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Perceived autonomy support as a predictor of rural students’ academic buoyancy and academic self-efficacy
Get PDFStudents’ academic self-beliefs are associated with their school achievement and enjoyment. However, academic self-beliefs appear to be lower in rural schools. In a sample of students in Australian rural schools (N = 974), this study investigated whether perceived autonomy support (PAS) predicted two important self-belief constructs: academic buoyancy and academic self-efficacy. The results revealed that PAS positively predicted academic buoyancy and academic self-efficacy. Multigroup structural equation modeling further identified that primary school students reported more adaptive school experiences than high school students. This research has implications for how teachers can best support students’ academic self-beliefs in rural schools
The benefits of virtual learning abroad programs for higher education students: A phenomenological research study
Get PDFBackground: Higher education institutions offer in-country learning abroad programs to provide healthcare students with the opportunity to gain the intercultural and global competencies they need to work in a globally interconnected world. During the Covid-19 pandemic, institutions offered virtual learning abroad programs as an alternative to the in-country programs, however, little is known about whether they provide comparable benefits to students. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate, and identify, the benefits gained by higher education healthcare students through their participation in a virtual learning abroad program. Design/Methods: This research implemented a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with four higher education students enrolled in the final year of their healthcare studies. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: The results revealed that virtual programs provide a range of benefits students can use in their future careers. They also provide students with a positive learning experience and an opportunity for personal growth. However, although the benefits students gain from virtual learning abroad programs are similar to those they gain from in-country programs, they are not identical. While virtual learning abroad programs are a viable alternative for in-country programs and offer many benefits, they fail to replicate the intercultural and global competencies that in-country programs offer to students. Conclusion: This study focusses on virtual learning abroad programs and whether the benefits healthcare students gain from them are comparable to the traditional in-country programs. Students gain personal and professional benefits from these programs without the risks and costs associated with international travel. However, the identified lack of increased global awareness has implications for how the benefits of virtual learning abroad programs should be promoted to students.</p
Eshays, imported riots – are water cannons next?
Get PDFWhether it’s antisemitic pro-Palestinians or a gathering of ‘eshays’ in Logan in Queensland, our police forces have lost control of the streets. We’ve used up our smugness and we can no longer say, ‘We are so lucky that doesn’t happen here.’Well, now it does
Contextually aware intelligent control agents for heterogeneous swarms
Get PDFAn emerging challenge in swarm shepherding research is to design effective and efficient artificial intelligence algorithms that maintain simplicity in their decision models, whilst increasing the swarm’s abilities to operate in diverse contexts. We propose a methodology to design a context-aware swarm control intelligent agent (shepherd). We first use swarm metrics to recognise the type of swarm that the shepherd interacts with, then select a suitable parameterisation from its behavioural library for that particular swarm type. The design principle of our methodology is to increase the situation awareness (i.e. contents) of the control agent without sacrificing the low computational cost necessary for efficient swarm control. We demonstrate successful shepherding in both homogeneous and heterogeneous swarms.</p
The thermal breadth of temperate and tropical freshwater insects supports the climate variability hypothesis
Get PDFClimate change involves increases in mean temperature and changes in temperature variability at multiple temporal scales but research rarely considers these temporal scales. The climate variability hypothesis (CVH) provides a conceptual framework for exploring the potential effects of annual scale thermal variability across climatic zones. The CVH predicts ectotherms in temperate regions tolerate a wider range of temperatures than those in tropical regions in response to greater annual variability in temperate regions. However, various other aspects of thermal regimes (e.g. diel variability), organisms' size and taxonomic identity are also hypothesised to influence thermal tolerance. Indeed, high temperatures in the tropics have been proposed as constraining organisms' ability to tolerate a wide range of temperatures, implying that high annual maximum temperatures would be associated with tolerating a narrow range of temperatures. We measured thermal regimes and critical thermal limits (CTmax and CTmin) of freshwater insects in the orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies) and Trichoptera (caddisflies) along elevation gradients in streams in temperate and tropical regions of eastern Australia and tested the CVH by determining which variables were most correlated with thermal breadth (Tbr = CTmax − CTmin). Consistent with the CVH, Tbr tended to increase with increasing annual temperature range. Tbr also increased with body size and Tbr was generally wider in Plecoptera than in Ephemeroptera or Trichoptera. We also find some support for a related hypothesis, the climate extreme hypothesis (CEH), particularly for predicting upper thermal limits. We found no evidence that higher annual maximum temperature constrained individuals' abilities to tolerate a wide range of temperatures. The support for the CVH we document suggests that temperate organisms may be able to tolerate wider ranges of temperatures than tropical organisms. There is an urgent need to investigate other aspects of thermal regimes, such as diel temperature cycling and minimum temperature.</p
How about tax deductions for your home loan interest?
No full textImagine if you could claim the interest you pay on your mortgage as a tax deduction. While you can’t in Australia, you can in Sweden. Why not here
Material Metabolism:Reducing Risk through Flexible Formwork Substitution
Get PDFFor this special issue, sustainability and safety are discussed through the tropes of both material and work process substitution. As an architecture and industrial design team, we examine the potential of William McDonough’s and Michael Braungart’s “cradle to cradle” material methodology, and David Pye’s “the workmanship of certainty” as relevant to the construction industry. Locating and revisiting the tenets of Gottfried Semper’s Stoffwechseltheorie, alongside contemporary critiques, demonstrates that if historically, material and technique substitution led to architectural innovation, the same conditions exist today. To demonstrate a contemporary Stoffwechsel (material substitution) a formwork prototype was constructed at the University of Canberra’sWorkshop 7, by substituting timber with plastic, and 3D-printing the formwork. This prototype demonstrates a type of “technical nutrient” that is both recyclable as plastic, and reusable as formwork. This reveals the potential of substituting materials and processes not only to achieve material recovery, but rather, aiming for material recycling, reuse, or upcycling, therefore reducing socio-environmental risks in construction
Biopsychosocial determinant of quality of life of older adults in Pakistan and Canada
Get PDFBackground: The rapidly rising average age of the older adults has brought various global healthcare challenges. A core challenge is how to enhance their quality of life (QoL). Objective: The objective of the current study was to test the significance of biopsychosocial determinants of quality of life of older adults in Pakistan and Canada. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was carried out on a conveniently approached purposive sample of 1,005 older adults (Pakistani = 557 and Canadian = 448) of age range between 60 years and 80 years. The data were collected via demographic datasheet, World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Scale, Health and Lifestyle Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Berlin Social Support Scale. Results: The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that biopsychosocial factors (viz., health and lifestyle, chronic illness, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and social support) significantly predicted (R2 =.27, and.68) quality of life of older adults in Pakistan and Canada, respectively, after controlling the demographic variables. Significant differences were found between Pakistani and Canadian older adults on biopsychosocial factors: Canadian older adults scored significantly higher on health and lifestyle, self-efficacy, and quality of life, and older adults in Pakistan scored significantly higher on self-esteem and social support. Conclusion: A significant amount of better QoL of older adults can be achieved through enhancing the biopsychosocial correlates of their QoL, both in Pakistan and Canada.</p
Identifying the supportive care needs of people affected by non-muscle invasive bladder cancer:An integrative systematic review
No full textPurpose: To understand supportive care needs among people with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Methods: An integrative systematic review was reported using the Preformed Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Seven electronic databases were searched for relevant studies, including all quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies, irrespective of research design. The review process was managed by Covidence systematic review software. Two reviewer authors independently performed data extraction using eligibility criteria. Quality appraisal was conducted, and a narrative synthesis was performed. Results: A total of 1129 articles were screened, of which 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings revealed that the frequency of supportive care needs reported by NMIBC participants included psychological/emotional (16/21:76%), physical (16/21:76%), practical (8/21:38%), interpersonal/intimacy (7/21:33%), family-related (7/21:33%), health system/information (5/21:23%), social (4/21:19%), patient-clinician communication (3/21:14%), spiritual (1/21:5%) and daily needs (1/21:5%). Conclusion: People affected by NMIBC experience anxiety, depression, uncertainty, and fear of recurrence. The physical symptoms reported included urinary issues, pain, sleeping disorders and fatigue. These supportive care needs persist throughout the participants' treatment trajectory and can impact their quality of life. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Identifying supportive care needs within the NMIBC population will help inform future interventions to provide patient-centred care to promote optimal well-being and self-efficacy for people diagnosed with NMIBC.</p
Reducing the Risk of Pre-Eclampsia in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Using a Combination of Pregnancy Screening, Lifestyle, and Medical Management Strategies
Get PDFPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a multisystem disorder that presents with a variety of phenotypes involving metabolic, endocrine, reproductive, and psychological symptoms and signs. Women with PCOS are at increased risk of pregnancy complications including implantation failure, miscarriage, gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction, preterm labor, and pre-eclampsia (PE). This may be attributed to the presence of specific susceptibility features associated with PCOS before and during pregnancy, such as chronic systemic inflammation, insulin resistance (IR), and hyperandrogenism, all of which have been associated with an increased risk of pregnancy complications. Many of the features of PCOS are reversible following lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise, and pregnant women following a healthy lifestyle have been found to have a lower risk of complications, including PE. This narrative synthesis summarizes the evidence investigating the risk of PE and the role of nutritional factors in women with PCOS. The findings suggest that the beneficial aspects of lifestyle management of PCOS, as recommended in the evidence-based international guidelines, extend to improved pregnancy outcomes. Identifying high-risk women with PCOS will allow targeted interventions, early-pregnancy screening, and increased surveillance for PE. Women with PCOS should be included in risk assessment algorithms for PE.</p