the indoor footwear worn.Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data collected from inpatients admitted to five hospitals across Queensland, Australia. Sociodemographic information, medical history, foot conditions and foot treatment history were collected as explanatory variables. Outcomes included the self-reported type of indoor footwear (from 16 standard footwear types) worn most in the year prior to hospitalisation, and the category in which the self-reported footwear type was defined according to its features: \u27protective\u27, \u27non-protective\u27 and \u27no footwear\u27. Multivariate analyses determined explanatory variables independently associated with each type and category.Results: Protective footwear was worn by 11% of participants (including 4% walking shoes, 4% running shoes, 2% oxford shoes), and was independently associated with education above year 10 level (OR 1.78,Conclusions: Only one in nine people in a large representative inpatient population wore a protective indoor footwear most of the time in the previous year. Whilst having education levels above year 10 and having received previous foot treatment by a specialist physician were associated with wearing protective footwear indoors, the presence of a range of other medical and foot conditions were not. These findings provide information to enable clinicians, researchers and policymakers to develop interventions aimed at improving indoor footwear habits that may help prevent significant health burdens such as falls and foot ulcers
Destination competitiveness: how does travel experience influence choice?
No full textTraditionally, previous studies regard destination competitiveness as a static concept. More recent studies adopting a demand perspective consider competitiveness to be dynamic, with destination competitiveness varying according to tourism niche. Competitiveness also varies within tourist segments in the same niche. The authors apply the concept of travel experience to understand destination competitiveness better. Using the SCUBA diving tourism niche, the authors investigate the extent to which tourists’ level of travel experience influences the importance they give to destination competitiveness attributes in a hypothetical SCUBA diving destination. Cluster analysis of results from an online survey (n = 712) revealed three groups with different levels of travel experience. Significant differences among the three groups were apparent in seven of ten destination competitiveness factors. The findings demonstrate the dynamism of destination competitiveness when measured from the demand perspective. Results also demonstrate that travel experience is an appropriate characteristic for classifying tourists regarding destination competitiveness attributes
Mangrove biogeography of the Indo-pacific
No full textStudies on biogeography are useful to understand the present and past distribution patterns of biological diversity and their underlying environmental and historical causes. The mangrove realm, largely confined to sheltered tropical and subtropical coastlines within latitudes of around 32°N and 38°S, is divided longitudinally into an Atlantic realm and an Indo-Pacific realm. Because of the relatively recent closure of the Central American Isthmus, a small incursion of the Atlantic realm species has occurred into the Indo-Pacific realm along the tropical and subtropical American Pacific coast and spread north and south since the last glaciation. Although the biogeography of mangroves has been widely discussed, recent investigations of mangrove floristics and genetic diversity using molecular studies warrant a further comprehensive account of the biogeography of mangroves. Considering these facts, the biogeography of the Indo-West Pacific (IWP) mangroves has been examined in detail, and the Atlantic East Pacific mangrove region (AEP) has only been briefly discussed. The difference in species richness between the IWP and the AEP is evidence of the effectiveness of the African land mass and the East Pacific Ocean barriers. Within the IWP, two trends in relation to mangrove species richness can be identified: first, maximal species richness which occurs along the shorelines of Makassar Strait, between Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia, and second, the marked attenuation of species numbers with increasing latitude generally related to limiting temperatures. The contemporary and historical processes leading to these trends are summarized and discussed. Finally, the threats to the mangroves of the various regions within the IWP are subsequently briefly reviewed, and given the ecological and economic values of mangroves, the potential of mangrove restoration/rehabilitation to offset mangrove losses is also evaluated
Current practice in dialysis central venous catheter management: Multi-disciplinary renal team perspectives
No full textAIM: To explore the current practices related to the insertion, management and removal of dialysis central venous catheters (CVCs) used in patients with chronic kidney disease requiring haemodialysis.METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study involved semi-structured interviews with surgeons, interventional radiologists, renal physicians, dialysis nurses, renal access nurses and renal researchers involved in the care of patients with chronic kidney disease requiring haemodialysis. Data were collected from staff at eight hospitals in six states and territories of Australia. Thirty-eight face-to-face interviews were conducted. A modified five-step qualitative content analysis approach was used to analyse the data.RESULTS: Improved visualization technology and its use by interventional radiologists has steered insertions to specialist teams in specialist locations. This is thought to have decreased risk and improved patient outcomes. Nurses were identified as the professional group responsible for maintaining catheter access integrity, preventing access failure and reducing access-related complications. While best practice was considered important, justifications for variations in practice related to local patient and environment challenges were identified.CONCLUSION: The interdisciplinary team is central in the insertion, maintenance, removal and education of patients regarding dialysis CVCs. Clinicians temper research-based decision-making about central dialysis access catheter management with knowledge of individual, environmental and patient factors. Strategies to ensure guidelines are appropriately translated for use in a wide variety of settings are necessary for patient safety
Significant nitrate attenuation in a mangrove-fringed estuary during a flood-chase experiment
No full textIntertidal wetlands can sequester pollutants along estuarine conduits. Here we test the effectiveness of a mangrove-dominated estuary in removing dissolved nitrogen during a rain event. We intensively and simultaneously sampled surface water nutrients upstream and downstream of an estuary before, during and after a 63 mm rain event in Coffs Creek (Australia). NOx was the main form of dissolved nitrogen upstream of the estuary (∼60%), while dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was an important form at the downstream station (∼46%) during observations. High NOx attenuation (71%) occurred during the rain event when the loads reached 31 μmol m−2 catchment area day−1. In contrast, the estuary was found to be a source of NH4+ (∼5 μmol m−2 catchment area day−1). This implies a moderate conversion of upstream NOx into NH4+ and DON along the transport pathway, likely due to tidally-driven pore water exchange within the anoxic estuarine mangrove sediments. Overall, the mangrove-lined estuary attenuated upstream total dissolved nitrogen loads, maintaining water quality and minimizing exports to the coastal ocean even during high flow conditions
Ready for work: educating literary professionals in a region
No full textThis paper is a small case study with a brief description and evaluation of regionally based, largely extracurricular professional writing activities by staff, and the opportunities provided to students in the Writing Program, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Southern Cross University. There may be a perception or assumption by some students that creative-writing opportunities are limited in the region, in terms of number and variety, or difficulty of access. This may be due to their own limited experience of the ‘writing world’, which is directly tied to the student cohort demographics. One of our concerns is to prepare students for the rigors of a professional life of writing or other related fields in a literary industry. We provide our students with professional training or work experience opportunities: to read, to write, to publish, to be a publisher/editor, to work in a literary industry context. As well, Hartley (2014: 2) argues ‘for building on regionalism’s concern for place, space, and identity’. Writing and literature are key ways to explore and develop regional specificities. We think that the Northern Rivers is generating a regional literature, a literature of the Northern Rivers Gothic. As teachers, mentors, and residents in a regional area, we recognise that one of our tasks is to help students make connections to existing networks of opportunity, or create them ourselves, through teaching about the literary industry, participating in festivals, holding readings, providing information about publication and competition opportunities, celebrating achievements and engaging in regionally based creative research
Soundtracking a micronation: Neurobash’s engagement with Ladonia
No full textLadonia, conceived and helmed by artist Lars Vilks since its inception in 1996, operates as a physical and online micronation that is particularly concerned with freedom of artistic expression. While much of the creative activity undertaken in – and in association with – Ladonia has involved sculptural work, the micronation also appointed the electronic music ensemble Neurobash as its official band in 2006-2008. This article explores the ensemble’s motivation for engaging with Vilks and his Ladonia project, the musical work created by them in association with the micronation and their subsequent distancing from Vilks’s activities. In approaching these topics, the article produces a characterisation of one of the few sustained associations between a creative ensemble and a micronation and the opportunities and issues involved in this