19683 research outputs found
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Facebook and the News Media: How Australians Engage with News and Misinformation Online
No full text"Facebook and the News Media: How Australians Engage with News and Misinformation Online is a timely research report exploring the evolving relationship between Australian news organisations, social media (Facebook) and online audiences. Almost 20 years after Facebook was launched internationally in 2006, following its inception at Harvard University in 2004, this study analyses more than three million posts from 25 Australian news publishers to gain insights into how news content is distributed, how audiences engage with news topics, and the nature of misinformation and disinformation spread— focusing on case studies related to health, election integrity, and extreme weather events."</p
Partnering with Victorian specialist family violence refuges to investigate practice
No full textAlthough refuge practice has developed over time, there remains limited detailed understanding of the work carried out within women’s family violence refuges in Australia. Services are expected to deliver practice grounded in intersectional feminist principles (Domestic Violence Victoria [DV Vic], 2020); yet there is little clarity around what this entails. This industry-led pilot project represents an important step towards building an evidence base of refuge practice, and its impact on victim-survivors. In collaboration with two women’s family violence refuges—Annie North in regional Victoria and Emerge in metropolitan Melbourne—the research team set out to examine refuge practice—particularly their effects on victim-survivors—and to capture the practice-based knowledge and wisdom held within these specialist services. The research project deepens understanding of practice within women’s family violence refuges by documenting what refuges do, how they do it, and the efficacy of this support on victim-survivors. In doing so, we document how refuges integrate the intersectional, feminist, and trauma-informed practice approaches to which they ascribe (DV Vic, 2020).A case-study approach involving a participatory qualitative methodology informed by expertise and knowledge of those working in, and with lived experience of, family violence refuges was employed. The selection of refuges was undertaken in consultation with WESNET (Women’s Services Network— Australia’s peak representing specialist family violence services) and Safe and Equal (Victorian state-wide peak for family violence services) whose advice indicated progressive practice approaches.The researchers worked with an advisory group, which included two representatives from Annie North, three from Emerge and one from Safe and Equal. The advisory group provided the research team with expert guidance in key methodological and ethical aspects of the project. Ethics approval was gained from the Human Research Ethics Committees of La Trobe University and RMIT University.Data collection was undertaken in two phases: (1) in-depth interviews and focus groups; and (2) rapid ethnography. In Phase 1, the research team completed eight in-depth interviews with former residents, and four focus groups with refuge staff and management (two at each site) with a total of 14 participants. In Phase 2, the research team conducted three days of non-participatory observation at each refuge (6 days in total) between 9am and 5pm for anywhere between 6 to 8 hours each day. All these elements provided critical information in relation to what constitutes specialist practice in women’s refuges, how they do it, and the impact of their support on victim-survivors.</p
Rapid Design of Efficient Mn<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>‐Based Photocatalysts by Machine Learning and Density Functional Theory Calculations
No full textThe development of efficient photocatalysts for visible‐light‐driven pollutant degradation contributes to sustainable and green solutions to environmental challenges. However, optimizing catalyst composition and structure remains a costly and time‐consuming process. Here, a comprehensive design strategy is presented for the fast development of efficient Al‐doped Mn3O4‐based photocatalysts, combining density functional theory (DFT), machine learning (ML), and laboratory experiments. DFT‐calculated effective mass and bandgaps, serving as indicators of charge mobility and light harvesting, respectively, are employed as descriptors to determine the optimal Al dopant amount. Al0.5Mn2.5O4 is identified as a promising candidate due to its favorable bandgap and charge mobility. To further enhance performance, AlxMn3−xO4/Ag3PO4 heterojunctions are synthesized, leveraging ML to optimize the ratios between AlxMn3−xO4 and Ag3PO4. The best material is determined to be an Al0.5Mn2.5O4/35 wt%‐Ag3PO4 composite, which exhibits a 27‐fold increase in photocatalytic efficiency for methylene blue degradation under visible light compared to pristine Mn3O4. This study not only provided promising photocatalysts for practical pollutant degradation but highlighted the potential of computational and ML‐guided approaches to accelerate photocatalyst discovery. These computational methods provide a framework for the rational design of advanced materials for environmental remediation applications.</p
The Use of Emoji in Jordanian Discourse: A culturally Specific Approach to CMC
No full textA thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Potential predation by a carabid beetle (Catadromus sp.) larva on an adult Spotted Marsh Frog, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis Günther, 1858, in western Victoria, Australia
No full textBeetles (Order Coleoptera) are the most speciose group in the world, boasting around 400,000 described species, comprising approximately 40% of described insects and 25% of described animals (Stork, 2018). Beetles play incredibly diverse and essential roles in ecosystems worldwide including decomposers, prey for other species, ecosystem engineers, pollinators and predators controlling pest populations (Nichols et al., 2008; Muinde and Katumo, 2024).</p
Trauma and eating disorders: an integrated umbrella and scoping review
No full textObjective: This comprehensive mixed-method review synthesised the trauma-eating disorder (trauma-ED) research across six objectives addressing; prevalence and risk, covariates, clinical characteristics, theories, lived experience, and intervention. Methods: An umbrella review of systematic reviews, a scoping review of narrative summaries, and quality assessments were conducted. Results: One hundred and ninety-nine publications were identified. Higher prevalence rates of childhood, later life, and marginalisation traumas were evident in ED samples compared to healthy controls. Dependant on trauma type, trauma rates in those with ED were higher or comparable to psychiatric controls. More consistent findings, larger effect sizes, and higher prevalence rates of trauma were evident in binge-purge, rather than restrictive, ED presentations. Overall, individuals experiencing trauma-ED present with greater emotional and behavioural dysregulation and more complex illness and treatment course. Several theories explaining the trauma-ED intersection received some empirical support. Few investigations examined mechanisms and treatment; no evidence on lived experience perspectives on treatment and no trauma-ED clinical practice guidelines were identified. Discussion: The positive association between trauma and ED and the negative impact of co-existing trauma on ED illness and treatment, have been established. The clinical relevance, need, and urgency of addressing co-existing trauma in ED treatment are evident. Qualitative and intervention research is urgently needed to understand trauma-ED, elucidate lived experience perspectives on treatment, test novel treatments, and provide clinical guidance.</p
The regulation and reconciliation of hybrid professional-managerial identities in a public hospital: the case of Lean management
No full textPurpose: This study aims to examine how hybrid medical managers in a public hospital reconcile their identities and involvement in management-introduced top-down interventions to improve operational performance. In our study, Lean serves as an example of a management intervention through which we examine how hybrids shape the implementation of managerial interventions in a public hospital. Design/methodology/approach: We gathered our data from a longitudinal qualitative study of a Lean initiative implemented in an Australian public hospital. The current analysis is part of a larger case study which involved 87 in-depth semi-structured interviews over three years in a major Australian public hospital. These interviews explored experiences of Lean and included senior managers, middle managers, hybrids, clinical staff and others. In this paper, we focus specifically on the experiences of hybrid medical managers. Findings: We demonstrate how the Lean initiative sparks identity-reconciliation work that differs among hybrids working in different parts of the hospital and with various contractual arrangements and levels of participatory voice. The hybrids in our study responded to the introduction of Lean, with heightened identity reconciliation work, but in different ways. This appears to be attributable to the organisational context, and particularly the hybrids’ contractual arrangements with the hospital. Originality/value: There is a dearth of research in healthcare management that has sought to understand how hybrids reconstruct their identities in response to top-down implementations of managerial initiatives, such as Lean. Our findings offer healthcare managers practical insights into the engagement of hybrid-medical professionals through our novel understanding of the identity-reconciliation work necessary for hybrid professionals to engage with management initiatives.</p
Sleep Health in the Student-Athlete: A Narrative Review of Current Research and Future Directions
No full textPurpose of the Review: Student-athletes face unique challenges around sleep related to combining performance sport and education. This review aims to summarise the available evidence on sleep health in student-athletes, examine the upstream factors that influence sleep health and the downstream consequences that arise from suboptimal sleep health, and provide directions for future research. Recent Findings: Evidence indicates that student-athletes exhibit suboptimal sleep health across multiple dimensions, such as short total sleep durations and irregular sleep timing between days. Various upstream influences, including factors related to sports, academics, and individual characteristics, underpin these observations of suboptimal sleep health. These influences have wide-reaching downstream consequences that may affect athletic performance, concussion and injury risk, academic achievement, and wellbeing. While interventions to improve sleep health have been designed and implemented, their effectiveness remains mixed, highlighting the need for targeted designs that address upstream influences that are specific to student-athletes. Summary: Student-athletes present with suboptimal sleep health across multiple dimensions, which should be addressed to facilitate not only performance on the field and in the classroom, but for health and wellbeing. Future research should aim to provide a more comprehensive understanding of sleep health and the contributing factors that distinguish this population from elite athletes and student peers. Key stakeholders including coaches and academic staff should be made aware of the unique challenges around sleep faced by student-athletes to support the implementation of practical and evidence-based sleep health strategies.</p
Oncogenic proteome of pancreatic cancer extracellular vesicles: sodium/myo-inositol cotransporter as a potential marker
No full textNo description supplied.</p
Toward culturally responsive psychology higher education courses: psychologists' perspectives on preparedness to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
No full textBackground: Psychology course regulatory standards for Australian universities have evolved in that universities are required to include cultural responsiveness in psychology curriculum and demonstrate graduate competencies for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. Aim: This study aimed to explore psychologists’ perspectives about the higher education (HE) psychology curriculum in relation to their preparedness to practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and share their suggestions for improving cultural responsiveness and preparedness. Method: Psychologists (N=108, Female 83.2%, Male 16.8%, Aboriginal 13.9%, non-Indigenous 86.1%, age range 22–83) responded to an electronic mixed-method survey. Findings: The majority of participants (91.43%, including all Aboriginal psychologists) reported that their psychology HE training did not adequately prepare them to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. Moreover, 87.5% (Group 3 n=16) reported apprehensions about working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients for the first time. Limited understanding of culture, concerns for their competence, or worry about perpetuating harm underpinned psychologists’ apprehensions. Most participants (90.5%, n=85) indicated they plan to increase their knowledge in this area. Non-Indigenous participants suggested that the psychology curriculum should incorporate increased exposure to lived experiences (28%), Indigenous-specific information (e.g. the impact of intergenerational trauma; 24%), more practical exercises (20%), and guidelines for adapting existing clinical interventions (28%). The study also revealed indicators of racially motivated biases in some participants’ responses. Conclusion: All Aboriginal and the majority of non-Indigenous participants reported that HE psychology training did not adequately prepare them to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.</p