19683 research outputs found
Sort by
The third age interrupted: experiences of living in a retirement village during the first year of COVID-19 in Victoria, Australia
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic in Australia has profoundly affected older adults, particularly in the state of Victoria, which experienced strict lockdown restrictions six times since the pandemic began in 2020; totalling 245 days over three years. This study explored the experiences of older adults living in retirement villages during the first three lockdowns in Victoria from March 2020 to February 2021. We draw on the concept of the ‘third age’ to explore how residents’ post-retirement social and lifestyle aspirations were disrupted by the pandemic and associated lockdowns. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 residents during January and February 2021. All data were analysed using thematic mapping. Five key themes were identified: (1) benefits and frustrations of retirement village living during a pandemic; (2) the loss of amenities and activities; (3) heightened loneliness and social isolation; (4) reaching out to others; and (5) variable experiences of operators’ response. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted short-term and long-term issues around social isolation and the management of retirement villages, it has also demonstrated the resilience of residents and the strength of community ties and relationships. Retirement villages are promoted as age-friendly environments that enable an active and healthy post-retirement lifestyle. Yet our findings reveal heterogeneity within village populations. When services closed during lockdowns, this revealed a tension between the policy assumption that retirement villages are a housing consumption choice, and the unmet needs of those residents who depend on village services for day-to-day functioning.</p
Biology of Invasive Plants 6. <i>Parthenium hysterophorus</i> L.
No full textNo description supplied</p
The entrepreneurial university: A crucial catalyst in the entrepreneurial ecosystem
No full texthttps://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781800378988/book-part-9781800378988-26.xmlBringing together cutting-edge insights and critical perspectives, this Research Handbook advances the understanding of the development, dynamics, and different facets of entrepreneurial ecosystems.</p
Multi-decadal Changes in Alpine Grasslands: The Interaction Between Land-use Legacy and Climate Change
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science to the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment La Trobe University Victoria, Australia.</p
The Eosinophil Response to Gastrointestinal Teladorsagia circumcincta Nematode Infection
No full textA thesis submitted 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
The evolution of a nineteenth century north-east Victorian alpine mining landscape
No full textThis paper was included in the 13th issue of Excavations, Surveys and Heritage Management in Victoria and was presented at the annual Victorian Archaeology Colloquium held at La Trobe University on 2 February 2024.</p
Shining a Light on How Soil Organic Carbon Behaves at Fine Scales under Long-Term Elevated CO2: An 8 Year Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment Study
No full textBuilding and protecting soil organic carbon (SOC) are critical to agricultural productivity, soil health, and climate change mitigation. We aim to understand how mechanisms at the organo-mineral interfaces influence SOC persistence in three contrasting soils (Luvisol, Vertisol, and Calcisol) under long-term free air CO2 enrichment conditions. A continuous wheat-field pea-canola rotation was maintained. For the first time, we provided evidence to a novel notion that persistent SOC is molecularly simple even under elevated CO2 conditions. We found that the elevated CO2 condition did not change the total SOC content or C forms compared with the soils under ambient CO2 as identified by synchrotron-based soft X-ray analyses. Furthermore, synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy confirmed a two-dimensional microscale distribution of similar and less diverse C forms in intact microaggregates under long-term elevated CO2 conditions. Strong correlations between the distribution of C forms and O-H groups of clays can explain the steady state of the total SOC content. However, the correlations between C forms and clay minerals were weakened in the coarse-textured Calcisol under long-term elevated CO2. Our findings suggested that we should emphasize identifying management practices that increase the physical protection of SOC instead of increasing complexity of C. Such information is valuable in developing more accurate C prediction models under elevated CO2 conditions and shift our thinking in developing management practices for maintaining and building SOC for better soil fertility and future environmental sustainability.</p
Drinking alcohol at home feels different from drinking in public places: a qualitative study of midlife Australians.
No full textThis paper shows how drinking in one's own home affords different affective experiences to drinking in public settings such as bars, pubs and restaurants. A thematic analysis of interviews with 40 Australians aged 30–65 identified three main variations in alcohol-associated feelings, sensations and urges. Alcohol was used at home to decelerate, but in contrast, people were enlivened when drinking in public venues. Drinking in public generated a sense of vigilance and greater requirement to self-monitor than usually felt necessary at home. For some, drinking at home seemed more habitual; governed by urges rather than intentionality, than drinking outside it did. Policy and interventions that target drinking in the home should be prioritised, such as those focussed on off-premise pricing and availability.</p
Stochastic diffusion within expanding space–time
No full textThe paper examines stochastic diffusion within an expanding space–time framework motivated by cosmological applications. Contrary to other results in the literature, for the considered general stochastic model, the expansion of space–time leads to a class of stochastic equations with non-constant coefficients that evolve with the expansion factor. The Cauchy problem with random initial conditions is posed and investigated. The exact solution to a stochastic diffusion equation on the expanding sphere is derived. Various probabilistic properties of the solution are studied, including its dependence structure, evolution of the angular power spectrum and local properties of the solution and its approximations by finite truncations. The paper also characterizes the extremal behaviour of the random solution by establishing upper bounds on the probabilities of large deviations. Numerical studies are carried out to illustrate the obtained theoretical results.</p
Polycystin-2 Mediated Calcium Signalling in the Dictyostelium Model for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease
No full textAutosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) occurs when the proteins Polycystin-1 (PC1, PKD1) and Polycystin-2 (PC2, PKD2) contain mutations. PC1 is a large membrane receptor that can interact and form a complex with the calcium-permeable cation channel PC2. This complex localizes to the plasma membrane, primary cilia and ER. Dysregulated calcium signalling and consequential alterations in downstream signalling pathways in ADPKD are linked to cyst formation and expansion; however, it is not completely understood how PC1 and PC2 regulate calcium signalling. We have studied Polycystin-2 mediated calcium signalling in the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum by overexpressing and knocking down the expression of the endogenous Polycystin-2 homologue, Polycystin-2. Chemoattractant-stimulated cytosolic calcium response magnitudes increased and decreased in overexpression and knockdown strains, respectively, and analysis of the response kinetics indicates that Polycystin-2 is a significant contributor to the control of Ca2+ responses. Furthermore, basal cytosolic calcium levels were reduced in Polycystin-2 knockdown transformants. These alterations in Ca2+ signalling also impacted other downstream Ca2+-sensitive processes including growth rates, endocytosis, stalk cell differentiation and spore viability, indicating that Dictyostelium is a useful model to study Polycystin-2 mediated calcium signalling.</p