18397 research outputs found
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Nurses' experience and recommendations to reduce medication errors in residential aged care facilities
No full textOlder people who live in residential aged care facilities are prone to medication errors due to several contributing factors. Ground level care workers such as nurses experience and identify the contributing factors of medication errors. Therefore, their suggestions and recommendations would help to develop potential error prevention strategies in residential aged care facilities. This would improve the medication management process and improve the quality of life of vulnerable older people living in residential aged care facilities
Characteristics, behaviour and toxigenic potential of bacterial dairy contaminants
No full textProduct safety is a major concern for the food industry and bacterial contamination during production remains a major risk. This study evaluated the presence and characteristics of two important bacteria relevant to the dairy industry, namely Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus. Bacteria were isolated from raw and pasteurised milk samples collected in Victoria. Detailed evaluation indicated high levels of antimicrobial drug resistance and the ability to form biofilms. Different methods of bacterial fingerprinting and source-tracking provided valuable information about the diversity and origins of these bacteria. These are useful tools to help manage and control bacterial contamination of dairy products
Fire retardant epoxy blends and composites using boron compounds
No full textEpoxy resins are widely used for a variety of adhesive and coating applications. High flammability of the epoxy resins limit its usage and causes high risk of fire. This research focuses on improving the fire retardancy of epoxy resin using boron based compounds. A boric acid-glycerol complex and boron nitride nano-particle were used as fire-retardant additives in the epoxy system. The results show excellent improvement in fire retardancy of the epoxy resin. Majority of the fire-retardant additives are harmful to the environment, however the boron compounds are less destructive and impart better fire retardancy
Development of eco-friendly concrete using graphene nanoplateles
No full textReducing the cement content in concrete while maintaining its fresh and hardened properties will reduce its carbon footprint and associated environmental impact. Due to their outstanding mechanical and physical properties, nanomaterials based on graphene have become an innovative form of nano-reinforcement used in concrete. Indeed, graphene nanoplatelets have emerged as highly effective additives capable of not only decreasing cement content in concrete but also enhancing its micro and macro properties. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the influence of graphene nanoplatelets on the engineering performance of concrete, thereby contributing to the development of the next generation of eco-friendly concrete.</p
Understanding the role of gut microbiota in brain and cognitive health of healthy older population
No full textThe thesis focuses on the intricate interplay between gut microbiome and cognitive well-being in aging individuals. Through a meticulous examination of the gut-brain axis, the thesis aims to uncover the potential links between gut microbial composition and cognitive function in older adults. By exploring how changes in gut microbiome may influence cognitive function, this research contributes to the growing understanding of maintaining brain health in the elderly. The findings shed light on the promising avenue of utilizing gut microbiome modulation for enhancing cognitive vitality in the aging population.</p
Towards Resilient Communities: Data Capability and Resource Mapping for Disaster Preparedness
No full textAccess to quality data is vital for informing decision making before, during and after emergency events. As more data becomes available, new artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as machine learning and generative AI are extending the possibilities for data-driven disaster resilience. However, despite the longstanding promise of digital humanitarianism, there are many friction points and challenges in using data to improve community resilience and decision making.
In this project, our research team based in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision Making and Society (ADM+S) worked in collaboration with experienced members of Australian Red Cross to better understand the challenges and potential of data-driven decision-making for community disaster resilience. Responsible and timely community data practices along with accessible platforms to support data availability are central to realising benefits on the ground. To work toward this outcome the ADM+S team has developed a model for involving communities in the data gathering process and supporting them to improve disaster preparedness through an open mapping platform. Responding to the community resilience frameworks developed by Australian Red Cross, our aim is to ensure that local information and knowledge becomes an integral part of disaster preparedness and community resilience rather than an afterthought.</p
The Santa Cruz Massacre, 1991: Thirty Years On. Proceedings of an International Research Symposium
No full textOn 12 November 1991 Indonesian soldiers shot and killed over 200 people in a funerary march and pro-independence protest at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili, East Timor. These proceedings comprise some of the papers from an online international symposium marking the thirtieth anniversary of the massacre held on 9 - 10 November 2021. The symposium was held by the Timor-Leste Studies Association and the Centro Nacional Chega (CNC), Timor-Leste’s national centre of memory and dedicated to filmmaker Max Stahl, whose footage of the massacre had played such a pivotal role in raising awareness about the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Over two days, almost 30 research papers and first-hand accounts were presented in English, Tetum and Portuguese, looking at topics such as the organisation of the protest, the impact of the massacre, and how these events have been remembered and commemorated in Timor-Leste and elsewhere.</p
Adapting Differential Privacy in Scenarios
No full textPrivacy leakage events have been increasingly frequent recently. Your DOB, home address, workplace, household composition, race, shopping and movie preferences, and other sensitive information can be easily compromised without your awareness. Differential Privacy is a provable robustness approach to address those privacy issues. This thesis proposed three Differential Privacy methods to protect location data and census data. First method can protect your accurate home address while maintaining its South East position to the CBD. Second method can protect COVID infected patients’ home addresses and meanwhile preserve the distribution of those cases for epidemiological study. Third method protect census data.</p
Network patterns of university-industry collaboration: A case study of the chemical sciences in Australia
No full textUniversity–industry (U–I) collaboration takes on many forms, from research services, teaching and training, to curiosity-led research. In the chemical industries, academic chemists generate new knowledge, address novel problems faced by industry, and train the future workforce in cutting-edge methods. In this study, we examine the dynamic structures of collaborative research contracts and grants between academic and industry partners over a 5-year period within a research-intensive Australian university. We reconstruct internal contract data provided by a university research office as records of its collaborations into a complex relational database that links researchers to research projects. We then structure this complex relational data as a two-mode network of researcher-project collaborations for utilisation with Social Network Analysis (SNA)—a relational methodology ideally suited to relational data. Specifically, we use a stochastic actor-oriented model (SAOM), a statistical network model for longitudinal two-mode network data. Although the dataset is complicated, we manage to replicate it exactly using a very parsimonious and relatable network model. Results indicate that as academics gain experience, they become more involved in direct research contracts with industry, and in research projects more generally. Further, more senior academics are involved in projects involving both industry partners and other academic partners of any level. While more experienced academics are also less likely to repeat collaborations with the same colleagues, there is a more general tendency in these collaborations, regardless of academic seniority or industry engagement, for prior collaborations to predict future collaborations. We discuss implications for industry and academics
Development of Set-On-Demand Geopolymer Concrete for 3D printing
No full textIn concrete 3D printing (3DCP), high Portland cement content in the mix raises sustainability concerns, prompting the urgent need to replace Portland cement with eco-friendly alternatives like geopolymer. The contradictory requirements of the fresh concrete's properties during the pumping and building stages of 3DCP are alleviated using chemical admixtures. However, these admixtures are designed for Portland cement, restricting geopolymers' application in large-scale construction. This thesis develops a set-on-demand geopolymer concrete that has an open time of 24+ hours and static yield strength of 879 kPa at 60 min after printing which provides higher flexibility is printing than cementitious mixes with admixtures.</p