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Queer and trans influential peers: Negotiating platforms for community care
Full text linkMany LGBTQ+ people offer community support on social media, including for young people facing mental health challenges. We interviewed five Australian queer and trans digital content creators known for this support and explore their motivations, community affiliations and negotiations of platform affordances. These creators described their practices as ‘community-building’ and negotiate platform affordances to prioritise community safety. Through their strong awareness of community need, and embracing the social responsibilities of having young queer and trans audiences, participants were adept at enhancing digital safeties for their communities. We offer the term influential peers to describe those who have influence in social media networks but whose work is imagined in tandem with their community membership and an ethics of care. Our findings are useful for acknowledging the role of LGBTQ+ influential peers and their skills in offering valuable community support for young people on social media
NEST: Not even a safe territory; The uncertainty overshadowing women seeking asylum during their maternity care, in Australia.
No full textBACKGROUND: Asylum seekers and undocumented migrants are a distinct group with different needs from refugees or migrants. This research focuses on the experiences of women seeking asylum in Australia during pregnancy, labour, and the postnatal period. This study is derived from a larger Ph.D. study that explored the maternity care experiences of women who seek asylum and the midwives and doulas who care for them in Australia. This paper focuses on the maternity care experiences of women seeking asylum, enriched by further insights from midwives and doulas about the women's access to care. METHODS: Qualitative research was conducted using a phenomenological approach to explore the maternity care experiences of women seeking asylum and undocumented migrants. Data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten women seeking asylum and three undocumented migrants and 17 midwives and nine doulas. RESULTS: The overarching concept of this paper is Living with uncertainty. Four themes explore the adversities faced by women seeking asylum, including, 'The detrimental effects of detention', 'Financial constraints due to payment difficulties', 'The absence of family and friends', and 'Women's resilience in overcoming these challenges'. Organisational and systemic changes are needed to address the challenges of identifying women seeking asylum and improve access to maternity care for these disadvantaged women. CONCLUSION: This study provides some important insights into the challenges faced by women seeking asylum in accessing quality maternity care and highlights the need for potential changes in policy and service provision to provide appropriate support. Social, emotional, financial and practical support are important factors that should be addressed to overcome these challenges. Further research is necessary to design and implement changes to current maternity models
A Developmental History of Change Laboratories in Schools
No full textMany educational researchers seek to actively promote positive change in schools. A Change Laboratory is a distinctive way of doing so. A Change Laboratory is a formative intervention in which researchers foster participants’ agency in a process of collaboratively re-designing activity. This paper analyses 66 Change Laboratories involving schools from a historical and developmental perspective. It identifies changes in spatial spread, theoretical references, methodological features, foci of intervention and wider issues addressed. These changes constitute developments, based on evidence that Change Laboratories have moved through a zone of proximal development to qualitatively new forms, that contradictions have driven this process, and that ascent from the abstract to the concrete can be observed. Change Laboratories have developed from an archetype to a set of diverse concrete forms. A proposal is made for a universal essence of Change Laboratories, and possible frontiers for future development are outlined.
De nombreux chercheurs en éducation cherchent à promouvoir activement des changements positifs dans les écoles. Un laboratoire du changement est une manière particulière d’y parvenir. Un laboratoire du changement est une intervention formative dans laquelle les chercheurs encouragent l’action des participants dans un processus de refonte collaborative de l’activité. Cet article analyse 66 Change Laboratories impliquant des écoles dans une perspective historique et développementale. Il identifie les changements dans la répartition spatiale, les références théoriques, les caractéristiques méthodologiques, les foyers d’intervention et les questions plus larges abordées. Ces changements constituent des développements basés sur la preuve que les laboratoires du changement ont traversé une zone de développement proximal vers des formes qualitativement nouvelles, que des contradictions ont conduit ce processus, et que l’on peut observer une ascension de l’abstrait vers le concret. Les Change Laboratories dans les écoles sont passés d’un archétype à un ensemble de formes concrètes diverses. Une proposition est faite pour une essence universelle des laboratoires du changement, et les frontières possibles pour un développement futur sont tracées
Optimising building life cycle performance (cost and carbon) in architectural design: a systematic review and an integrative framework
No full textPurpose Early-stage building design optimisation research often addresses environmental impact and cost separately, despite their interdependence. Many studies apply optimisation algorithms or machine learning models to minimise either carbon emissions or material cost – but rarely both within a unified framework. This fragmented approach risks suboptimal trade-offs, where cost-efficient designs may overlook carbon impacts and vice versa. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic literature review to examine patterns, differences and shared practices in current research. It then proposes an integrative framework for building performance optimisation that accommodates diverse cost and environmental objectives, offering clear guidance for future studies. Design/methodology/approach About 18 peer-reviewed articles (2013–2023) were identified through Scopus and Web of Science and screened using PRISMA. A dialectical systems thinking lens guided analysis across concept, methodology and value dimensions. Nine key variables were extracted in content analysis, informing the development of a step-by-step integrative framework for life cycle performance optimisation that aligns design choices with cost and environmental objectives. Findings Most studies rely on NSGA-II, MOPSO and occasionally ANN, GPR and ELM to co-optimise life-cycle cost and carbon, often excluding other performance metrics. Tools like jEPlus + EA and MOBO lack BIM integration. This study introduces a nine-step framework linking methods, standards and tools to guide future optimisation research and practice. Originality/value This study offers a novel nine-step framework that synthesises fragmented optimisation practices in early-stage building design, linking concepts, methods and values. It provides a reproducible roadmap for balancing cost and carbon, guiding future research and supporting informed design decisions
Targeting Pain Science Education With a Children's Book: A Single Case Experimental Design (SCED) Study With a Sham Comparison.
Full text linkOBJECTIVES: To assess perceived changes in children's understanding of the pain-damage relationship and the brain's influence on pain following exposure to sham and pain science education (PSE) books. METHODS: A series of single-case experimental designs were replicated across 17 children (8-12 years), with and without chronic pain, over six weeks. Following baseline, participants received a sham book and then a PSE book. The Concept of Pain Inventory (COPI) (total and selected items) and qualitative interviews (child and interviewer) assessed conceptual change and book acceptability. RESULTS: COPI scores for three targeted items fluctuated but generally increased after the PSE book for both groups, suggesting improved understanding. Discrepancies between COPI responses and interview data occurred in 88% of children, indicating varied perspectives on the nature and extent of conceptual change. The PSE book was found to be acceptable and was preferred by most children. DISCUSSION: Children's understanding of core pain science concepts can improve with targeted, book-based PSE. The dynamic nature of conceptual change and observed discrepancies between quantitative and qualitative assessment methods underscore the value of using multiple approaches to evaluate learning in pediatric PSE
A pilot study of re-purposing drugs to treat koalas with chlamydia.
Full text linkThe koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an endangered species in parts of Australia, in part due to chlamydial infections. Treatment is difficult due to the hepatic metabolism of the koala, and the critical reliance on a gut microbiota for survival. This study aimed to identify new compounds for treatment of Chlamydia infections by screening a drug re-purposing library. Screening was conducted using an in vitro cell culture model prior to in vivo mouse infection model testing of two candidates identified from the in vitro screen. One lead, bisoprolol fumarate, showed an impact on chlamydial infection and burden in vitro and in vivo. Whilst the mechanism of action may not support progressing this lead further, the approach to screening the library and list of candidates may enable identification of other new koala treatments. This study demonstrates the potential to apply drug re-purposing to koala treatment and presents a list of candidates that could be explored further
Mobile oscillators in a mobile multi-cluster network.
No full textDifferent collective behaviors emerging from the unknown have been examined in networks of mobile agents in recent years. Mobile systems, far from being limited to modeling and studying various natural and artificial systems in motion and interaction, offer versatile solutions across various domains, facilitating tasks ranging from navigation and communication to data collection and environmental monitoring. We examine the relative mobility between clusters, each composed of different elements in a multi-cluster network-a system composed of clusters interconnected to form a larger network of mobile oscillators. Each mobile oscillator exhibits both external (i.e., position in a 2D space) and internal dynamics (i.e., phase oscillations). Studying the mutual influence between external and internal dynamics often leads the system toward a state of synchronization within and between clusters. We show that synchronization between clusters is affected by their spatial closeness. The stability of complete synchronization observed within the clusters is demonstrated through analytical and numerical methods
Integrative gut health: How fermented foods bridge ancient Eastern wisdom and modern microbiome science
Full text linkIn recent years, the gut microbiota has become an integral research topic in human health owing to its impact on digestion, immunity, metabolic processes, and mental health. The possibilities of microbiome treatment have increased interest in dietary approaches, with a special focus on the intake of fermented foods. This has revived some of the most profound and practical constructs derived from food therapy in Chinese medicine (CM), where food therapy, along with fermented options, actively preserves health and prevents disease. In CM, the spleen and stomach system refers to the postnatal foundation of the body, which controls the processes of chewing, nutrient assimilation, and energy production (qi). The balance between intestinal and overall health is the foundation of psychosomatic well-being and is of utmost importance. Fermented foods can boost the spleen, alleviate stagnant food syndrome, dispel excess fluids, enhance protective functions, and strengthen the immune system. This review aimed to integrate the conceptual and clinical paradigms of CM with those of Western medicine, focusing on the role of fermented foods in gut microbiota regulation. This article discusses prominent fermented foods in CM and their classical functions, alongside the currently available peer-reviewed literature (published within the last 7 years) on their impact on gut flora and other clinical outcomes. Mechanistic considerations regarding the production of probiotics and other active metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, and the modulation of the intestinal barrier are discussed. This review also examines multidisciplinary approaches to dietary customs worldwide and outlines the clinical applications of these findings in the context of chronic disease management and gastrointestinal health
Effective removal of Micro- and nanoplastics from water using Iron oxide nanoparticles: Mechanisms and optimization
No full textMicroplastics (MPs) and nano-plastics have emerged as critical environmental contaminants, with nano-plastics posing heightened risks due to their increased surface reactivity and ability to penetrate biological membranes. Consequently, there is a pressing need to develop efficient, rapid, and cost-effective technologies for their removal. This study introduces a facile magnetic separation approach utilizing iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), capitalizing on hydrophobic interactions between IONPs and plastic particles. Experimental results demonstrated that the removal efficiency for mixed micro- and nanoplastics reached up to 95 % within 20 min. The separation performance was enhanced for smaller plastic particles and larger IONP aggregates, with nano-plastics exhibiting higher removal rates compared to MPs. Mechanistic analysis confirmed that hydrophobic interactions serve as the dominant driving force for plastic adsorption onto IONPs. To evaluate real-world applicability, additional removal experiments were conducted using actual rainwater samples. In these tests, MPs smaller than 50 μm exhibited notably high removal efficiencies. Specifically, polypropylene and polyethylene particles achieved removal rates of up to 100 % and 79.2 %, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of IONPs as a stable, scalable, and environmentally benign material for the remediation of micro-nanoplastics, offering a viable alternative to conventional filtration or chemical degradation methods
"As a Stewardess Sees It": Locating Experience and Emotion in the Work of Australian Ship Stewardesses
No full textThis first study undertaken of Australian ship stewardesses draws attention to specific aspects of working in the male-dominated maritime industry. It takes a feminist methodology that looks to women-authored sources to find evidence of experience not visible in traditional union and business archives. The article makes a case for “Letters to the Editor” as a source for accessing emotions in labour history. These letters allow women’s voices to be foregrounded and provide insights into women’s workplace experiences of sexual harassment, the public–private domain of their work, and gendered concepts like ambition and heroism. Letters reveal girls’ continuing aspirations for paid work
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