19683 research outputs found
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Factors Effecting Return to Sport Sex Differences Following ACL Reconstruction
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science to the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.This thesis was a recipient of the Research Masters Award in recognition of the originality and high standard of the research and the impact of the work in the context of the field of research.</p
Are Participants of Balance Programs Achieving and Maintaining a Reduction in Falls Risk?
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science to the La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
In Search of Academic Identities: Becoming and Being an Academic Woman in the Changing Vietnamese Higher Education Landscape
No full textA thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Education, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
The experience of interpersonal relationships and the relational self from the perspective of people with aphasia
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Developing OER as Impactful Educational Interventions
No full textThis case study outlines our experience of discovering several unanticipated benefits of Open Educational Practices (OEP) to solve learning & teaching problems, attract grant funding, and cultivate academic career recognition. Our collaboration involved a cross-disciplinary team:1 x biochemistry teaching academic1 x open education specialist librarian (La Trobe eBureau)1 x open education project officer (La Trobe eBureau).Our project aimed to solve persistent difficulties that undergraduate students face for learning key concepts in biomedicine, biochemistry and related life sciences disciplines. Traditional textbooks have focused on comprehensiveness of content rather than tackling the root causes of learning and teaching problems. By contrast, the main idea driving our OE philosophy was to sharply focus on cultivating students’ metacognitive thinking for confronting known learning barriers, including quantitative literacy and key threshold concepts.Our journey began as a modest open education resource (OER) development project focused specifically on subjects taught at La Trobe University (LTU). Through experimentation, our reflective practices led us to encounters with a broader range of OEP benefits than we anticipated. We used these to transition away from a traditional didactic STEM education towards OER-enabled pedagogy, which included:cultivating students’ emerging identities as practitionersdesigning authentic assessmentenhancing teacher presencemaking difficult concepts accessibleempowering student voice and representation.We also demonstrate how academics and professional staff can collaborate as an integrated ‘Third Space’ team to not only generate impactful OERs but create new shared ways of working in higher education that go beyond traditional university binary roles.This is a peer-reviewed book chapter published in the edited volume: Open Education Down UndOER: Australasian Case Studies</p
The effect of a low-load plyometric intervention on running kinematics in youth with cerebral palsy: A randomised controlled trial
No full textBackground: For children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) who are independently ambulant (Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) I or II), running is a fundamental movement skill that enables them to play and engage in school and community activities. A running intervention which resulted in good running goal attainment should logically have improved running kinematics, however, this has not yet been established. Research question: Does a low-load plyometric running intervention improve joint kinematics during running in children with CP? Methods: Three-dimensional gait analysis was undertaken before and after a 12-week intervention. The Gait Profile Score (GPS) was calculated, and linear mixed models were developed. Results: 36 children with cerebral palsy (control group: male=10, female=8, GMFCS I=12, GMFCS II=6, mean age=12.7 years; intervention group: male=13, female=5, GMFCS I=12, GMFCS II=6, mean age=12.7 years) were included in this study. No significant between-group differences in GPS were found at follow-up. The GPS increased (i.e. running kinematics became more atypical) as speed increased. Significance: A low-load plyometric intervention which resulted in significant goal attainment in children with CP had no overall effect on running kinematics as measured by the GPS. Future studies should be powered according to both GMFCS level and distribution (unilateral vs bilateral CP).</p
Long-term patient outcomes from a multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation programme with integrated nurse specialist support: A retrospective cohort study
No full textBackground: Cardiac rehabilitation programmes, while demonstrating benefits, face challenges in universal adoption, particularly in New Zealand. This study evaluates the long-term impact of cardiac rehabilitation participation and attendance on survival and readmission rates in the Auckland Health District. Objective: To examine the impact of patient participation in nurse-led lifestyle rehabilitation and physiotherapy exercise rehabilitation on key outcomes, including all-cause mortality, and all-cause, cardiac-specific, and kidney disease readmission rates. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Auckland Health District, New Zealand. Participants: 3331 patients registered in the Auckland cardiac rehabilitation programme between 2016 and 2020. Methods: Data analysis included examining associations between attendance at nurse-led lifestyle and physiotherapy-led exercise sessions and outcomes at 12, 24 months, and 2022 year-end, including all-cause mortality, all-cause readmission, and cardiac-specific readmission rates. Analysis methods included survival analysis, Cox proportional regression, and logistic binary regression, controlling for confounders using propensity score weights and baseline factors. Results: 1363 (40.9 %) patients attended at least one lifestyle rehabilitation session (average 5.0 ± 2.9 sessions), 1121 (33.7 %) patients attended at least one exercise rehabilitation session (average 6.8 ± 7.4 sessions), and 649 (19.5 %) patients attended at least one lifestyle and one exercise rehabilitation session. Increased likelihood of participation in rehabilitation was explained by ethnicity, while current and historical tobacco use, history of heart failure, receiving an angiogram, PCI, or other treatment such as medical management or implantable devices were associated with lower odds of participation. Participation in rehabilitation (average 7.9 ± 6.1 sessions) was associated with a higher mean survival estimate (7.6 years vs. 6.4 years, p </p
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and the Promotion of Refugee Rights in Southeast Asia
No full textThis chapter discusses how the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) has contributed to the advancement of refugee rights in Southeast Asia up to the end of 2021 and whether it has the organizational capacity to make a continuing contribution. In doing so, it furthers the book’s investigation of the impact of nonstate actors on refugee protection in Southeast Asia.</p
A materials science approach to extracellular matrices
No full textExtracellular matrices (ECMs) are foundational to all biological systems and naturally evolved as an intersection between living systems and active materials. Despite extensive study, research on ECMs often overlooks their structural material complexity and systemic roles. This Perspective argues for a holistic examination of ECMs from a materials science viewpoint, emphasizing their highly variable compositions, multiscale organizations, dynamic changes of mechanical properties, and fluid interactions. By transcending taxonomic and environmental boundaries, we aim to reveal underlying principles governing architectures, functions and adaptations of ECMs, with a focus on animal, plant and biofilm ECMs. Highlighting the role of water in ECM composition and function, and road-mapping the technical challenges in characterizing these complex materials, we propose an interdisciplinary framework to advance our understanding and application of ECMs across multiple scientific fields. Key focus areas include specimen preparation, multiscale analysis, and multimethod approaches. The optimization of specimen preparation first enables us meeting both biological and experimental conditions. The use of techniques that bridge the multiscale nature of ECMs is next, followed by integration of multiple techniques that are both position- and time-resolved, including structural and spectroscopic imaging. Such a coordinated approach promises not only to enrich our knowledge of biological systems but also to encourage the development of innovative bioinspired materials, with transformative implications across environmental science, health, and biotechnology.</p
The Relationship Between Physical Activity Environment, Mental Wellbeing, Flourishing and Thriving: A Mixed Method Study
No full textResearch shows that mental wellbeing contributes to a greater quality of life and longevity, superior overall health, life success, and fulfillment. High mental wellbeing, such as flourishing and thriving, is associated with a sense of meaning and purpose, mastery and accomplishment, social connectedness, optimism, and contribution to society. Nature-based physical activity participation has been linked with mental wellbeing enhancement over and above the impact of physical activity alone. The present study sought to address a gap in the research by exploring whether the environment in which physical activity takes place and one's gender moderate the relationship between activity time and various indices of mental wellbeing. Using a mixed methods design, participants (N = 235) aged 18 to 76 (M = 33.41, SD = 13.41) completed an online survey. We divided participants into three groups based on their preferred type of physical activity: indoor, outdoor non-nature-based, and outdoor nature-based physical activity. The moderation analyses highlight the importance of the environment in physical activity, with outdoor nature-based settings consistently showing positive associations with flourishing and thriving. These findings suggest that engaging in physical activities in natural environments can significantly predict an individual's mental wellbeing, for both males and females. Qualitative data supported the findings and also revealed that nature-based physical activity achieves these benefits through developing positive affect, social closeness and engagement, purpose, enhanced experiences, and interests beyond oneself. Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of nature-based physical activity for mental wellbeing promotion and protection, indicating that opportunities for nature-based physical activity should be more effectively provided, perhaps across multiple domains of life such as education, sport, public health, and urban planning.</p