Hydrogen emission in pulsating auroras

Hydrogen emission in pulsating aurora

A search for helium emissions in the auroral zone

Helium emissions in auroral zon

Six channel photometric observations from the CV 990 aircraft Final report

Photometric observations of auroral scattering by CV 990 aircraf

Failure to rescue : a descriptive study of the experience of nurses in the intervention for patients at risk in the acute ward setting

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health.The research represented in this thesis describes the experience of nurses in the intervention for patients at risk in the acute ward setting. Specifically, the research focusses on ‘failure to rescue’ as a concept which can, and as this research demonstrates, does, result in adverse patient outcomes. It identifies, describes and analyses four distinct elements of this type of failure in the clinical setting: 1) failure to recognise the level of risk to the patient; 2) failure to respond to the patient’s level of risk; 3) failure to elevate patient risk to ensure an appropriate response; and 4) failure to challenge a perceived risk to patient safety. Through the use of patient stories, which describe the failure of the health care system and nursing staff to consistently and effectively intervene for patients at risk, the experience of nurses is analysed and compared to images of nurses present in the literature. These images are: the nurse as the ‘ministering angel’; the ‘domestic worker’; the ‘doctor’s handmaiden’; the ‘subordinate professional’; and finally the ‘autonomous professional’. The nurses in this research were viewed in these images by the organisation, the doctors and the nurses themselves. These views, and the reality they create, contribute to the inability of nurses to effectively intervene for patients at risk and pose a considerable threat to patient safety. The information gathered in this research describes the nurses’ actions, the nurses’ beliefs and the dissonance between the nurses’ actions and beliefs in relation to the intervention for patients at risk. This research makes it apparent that nurses play a vital and important role in ensuring patient safety through the intervention for patients at risk, but at times this role is neither recognised nor understood by both the health care system and the nurses themselves. The research argues that it is this lack of understanding and recognition which presents significant barriers for nurses to intervene consistently and effectively for patients at risk

Exposing athletes to playing form activity: outcomes of a randomised control trial among community netball teams using a game-centred approach.

This study evaluated whether exposing junior netball players to greater amounts of competition relevant activity (playing form activity) had an effect on game play outcomes and session involvement. A group-randomised controlled trial in one junior netball club in the Hunter Region, NSW, Australia. Ninety female athletes (mean age = 9.04 years, SD 1.53) were randomised by team (n = 11) into the intervention (n = 41) or 9-week wait-list control (n = 49) condition. The Professional Learning for Understanding Games Education into Sport (PLUNGE into Sport) programme was undertaken in the first half of nine training sessions (9 × 30 min). The intervention exposed athletes to playing form activity through a coach development programme within training sessions. Athletes' decision-making, support and skill outcomes during a small-sided invasion game, and session involvement (pedometer step/min), were measured at baseline and 9-week follow-up. Linear mixed models revealed significant group-by-time intervention effects (P < 0.05) for decision-making (d = 0.4) and support (d = 0.5) during game play, and in-session activity (d = 1.2). An intervention exposing athletes to greater levels of playing form activity, delivered via a coach education programme, was efficacious in improving athlete decision-making and support skills in game play and increasing athlete involvement during sessions

Ly-alpha Emission-Line Galaxies at z = 3.1 in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South

We describe the results of an extremely deep, 0.28 deg^2 survey for z = 3.1 Ly-alpha emission-line galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South. By using a narrow-band 5000 Anstrom filter and complementary broadband photometry from the MUSYC survey, we identify a statistically complete sample of 162 galaxies with monochromatic fluxes brighter than 1.5 x 10^-17 ergs cm^-2 s^-1 and observers frame equivalent widths greater than 80 Angstroms. We show that the equivalent width distribution of these objects follows an exponential with a rest-frame scale length of w_0 = 76 +/- 10 Angstroms. In addition, we show that in the emission line, the luminosity function of Ly-alpha galaxies has a faint-end power-law slope of alpha = -1.49 +/- 0.4, a bright-end cutoff of log L^* = 42.64 +/- 0.2, and a space density above our detection thresholds of 1.46 +/- 0.12 x 10^-3 h70^3 galaxies Mpc^-3. Finally, by comparing the emission-line and continuum properties of the LAEs, we show that the star-formation rates derived from Ly-alpha are ~3 times lower than those inferred from the rest-frame UV continuum. We use this offset to deduce the existence of a small amount of internal extinction within the host galaxies. This extinction, coupled with the lack of extremely-high equivalent width emitters, argues that these galaxies are not primordial Pop III objects, though they are young and relatively chemically unevolved.Comment: 45 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Exploring the Personal, Social and Occupational Elements of Teacher Professional Development

In a neoliberal political context, educational reform is seen as largely dependent on the individual teacher and his or her ability to continue developing and improving his or her practice with the ultimate goal of improving student outcomes. Professional development (PD) is therefore reliant on teachers to embrace new models of practice, to engage with these new approaches, to correctly interpret the PD ideas for application to the teaching and learning process, and ultimately implement new models and ideas in their classrooms (Huber & Hiltmann, 2011). This paper seeks to examine more closely three aspects of PD that have been found in the research literature to have a significant impact on the effectiveness of PD programs, because of their focus on, and consideration of the individual teacher. Aligning with Fraser, Kennedy, Reid, and McKinney (2007), successful PD programs that have a distinct focus on the personal, social and occupational aspects of teacher development will be discussed

A school-based intervention incorporating smartphone technology to improve health-related fitness among adolescents: Rationale and study protocol for the NEAT and ATLAS 2.0 cluster randomised controlled trial and dissemination study

Introduction Physical inactivity has been described as a global pandemic. Interventions aimed at developing skills in lifelong physical activities may provide the foundation for an active lifestyle into adulthood. In general, school-based physical activity interventions targeting adolescents have produced modest results and few have been designed to be \u27scaled-up\u27 and disseminated. This study aims to: (1) assess the effectiveness of two physical activity promotion programmes (ie, NEAT and ATLAS) that have been modified for scalability; and (2) evaluate the dissemination of these programmes throughout government funded secondary schools. Methods and analysis The study will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase (cluster randomised controlled trial), 16 schools will be randomly allocated to the intervention or a usual care control condition. In the second phase, the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (Re-AIM) framework will be used to guide the design and evaluation of programme dissemination throughout New South Wales (NSW), Australia. In both phases, teachers will be trained to deliver the NEAT and ATLAS programmes, which will include: (1) interactive student seminars; (2) structured physical activity programmes; (3) lunch-time fitness sessions; and (4) web-based smartphone apps. In the cluster RCT, study outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 6 months (primary end point) and 12-months. Muscular fitness will be the primary outcome and secondary outcomes will include: objectively measured body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, flexibility, resistance training skill competency, physical activity, self-reported recreational screen-time, sleep, sugar-sweetened beverage and junk food snack consumption, self-esteem and well-being

Plant-based dietary quality and depressive symptoms in Australian vegans and vegetarians: A cross-sectional study

Plant-based dietary patterns (vegan and vegetarian) are often considered ‘healthy’ and have been associated with broad health benefits, including decreased risk of obesity and ill health (cardiovascular disease, blood glucose and type II diabetes). However, the association between plant-based diets and mood disorders such as depression remains largely equivocal. This cross-sectional study of 219 adults aged 18–44 (M=31.22, SD=7.40) explored the associations between an estimate of overall plant-based diet quality and depression in vegans (n=165) and vegetarians (n=54). Overall plant-based diet quality was associated with depressive symptoms in vegans and vegetarians F(1, 215)=13.71, p<0.001 accounting for 6% of the variation in depressive symptoms. For those without depression, higher diet quality was protective against depressive symptoms F(1, 125)=6.49, p=0.012. Conversely, for those with depression no association with diet quality was found F(1, 89)=0.01, p=0.963. These findings suggest that a high-quality plant-based diet may be protective against depressive symptoms in vegans and vegetarians. In line with emerging research between food and mental health, higher-quality dietary patterns are associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms. Given the rapidly increasing rate of vegan and vegetarian food products within Australia, understanding the potential mechanisms of effects through which a plant-based diet may influence depressive symptoms is required

Occupational differences, cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle habits in South Eastern rural Australia

BACKGROUND: In rural and remote Australia, cardiovascular mortality and morbidity rates are higher than metropolitan rates.This study analysed cardiovascular and other chronic disease risk factors and related health behaviours by occupational status, to determine whether agricultural workers have higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk than other rural workers. METHODS: Cross-sectional surveys in three rural regions of South Eastern Australia (2004-2006). A stratified random sample of 1001 men and women aged 25-74 from electoral rolls were categorised by occupation into agricultural workers (men = 214, women = 79), technicians (men = 123), managers (men = 148, women = 272) and 'home duties' (women = 165). Data were collected from self-administered questionnaire, physical measurements and laboratory tests. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk were assessed by Framingham 5 years risk calculation. RESULTS: Amongst men, agricultural workers had higher occupational physical activity levels, healthier more traditional diet, lower alcohol consumption, lower fasting plasma glucose, the lowest proportion of daily smokers and lower age-adjusted 5 year CVD and CHD risk scores.Amongst women, managers were younger with higher HDL cholesterol, lower systolic blood pressure, less hypertension, lower waist circumference, less self-reported diabetes and better 5 year CVD and CHD risk scores.Agricultural workers did not have higher cardiovascular disease risk than other occupational groups. CONCLUSIONS: Previous studies have suggested that farmers have higher risks of cardiovascular disease but this is because the risk has been compared with non-rural populations. In this study, the comparison has been made with other rural occupations. Cardiovascular risk reduction programs are justified for all. Programs tailored only for agricultural workers are unwarranted