Digital Commons Network^™

Models For Community Based Day Care For Older People: A Narrative Review, Caroline Bulsara, Christopher Etherton-Beer, Rosemary Saunders

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objectives:

Older Australians are choosing to live within the community and there are a number of initiatives to enable this sector of the population to do so for longer. In an effort to ensure that they remain both physically and psychologically engaged, one initiative has been to provide community based day care (CBDC).

Method:

A narrative review was undertaken through searching MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Scopus and AgeInfo using keywords related to facility related, target group related and purpose/program of CBDC services.

Results:

Results indicated that there is a much research investigating different approaches but little consensus regarding the optimal delivery …

Community-Wide Distribution Of A Catalytic Device To Reduce Winter Ambient Fine Particulate Matter From Residential Wood Combustion: A Field Study, Olivia Johnston, Fay Johnston, John Todd, Grant Williamson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Residential wood combustion is the main source of elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during winter in many towns of Tasmania, Australia. A commercially available firebox catalyst in Australia has previously been shown to reduce visible smoke emissions and the manufacturer reports reductions in particle emissions generated from individual wood heaters in laboratory settings. This study aimed to evaluate the potential for community-wide distribution of the catalyst to improve the ambient winter air quality in the field. The study was set in four rural towns in northern Tasmania with similar topography, population size, and proportion of houses using wood …

Incidence, Risk Factors And The Healthcare Cost Of Falls Postdischarge After Elective Total Hip And Total Knee Replacement Surgery: Protocol For A Prospective Observational Cohort Study, Anne-Marie Hill, Gail Ross-Adjie, Steven M. Mcphail, Leanne Monterosso, Max Bulsara, Christopher Etherton-Beer, Sarah-Jayne Powell, Gerard Hardisty

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction:

The number of major joint replacement procedures continues to increase in Australia. The primary aim of this study is to determine the incidence of falls in the first 12 months after discharge from hospital in a cohort of older patients who undergo elective total hip or total knee replacement.

Method and analyses:

A prospective longitudinal observational cohort study starting in July 2015, enrolling patients aged ≥ 60 years who are admitted for elective major joint replacement (n = 267 total hip replacement, n = 267 total knee replacement) and are to be discharged to the community. Participants are followed …

Ultra-Sustainable Fe78si9b13 Metallic Glass As A Catalyst For Activation Of Persulfate On Methylene Blue Degradation Under Uv-Vis Light, Zhe Jia, Xiaoguang Duan, Wenchang Zhang, Weimin Wang, Hongqi Sun, Shaobin Wang, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Stability and reusability are important characteristics of advanced catalysts for wastewater treatment. In this work, for the first time, sulfate radicals (SO4∙−) with a high oxidative potential (Eo = 2.5–3.1 V) were successfully activated from persulfate by a Fe78Si9B13 metallic glass. This alloy exhibited a superior surface stability and reusability while activating persulfate as indicated by it being used for 30 times while maintaining an acceptable methylene blue (MB) degradation rate. The produced SiO2 layer on the ribbon surface expanded strongly from the fresh use to the 20th use, providing stable protection of the buried Fe. MB degradation and kinetic …

Techno-Economic Evaluation Of Solar Irrigation Plants Installed In Bangladesh, Najmul Hoque, Amit Roy, Mohd. Rafiqul A. Beg, B. K. Das

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In the summer season, irrigation sector in Bangladesh suffers a lot due to the country wide electricity crisis. Solar pump offers a clean and simple alternative to the conventional fuel fired engine or grid electricity driven pump in this regard to resolve the issue. In this paper, the techno-economic analyses of solar irrigation plants installed in Bangladesh are evaluated. It was observed that systems were running around 70% to 80% of the rated power which was quite acceptable. A 10 hp pump was able to pump 600 liter of water per minute which was also satisfactory to irrigate the land. …

An Introduction To The Australian And New Zealand Flux Tower Network – Ozflux, Jason Beringe, Lindsay B. Hutley, Ian Mchugh, Stefan K. Arndt, David Campbell, Helen A. Cleugh, James Cleverly, Víctor R. De Dios, Derek Eamus, Bradley Evans, Cacilia Ewenz, Peter Grace, Anne Griebel, Vanessa Haverd, Nina Hinko-Najera, Alfredo Huete, Peter Isaac, Kasturi Kanniah, Ray Leuning, Michael J. Liddell, Craig Macfarlane, Wayne Meyer, Caitlin Moore, Elise Pendall, Alison Phillips, Rebecca L. Phillips, Suzanne M. Prober, Natalia Restrepo-Coupe, Susanna Rutledge, Ivan Schroder, Richard Silberstein, Patricia Southall, Mei S. Yee, Nigel Tapper, Eva Van Gorsel, Camilla Vote, Jeff Walker, Tim Wardlaw

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

OzFlux is the regional Australian and New Zealand flux tower network that aims to provide a continental-scale national research facility to monitor and assess trends, and improve predictions, of Australia's terrestrial biosphere and climate. This paper describes the evolution, design, and current status of OzFlux as well as provides an overview of data processing. We analyse measurements from all sites within the Australian portion of the OzFlux network and two sites from New Zealand. The response of the Australian biomes to climate was largely consistent with global studies except that Australian systems had a lower ecosystem water-use efficiency. Australian semi-arid/arid …

The Relationship Between Neurocognitive Functioning And Occupational Functioning In Bipolar Disorder: A Literature Review, Walace Duarte, Rodrigo Beccerra, Kate Cruise

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Neurocognitive impairment in Bipolar Disorder (BD) has been widely reported, even during remission. Neurocognitive impairment has been identified as a contributing factor towards unfavourable psychosocial functioning within this population. The objective of this review was to investigate the association between neurocognitive impairment and occupational functioning in BD. A literature review of English-language journal articles from January 1990 to November 2013 was undertaken utilising the PsychINFO, Scopus and Web of Knowledge databases. Studies that made specific reference to occupational outcomes were included, and those that reported on global psychosocial measures were excluded. Majority of the papers reviewed (20 out of 23) …

Building Online Community On Snac: A Netnographic Study Of The Early Years Sector, Ruth Wallace, Leesa Costello, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

‘‘Build it and they will come,’’ an adage critiqued as a common misconception of participatory engagement with online communities. Previous research indicated that a netnographic approach based upon researcher– participant engagement would provide the best opportunity to build and sustain a successful support community [...].

Skill Mastery And The Formation Of Graduate Identity In Bachelor Graduates: Evidence From Australia, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Mastery of certain generic skills and the successful formation of pre-professional identity are widely considered to influence graduate work-readiness and job attainment. Given their links with enhanced productivity, performance and innovation, skill development and graduate identity appear critical amidst ongoing global stagnation in advanced economies. This paper focuses on the success of higher education in developing generic skills and graduate identity using national data (n = 80,891) for 51 providers. It investigates the influence of certain demographics, study and degree characteristics on these important areas of undergraduate curricula. Furthermore, it gauges recent graduate perceptions on the importance of skill development …

Equiaxed Ti-Based Composites With High Strength And Large Plasticity Prepared By Sintering And Crystallizing Amorphous Powder, Lehua Liu, Chao Yang, L. M. Kang, Yan Long, Zhiyu Xiao, Peijie Li, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

High-performance titanium alloys with an equiaxed composite microstructure were achieved by sintering and crystallizing amorphous powder. By introducing a second phase in a β-Ti matrix, series of optimized Ti-Nb-Fe-Co-Al and Ti-Nb-Cu-Ni-Al composites, which have a microstructure composed of ultrafine-grained and equiaxed CoTi₂ or (Cu,Ni)Ti₂ precipitated phases surrounded by a ductile β-Ti matrix, were fabricated by sintering and crystallizing mechanically alloyed amorphous powder. The as-fabricated composites exhibit ultra-high ultimate compressive strength of 2585MPa and extremely large compressive plastic strain of around 40%, which are greater than the corresponding ones for most titanium alloys. In contrast, the alloy fabricated by …

A Preliminary Investigation Into Worry About Mental Health: Development Of The Mental Health Anxiety Inventory, Della Commons, Kenneth M. Greenwood, Rebecca A. Anderson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Worry about physical health is broadly referred to as health anxiety and can range from mild concern to severe or persistent anxiety such as that found in DSM-IV hypochondriasis. While much is known about anxiety regarding physical health, little is known about anxiety regarding mental health. However, recent conceptualizations of health anxiety propose that individuals can experience severe and problematic worry about mental health in similar ways to how people experience extreme worry about physical health.

Aims:

Given the paucity of research in this area, the aim of the current study was to explore anxiety regarding mental health through …

Resilience As Resistance To The New Managerialism: Portraits That Reframe Nursing Through Quotes From The Field, Vicki Cope, Bronwyn Jones, Joyce Hendricks

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aim:

This paper acknowledges the relationship between resilience and the new managerialism of contemporary nursing.

Methods:

Qualitative portraiture methodology.

Discussion:

The new managerialism in hospital settings results in a rapidly increasing turnover of acutely ill or comorbid patients, which directly relates to retention and quality service. In education settings, the management imperative to recruit more students into the profession combined with financial cutbacks leads to similar tensions. In aged care the trend equates care directly with funding, with the same effect. Yet despite this, many registered nurses remain working. Portraiture explored 'why' nurses remain in workplaces often described as awful. …

Proactive Biometric-Enabled Forensic Imprinting, Abdulrahman Alruban, Nathan L. Clarke, Fudong Li, Steven M. Furnell

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Threats to enterprises have become widespread in the last decade. A major source of such threats originates from insiders who have legitimate access to the organization's internal systems and databases. Therefore, preventing or responding to such incidents has become a challenging task. Digital forensics has grown into a de-facto standard in the examination of electronic evidence; however, a key barrier is often being able to associate an individual to the stolen data. Stolen credentials and the Trojan defense are two commonly cited arguments used. This paper proposes a model that can more inextricably links the use of information (e.g. images, …

Incorporating Field Studies Into Species Distribution And Climate Change Modelling: A Case Study Of The Koomal Trichosurus Vulpecula Hypoleucus (Phalangeridae), Shaun Molloy, Robert Davis, Eddie Van Etten

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Species distribution models (SDMs) are an effective way of predicting the potential distribution of species and their response to environmental change. Most SDMs apply presence data to a relatively generic set of predictive variables such as climate. However, this weakens the modelling process by overlooking the responses to more cryptic predictive variables. In this paper we demonstrate a means by which data gathered from an intensive animal trapping study can be used to enhance SDMs by combining field data with bioclimatic modelling techniques to determine the future potential distribution for the koomal (Trichosurus vulpecula hypoleucus). The koomal is a geographically …

Influence Of Nb On The Β → Α″ Martensitic Phase Transformation And Properties Of The Newly Designed Ti-Fe-Nb Alloys, Shima Ehtemam-Haghighi, Yujing Liu, Guanghui Cao, Lai-Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A series of Ti-7Fe-xNb (x = 0, 1, 4, 6, 9, 11 wt.%) alloys was designed and cast to investigate the β → α″ martensitic phase transformation, β phase stability, the resulting microstructure and mechanical properties. Phase analysis revealed that only Ti-7Fe-11Nb alloy shows a single body-centred cubic β phase microstructure while the others are comprised of β and orthorhombic α″ phases. Moreover, Nb addition up to 11 wt.% enhances the stability and volume fraction of β phase in the microstructure, hence reducing the propensity of the alloy system to form α″ phase during quenching. Compressive yield strength and hardness …

A Practical Anodic And Cathodic Curve Intersection Model To Understand Multiple Corrosion Potentials Of Fe-Based Glassy Alloys In Oh-Contained Solutions, Yingjie Li, Yonggang Wang, Bang An, Hui Xu, Yihua Liu, Laichang Zhang, Houyi Ma, Weimin Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A practical anodic and cathodic curve intersection model, which consisted of an apparent anodic curve and an imaginary cathodic line, was proposed to explain multiple corrosion potentials occurred in potentiodynamic polarization curves of Fe-based glassy alloys in alkaline solution. The apparent anodic curve was selected from the measured anodic curves. The imaginary cathodic line was obtained by linearly fitting the differences of anodic curves and can be moved evenly or rotated to predict the number and value of corrosion potentials. © 2016 Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution …

Regular Fat And Reduced Fat Dairy Products Show Similar Associations With Markers Of Adolescent Cardiometabolic Health, Theresa A. O'Sullivan, Alexandra P. Bremmer, Trevor A. Mori, Lawrence J. Beilin, Charlotte Wilson, Katherine Hafekost, Gina L. Ambrosini, Rae Chi Huang, Wendy H. Oddy

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Reduced fat dairy products are generally recommended for adults and children over the age of two years. However, emerging evidence suggests that dairy fat may not have detrimental health effects. We aimed to investigate prospective associations between consumption of regular versus reduced fat dairy products and cardiometabolic risk factors from early to late adolescence. In the West Australian Raine Study, dairy intake was assessed using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires in 860 adolescents at 14 and 17-year follow-ups; 582 of these also had blood biochemistry at both points. Using generalized estimating equations, we examined associations with cardiometabolic risk factors. Models incorporated …

Spatiotemporal Pattern Analysis Of Scarlet Fever Incidence In Beijing, China, 2005–2014, Gehendra Mahara, Chao Wang, Da Huo, Qin Xu, Fangfang Huang, Lixin Tao, Jin Guo, Kai Cao, Liu Long, Jagadish K. Chhetri, Qi Gao, Wei Wang, Quanyi Wang, Xiuhua Guo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective:

To probe the spatiotemporal patterns of the incidence of scarlet fever in Beijing, China, from 2005 to 2014.

Methods:

A spatiotemporal analysis was conducted at the district/county level in the Beijing region based on the reported cases of scarlet fever during the study period. Moran’s autocorrelation coefficient was used to examine the spatial autocorrelation of scarlet fever, whereas the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic was used to determine the hotspot incidence of scarlet fever. Likewise, the space-time scan statistic was used to detect the space-time clusters, including the relative risk of scarlet fever incidence across all settings.

Results:

A total of …

Controlled Access To Cloud Resources For Mitigating Economic Denial Of Sustainability (Edos) Attacks, Zubair A. Baig, Sadiq M. Sait, Farid Binbeshr

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Cloud computing is a paradigm that provides scalable IT resources as a service over the Internet. Vulnerabilities in the cloud infrastructure have been readily exploited by the adversary class. Therefore, providing the desired level of assurance to all stakeholders through safeguarding data (sensitive or otherwise) which is stored in the cloud, is of utmost importance. In addition, protecting the cloud from adversarial attacks of diverse types and intents, cannot be understated. Economic Denial of Sustainability (EDoS) attack is considered as one of the concerns that has stalled many organizations from migrating their operations and/or data to the cloud. This is …

Episodic Volunteering And Retention: An Integrated Theoretical Approach, Melissa K. Hyde, Jeff Dunn, Caitlin Bax, Suzanne K. Chambers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Episodic volunteers (EVs) are vital for non-profit organization activities. However, theory-based research on episodic volunteering is scant and the determinants of episodic volunteering are not well understood. This study integrates the volunteer process model and three-stage model of volunteers’ duration of service to explore determinants of EV retention. A cross-sectional survey of 340 EVs assessed volunteering antecedents, experiences, and retention. Social/enjoyment (β =.17) and benefit (β = −.15) motives, social norm (β =.20), and satisfaction (β =.56) predicted Novice EV (first experience) retention, satisfaction (β =.47) and commitment (β =.38) predicted Transition EV (2-4 years intermittently) retention, and supporting the …

Molecular Determinants And Interaction Data Of Cyclic Peptide Inhibitor With The Extracellular Domain Of Trkb Receptor, Nitin Chitranshi, Vivek Gupta, Yogita Dheer, Veer Gupta, Roshana Vander Wall, Stuart Graham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

TrkB is a high affinity receptor for the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its phosphorylation stimulates activation of several intracellular signalling pathways linked to cellular growth, differentiation and maintenance. Identification of various activators and inhibitors of the TrkB receptor and greater understanding their binding mechanisms is critical to elucidate the biochemical and pharmacological pathways and analyse various protein crystallization studies. The data presented here is related to the research article entitled "Brain Derived neurotrophic factor is involved in the regulation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) signalling" [1]. Cyclotraxin B (CTXB) is a disulphide bridge linked cyclic peptide molecule …

Proof Of Acacia Nilotica Stand Expansion In Bekol Savanna, Baluran National Park, East Java, Indonesia Through Remote Sensing And Field Observations, Sutomo, Eddie Van Etten, Luthfi Wahab

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

One of woody species that is known to inhabit certain savanna ecosystems is Acacia nilotica. The Acacia nilotica tree is widespread in the northern savannah regions, and its range extends from Mali to Sudan and Egypt. Acacia nilotica was first introduced to Java Island in 1850. It then spread to Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, Timor and Papua. Found in grasslands, savanna is reported as important colonizer at Baluran National Park in East Java and Wasur National Park Papua. We conducted Vegetation analysis in three areas of the Baluran Savanna namely: Grazed, burned and unburnt. Our observation result analysis showed that …

The Effects Of Latrepirdine On Amyloid-Β Aggregation And Toxicity, Tenielle Porter, Prashant Bharadwaj, David Groth, Adrian Paxman, Simon Laws, Ralph Martins, Guiseppe Verdile

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Latrepirdine (DimebonTM) has been demonstrated to be a neuroprotective and cognition improving agent in neurodegenerative diseases that feature protein aggregation and deposition, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) protein aggregates is a key event in the neurodegenerative process in AD. This study explores if latrepirdine modulation of protein aggregation contributes to its neuroprotective mechanism of action. Assessment of neuronal cell death showed that there was a significant reduction in lactate dehydrogenase release at an equimolar ratio of Aβ:latrepirdine and with lower concentrations of latrepirdine. The ability of latrepirdine to alter the formation of Aβ42 aggregates was …

Plasma Apolipoprotein J As A Potential Biomarker For Alzheimer's Disease: Australian Imaging, Biomarkers And Lifestyle Study Of Aging, Veer Gupta, James D. Doecke, Eugene Hone, Steve Pedrini, Simon M. Laws, Madhav Thambisetty, Ashley Bush,, Christopher C. Rowe, Victor L. Villemagne, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Stuart Lance Macaulay, Alan Rembach, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction:

For early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the field needs biomarkers that can be used to detect disease status with high sensitivity and specificity. Apolipoprotein J (ApoJ, also known as clusterin) has long been associated with AD pathogenesis through various pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of plasma apoJ as a blood biomarker for AD.

Methods:

Using the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study of aging, the present study assayed plasma apoJ levels over baseline and 18 months in 833 individuals. Plasma ApoJ levels were analyzed with respect to clinical classification, age, gender, …

Comparing Biological Markers Of Alzheimer's Disease Across Blood Fraction And Platforms: Comparing Apples To Oranges, Sid E. O'Bryant, Simone Lista, Robert A. Rissman, Melissa Edwards, Fan Zhang, James Hall, Herik Zetterberg, Simon Lovestone, Veer Bular Gupta, Neill Graff-Radford, Ralph N. Martins, Andreas Jeromin, Stephen Waring, Esther Oh, Mitchel Kling, Laura D. Baker, Harald Hampel

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction:

This study investigated the comparability of potential Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers across blood fractions and assay platforms.

Methods:

Nonfasting serum and plasma samples from 300 participants (150 AD patients and 150 controls) were analyzed. Proteomic markers were obtained via electrochemiluminescence or Luminex technology. Comparisons were conducted via Pearson correlations. The relative importance of proteins within an AD diagnostic profile was examined using random forest importance plots.

Results:

On the Meso Scale Discovery multiplex platform, 10 of the 21 markers shared > 50% of the variance across blood fractions (serum amyloid A R2 = 0.99, interleukin (IL)10 R2 = 0.95, fatty …

Sea Surface Temperature Variability In The Central-Western Mediterranean Sea During The Last 2700 Years: A Multi-Proxy And Multi-Record Approach, Merce Cisneros, Isabel Cacho, Jaime Frigola, Miquel Canals, Pere Masque, Belen Martrat, Marta Casado, Joan Grimalt, Leopoldo Pena, Giulia Margaritelli, Fabrizio Lirer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study presents the reconstructed evolution of sea surface conditions in the central-western Mediterranean Sea during the late Holocene (2700 years) from a set of multi-proxy records as measured on five short sediment cores from two sites north of Minorca (cores MINMC06 and HER-MC-MR3). Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) from alkenones and Globigerina bulloides Mg / Ca ratios are combined with δ¹⁸O measurements in order to reconstruct changes in the regional evaporation–precipitation (E–P) balance. We also revisit the G. bulloides Mg / Ca–SST calibration and re-adjusted it based on a set of core-top measurements from the western Mediterranean Sea. …

Processing Of Al-12si-Tnm Composites By Selective Laser Melting And Evaluation Of Compressive And Wear Properties, Konda Prashanth, Sergio Scudino, Anil Chaubey, Lukas Löber, Pei Wang, Hooyar Attar, Frank Schimansky, Florian Pyczak, Jürgen Eckert

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Al-12Si (80 vol%)-Ti52.4Al42.2Nb4.4Mo0.9B0.06 (at.%) (TNM) composites were successfully produced by the selective laser melting (SLM). Detailed structural and microstructural analysis shows the formation of the Al6MoTi intermetallic phase due to the reaction of the TNM reinforcement with the Al-12Si matrix during SLM. Compression tests reveal that the composites exhibit significantly improved properties (∼140 and ∼160 MPa higher yield and ultimate compressive strengths, respectively) compared with the Al-12Si matrix. However, the samples break at ∼6% total strain under compression, thus showing a reduced plasticity of the composites. Sliding wear tests were carried out for both the Al-12Si matrix and the Al-12Si-TNM …

Iron Supplementation And Altitude: Decision Making Using A Regression Tree, Laura A. Garvican-Lewis, Andrew D. Govus, Peter Peeling, Chris R. Abbiss, Christopher J. Gore

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

No abstract provided.

Linking Vital Rates Of Landbirds On A Tropical Island To Rainfall And Vegetation Greenness, James F. Saracco, Paul Radley, Peter Pyle, Erin Rowan, Ron Taylor, Lauren Helton

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and …

Valuing The Leadership Role Of University Unit Coordinators, Coral Pepper, Susan Roberts

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this paper we describe the experiences of 64 unit coordinators across 15 Australian universities, gathered during 2011/2012 as part of an Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) project. Our intention was to gain insight into how unit coordinators (academics who coordinate a discrete unit of study) perceive their role as leaders of learning in higher education and whether the support provided to them by their institutions meets their needs. The study is of international significance given the rapidly changing higher education landscape with larger class sizes, reduced funding and the increasing use of technology occurring globally. Following a brief …