Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Unmitigated Disaster: Shifting From Response And Recovery To Mitigation For An Insurable Future, Eliza R. De Vet, Christine Eriksen, Kate Booth, Shaun French

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Australian households are increasingly vulnerable to natural hazard-related disasters. To manage disaster risk, government commissioned inquiries have called for greater investment in mitigation. This article critically examines the call for a shift in funding priority towards pre-disaster mitigation measures, in the context of growing concerns around the ability of households to access and afford insurance. It examines mitigation measures in the context of three prominent Australian disasters: the Black Saturday bushfires (Victoria, 2009), the Queensland floods (2010-2011), and Cyclone Yasi (Queensland, 2011). We argue that as a mode of disaster security, mitigation operates as a complex assemblage of logics and …

Alteration To Hippocampal Volume And Shape Confined To Cannabis Dependence: A Multi-Site Study, Yann Chye, Valentina Lorenzetti, Chao Suo, Albert Batalla, Janna Cousijn, Anna Goudriaan, M D. Jenkinson, Rocio Martin-Santos, Sarah Whittle, Murat Yucel, Nadia Solowij

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cannabis use is highly prevalent and often considered to be relatively harmless. Nonetheless, a subset of regular cannabis users may develop dependence, experiencing poorer quality of life and greater mental health problems relative to non-dependent users. The neuroanatomy characterizing cannabis use versus dependence is poorly understood. We aimed to delineate the contributing role of cannabis use and dependence on morphology of the hippocampus, one of the most consistently altered brain regions in cannabis users, in a large multi-site dataset aggregated across four research sites. We compared hippocampal volume and vertex-level hippocampal shape differences (1) between 121 non-using controls and 140 …

Financing The Low-Carbon City: Can Local Government Leverage Public Finance To Facilitate Equitable Decarbonisation?, Paris Hadfield, Nicole T. Cook

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As decarbonisation interventions proliferate within cities, local governments setting ambitious targets are increasingly engaged in complex financial relations. Recognising the necessary cost of renewable and energy efficient infrastructures, and the ever-present constraints on public funds, this paper argues that finance is a critical node through which local governments advance decarbonisation in urban localities. While local decarbonisation strategies have been viewed cautiously for their potential to overburden individuals at the expense of more systematic and organisational change, this paper reveals a more complex picture. Drawing on decarbonisation initiatives in two Melbourne municipalities-Moreland and Darebin-it identifies four ways in which local governments …

Quality Interactions In Early Childhood Education And Care Center Outdoor Environments, Karen L. Tonge, Rachel A. Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Quality interactions are crucial for children's learning and development. Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers have the opportunity to support children's learning and development, yet the quality of interactions and influences on the quality of interactions in outdoor environments is not known. Research findings: this study assessed the quality of educator interactions in outdoor environments using the CLASS Pre-K assessment tool. 11 ECEC centres participated in the study, which included 110 educators and 490 children. 87 observations were collected to measure the CLASS Pre-K domains (1-lowest to 7-highest). Mean domain scores were 6.02 (emotional support), 5.23 (Classroom Organization) and …

Anthropocene Dwelling: Lessons From Post-Disaster Christchurch, Justin Westgate

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

2019 New Zealand Geographical Society This article takes circumstances of post-quake Christchurch as an analogue for Anthropocene emergency. I argue that Christchurch events are more than a reminder of the Earth's geologic volatility; for the Anthropocene-as-disaster, it is a prompt to contemplate what it is to dwell on unstable ground. Urban locations-towns, cities, mega-cities-are all rendered vulnerable on the surface of an unruly planet, offering no absolute refuge from planetary fluctuations. Such unsettling is deeply felt, physically and psychologically, resulting in homelessness both literal and figurative. Ensuing analysis offers insight into potential strategies for unsettled planetary dwelling to come.

Parents' Reactions To Unhealthy Food V. Pro-Health Sponsorship Options For Children's Sport: An Experimental Study, Maree Scully, Melanie Wakefield, Simone Pettigrew, Bridget Kelly, Helen Dixon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Authors 2020. Objective:To explore parents' responses to sponsorship of children's sport by unhealthy food brands and two alternative pro-health sponsorship options.Design:Between-subjects online experiment with four sponsorship conditions: (i) non-food branding (control); (ii) unhealthy food branding; (iii) healthier food branding; (iv) public health nutrition campaign branding. Participants were shown a short video and a promotional flyer for a fictional junior sports programme, with sponsor content representing their assigned brand. Afterwards, participants were asked a series of questions assessing their brand awareness, brand attitudes and preference for food sponsor branded products.Setting:Australia.Participants:Australian parents (n 1331) of children aged 6-9 years.Results:Compared with the …

Book Review: Culture Myths, Skye Playsted

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review of: DeCapua, A. (2018). Culture myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. 188pp.

Predicting Functional Outcomes After Stroke: An Observational Study Of Acute Single-Channel Eeg, Jeffrey M. Rogers, Sandy Middleton, Peter H. Wilson, Stuart J. Johnstone

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

2019, 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Background: Early and objective prediction of functional outcome after stroke is an important issue in rehabilitation. Electroencephalography (EEG) has long been utilized to describe and monitor brain function following neuro-trauma, and technological advances have improved usability in the acute setting. However, skepticism persists whether EEG can provide the same prognostic value as neurological examination. Objective: The current cohort study examined the relationship between acute single-channel EEG and functional outcomes after stroke. Methods: Resting-state EEG recorded at a single left pre-frontal EEG channel (FP1) was obtained from 16 adults within 72 h of first …

Happy Sad Man: A Small, Gentle, Important Film That Reveals The Vulnerability Of Men, Scott J. Mckinnon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Review: Happy Sad Man, directed by Genevieve Bailey

Assessment Of Physical Activity Indicators For Children And Youth In Ethiopia: Evidence From The Global Matrix 3.0 Study (2017-2018), Chalchisa Abdeta, Zelalem Teklemariam, Alem Deksisa, Endashew Abera, Reginald Ocansey, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Regular physical activity is vital for children's health, well-being, and development. However, evidence is scant about physical activity indicators for children and youth in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess physical activity indicators among children and youth in Ethiopia. Methods: This study was conducted as part of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance's "Global Matrix 3.0" which included 49 countries. Data were collected from December 2017 to April 2018. The country research team included different disciplines related to physical activity. Data were retrieved from pre-reviewed literature, government policy documents, and an expert interview panel. Data were analyzed using the …

Strategic Or Piecemeal? Smart City Initiatives In Sydney And Melbourne, Robyn Dowling, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Charles Gillon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper focuses on the smart urbanism that is being crafted by local authorities in metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Offering an extensive analysis of the Australian context, we chart firstly how engagement with smart is primarily focused on improving quotidian local government functions. Second, our analysis of the diverse mechanisms and policies through which cities are being made smart shows that piecemeal initiatives rather than smart city strategies predominate in the two cities. There is a variegated geography of smart urbanism in these two cities, we conclude, that is incrementally rather than radically transforming cities and their governance.

File Audit To Assess Sustained Fidelity To A Recovery And Wellbeing Oriented Mental Health Service Model: An Australian Case Study, Cara L. Jones, Frank P. Deane, Keren Wolstencroft, Adam Zimmermann

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

2019 The Author(s). Background: Over the past decade there has been increasing attention to implementing recovery-oriented approaches within mental health service practice and enhancing fidelity to such approaches. However, as is often the case with evidence-based practices, less attention has been paid to the sustainability of recovery-oriented approaches over time. This study sought to investigate whether fidelity to a recovery-oriented practice framework - the Collaborative Recovery Model could be sustained over time. Method: The study setting was an Australian community managed mental health organisation. A file audit of consumer support plans was undertaken using the Goal and Action Plan Instrument …

Can Digital Media Affect The Learning Approach Of Medical Students?, Sonali Prashant Chonker, Hester Lau Chang Qi, Tam C. Ha, Melissa Lim, Mor Jack Ng, Kok Hian Tan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Students' learning approaches have revealed that deep learning approach has a positive impact on academic performance. There are suggestions of a waning interest in deep learning to surface learning. Aim: To assess if digital media can reduce the incidence of surface learning approach among medical students Method: A digital video introducing three predominant learning approaches (deep, strategic, surface) was shown to medical students between March 2015 and January 2017. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), was administered at the beginning and end of their clinical attachment, to determine if there were any changes to the predominant …

Cross-Sectional Study Of Area-Level Disadvantage And Glycaemic-Related Risk In Community Health Service Users In The Southern.Iml Research (Simlr) Cohort, Roger Cross, Andrew D. Bonney, Darren J. Mayne, Kathryn M. Weston

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between area-level socioeconomic disadvantage and glycaemic-related risk in health service users in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region of New South Wales, Australia. Methods. HbA1c values recorded between 2010 and 2012 for non-pregnant individuals aged 18 years were extracted from the Southern.IML Research (SIMLR) database. Individuals were assigned quintiles of the Socioeconomic Indices for Australia (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD) according to their Statistical Area 1 of residence. Glycaemic risk categories were defined as HbA1c 5.0-5.99% (lowest risk), 6.0-7.49% (intermediate risk) and 7.5% (highest risk). Logistic regression models were …

A Mediterranean-Style Dietary Intervention Supplemented With Fish Oil Improves Diet Quality And Mental Health In People With Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Helfimed), Natalie Parletta, Dorota M. Zarnowiecki, Jihyun Cho, Amy Wilson, Svetlana Bogomolova, Anthony Villani, Catherine Itsiopoulos, Theo Niyonsenga, Sarah Blunden, Barbara J. Meyer, Leonie Segal, Bernhard Baune, Kerin O'Dea

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives: We investigated whether a Mediterranean-style diet (MedDiet) supplemented with fish oil can improve mental health in adults suffering depression. Methods: Adults with self-reported depression were randomized to receive fortnightly food hampers and MedDiet cooking workshops for 3 months and fish oil supplements for 6 months, or attend social groups fortnightly for 3 months. Assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months included mental health, quality of life (QoL) and dietary questionnaires, and blood samples for erythrocyte fatty acid analysis. Results: n = 152 eligible adults aged 18-65 were recruited (n = 95 completed 3-month and n = 85 completed 6-month …

A Lightweight Privacy-Preserving Fair Meeting Location Determination Scheme, Hua Shen, Mingwu Zhang, Hao Wang, Fuchun Guo, Willy Susilo

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Equipped with mobile devices, people relied on location-based services can expediently and reasonably organize their activities. But location information may disclose people's sensitive information, such as interests, health status. Besides, the limited resources of mobile devices restrict the further development of location-based services. In this paper, aiming at the fair meeting position determination service, we design a lightweight privacy-preserving solution. In our scheme, mobile users only need to submit service requests. A cloud server and a location services provider are responsible for service response, where the cloud server achieves most of the calculation, and the location services provider determines the …

Mhealth Medical Record To Contribute To Noncommunicable Diseases In Indonesia, Dedi Iskandar Inan, Khin Than Win, Ratna Juita

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

2019 The Authors. NonCommunicable Diseases (NCDs) have been the public concern worldwide, both in developed and developing countries. The issues are not only about the number of mortality but also the economic implications caused by the diseases. This paper aims to exploit the mobile technology potential by developing an mHealth medical record to assist the prevention and controlling of diseases in Indonesia, particularly in the West Papua Province. Design Science Research (DSR) methodology in Information System (IS) is employed to guide these research activities. This solution enables the medical data to be deposited by a person directly and personally utilising …

A Novel Empirical Heat Transfer Model For A Solar Thermal Storage Process Using Phase Change Materials, Yu Bie, Ming Li, Fei Chen, Grzegorz Krolczyk, Lin Yang, Zhixiong Li, Weihua Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Numerical and experimental analyses are often used to evaluate the solar thermal system with latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES). However, the relationship between the numerical simulation and actual heat transfer process is still unclear. This work compares the simulated average temperature of two different phase change materials (PCMs) with experimental result at different operation conditions for the purpose of developing a temperature correction model. A novel empirical heat transfer model is then established to improve the simulation accuracy of PCM-based solar thermal systems. The contributions of this work include that (1) the system performance could be evaluated by the …

Microbial Electrolysis Followed By Chemical Precipitation For Effective Nutrients Recovery From Digested Sludge Centrate In Wwtps, Sajib Barua, Basem Zakaria, Tae Chung, Faisal I. Hai, Tesfaalem Haile, Abdullah Al-Mamun, Bipro R. Dhar

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

No abstract provided.

Examining The Impact Of Pedagogical Agents On Students Learning Experience In Virtual Worlds, Foteini Grivokostopoulou, Michael Paraskevas, Isidoros Perikos, Sasha Nikolic, Konstantinos Kovas, Ioannis Hatzilygeroudis

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Virtual worlds constitute an important part of the educational landscape that possesses unique learning capabilities and opens up new horizons in education. A vital part of 3D virtual worlds concerns the intelligent pedagogical agents that are integrated in the environments and aim to improve the interaction with the users and enhance their learning experience. The main purpose of this study is to assess the impact that the pedagogical agents have on students' engagement and learning experiences during training activities in virtual worlds. Specifically, we examine how students perceive the role of pedagogical agents as learning companions during specific exercises and …

Microstructure And Properties Of Spot Welded Joints Of Hot-Stamped Ultra-High Strength Steel Used For Automotive Body Structures, Zhixia Qiao, Hui Jun Li, Lianjin Li, Xiaoyu Ran, Liwen Feng

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Hot-stamped ultra-high strength steels have been widely used in automobile structural parts. Considering the high splash tendency in resistance spot welding due to their extremely high hardness, in this work, microstructural characteristics and mechanical performance of the resistance spot welded ultra-high strength steels are investigated. The results indicate that the interface between the nugget and heat-affected zone (HAZ) is the weakest zone where fractures initiate. In tensile shearing tests, a qualified spot welding joint failed with a button-shaped fracture. Welding defects would significantly decrease the load-carrying capacity and lead to interfacial fracture, except for a button-shaped fracture. In spot welding, …

Performance Evaluation Of Intermittently Cfrp Wrapped Square And Circularised Square Reinforced Concrete Columns Under Different Loading Conditions, Anh Duc Mai, M Neaz Sheikh, Muhammad N. S Hadi

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on square and circularised square rein-forced concrete (RC) columns intermittently wrapped with carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP)under different loading conditions. Twelve RC specimens consisting of eight square RC specimenswith 150mm150mm cross-section and 800mm height and four circularised square RC specimenswith 212mm diameter and 800 mm height were tested under concentric axial load, eccentric axialload and four-point flexural load. The test results showed that intermittent wrapping increased thestrength and ductility of square RC specimens. The test results also showed that circularisation com-bined with intermittent wrapping significantly improved the strength and ductility of …

Strong Tunable Photomixing In Semi-Dirac Materials In The Terahertz Regime, Sunchao Huang, My Hanh Tran, Jack Zuber, Qian Wang, Yiming Zhu, C Zhang

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

We demonstrate a strong and anisotropic photomixing effect in an electronic system whose energy–momentum dispersion is parabolic in the 𝑥 direction and linear in the 𝑦 direction, such as a TiO₂/VO₂ multilayered structure. The third-order photoresponses along the linear and parabolic directions have been analyzed and determined quantitatively. We have found a remarkable tunability of the mixing efficiency along the parabolic direction by a small electric field in the linear direction, up to two orders of magnitude. In the terahertz (THz) regime, the third-order response is comparable to the linear response under an applied field of 10 …

High-Throughput Production Of Uniformly Sized Liquid Metal Microdroplets Using Submerged Electrodispersion, Yuxin Zhang, Shiyang Tang, Qianbin Zhao, Guolin Yun, Dan Yuan, Weihua Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Microdroplets of gallium-based liquid metal alloys have enabled various applications in the fields of biomedicine, electronics, and chemistry. However, due to the high surface tension of liquid metal, high-throughput production of uniformly sized liquid metal microdroplets is challenging using conventional acoustic or microfluidic methods. Here, adapting the submerged electrodispersion technique that has conventionally been used for generating water-based microdroplets, we develop a simple and straightforward platform for the high-throughput production of near-monodisperse (coefficient of variation less than 5%) liquid metal microdroplets in oil without using microfluidic devices. We demonstrate the capabilities of this method for producing liquid metal microdroplets (diameters …

Performance Evaluation Of Non-Gps Based Localization Techniques Under Shadowing Effects, Ngoc M. Nguyen, Le Chung Tran, Farzad Safaei, Son Lam Phung, Peter James Vial, Nam N. Huynh, Anne N. Cox, Theresa Harada, Johan Barthelemy

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Non-GPS localization has gained much interest from researchers and industries recently because GPS might fail to meet the accuracy requirements in shadowing environments. The two most common range-based non-GPS localization methods, namely Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and Angle-of-Arrival (AOA), have been intensively mentioned in the literature over the last decade. However, an in-depth analysis of the weighted combination methods of AOA and RSSI in shadowing environments is still missing in the state-of-the-art. This paper proposes several weighted combinations of the two RSSI and AOA components in the form of pAOA + qRSSI, devises the mathematical model for analyzing shadowing …

Thread Effects On The Stiffness Of Bolted Shear Connections, Aziz Ahmed, Lip H. Teh

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

This paper investigates the effects of bolt threads on the initial and final stiffnesses of double-shear bolted connections through laboratory tests and finite element (FE) analyses. Nineteen specimens composed of 4.7 mm and 8.0 mm thick structural steel plates with bolt diameters of 20 mm and 30 mm having varying end distances are studied. The investigation, which involves shank and thread bolted connections, has found that the threads reduce the initial stiffness but increase the final stiffness. The FE analysis shows that the reduction in the initial stiffness is due to the bolt threads cutting into the connected plate, increasing …

Contradictions In Information Technology Mediated Work In Long-Term Care: An Activity Theoretic Ethnographic Study, Siyu Qian, Ping Yu, Anol Bhattacherjee

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Background: The growing demand for aged care services coupled with a global shortage of skilled nursing staff has hindered long-term care facilities' ability to provide necessary services to their residents. Healthcare information technology is expected to mitigate this challenge by streamlining nursing work, while also improving quality of care and productivity.

Objectives: This study set out to examine how nurses and care workers work, the role of information technology (IT) in their work and what contradictions they face in their IT mediated work.

Design: Ethnographic study informed by six components of activity theory: subject, object, tool, rule, …

Characterisations Of A Fibre Optic Dosimetry System For Source Tracking During Hdr Brachytherapy, Mohammed Al Towairqi, Dean L. Cutajar, Terry Braddock, Enbang Li, S Wadi-Ramahi, Belal Moftah, Anatoly B. Rosenfeld

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

Brachytherapy is a complex treatment procedure where radioactive sources are inserted in or close to the tumours to destroy the cancerous cells. Due to the unique properties of scintillation plastic detectors, this study was aimed to characterise an innovative fibre optic dosimetry system as a quality assurance tool during HDR Brachytherapy. Scintillating plastic fibres with different scintillation lengths were prepared and then optically coupled to non-scintillating fibres for light transmission. A transimpedance photodiode amplifier was used to detect positional sensitivities of different fibre probes placed within a solid-water phantom at varying distances above an 192-Ir brachytherapy source located within the …

Creep In Primary Consolidation With Rate Of Loading Approach, Gang Bi, Shua Ni, Dong Wang, Yeqiang Chen, Jianfei Wei, Wenzong Gong

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

The debate on creep in primary consolidation is analysed with a power law model following an approach in which creep is considered as rate of loading. According to this approach, primary consolidation is one type of rate of loading. To verify this approach, two types of tests, standard oedometer test and oedometer test with drainage prevented, are conducted on three types of soils (two from NGES and the other from Port of Guangzhou). The result: creep exponents obtained from two kinds of tests agree well with each other. Moreover, the approach is further validated by tracking, for over 80 years, …

Coffee-An Mpi-Parallelized Python Package For The Numerical Evolution Of Differential Equations, George Doulis, Jorg Frauendiener, Chris Stevens, Benjamin E. Whale

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part B

COFFEE (Conformal Field Equation Evolver) is a Python package primarily developed to numerically evolve systems of partial differential equations over time using the method of lines. It includes a variety of time integrators and finite differencing stencils with the summation-by-parts property, as well as pseudo-spectral functionality for angular derivatives of spin-weighted functions. Some additional capabilities include being MPI-parallelisable on a variety of different geometries, HDF data output and post processing scripts to visualize data, and an actions class that allows users to create code for analysis after each timestep.