19683 research outputs found
Sort by
Effect of seaweed extract on avocado root growth, yield and post-harvest quality in far north Queensland, Australia
No full textSeaweed extracts are proven to increase productivity in many agricultural crops, but there is limited research on their use in avocado production. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of a seaweed extract from Durvillaea potatorum and Ascophyllum nodosum on avocado yield, revenue and post-harvest fruit quality in a series of field experiments in Australia, and on seedling root growth in a pot experiment. The field experiments were conducted on commercial farms across three different locations in northern Queensland over four years and utilised avocado trees with different ages, cultivars (Hass and Shepard) and inoculum pressures from Phytophthora cinnamomi. Results showed that the application of the seaweed extract by fertigation significantly improved avocado yield (kg fruit per tree) by 38%, fruit firmness by 4% (skin) and 22% (flesh) and fruit skin colour by 1° (hue), and an upgraded visual ripeness score. The increases in yield were associated with greater number of fruits per tree (up to 42%) indicating the liquid seaweed extract improved fruit set and retention per tree. Regular soil application of the seaweed extract to young trees (cv. Hass) in pots increased the root fresh weight by 22%. Overall, the regular application of the seaweed extract to avocado trees was found to be practical and economically viable for improving fruit production and post-harvest quality in Australian orchards.</p
Birds in the ‘burbs: Improving habitat for native birds in residential areas
No full textAn eight-page professional brochure designed to summarise and communicate the findings of Jacinta Humphrey's PhD research into the influence of urbanisation on bird communities in Melbourne, Australia. The original brochure was compiled by Jacinta Humphrey, Angie Haslem and Andrew Bennett. The final version was designed by Judy Bennett.© Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, 2024.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).</p
Development of an evidence-based aphasia therapy implementation tool: an international survey of speech pathologists’ access to and use of aphasia therapy resources
No full textBackground: Speech and language therapy can reduce the level of impairment and disability caused by aphasia (Brady et al., 2016). Selecting a therapy can be challenging for clinicians who may struggle to stay abreast of the best evidence to support therapy selection (Rose et al., 2014). Once a therapy is selected, accessing relevant resources is a significant barrier to implementation (Shrubsole et al., 2019). The Aphasia Therapy Finder (ATF) is proposed to be an online repository of therapy resources designed to aid selection of evidence-based aphasia therapies and to bridge the evidence-practice gap in aphasia rehabilitation. Aims: In this study, we aimed to explore speech pathologists’ selection and use of aphasia therapy approaches, and access to aphasia therapy resources in clinical practice. We further aimed to explore speech pathologists’ perspectives on the proposed ATF. Methods & Procedures: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods, survey design was employed. A 22-item web-based survey was developed and disseminated to speech pathologists via professional networks internationally. Data analyses included descriptive statistics and conventional content analysis. Outcomes & Results: Eligible responses from 176 speech pathologists across 19 countries were included in the analyses (86.3% completion rate). Speech pathologists reported using a range of therapy approaches (n = 43) in aphasia rehabilitation, consistent with previous findings (Rose et al., 2014). Information regarding new therapy approaches was predominantly obtained from academic sources including conferences, research literature, and professional development workshops. Speech pathologists placed high importance on research evidence when selecting therapy approaches. Resource limitations, including time and budget constraints, were identified as key barriers to implementing evidence-based aphasia therapy approaches in clinical practice. There was strong support for development of the ATF; 91.7% of respondents indicated they would use it in clinical practice. Recency of research, equity of access with the inclusion of linguistically and culturally diverse resources, and usability of resources were identified as priorities when developing the ATF. Conclusions: While speech pathologists report using a range of aphasia therapy approaches in clinical practice and consider research evidence when selecting therapy approaches, resource limitations continue to present a barrier to the implementation of evidence-based practice. The development of the ATF may support the translation of research evidence into clinical practice.</p
Navigation of self-conflict and role of self-acceptance within LGBTQ+ young people in contemporary Mongolia
No full textSelf-concept refers to how people perceive themselves, and helps them to answer the basic question of “Who am I?” by coordinating reality and providing the response “I am me” (Oyserman, 2001). Developing nuanced understandings about one’s own self-concept is essential to the process of developing identity, including knowing, discovering, creating, improving, and expressing one’s self, as well as taking control of one’s self, being happy with one’s self and/or ashamed of one’s self (Oyserman, 2001). Self-concept is particularly important for young people, as they form their identities throughout adolescence and early adulthood. For example, distorted self-concept is strongly correlated with poor mental health outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth in particular (Hossain & Ferreira, 2019). The entrenched gender binary and traditional social, gender, and sexual norms in many societies have critical impacts on youth development and identity formation, and shape how LGBTQ+ youth come to understand what their sexual orientations and gender identities mean to them (Rotheram-Borus et al., 1995, Ruvio and Belk, 2013). Positive self-concept among LGBTQ+ youth is vital to develop and maintain good mental, physical and social well-being; however, it can be difficult to develop in societies where LGBTQ+ youth experience social disconnection, discrimination, and ostracization from families and peers.</p
Clusters of 24-hour movement behavior and diet and their relationship with health indicators among youth: a systematic review
No full textMovement-related behaviors (physical activity [PA], sedentary behavior [SB], and sleep) and diet interact with each other and play important roles in health indicators in youth. This systematic review aimed to investigate how PA, SB, sleep, and diet cluster in youth by biological sex; and to examine which cluster are associated with health indicators. This study was registered in PROSPERO (number: CRD42018094826). Five electronic databases were assessed. Eligibility criteria allowed studies that included youth (aged 19 years and younger), and only the four behaviors {PA, SB, sleep, and diet (ultra-processed foods [UPF]; fruits and vegetables [FV])} analyzed by applying data-based cluster procedures. From 12,719 articles screened; 23 were included. Of these, four investigated children, and ten identified clusters by biological sex. Sixty-six mixed cluster were identified including, 34 in mixed-sex samples, 10 in boys and 11 in girls. The most frequent clusters in mixed-sex samples were “High SB UPF Low Sleep”, “Low PA High SB Satisfactory Sleep”, and “High PA”. The main difference in profiles according to sex was that girls’ clusters were characterized by high sleep duration, whereas boys’ clusters by high PA. There were a few associations found between cluster types and health indicators, highlighting that youth assigned to cluster types with low PA exhibited higher adiposity. In conclusion, the youth presented a range of clusters of behaviors, typically exhibiting at least one unhealthy behavior. Similar patterns were observed in both sexes with the biggest difference in time of sleep for girls and PA for boys. These findings underscore the importance of intervention strategies targeting multiple behaviors simultaneously to enhance health risk profiles and indicators in children and adolescents
The Judicialisation of Parliamentary Privilege in Canada: A Cautionary Tale
No full textOver the past few decades, Canadian courts have exerted strong influence over the meaning and operation of parliamentary privileges. Starting with a television producer’s Charter rights claim to access a provincial legislature’s public gallery and followed by an employment law claim made by the chauffeur to the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Supreme Court of Canada has articulated an approach under which judges closely scrutinise privileges invoked by legislatures when defending themselves against litigated claims. By applying the doctrine of necessity, Canadian courts make authoritative rulings on what counts as a valid legislative function and the processes and activities needed to fulfil those functions. Canadian courts also require the scope of parliamentary privileges to be pleaded in narrow terms that correspond to the details of a plaintiff’s claim, which has resulted in a hollowed-out conception of privilege over time. In scrutinising the necessity and scope of privilege, Canadian courts have chipped away at the separation of powers. Further, the Canadian approach unjustifiably prioritises the judicial vindication of private rights over the institutional needs of the legislature. Courts in other jurisdictions should reject the Canadian approach and avoid scrutinising the propriety of the exercise of privilege through a necessity test. Instead, courts should engage in a more limited jurisdictional test to confirm the availability of a relevant category of parliamentary privilege in law or historical practice. Judicialising parliamentary privileges weakens the autonomy and vitality of legislative institutions, with the Canadian approach serving as a cautionary tale. Ultimately, the legislature is accountable to the electorate for the exercise of its privileges. To promote fairness and reduce the risk of court interference, parliaments should strengthen the accountability and transparency associated with the exercise of their privileges, including by developing guidelines for their appropriate use
Disruption of NMDA receptor-mediated regulation of PPI in the maternal immune activation model of schizophrenia is restored by 17β-estradiol and raloxifene
No full textMaternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy is known to increase the risk of development of schizophrenia in the offspring. Sex steroid hormone analogues have been proposed as potential antipsychotic treatments but the mechanisms of action involved remain unclear. Estrogen has been shown to alter N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor binding in the brain. We therefore studied the effect of chronic treatment with 17β-estradiol, its isomer, 17α-estradiol, and the selective estrogen receptor modulator, raloxifene, on MIA-induced psychosis-like behaviour and the effect of the NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801. Pregnant rats were treated with saline or the viral mimetic, poly(I:C), on gestational day 15. Adult female offspring were tested for changes in baseline prepulse inhibition (PPI) and the effects of acute treatment with MK-801 on PPI and locomotor activity. Poly(I:C) offspring had significantly lower baseline PPI compared to control offspring, and this effect was prevented by 17β-estradiol and raloxifene, but not 17α-estradiol. MK-801 reduced PPI in control offspring but had no effect in poly(I:C) offspring treated with vehicle. Chronic treatment with 17β-estradiol and raloxifene restored the effect of MK-801 on PPI. There were no effects of MIA or estrogenic treatment on MK-801 induced locomotor hyperactivity. These results show that MIA affects baseline PPI as well as NMDA receptor-mediated regulation of PPI in female rats, and strengthen the view that estrogenic treatment may have antipsychotic effects.</p
Pollination ecology of Banksia catoglypta - raw data files
No full textThe data files attached are associated with the study: 'Pollination by birds, non-flying mammals and European Honeybees in the threatened shrub Banksia catoglypta (Proteaceae) from south-western Australia' submitted to Botanical Journal of the Linean Society</p
Business as (un)usual: A critical policy and legal analysis of Australia's COVID-19 ‘free childcare’ policy
No full textFrom 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of childcare in the lives of families and children, as well as its economic importance to nation states. In Australia, pandemic effects threatened the childcare sector's viability, leading to a period of ‘fee free’ childcare policy. After decades of rigorous marketisation, this unprecedented ‘fee free’ period dispelled the state illusion that market models are unmovable and was robustly supported by families and various other stakeholders. Yet, ‘fee-free childcare’ lasted only three months and childcare was the first industry to be removed from Commonwealth business relief payments. Drawing on these recent happenings, we revisit the question of whether economic free market models of childcare are legally and ethically appropriate policy and law in democratic countries that are signatories of major human rights conventions. To do this, we present and apply an interdisciplinary critical policy and legal analytical lens to the Australian COVID-19 childcare policy context, including the legislative solutions presented, their implementation and implications. To conclude, we posit alternative childcare policy approaches that we argue would orient childcare services within stronger legal and ethical frameworks.</p
INFLUENCERS and MESSAGES: Analysing the 2023 Voice to Parliament Referendum Campaign
No full textNo description supplied</p