19683 research outputs found
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The Third Space
No full textA visual diagram to illustrate the Third Space: an interface between academic and professional spheres where new knowledges and practices are created by working together across traditional boundaries.Originally developed to support a panel presentation by Julian Pakay and Steven Chang about Exploring the Power of Collaboration in Open Education, hosted by PressBooks and the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) OER Collective on 30th October 2024.Whitchurch, C. (2008). Shifting identities and blurring boundaries: The emergence of third space professionals in UK higher education. Higher education quarterly, 62(4), 377-396.</p
Benefits of OER projects
No full textA visual diagram outlining an academic teaching staff perspective on how the benefits of OER projects can outweigh the barriers.These benefits - when made visible and recognised - represent the motivational factors that drove academic commitment to develop the two OER published by the La Trobe eBureau:Threshold Concepts in BiochemistryFoundations of Biomedical Science: Quantitative Literacy Theory and ProblemsOriginally developed to support the case study chapter 'Embedding educator presence via OER in an age of AI' in the Open Education Down Under edited collection.</p
A 7-item Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia in people with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome: evaluation of structural validity, hypothesis testing, internal consistency and minimally important change
No full textBackground: The 17-item Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) is a commonly used patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) to assess kinesiophobia, but the measurement properties of the TSK in people with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) are unknown. Objectives: 1) Revise the existing TSK by removing items, as needed, with inadequate functioning to optimise the TSK for people with FAIS, and 2) evaluate construct validity (both structural validity and hypothesis testing), internal consistency, and minimal important change. Methods: Cross-sectional cohort study including 153 young adults with FAIS. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to evaluate structural validity and the TSK was revised to remove items with poor function, improving CFA model fit. Hypothesis testing, internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and minimal important change (distribution-based method) were also evaluated. Results: A 7-item version of the TSK provided the best CFA model fit with 10-items functioning poorly and needing to be removed. The 7-item TSK was uni-dimensional (single factor in EFA) and had adequate structural validity (Standardised Root Measure Square = 0.0771). The 7-item TSK had insufficient hypothesis testing with moderate correlations to 8/14 PROMs measuring different constructs. The 7-item TSK had adequate internal consistency (α = 0.783). The minimal important change of the 7-item TSK was 6.00 points (0–100 point scale). Conclusion: We found that the ‘7-item TSK for FAIS’, had superior structural validity to the original 17-item scale, suggesting that it may be more appropriate for use in this population. Further studies should evaluate other measurement properties of the 7-item scale.</p
An Unfinished Story: Understanding Gender Bias in Australian Newsrooms
No full textThis 2024 Women for Media report is the sixth edition in a series initiated by WLIA in 2012. Bringing together an expert team of media and political science scholars to assess the current state of women’s representation in the Australian news media – from the perspective of who produces the news, and who features in it.</p
How do we fund Public Health in Australia? How should we?
No full textOBJECTIVE: To map how public health is funded in Australia. To assess whether changes to funding methods might improve system performance. METHODS: Review of publicly accessible documents and discussions with public health key informants. RESULTS: Australia spent $140 per person on public health in 2019-20, (1.8% of total health spending). But there is considerable state and territory variation. This money flows through multiple channels and payment mechanisms. Responsibility for what is funded is largely delegated to authorities close to the problems. This makes it easier to choose the best mechanism for funding an activity. Much information is hidden from view, however. This makes it impossible to assess whether the potential for population benefit is fully realised. CONCLUSIONS: Australia avoids some of the difficulties experienced elsewhere because funding is largely devolved to states in block grants; they shape their own investments. The US, by contrast, prefers categorical funds for specific purposes. Three suggestions for making the funding system here more visible, useful and accountable are canvassed, including 'satellite accounts'. IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Funding needs to be more transparent before it is possible to assess whether public health system performance could be improved through changes to the way public health is funded.</p
Revealing the Structural Intricacies of Biomembrane-Interfaced Emulsions with Small- and Ultra-Small-Angle Neutron Scattering
No full textUtilizing cell membranes from diverse cell types for biointerfacing has demonstrated significant advantages in enhancing colloidal stability and incorporating biological properties, tailored specifically for various biomedical applications. However, the structures of these materials, particularly emulsions interfaced with red blood cell (RBC) or platelet (PLT) membranes, remain an underexplored area. This study systematically employs small- and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (SANS and USANS) with contrast variation to investigate the structure of emulsions containing perfluorohexane within RBC (RBC/PFH) and PLT membranes (PLT/PFH). The findings reveal that the scattering length density of RBC and PLT membranes is 1.5 × 10−6 Å−2, similar to 30% (w/w) deuterium oxide. Using this solvent as a cell membrane-matching medium, estimated droplet diameters are 770 nm (RBC/PFH) and 1.5 µm (PLT/PFH), based on polydispersed sphere model fitting. Intriguingly, calculated patterns and invariant analysis reveal native droplet architectures featuring entirely liquid PFH cores, differing significantly from the observed bubble–droplet core system in electron microscopy. This highlights the advantage of SANS and USANS in differentiating genuine colloidal structures in complex dispersions. In summary, this work underscores the pivotal role of SANS and USANS in characterizing biointerfaced colloids and in uncovering novel colloidal structures with significant potential for biomedical applications and clinical translation.</p
Assessment, diagnosis and management characteristics of people with acute Charcot neuro‐osteoarthropathy in a regional Australian health service: A 3‐year retrospective audit
No full textObjective: Acute Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy (CN) is highly destructive, causing bone and joint damage that can result in devastating structural changes to the foot. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of assessment, diagnosis and management of people with acute CN attending a large regional Australian health service. Design: Three-year retrospective medical record audit. Setting: Large regional health service with catchment area of >250 000 people in regional Australia. Participants: People with acute CN who attended emergency, orthopaedic clinics or High Risk Foot Clinic (HRFC). Main Outcome Measures: Participant characteristics and acute CN assessment, diagnosis and management characteristics. Trends in characteristics were investigated according to rurality as measured by the Modified Monash Model (MMM) scale. Results: Seventeen participants (20 presentations) of acute CN were identified. Mean age was 57.1 ± 10.8 years, with 11 female participants. Median duration to seek help was 31 (IQR 14–47) days. Total Contact Casting was undertaken for 85% of cases, with those who resided in MMM1-2 regions experienced significantly shorter time to TCC therapy compared to those residing in MMM3-7 regions (U = 3.0, p </p
Physiological, Perceptual, and Biomechanical Responses to Load Carriage while Walking at Military-Relevant Speeds and Loads—Are There Differences between Males and Females?
No full textThis study aimed to investigate the physiological, perceptual, and biomechanical differences between male and female soldiers across several military-relevant load and walking speed combinations. Eleven female and twelve male soldiers completed twelve 12 min walking trials at varying speeds (3.5 km·h−1, 5.5 km·h−1, 6.5 km·h−1) and with varying external loads (7.2 kg, 23.2 kg, 35.2 kg). Physiological (indirect calorimetry, heart rate), perceptual (perceived exertion), and biomechanical (spatiotemporal, kinematic, kinetic) outcomes were measured throughout each trial. Females had a lower aerobic capacity and lower body strength than males, which resulted in them working at a greater exercise intensity (%VO2peak and heart rate) but with a lower oxygen pulse. Females demonstrated higher breathing frequency and perceived exertion with specific loads. At selected loads and speeds, frontal and sagittal pelvis, hip, and knee motions and forces were greater for females. Females consistently displayed greater relative stride length and step width. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the importance of tailored interventions, periodisation, and nutritional strategies for female military personnel, given their higher relative work rate and increased injury risk during load carriage tasks. Understanding these differences is crucial for preparing female soldiers for the physical demands of military service
No improvement in AUDIT-C screening and brief intervention rates among wait-list controls following support of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services: evidence from a cluster randomised trial
No full textBackground: While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are less likely to drink any alcohol than other Australians, those who drink are more likely to experience adverse alcohol-related health consequences. In a previous study, providing Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) with training and support increased the odds of clients receiving AUDIT-C alcohol screening. A follow-up study found that these results were maintained for at least two years, but there was large variability in the effectiveness of the intervention between services. In this study, we use services that previously received support as a comparison group to test whether training and support can improve alcohol screening and brief intervention rates among wait-list control ACCHSs. Methods: Design: Cluster randomised trial using routinely collected health data. Setting: Australia. Cases: Twenty-two ACCHSs that see at least 1000 clients a year and use Communicare as their practice management software. Intervention and comparator: After initiating support, we compare changes in screening and brief intervention between wait-list control services and services that had previously received support. Measurement: Records of AUDIT-C screening and brief intervention activity in routinely collected data. Results: During the reference period we observed 357,257 instances where one of 74,568 clients attended services at least once during a two-monthly data extraction period. Following the start of support, the odds of screening (OR = 0.94 [95% CI 0.67, 1.32], p = 0.74, 0.002) and brief intervention (OR = 1.43 [95% CI 0.69, 2.95], p = 0.34, 0.002) did not improve for the wait-list control group, relative to comparison services. Conclusions: We did not replicate the finding that support and training improves AUDIT-C screening rates with wait-list control data. The benefits of support are likely context dependent. Coincidental policy changes may have sensitised services to the effects of support in the earlier phase of the study. Then the COVID-19 pandemic may have made services less open to change in this latest phase. Future efforts could include practice software prompts to alcohol screening and brief intervention, which are less reliant on individual staff time or resources. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered on 2018-11-21: ACTRN12618001892202