19683 research outputs found
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Unearthing and Honouring Fungi Wisdom: Exploring Indigenous Research Methods Through MUSHROOMS
No full textNo description supplied.</p
Democracy and the Legitimacy of Political Power
No full text"Imagine that one day your neighbour knocks on your door and proceeds to tell you what to do. They might tell you how you can, or cannot, renovate your house. They might tell you how fast you are to drive your car. Or they might inform you that, from now on, you must pay them a certain amount of your income."</p
How do Play Streets impact the psychosocial health of participants, organisers, and communities? A mixed-methods evaluation of Play Streets held in South Australia
No full textAustralian adults are experiencing a reduction in community connectedness, and loneliness across all age groups is increasing. A Play Street is a simple concept whereby quiet residential streets are temporarily opened primarily to promote play among children, but they also provide an opportunity for parents and adult community members to connect and socialise. This study aimed to explore the use of Play Streets in generating social connectedness among parents and adult community members, and explore the experience of organiser stress during the organisational process of Play Streets held in South Australia, Australia. Survey responses (N = 24) from volunteer Play Street organisers were analysed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with Play Street organisers (n = 12), participants (n = 2), and local government staff (n = 2) responsible for the intervention. Play Streets were found to offer numerous psychological and social benefits to adult community members, particularly those who were disconnected or predisposed to psychological strain. Organisers were more likely to experience stress during the organisational process if they felt unsupported or uncertain, but this could be mitigated through local government support or neighbour collaboration. This research has implications for using and implementing play based, local neighbourhood interventions to improve community wellbeing and connection.</p
Centraliser algebras of monomial representations and applications in combinatorics
No full textCentraliser algebras of monomial representations of finite groups may be constructed and studied using methods similar to those employed in the study of permutation groups. Guided by results of D. G. Higman and others, we give an explicit construction for a basis of the centraliser algebra of a monomial representation. The character table of this algebra is then constructed via character sums over double cosets. We locate the theory of group-developed and cocyclic-developed Hadamard matrices within this framework. We apply Gröbner bases to produce a new classification of highly symmetric complex Hadamard matrices.</p
Retention of Outer Regional, Remote, and Very Remote Speech-Language Pathologists Influenced by Professional Support and Community Connection
No full textPurpose: Addressing the retention challenges faced by non-metropolitan speech-language pathologists (SLPs) is crucial for achieving health services equity in Australia. This study assesses the applicability of previous literature findings to the current context of Australian SLPs. Furthermore, identifying specific factors influencing the retention of SLPs in outer regional, remote, and very remote areas of Australia. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 SLPs, who have been employed in non-metropolitan areas of Australia within the last 5 years. The collected data underwent online screening, with the interviews transcribed and analysed using content analysis techniques. Result: Retention rates of non-metropolitan SLPs in Australia were categorised into three themes: professional, personal, and latent. The professional category included professional support, professional development, premature responsibilities, generalist skills, and funding. The personal category included community, family/relationships, burnout, and social justice. The latent themes included finances, management, and faith. Conclusion: Retention rates of non-metropolitan SLPs in Australia are influenced by both protective factors and risk factors. Three recommendations to improve community access and reduce the current equity gap are outlined, namely: (a) tailored/bespoke professional education to maintain/enhance the clinical competence required, (b) prioritise community immersion and improve mentoring, and (c) strategies and policies to support SLPs.</p
The safety actions of surfers in Victoria, Australia: Assessing the impact of water safety and first aid training
No full textRecreational surfers in Victoria, Australia were surveyed every four weeks for 128 weeks about their beach safety actions when surfing. While previous studies have explored rescues performed by surfers over their surfing career/lifetime, this study is the first to provide data on safety action that incorporates a ‘per event’ denominator of exposure (safety action per 100 surfs). Victorian surfers reported giving safety advice, first aid and assistance in the water at average rates of 11.6, 0.4 and 1.1 times per 100 surfs respectively. We found that surfers with a board rescue qualification provided beach safety advice on average 3.1 more times per 100 surfs (29 % more often) and first aid 0.4 more times per 100 surfs than (or 3 times the rate of) surfers without this qualification. The difference between the rate of assistance provided by surfers with and without board rescue and first aid qualifications were not statistically significant. We estimate that surfers may provide safety advice up to 739,209 times, first aid 25,490 times and assistance 70,097 times per year in Victoria. The economic value of lives saved by survey respondents through surfer assistance in the water is estimated to be 3.8 billion (2023 AUD). Results confirm the importance of the safety actions of surfers to other beachgoers and point to the positive impact of board rescue training and qualifications on surfer beach safety actions.</p
Cocreating a programme to prevent injuries and improve performance in Australian Police Force recruits: a study protocol
No full textA healthy police force is a key component of a well-functioning society, yet 1 in 20 law enforcement recruits drop out of the recruit training programme due to injury. This drop-out rate has substantial economic and workforce ramifications. In the Western Australia Police Force, one in five recruits suffers a musculoskeletal injury during the recruit training programme, causing time-loss from work. We will now identify the critical elements of an injury prevention intervention and investigate the needs, experiences and suggested solutions to address potential implementation challenges. Our objective is to co-create an intervention with content and context experts, specifically for Western Australia Police Force recruits, to reduce injury prevalence, incidence rates and burden. A mixed-method participatory action research approach will guide intervention cocreation. Phase 1 will include concept mapping and phase 2 will include focus groups. This research will develop an intervention that the Western Australia Police Force can deliver to reduce injury prevalence, incidence rates and burden among recruits. The effectiveness of the intervention in reducing injury burden, economic burden and implementation will be evaluated.</p
Microbial mechanism and CO2 emission from coastal saline soil: The role of corn stover and nutrient additions
No full textCoastal saline soils are increasingly reclaimed for agricultural purposes through organic amendments and nutrient supplementation, yet their impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) and inorganic carbon (SIC) dynamics remain poorly understood. A microcosmic incubation experiment with 13C-labeled corn stover and/or nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions was established to examine the contributions of SOC and SIC to soil total CO2 efflux and the associated microbial mechanisms. Corn stover addition increased soil NO3−-N, inorganic N, available P and potassium (K), and dissolved organic C (DOC) by 50 %, 41 %, 22 %, 8 % and 52 %, respectively, while nutrients alone increased them by 73 %, 170 %, 128 %, 10 % and 16 %. Total CO2 efflux rose by 35 % with stover and by 24 % with nutrients alone, but their combined application synergistically enhanced emissions by 87 %. Stover addition initially increased CO2 effluxes from both SIC and SOC when nutrients were not amended but reduced these fluxes when nutrients were supplied during the first week. Microbial diversity declined under both amendments, with a shift toward copiotrophic taxa (e.g. Salinimicrobium and Microbulbifer as keystone bacterial genera) and reduced resilience to disturbance. Notably, SIC contributed 25 %–40 % of total CO2 efflux, highlighting its sensitivity to agricultural management. These findings underscore that SIC dissolution-driven by microbial or chemical processes—plays a substantial role in coastal soil carbon emissions. Future research must clarify the mechanisms of carbonate dissolution to refine global C cycling models in the context of agricultural expansion into coastal mudflats.</p
From soil health to agricultural productivity: The critical role of soil constraint management
No full textSoil constraints significantly impact agricultural productivity and food security by affecting soil health and crop yields. This study provides a comprehensive global bibliometric analysis of global research on soil physical, chemical and biological constraints, utilizing R, VOSviewer, and Citespace. Global publications totaled 1,418 showing a significant increase in output since the early 2000 s, with Australia and the United States leading in research contributions. The top journals accounted for 13.13% of the total publications, with major contributions from institutions in Australia, the United States and China. Key research themes identified include the impact of climate change, nutrient management, and crop-specific responses to soil constraints. Moreover, the analysis showed a shift towards advanced scientific techniques and technologies in recent years, such as molecular biology, proteomics, and remote sensing, which reflects the evolving focus of soil constraint research. The studies in the 2000 s primarily focused on traditional soil management practices and the identification of basic nutrient deficiencies. However, the recent shift towards advanced methodologies highlights an evolving focus on precise, high-resolution techniques for understanding and mitigating soil constraints. Despite these advancements, potential gaps remain in the integration of these technologies into practical soil management strategies, and in addressing regional differences in soil constraints. Our study emphasizes the importance of continued international collaboration and the integration of innovative methodologies to address the complex challenges of soil management. The future research should further support the realization of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by adopting scientific soil management measures, applying appropriate fertilizers, improving soil structure, reducing soil pollution and erosion, and enhancing agricultural sustainability and food security.</p