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Sympathy for the devil? Uncovering inhibitors and enablers of emotional engagement between zoo visitors and the Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisi
No full textThis article explores enablers and inhibitors of emotional engagement between visitors and Tasmanian devils at Healesville Sanctuary, Australia. A qualitative research approach was utilized including 44 interviews (ten with staff and 34 with visitors) and eight hours of observations of 622 visitors. Findings are presented in relation to six themes: (a) visitors’ motivations for viewing Tasmanian devils, (b) visitors’ emotional responses to Tasmanian devils, (c) role of previsit expectations, (d) species’ attributes inhibiting emotional engagement, (e) species’ attributes enabling emotional engagement, and (f) elements of exhibit design and interpretation influencing emotional engagement. Results show clear views of active animals, firstperson interpretation, and an understanding of conservation threats were enablers of forming an emotional connection. Inability to view animals and general misconceptions of devils were inhibitors of forming an emotional connection. Implications for exhibit management, interpretation, and conservation are discussed
The roles of exercise professionals in the health care system: a comparison between Australia and China
No full textPhysical inactivity is identified by the World Health Organisation as the fourth risk factor for global mortality and has major implications on the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and general health of the populations. There has been substantial evidence indicating that adequate levels of physical activity, such as prescribed exercise, can be an effective intervention for prevention and treatment of many chronic health conditions, as well as for improvement of mental health, quality of life and well-being. Many countries in the world have developed policies and guidelines for promotion of participation in physical activity and application of prescribed exercise as a means of intervention for chronic health conditions. Subsequently, the roles of exercise professionals in the community and health care system who provide services to the general community members, individuals with various health conditions, as well as elite athletes, and their professional training, qualifications and standards need to be defined and implemented. This article provides a preliminary comparison of the exercise professionals and their current roles in the community and health care systems between Australia and China (including mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as they have different health care systems), aiming to promote the recognition of exercise professionals in the health care systems, and facilitate the global development of the exercise-related professions, for a healthier world
Comparison of dinitrogen fixation rates in two subtropical seagrass communities
No full textSeagrass morphology varies greatly between species and can impact their nitrogen(N) cycling capacity, including dinitrogen (N2) fixation. We used a 15N—N2 stable isotope technique to measure N2 fixation rates in different zones of two morphologically diverse seagrass communities, Zostera muelleri and Halophila ovalisin Moreton Bay, Australia. Isotope label additions were made to both the surface and rhizosphere of sediment cores containing whole plants over an artificial diurnal cycle. In both species the highest rates of N2 fixation were found in the leaves (including epiphytes) in the light with areal leaf related N2 fixation rates higher in the Z. muelleri (46 ± 26 μmol N2 m−2 h−1) community compared to H. ovalis(11 ± 7.2 μmol N2 m−2 h−1). There was a switch in the location of N2 fixation from the leaves to the sediments in the dark in the Z. muelleri community which was not observed in H. ovalis. The change in the active site of N2 fixation in the Z. muellericommunity is likely related to the reduction in oxygen supply and associated increase in sulphate reducing bacterial activity at night. Overall the Z. muellericommunity fixed N2 at ~3 times (~75 μmol N m−2 h−1) the rate of H. ovalis(~25 μmol N m−2 h−1). The results of this study illustrate how plant morphology, and its associated influence on sediment biogeochemistry, can regulate N2 fixation rates in seagrass communities
Unveiling opportunities for hope: is it too much to ask for a compassionate university?
No full textA few years ago, one of us responded, in this journal, to an article by Australian academic Eva Peterson, who had set out to celebrate the joy of an academic career (Boyd and Horstmanshof, 2013). Peterson explored the narratives of the aspirations of research academics as they moved forward in the academy, only to find a tale of woe (Peterson, 2011). There was, found Peterson, a malaise in the university. Early career scholars were making choices and expressing aspirations in an atmosphere of, as they understood and experienced it, overwork and undervalue. Instead of exciting career path strategies, Peterson encountered coping strategies and exit strategies. She concluded that policy makers and university managers would do well to listen to the stories of these academics, their narratives, instead of continuing, as she claimed, to dismiss and denigrate them. A grim picture indeed: one that, although the word was not used, lacked compassion. This opinion piece is a thinking experiment about how to make a shift against narratives that oppress, and how to respond positively to the \u27compelling need for compassionate academic leadership in our universities\u27 (Waddington, 2018, p.87). We unashamedly draw on writers from more demanding educational circumstances – from the socially charged environments of late twentieth century Brazil and the emergence of post-apartheid South Africa – to provide inspiration that demonstrates change is possible in the academy
What place is there for shared housing with individualized disability support?
No full textBackground: Individualized funding of disability support services has implications for people’s choices about when to share their home. This paper examines how people with disabilities made choices about who to live with and the factors influencing these choices.
Methods: This paper discusses data from interviews with 30 people with mostly intellectual disabilities using individualized support services, 21 interviews with family members, four interviews with service managers, and a focus group with five support workers. The data come from a large evaluation of individualized housing support programs in New South Wales, Australia.
Results: Only some people had the opportunity to choose whether to share and with whom. Their choices were constrained by the range of housing options and their limited experience of them, even when they had support to make choices about shared housing or living alone. In some cases, the choices reflected a conceptualization of people with disabilities as different to other citizens in their rights and expectations about their social arrangements.
Conclusion: The results have implications for information sharing, housing stock, and the need to challenge the positioning of people with disabilities relative to other people regarding choices about where and with whom to live
The use of the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder in the talent pathway in youth athletes: A systematic review
No full textOBJECTIVES: Identifying talented athletes from an early age to accelerate their development requires the investment of substantial resources. Due to the need for multifactorial approaches to talent identification, motor competence assessments are increasingly prevalent in contemporary testing batteries. Therefore, the aim of this review was to evaluate the literature on the use of a product-oriented motor competence assessment tool, the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) in the talent pathway and determine whether it is warranted in such programs.METHODS: Three electronic databases (i.e. PubMed, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science) were searched for studies that used at least one component of the KTK to assess motor competence for talent detection, identification, development and selection in athletic populations. A total of 21 articles were included in the review, of which seven used the full version of the KTK and 14 used modified versions or individual components of the battery. The quality of included studies was assessed using a modified version of the Joanna Brigg\u27s Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist.RESULTS: The analysed literature suggests that the KTK can successfully distinguish between athletes of different competition levels and across different sporting domains, however, findings should be interpreted with caution due to the cross-sectional nature of the studies. Furthermore, the moving sideways subtest displayed the greatest discriminative power for athletes of different competition levels. Motor competence was not affected by maturation and did not differ between genders or playing positions.CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these findings suggest that the KTK is a useful motor competence assessment in the talent pathway
Adding telephone and text support to an obesity management program improves behavioral adherence and clinical outcomes: a randomized controlled crossover trial
No full textBACKGROUND: Behavioral treatment strategies improve adherence to lifestyle intervention for adults with obesity, but can be time and resource intensive when delivered via traditional face-to-face care. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and optimal timing of using telephone calls and text message as adjunctive tools to support a community-based obesity management program.METHOD: This 8-month randomized controlled crossover trial recruited 61 adults with class III obesity (BMI \u3e 40 kg/m2) enrolled in a publicly funded obesity management service (OMS). Participants were randomly assigned to receive telephone and text message support in addition to standard OMS care, or standard OMS care alone. After 4 months, participants crossed over to the alternative sequence. The technological support was based on self-determination theory. Outcome measures included diet, physical activity, anthropometry, self-efficacy, and treatment self-regulation.RESULTS: Telephone and text message support improved lifestyle intervention adherence and clinical outcomes when compared with standard care. Participants who received the intervention in the first 4-month period lost 4.87 kg, compared with no weight loss (+ 0.38 kg) in the standard care only group. There was no evidence to indicate an optimal timing of the intervention, with both groups achieving significant results by the end of the intervention.CONCLUSION: These results suggest a high degree of promise for the incorporation of telephone and text message support into community-based obesity management services. The findings have the potential to improve existing practices and reduce the burden on the health care system by demonstrating a resource-effective improvement to obesity management service delivery
SIRT4 and its roles in energy and redox metabolism in health, disease and during exercise
No full textCaridina malanda, a new species of freshwater shrimp (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) from the Wet Tropics World Heritage area, north–eastern Queensland, Australia
No full textIntegrated molecular and morphological studies of newly collected and curated specimens of the genus Caridina from the Atherton Tablelands, Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in north–eastern Queensland, Australia indicated the presence of an undescribed species belonging to the Caridina zebra Short 1993 complex. This species is somewhat intermediate, although distinct on the basis of molecular data and morphology, from two known sympatric species, Caridina zebra and C. confusa Choy & Marshall 1997, and an allopatric species, C. spinula Choy & Marshall 1997, from the Cape York Peninsula, about 500 km north. It is described here as a new species, C. malanda sp. nov., and compared with similar congeners. A key for the identification of the species, as well as notes on its distribution, ecology, and conservation, are provided