19683 research outputs found
Sort by
Conceptual perspectives on climate risk disclosures for businesses and public sector
No full textThe disclosure of climate-related risks is central to the approach to addressing the vulnerability of the financial system to both physical and transition risks. The public disclosure is a crucial aspect of this, as climate risks are systemic and interconnected, particularly from the perspective of global and national financial institutions. A cornerstone of the current approach is advocating for climate risk disclosure by companies, through the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). This paper argues that such an atomized regime is insufficient for addressing systemic risks or serving the broader public interest, as the TCFD framework primarily emphasizes private benefits. Using a conceptual and literature-based methodology, this study critically examines existing disclosure approaches and highlights their limitations in capturing systemic interdependencies and long-term vulnerabilities. In response, we propose a conceptual framework for climate risk disclosures that centers on public sector engagement, governance alignment, and public good considerations. Our analysis suggests that integrating public sector disclosures is essential to bridge current gaps, enhance systemic resilience, and support a more inclusive and comprehensive response to climate-related financial risks.</p
From teacher agency to teacher agencies: A response-able re-conceptualization
No full textIn this paper, I think with agential realism to offer a re-conceptualization of teacher agency while considering the axiological significance, or response-ability, of such an undertaking. The ethical aspect of re-conceptualizing teacher agency is imperative since it produces significant implications on the power dynamics of teaching. I explore possibilities to re-conceptualize teacher agency through a diffractive approach, where I consider theoretical insights from humanist, posthumanist, and new materialist literature, and illustrative examples of a teacher from the United States. I explain how teacher agency could be referred to as teacher agencies which denote multicausal, multidirectional, and indeterministic characteristics. In line with a response-able re-conceptualization, I discuss key implications of thinking with teacher agencies, which includes working with teacher agencies as a paradox, divorcing from teacher autonomy, and re-configuring onto-epistemic makings of teachers and teaching.</p
“When You’re Struggling and Someone Says,‘Take my hand, I’m here’, It Really Helps”: Evaluation of PlayConnect+ 2023-2025
No full textThis report describes an evaluation of PlayConnect+, 2023-2025, conducted via services agreement between La Trobe University and Autism Queensland, as a subcontract within a broader agreement between Autism Queensland and the Commonwealth Government Department of Social Services to deliver PlayConnect+ playgroups.</p
Designing Open Education Resources - The Importance of the Third Space
No full textA short reflective case study on creating generative academic-professional partnerships for co-creatively designing open educational resources (OER) for maximum impact in learning & teaching.This is an accepted manuscript that was published as an Education Feature in the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) journal, Australian Biochemist, VOL 55 NO 3 December 2024, page 20.</p
Don’t shoot the messenger: perception and misperception in the South China Sea
No full textIn this report, I look at the messages that the U.S. sent through its FONOP program between the years 2016 to 2023.11 I also examine the ways that these U.S. messages were interpreted by two regional powers: China and the Philippines. This choice is significant because during this period China was challenging U.S. hegemony in the Pacific. China was more likely to view the U.S. as presenting a threat than reassurance. Therefore, it should have been less likely to accept U.S. messaging. The Philippines, on the other hand, was a U.S. ally. According to consistency theory, it should have been inclined to respond positively to U.S. messages. The scope of this report only allows for an analysis of the perceptions of two states. However, future research should take a broader approach and look at the ways that other claimants and stakeholder states in the South China Sea view FONOPs. This would provide a more nuanced and robust understanding of the ways that states perceive FONOPs and the factors that influence their interpretations of these operations.</p
Sea Level Rise and Implications for Maritime Security in Southeast Asia
No full textClarity and predictability in maritime jurisdiction, grounded in UNCLOS, are essential for stable and secure oceans, yet Southeast Asia’s crowded coastlines, complex geography, and overlapping claims have long created uncertainty and tension—both among ASEAN states and with external actors. These unresolved boundaries already hinder cooperation on issues like piracy, IUU fishing, and ecosystem protection, and sea level rise now adds a further layer of complexity by physically altering coastlines and potentially shifting baselines and maritime zones. Although Southeast Asia is highly vulnerable to SLR, UNCLOS provides little guidance on how climate-driven coastal changes should affect maritime limits, prompting legal debates and efforts—led mainly by Pacific Island states—to secure baseline and boundary permanence. This article examines how SLR may affect maritime jurisdictional clarity and thus maritime security in Southeast Asia, analysing current state practices and emerging legal approaches before outlining implications and potential strategies for mitigating SLR-related challenges.</p
LeGO-3D: 3D imaging of lung metastases and vascularisation using light sheet fluorescence microscopy
No full textCancer metastasis involves a complex cascade of events, where cancer cells migrate from their site of origin to secondary sites via the lymphatic and circulatory system. During this process, some cancer subclones will successfully ‘seed’ at distant organs to generate lethal metastases. Here, we optimised a method for tracking cancer cells in metastatic breast cancer tumours and investigated their complex interplay with the lung vasculature using lentiviral-based optical barcoding (LeGO). Given the regional heterogeneity in lung tissue microenvironments as well as lobar asymmetry, we used light sheet microscopy to perform three-dimensional (3D) imaging of wholemount lung lobes. The results revealed that polychromatic metastases occurred less frequently than monochromatic metastases and were more likely to be located nearer to blood vessels in both spontaneous (i.e. mammary fat pad injections) and experimental (i.e. tail vein injections) mouse assays of metastasis. This 3D imaging and analytic pipeline can provide unique insights about metastatic heterogeneity and dynamics, and represents a new avenue for studying therapeutic response across large volumes of lung tissue.</p
Fungal Chitin Synthases: Structure, Function, and Regulation
No full textChitin is an essential polysaccharide of the fungal cell wall, critical for structural integrity, cell division and, in pathogenic fungi, virulence. As chitin is absent in both plant and mammalian systems, chitin synthases are considered attractive targets for the specific control of fungal pathogens. Yet despite decades of research, structural information on chitin synthases was lacking and inhibitors have failed to gain approval in the clinic. Current inhibitors are also ineffective against major agricultural pathogens such as Aspergillus and Fusarium species, largely due to the presence of multiple chitin synthase isoforms in filamentous fungi and the cell wall compensatory response induced under stress. However, recent cryo-electron microscopy structures of Class I chitin synthases from yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans and an oomycete chitin synthase have provided unprecedented insights into the structural and mechanistic properties of these large, transmembrane proteins. These studies revealed conserved, domain-swapped homodimer architectures, distinct substrate binding and catalytic pockets, and sophisticated intrinsic regulatory mechanisms. With these breakthroughs, this review summarises our current understanding of fungal chitin biosynthesis, the challenges that remain to fully biochemically characterise these enzymes, and considers how the new structural insights may guide the development of broad-spectrum antifungals.</p
Clarifying the role of microbial communities in carbon loss from rhizosphere priming of contrasting crop species under elevated atmospheric CO2
No full textBackground: The increasing risk of soil organic carbon (SOC) loss in farming soils under elevated atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) environments calls for mechanistic studies on how the increased plant-C input in response to eCO2 alters microbial phylogenetic diversity and metabolic activity, and how that relates to SOC decomposition via eCO2-induced priming. Methods: A natural 13C-enriched soil was used to quantify plant- and soil-originated C from belowground respiration. Canola, white lupin and wheat were grown under ambient CO2 (400 ppm) and eCO2 (800 ppm) until the flowering stage. Results: Elevated CO2 increased rhizosphere priming by 2.0- and 2.3-fold (p Conclusion: The increase of dissolved organic C relative to mineral N may drive Actinobacteriota genera to facilitate SOC mineralization in the rhizosphere of lupin grown in the eCO2 environment.</p
The upcycled appetite: exploring intentions behind choosing food waste-based functional products and food neophobia
No full textPurpose: As the global food system seeks sustainable solutions, valorising food by-products into functional ingredients offers promise. The study aims to investigate the behavioural intentions behind consumer choices of upcycled food products by integrating the norm activation theory (NAT) and the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to offer a comprehensive understanding. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of 600 Australian consumers was analysed using AMOS 28 and SPSS. Measurement invariance testing ensured construct comparability across food neophobia segments (high, medium and low). Cluster analysis was used to identify distinct consumer profiles. Finally, multi-group structural equation modelling assessed whether key relationships differed across segments. Findings: The ascription of responsibility emerged as a strong predictor of both social and personal norms. Sensory attitudes, social norms and personal norms were found to mediate the relationships. Neophobic consumers displayed varied responses, while Gen X participants showed lower purchase intentions primarily due to concerns around food quality. Additionally, an increase in age and religious commitment was associated with reduced willingness to purchase upcycled foods across different categories. Originality/value: This convergence suggests a potential theoretical extension, where integrating personal moral norms from NAT with attitudinal components of TRA could offer a more comprehensive framework for predicting sustainable food-related behaviours. The findings provide actionable insights for practitioners, policymakers and upcycled product developers seeking to promote upcycled food consumption. By advancing the theoretical integration of NAT and TRA, this research lays the groundwork for future cross-cultural studies and real-world interventions aimed at improving consumer intake of upcycled functional foods.</p