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Factors Impacting the Design of Innovative WIL Education
No full textThe issues and experiences of work-integrated learning (WIL) accounting and financial planning academics across higher education (HE) institutions in developing innovative WIL programs are discussed by the authors. The authors reflect on their responsibilities and goals and how these aligned with student and institutional expectations for both work-based situations as well as classroom-based simulations. Cross-institutional collaboration on WIL approaches in undergraduate and postgraduate accounting courses reveal contrasting priorities and tensions when addressing the needs of stakeholders. Particularly noticeable are the institutional requirements for a technology-driven WIL curriculum, that meet with student, industry and institutional expectations. We contribute with insights on educator preparedness for delivering technology enhanced WIL programs and provide an in-depth analysis of academic engagement with WIL designs. Drawing on Activity Theory to analyse the constraints and confluences perceived in the design and teaching of WIL programs, this research contributes to our understanding of effective ways to manage this activity
American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Series #11: Updated Cytomegalovirus Guidelines in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Recipients
No full textThe Practice Guidelines Committee of the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy partnered with the society's Transplant Infectious Diseases Special Interest Group to update its previous infectious disease guidelines for the prevention and management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The two updates, published in 2021, focused on the prevention and management of CMV infection, respectively, including refractory and resistant CMV infections. To best serve clinical providers, each standalone topic in the infectious diseases series has been published in a concise format of frequently asked questions (FAQs). Adult and pediatric infectious diseases and HCT content experts developed the FAQs and the answers; recommendations were graded according to their strength (A-E) and the level of the supporting evidence (I-III). Several advances in CMV prevention and management since 2021 warranted an update to the original third and fourth topics in the series. This eleventh topic in the series focuses on new antiviral treatments for CMV, expanded indications of existing antiviral therapy for the prevention of CMV, and the treatment of CMV in special populations such as CAR T-cell therapy recipients and pediatric transplant recipients
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Oral Immunotherapy Effect on Food Allergy-Related Quality of Life
No full textBACKGROUND: Uncertainty exists regarding the health-related quality of life (HRQL) benefits of food allergen oral immunotherapy (OIT). Up-to-date meta-analyses incorporating HRQL data from recent randomised trials are lacking. METHODS: Systematic searches of MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL and Google Scholar were conducted for food OIT randomised trials (versus any comparator) that measured HRQL with a validated instrument (27 July 2023). Hedges' g standardised mean differences in HRQL between OIT and comparator were analysed by allergen, reporting perspective, and treatment/post-treatment periods, and synthesised using random-effects meta-analysis models when results from multiple trials were available. RESULTS: Ten trials (nine peanut, one baked milk; N = 1330) were included. No between-group differences were observed in parent-reported child HRQL (g = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.19 to 0.04, 9 trials, N = 1259), self-reported child HRQL (g = -0.23, 95% CI: -0.73 to 0.27, 5 trials, N = 435), or self-reported teenager HRQL (g = 0.00, 95% CI: -0.41 to 0.40, 3 trials, N = 209) during peanut OIT treatment. However, 12 months post-treatment, improved parent-reported child HRQL was observed (g = -0.51, 95% CI: -0.84 to -0.19, 3 comparisons from 2 trials, N = 213). No between-group differences were observed in the baked milk OIT trial in children (g = 0.118, 95% CI: -0.63 to 0.87, N = 26). CONCLUSION: HRQL benefits were observed after OIT protocol completion, with limited evidence of benefit during active treatment
Plasticity Analysis of Plate Anchor Keying Process Considering an Integrated Anchor-Chain System
No full textAbstract
As offshore wind energy expands into deeper waters, the demand for efficient and reliable anchoring systems for floating structures continues to grow. Plate anchors are widely used due to their high holding capacity and cost-effective installation. However, the keying process—a critical phase where the anchor rotates and mobilizes its full capacity—often leads to embedment loss, reducing overall holding efficiency. Despite numerous studies, existing models typically assume a constant pullout angle at the mudline, neglecting the interaction between the anchor and the chain.
This study presents an enhanced plasticity analysis framework to model the keying behaviour of plate anchors, integrating the continuous evolution of the chain tension within an anchor-line system. Unlike conventional approaches, the proposed model captures the variation of the mudline angle and its influence on anchor embedment. Additionally, the effects of chain length on anchor performance are investigated by simulating a new post-installation drag process with a moving vessel. The results reveal that longer chain lengths mitigate embedment loss, improving the overall efficiency of plate anchors. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing anchor design and installation strategies in deep-water floating offshore wind applications
Inclusive learning spaces for students with disability or requiring adjustments: A scoping review
No full textPeople living with a disability have the right to access and participate in education. However, they often experience enablers and barriers to access and engage in education. One potential factor affecting how students with disability participate in education is the design and use of learning spaces – physical and built. Existing reviews on learning spaces for students with disability either focus narrowly on one disability or only include peer-reviewed literature from one discipline. This multidisciplinary scoping review describes how the physical and built environment of learning spaces can influence the inclusion and participation of students with disability. This scoping review is novel as it explores physical and built environments across early years, primary, secondary and tertiary education for various disabilities. It also combines literature across 12 peer-reviewed databases and 3 grey literature repositories to link theoretical and practical knowledge from architecture, education and health. The key findings of this scoping review will be presented as a poster infographic to illustrate the extent of research on inclusive learning spaces and to summarise evidence on aspects of the physical and built environment that can influence the inclusion and participation of students with disability. The review findings will deepen our understanding of the role of the physical and built environment in educating students with disability and highlight ways to improve learning spaces to enhance educational participation
“It’s okay to be white”: anatomy of a white supremacist trolling campaign
No full textThis article analyses the “It’s okay to be white” campaign, a trolling campaign that unfolded on 4chan and Twitter in early November 2017, and its relationship with white supremacism and racial neoliberalism. The first part of the article demonstrates how the campaign used an approach based in a combination of memetic and trolling strategies, and professional promotional practices, to reach its target audiences. The second part of the article analyses the ideological dimensions of the campaign and its relationship with racial neoliberalism. The campaign’s underlying ideological strategies, I argue, are at one level consistent with those of “color-blind racism” and the “antiracial” ideologies of racial neoliberalism that mobilise “racism without race”, to neutralise discussions of disadvantage experienced by racial minorities. At the same time, the campaign seeks to disrupt and supersede the antiracial ideologies of racial neoliberalism with an openly white supremacist race politics that re-emphasises biological difference
Coral bleaching dynamics on the Great Barrier Reef: New insights from a mathematical model
No full textThe ongoing climate crisis poses a significant threat to the future of worldwide coral reefs. Catastrophic incidences of declining reef health and mortality, driven by widespread coral bleaching have highlighted the need for an improved mechanistic understanding of bleaching dynamics to inform effective reef management. We developed a continuous-time state-space model of reef dynamics to capture coral populations at a community scale. Using a dynamical systems approach, we analysed the qualitative characteristics of the model and found evidence suggesting that intrinsic growth and bleaching-induced mortality may play a crucial role in determining a reef's vulnerability and resilience to ongoing disturbances. The model was able to capture a range of observable phenomena when calibrated to empirical observations sampled from multiple sites spanning the Great Barrier Reef. Observed trends in the estimated parameters suggest correlations between several reef characteristics and the latitudinal positions of sample sites. Our results shed light on possible mechanisms driving resilience and robustness, and reveal new insight that has the potential to improve reef conservation and management. Despite the simplicity of the model, our analyses demonstrate its utility in inspiring future data collection and improving intervention efforts
Facilitation Thinking for Coexistence Theory
No full textSpecies interactions are foundational to biodiversity maintenance. Facilitation, a common outcome of species interactions, occurs among and between a wide variety of organisms yet its treatment in the theory and models used to predict species coexistence is underdeveloped. We ask why this is and speculate about how to address this apparent discrepancy. We first evaluate a persistent ambivalence to facilitation in the context of population and community ecology, particularly in contemporary coexistence theory. We then propose 'facilitation thinking' to remedy the gap between empirical evidence of facilitation and mathematical theory of coexistence. We briefly discuss how a holistic treatment of facilitation in theory has the potential to reconfigure our basic understanding and definition of coexistence. Ultimately, we argue for an expanded theory of coexistence that accounts for a diversity of species interaction outcomes, allowing for the study of interactions and diversity maintenance beyond the war of all against all
High resolution melt electro-written scaffolds promote alignment of human skeletal muscle cells
No full textAdvanced tissue engineering (TE) strategies are vital to address challenging musculoskeletal conditions, such as volumetric muscle loss. These disorders impose a considerable economic burden and affect individuals’ quality of life, highlighting the need for innovative treatments, such as TE, to address these challenges. Here, we examine how scaffold fibre orientation influences mechanical properties and cellular behaviour by utilising melt electrowriting (MEW) as a high-resolution 3D printing technique that combines aspects of electrospinning and melt based polymer deposition. In this work, we investigated the effects of fibre orientation in MEW scaffolds, and its effect on the scaffold mechanical properties as well as cell orientation and alignment. MEW scaffolds were mechanically characterised through uniaxial strain testing to determine critical parameters, including strain at failure, ultimate tensile strength, Young’s modulus (E), fatigue rate, recovery time, and yield strain. These mechanical properties were analysed to define an optimal strain regime for transitioning from static to dynamic culture conditions under muscle-like cyclic loading, relevant to muscle’s viscoelastic behaviour. In parallel, static cultures of primary human skeletal muscle myoblasts and normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) were grown on MEW scaffolds, with varying architectures, to study the effects of fibre aspect ratio on cell alignment. Cell alignment was visualised using DAPI/phalloidin staining and quantified with the ImageJ directionality plugin, enabling a systematic comparison of scaffold designs. This approach evaluates the potential of supportive scaffold architectures to promote aligned cell growth, offering insights into designing effective scaffolds for tissue regeneration
The Australian housing affordability trap – How environmental, institutional, and structural factors can immobilize Australian households in the face of extreme weather events – A case study on flooding
No full textWith climate change a growing number of increasingly severe hazards such as floods and bushfires affect populated regions in Australia. As a result, insurance premiums rise, and hazard-prone regions might even become uninsurable. Using the example of floods, this article examines how under conditions of the Australian housing crisis these risks affect households unequally. After major floods, un- and underinsured households often lack the capacity to recover. At the same time, they become immobilized because they cannot afford to move out of regions at risk. Based on 26 semi-structured interviews with (re-) insurance, legal, financial and urban planning experts conducted in 2022, the article provides empirical insights into the under-researched interconnection of household immobilization and vulnerability to extreme weather events from an expert perspective. The experts identify four factors which combine in producing vulnerability and at the same time immobilizing people: location and urban planning, the privatization of risk, socio-economic factors as well as awareness and the distribution of information. Current political strategies address the challenge of moving people out of at-risk locations but do neither sufficiently address the housing and insurance situation nor how people's personal attachment to a region affects their housing decision