19683 research outputs found
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Advancing Water Quality Surveillance through Rapid In-Field Detection of Environmental DNA
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing of Accelerated Carbonation Cured-Eco-Bricks
No full textThis study aimed to investigate the behavior of accelerated carbonation-cured laboratory specimens using the ultrasonic non-destructive testing (UNDT) method and compare the results with the destructive testing (DT) method. The materials used in the study included a blend of lime kiln dust and ground granulated blast furnace slag (LKD-GBFS) wastes, natural fine aggregate (sand), and alternative fine aggregates from waste tires. The chemical analysis of the LKD and GBFS samples highlighted them as suitable alternatives to OPC, hence their utilization in the study. A 60:40 (LKD-GBFS) blending ratio and a 1:2 mix design (one part LKD-GBFS blend and two part sand) was considered. The natural fine aggregate was partially replaced with fine waste tire rubber crumbs (TRCs) in stepped increments of 0, 5, and 10% by the volume of the sand. The samples produced were cured using three curing regimens: humid curing (HC), accelerated carbonation curing (ACC) with no water curing (NWC) afterwards, and water curing after carbonation (WC). From the results, an exponential model was developed, which showed a direct correlation between the UNDT and DT results. The developed model is a useful tool that can predict the CS of carbonated samples when cast samples are unavailable. Lastly, a total CO2 uptake of 15,912 g (15.9 kg) was recorded, which underscores ACC as a promising curing technique that can be utilized in the construction industry. This technique will bring about savings in terms of the time required to produce masonry units while promoting a change in the basic assumptions of a safer and cleaner environment.</p
Harm to children from others' drinking: A survey of caregivers in Australia
No full textAims: This study aimed to identify the prevalence and types of harm to children from others' drinking in Australia, as indicated by caregivers, and examine socio-demographic characteristics of caregivers who indicated a child was affected by others' drinking. Design, setting, participants and measurements: A subsample of 854 adult respondents, who were caregivers of children under 18 years from the 2021 Australian Alcohol's Harm to Others study, were asked questions about whether children in their care had been negatively affected by others' drinking in the past year. Weighted prevalence estimates of overall and specific harms to children are presented. Logistic regressions were conducted to determine characteristics associated with indicating harms to children from others' drinking. Findings: Over 17% of caregivers (95% confidence interval [CI] = 13.0–19.0) indicated that one or more children in their care had been affected by others' drinking in the past 12 months. Verbal abuse (6.2%; 95% CI = 4.3–8.3) was the most common harm indicated, followed by financial harm (4.3%; 95% CI = 2.7–6.2). One percent of caregivers (95% CI = 0.4–2.3) indicated a child was physically hurt and less than 1% (95% CI = 0.2–1.4) indicated a child was the subject of a child protection call due to someone's drinking. Women and caregivers over 65 years were more likely to indicate a child had been affected compared with men and caregivers under 65 years. Caregivers who drank five or more drinks at least three times per week were four times more likely to indicate a child was affected compared with abstainers. Living in a household with someone who drinks heavily and who had negatively affected the child's caregiver was associated with an increased likelihood of child harm. Conclusions: In 2021, a weighted survey estimate for caregivers in Australia indicated that almost one in six children had been affected by others' drinking. Heavier drinking of caregivers and other household members was the most substantial predictor for indicating a child had been negatively affected by others' drinking.</p
Kickoff workshop - launching an open education project
No full textThis template is used to facilitate kickoff workshops for launching open education projects.It aims to support planning and ideation for developing OERs in a problem-focused and purpose-specific way.This resource was originally developed by the La Trobe eBureau open education program.</p
Exemplar: a successful OER-powered award application
No full textAn exemplar of a successful education award application powered by an OER project. In this case, Julian Pakay won the 2024 Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology SDR Scientific Education Award for his contributions to teaching quantitative literacy in biomedical science. His work in this area culminated in the La Trobe eBureau open educational resource: Foundations of Biomedical Science: Quantitative Literacy: Theory and Problems</p
OER evaluation survey example - Foundations of Biomedical Science
No full textThis survey example can be adapted for evaluating open educational resources.It is being used to evaluate student and user experiences with the open textbook Foundations of Biomedical Science: Quantitative Literacy Theory and Problems published by the La Trobe eBureau.</p
How Attachment to Dogs and to Other Humans Relate to Mental Health
No full textIt is unclear how pet ownership is related to mental health, with some previous research suggesting pet owners have better mental health, while other research suggests they have worse mental health. Some researchers have suggested that it may be more useful to investigate the bond people feel with their pets and how this may impact mental health; however, this too has led to mixed results. This study examined how owners’ attachment to their dogs was associated with mental health and how this compared to their attachment relationships with other humans in a sample of 607 dog owners. Our findings indicate that both strong and insecure attachments to dogs are linked to poorer mental health outcomes, as was having an insecure attachment style in their human relationships. The adverse impact of strong attachment to dogs on mental health was mediated by these owners having an anxious attachment style toward other people, which in turn was associated with poorer mental health. The relationship between a strong attachment to dogs and poorer mental health was also moderated by gender, with this relationship being significant in women but not significant for men. Together, these results suggest a possible risk to mental health for owners who form a strong attachment to their dogs to compensate for anxious attachments in human relationships.</p
Healthcare professionals' perceptions of hypnotherapy in cancer care: Development and validation of a survey
No full textBackground and purpose: Hypnotherapy has shown promise in cancer care for alleviating pain, managing nausea, reducing anxiety and fatigue, and improving overall quality of life. Despite its potential benefits, there remains a significant gap between evidence and clinical practice. One way to bridge this gap is to assess healthcare professionals' perceptions and address them accordingly. While survey tools assessing perceptions in healthcare exist, they often are outdated, lack contemporary focus and specificity to complementary therapies like hypnotherapy, particularly in the context of cancer care. This study aimed to develop, psychometrically evaluate, and pilot a survey designed to assess Australian healthcare professionals' (psychologists, counselors, medical practitioners, and nurses) perceptions of hypnotherapy in cancer care.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was developed to assess healthcare professionals' perceptions of hypnosis/hypnotherapy in cancer care. The survey, informed by a comprehensive literature review, consisted of three sections: (1) demographics, 2) interest, experience and knowledge of hypnosis, and (3) attitudes towards its integration in cancer care. Instrument validation involved an expert panel (n = 5) review for content validity and a pilot study with 89 healthcare professionals for reliability. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha and factor analysis.Results: Psychometric analysis demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.850. Factor analysis revealed two distinct factors: perceived benefits of hypnotherapy in cancer care (explaining 49.23 % of variance) and concerns/misconceptions about hypnosis (explaining 19.50 % of variance). These factors showed strong item loadings (0.692–0.889 and 0.529-0.850, respectively) and a moderate correlation (r = 0.464). The survey tool proved feasible and applicable with a high completion rate among participants. The survey pilot results highlighted significant knowledge gaps and varying levels of acceptance of hypnotherapy, underscoring the necessity for targeted education and training initiatives. Despite these gaps, there was a notable interest in learning more about hypnotherapy's potential benefits in cancer care. However, limitations to sample diversity and generalizability should be noted, as the vast majority of respondents were female nurses.Conclusion: A novel survey tool to evaluate healthcare professionals' perceptions of hypnotherapy in cancer care was developed and tested for its validity and reliability. Results of this study revealed significant knowledge gaps and varied acceptance levels by healthcare professionals to using hypnotherapy in cancer care. We identified respondents have a strong interest in hypnotherapy's potential benefits, highlighting the need for targeted education and suggesting a promising foundation for its future integration into holistic and patient-centered cancer care.</p
Female Tendons are from Venus and Male Tendons are from Mars, But Does it Matter for Tendon Health?
No full textTendons play fundamental roles in the execution of human movement and therefore understanding tendon function, health and disease is important for everyday living and sports performance. The acute mechanical behavioural and physiological responses to short-term loading of tendons, as well as more chronic morphological and mechanical adaptations to longer term loading, differ between sexes. This has led some researchers to speculate that there may be a sex-specific injury risk in tendons. However, the link between anatomical, physiological and biomechanical sex-specific differences in tendons and their contributory role in the development of tendon disease injuries has not been critically evaluated. This review outlines the evidence surrounding the sex-specific physiological and biomechanical responses and adaptations to loading and discusses how this evidence compares to clinical evidence on tendon injuries and rehabilitation in the Achilles and patellar tendons in humans. Using the evidence available in both sports science and medicine, this may provide a more holistic understanding to improve our ability to enhance human tendon health and performance in both sexes.</p
Fate of nano/microplastics and associated toxic pollutants in paddy ecosystems: Current knowledge and future perspectives
No full textAbstract: The contamination of nano/micro-plastics (NPs/MPs) has now been found in all environments and food supply chains. Rice is the staple food for half of the world's population but knowledge on the impact of NPs/MPs and their associated pollutants on rice plants and paddy soils is limited. The NPs/MPs enter paddy soils through the application of biosolids, organic amendments, flooding and irrigation, plastic mulching, and atmospheric deposition. Introduced particles have varying impacts on the physical (increasing aggregation and water content while decreasing bulk density), chemical (enhancing soil carbon, greenhouse gas emission and bioavailability of pollutants), and biological properties (providing habitats for pathogens and decreasing microbe diversity) of paddy soils. Ultimately, they hinder the growth (reducing root growth, photosynthesis and nutrient uptake) and physiology (increasing oxidative damage and reducing antioxidant activity) of rice plants. Soils can be further contaminated with different pollutants such as toxic elements, antibiotics, pathogenic microbes and pesticides which adhere to the surfaces of NPs/MPs, affecting their bioavailability, which further harm the growth and metabolisms of rice plants. Many factors such as type, size and dose of NPs/MPs, as well as paddy soil properties and cultivation history, environmental factors such as drought, and rice cultivar can affect the impact of contamination. We have found that there is limited research on the interaction between paddy soil systems and NPs/MPs, as well as their associated toxic pollutants. Future studies should focus on minimizing the current research gap in actual field conditions in order to protect the health of over 3 billion human consumers. </p