Search

The purpose of this research is to determine the reliability of sprinkler systems in shopping centres by utilising the fault tree analysis (FTA) method and the collection of data through a physical survey. As such, a comprehensive review of sprinkler systems in the low rise shopping centre buildings with less than four levels was conducted in two Australian cities: Melbourne and Adelaide. Data from eighteen buildings were collected and are presented in this paper. This study only includes wet pipe systems, as these are the most commonly found sprinkler system installations throughout Australia and New Zealand. Although Australian Standards and building regulations are taken as references, the methodology can be used in any other jurisdictions. The data related to the failure frequency, time required for repair and sprinkler downtime due to tenancy changes were collected during site surveys. This data has been used to carry out FTA to derive the likelihood of the failure of the sprinkler system. It is observed that the failure probability of a sprinkler system in Australian shopping centre buildings lies in a range of 1.4% and 9.8% (i.e. reliability range of 90.2% and 98.6%). Compared to a previous study on high-rise office buildings (Moinuddin & Thomas, Fir Saf J. vol 63 pp 52–68, 2014), the reliability of shopping centres is found to be 3%–4% higher. Similar to high-rise office buildings, sprinkler head's failure and isolation of the main stop valve during tenancy upgrades have significant effects on the reliability of the sprinkler system. However, more regulated sprinkler isolation and better maintenance of other components in the shopping centres result in better reliability. • Development a comprehensive fault tree analysis (FTA) for wet pipe sprinkler systems typically used in shopping centres in Australia • Conducting survey to collect data for determining the reliability of FTA's basic events (i.e. various components of a sprinkler system). • Collection of data from eighteen shopping centres from two Australian cities • Use of developed FTA to estimate the overall reliability of these sprinkler systems primarily based on the survey data (wherever survey data is not available literature data is used). • A number of suggestions to improve the reliability of sprinkler systems in shopping centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Computer modelling and design tools can assist in environmental management. In particular, post-mining landscapes with large volumes of materials require shaping for optimal erosional stability and ecological and visual integration into the surrounding undisturbed landscape. This paper evaluates the complementary capabilities of landscape evolution modelling (SIBERIA) and geomorphic design software (Natural Regrade with GeoFluv). An existing 11.5-ha waste rock dump (Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia) served as the study site. The SIBERIA modelling demonstrated that geomorphic design reduced erosion by half that of conventional designs while being able to store an extra 7% of mine waste volume. Additionally, the spatial pattern of gullying was able to be predicted by modelling, which allowed management in subsequent geomorphic design, and successively more stable patterns. In conclusion, the joint use of the Natural Regrade with GeoFluv geomorphic design software with the SIBERIA landscape evolution model showed complementary capabilities for enhancing mine rehabilitation. Highlights • Computer models and modelling design greatly improve mine site rehabilitation. • We demonstrate the SIBERIA and Natural Regrade with GeoFluv software. • The complementary tools reduce erosion yet can increase landscape volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper describes who is most likely to experience household employment insecurity and housing affordability stress – double precarity – and estimates the degree to which housing affordability mediates the effect of employment insecurity on mental health. We use a cohort of 24,201 participants in 2016 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey (6.2 repeated measures on average). We estimate the likelihood of onset of household employment insecurity, housing affordability stress and change in housing costs using longitudinal regression analyses for socio-demographic groups. We assess mediation by estimating how much exposure variable coefficients attenuate with inclusion of a mediator in fixed effects regression models. We also apply causal mediation methods to fixed-effects regression models to better account for exposure-mediator interaction and meet strict model assumptions. If people's households become insecurely employed, there are five times greater odds of them also experiencing housing affordability stress (OR 4.99 95%CI 4.21–5.90). Key cohorts within the population are shown to be especially vulnerable to double precarity – notably single parents (OR 2.91, 95%CI 1.94–4.35) and people who live alone (OR 4.42, 95% CI 3.03–6.45) (compared to couples), and people who are recently separated or divorced (OR 2.59, 95%CI 1.81–3.70). Mediation analysis confirms that household employment insecurity has a small, negative effect on mental health (Beta −0.24, 95%CI -0.38-0.11 on a 1 to 100-point scale with 10-point standard deviation). Estimates from casual mediation analyses suggest housing affordability accounts for 20% of the total effect; likely concentrated in the lowest and highest strata of income. Employment and housing insecurity represent a form of double precarity for people in households with a single income. When we consider the impact on mental health, we find evidence of a causal relationship between insecure employment onset and mental health, around one fifth of which is mediated by changing housing cost and onset of affordability stress. Highlights • Insecurely employed households are five times as likely to have unaffordable housing. • Lone person and lone parent households are more susceptible to double precarity. • Housing costs mediate the impact of insecure employment on mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Reviewed recent progress and directed future research for modular buildings. • Commonly used in UK, Sweden, Japan and USA with growing interest in Australia and China. • Prefabricated components have demonstrated satisfactory structural performance. • Uptake barriers are mainly related to the lack of logistical support. • Prefabricated modular buildings is the next generation of housing. Abstract Modular construction offers faster and safer manufacturing, better predictability to completion time, superior quality, less workers on site, less resource wastage, and a more environmentally friendly solution than the conventional construction process. Despite having several advantages of modular construction, the private sector still relies heavily on the traditional on-site construction method. To understand the scientific reason behind this situation, this paper critically reviews the recent developments, performances, challenges and future opportunities of modular buildings. Modular constructions are extensively used for low-rise buildings and further attracts strong interest for multi-storey building structures. Prefabricated modules demonstrated satisfactory performance under static, dynamic impact, cyclic, seismic, blast, fire and long-term sustained loading, and offer environmental, economic and social benefits. The acceptance and application of modular construction will further spread with the development of design guidelines, more skilled workers, addressing handing and transportation difficulties, and the development of novel interlocking connections between modules. Recently, composite materials demonstrated high potential to manufacture prefabricated building modules. In Australia, it is expected that modular construction will increase from the current stage of 3% to 5–10% by year 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Compulsory safety training is ineffective in changing safety attitudes. • Risk knowledge and intent to behave safely increases but caring about safety does not. • Gender, age and education are intervening variables in safety attitude formation. Abstract Poor safety is a perennial problem for the construction industry worldwide. While there has been a large amount of research on construction safety training and its importance in developing positive safety attitudes, much of the evidence has been anecdotal. To address this gap in knowledge, this paper presents the results of an attitudinal survey of 228 construction employees from a variety of professional and trade backgrounds operatives in Australia who went through mandatory site safety training. It was found that the training was largely ineffective in changing workers' safety attitudes. The minor change in safety attitudes that did occur were largely cognitive and behavioural in nature while the affective component of safety attitudes remained virtually unchanged. In other words, construction operatives emerged from the training with a slightly better knowledge of safety risks, a better intention to behave safely but not caring any more about safety as an issue. It was also found that gender, age and education are potential mediators in the safety attitude formation process. It is recommended that when developing safety training programs in the future, more attention should be paid to tailoring programs to the demographic characteristics of the people being trained and to the use of new interactive and immersive technologies and learner-centric andragogical pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) involves three key behaviors: the non-consensual taking or creation of nude or sexual images; the non-consensual sharing or distribution of nude or sexual images; and threats made to distribute nude or sexual images. IBSA is becoming increasingly criminalized internationally, representing an important and rapidly developing cybercrime issue. This paper presents findings of the first national online survey of self-reported lifetime IBSA perpetration in Australia (n = 4053), with a focus on the extent, nature, and predictors of perpetration. Overall, 11.1% (n = 411) of participants self-reported having engaged in some form of IBSA perpetration during their lifetime, with men significantly more likely to report IBSA perpetration than women. With regard to the nature of perpetration, participants reported targeting men and women at similar rates, and were more likely to report perpetrating against intimate partners or ex-partners, family members and friends than strangers or acquaintances. Logistic regression analyses identified that males, lesbian, gay or bisexual participants, participants with a self-reported disability, participants who accepted sexual image-based abuse myths, participants who engaged in or experienced sexual self-image behaviors, and participants who had a nude or sexual image of themselves taken, distributed, and/or threatened to be distributed without their consent were more likely to have engaged in some form of IBSA perpetration during their lifetime. Highlights • 1 in 10 (11.1%) of Australians aged 16–49 years surveyed, engaged in Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) perpetration. • Men were significantly more likely than women to report engaging in any IBSA perpetration. • Gender, sexuality and disability demographics were significantly related to IBSA perpetration. • Attitudes, sexual 'selfies', and IBSA victimization, were also significantly related to IBSA perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to conduct a literature review of academic debates relating to the Australian Curriculum: History (ACH), in particular subjective constructions of teachers, and the teaching of Australian History and Aboriginal peoples' and Torres Strait Islanders' histories. The literature reviewed from a socio-political lens, examines functions of power/knowledge operating in discourses of education to illuminate how teachers, Aboriginal peoples, and Torres Strait Islanders, take up and/or resist subjectivities constructing them. Drawing from the toolbox of post-structuralism, this literature review troubles the notion of the non-Indigenous perspective as dominant, and the teacher as an active, non-critical participant in the process. Highlights • Comprehensive literature review about teachers, and the teaching of Australian History. • Dominant ideologies of education position teachers as passive conduits for learning. • Cross-cultural learning of Australian history complex, but inattention inexcusable. • Racist teachings of Australian History stem from dominant ideologies of Europeanism. • Initial education programs provide avenues for critical analysis of curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Australia is especially reliant on air transportation because of the geographical distribution of the urban centers across the country. This paper seeks to identify the antecedents of the capacity decisions of the airlines operating in Australian domestic aviation market. We examine the factors on both sides of the supply-demand equilibrium using monthly data of twenty-one major domestic routes linking eight major cities between January 2004 and December 2015. To investigate the relationship between flight demand and the variables of capacity decisions (flight frequency, aircraft size, load factor, and available seats), the pooled series cross-sectional data are analyzed using a two-stage least-squares method to model the supply-demand interaction. The results statistically differentiate the airlines' strategies regarding capacity decisions for the short-haul, medium-haul, and long-haul routes. The results suggest that competition would lead to more flights, smaller aircraft size, lower load factors, and more available seats in all markets. Low-cost carriers play a key role in the short-haul market. Higher jet fuel prices scales up aircraft size on all flight routes. Notably, the socio-economic parameters of population and employment rates affect flight demand more strongly on the long-haul routes than other routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper assesses air connectivity between China and Australia for the period 2005–16 using a Connectivity Utility Model. Our direct connectivity measure shows that as a gateway city, Sydney continues to play a key role in facilitating the movements of people and goods between China and Australia. Guangzhou has become the city best connected with Australia since 2011 as measured by direct connectivity. When indirect connections are considered, the largest increases in overall connectivity from 2005 to 2016 can be observed among Australia's major capital cities, particularly Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Chinese carriers are the key drivers behind the increases. There have been rises and falls for airports serving as a hub between China and Australia. Guangzhou has forged its strong status as a transfer hub between Australia and China thanks to the quick expansion of China Southern. The gaps between Guangzhou and other transfer hubs measured by hub connectivity have widened since 2010. Highlights • Air connectivity between China and Australia for the period 2005–2016 is assessed. • Chinese airlines makes a major contribution to the two countries' air connectivity. • Guangzhou has forged its strong status as an emerging transfer hub between Australia and China. • The development of other transfer hubs is assessed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Despite the increasing use of adoption to provide permanence for children living in out-of-home care, relatively little is known about the children involved. This paper presents findings on the previous life experiences of an entire cohort of 'difficult to place' adoptees who were placed in Australia over 26 years. Understanding the vulnerability of these children is important for practitioners supporting adoptive families, as well as policy-makers and researchers who are assessing the outcomes of adoption from care. The study describes a group of children who have experiences which may make them vulnerable to poor adult outcomes. The severity of their pre-care experiences is high, with implications for health and wellbeing difficulties in adulthood. Child welfare interventions after entry to out-of-home care are also associated with poor outcomes. Furthermore, a high number of adoptees presented with behavioural difficulties which further compromised their welfare. The study demonstrates that, while adoptive families can be successfully recruited for highly vulnerable children, there are important issues for timing of decision-making about permanency and for recruitment, training and support of adoptive families. Furthermore, policy makers and practitioners need to consider these vulnerabilities when comparing adoption with other forms of out-of-home care and assessing outcomes of adoption compared to the general community or fostered children. Highlights • A full cohort study of 'hard to place' adoptees from care over 26 years. • Adoptees are shown to have higher rates of 'significant' ACEs than the general population. • This vulnerability has been increased following child welfare interventions. • Significant implications for practice and assessing outcomes of adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Simple lumped surrogate models can emulate the behaviour of high-fidelity models. • States and simulation time is reduced by 3 and 6 orders of magnitude, respectively. • The surrogate models are robust to type of training data and sensitive to model scale. • The surrogate models can be fitted to both warning, RTC, and planning applications. • Uncertainty of surrogate models are within acceptable ranges. Abstract Distributed physically based models (DPMs) have become the standard tool for urban drainage modelling. However, high computational demands limit these in applications where fast or multiple simulations are needed. This paper presents simple fit-for-purpose cheaper-to-run surrogate models (SMs) for pipe network simulations which are validated against a DPM. The SMs are set up by lumping the DPM network into compartments in which the volume of water is governed by mass balances. Outgoing discharges to downstream compartment(s) and surcharging are computed from unambiguous volume-discharge curves. The SMs are applied on a 45 km2 catchment, Elster Creek in Melbourne, Australia. The number of simulated states and simulation times are reduced by approximately 3 and 6 orders of magnitude, respectively. Different SM complexities are examined. The simplest SM using steady state training data performed well with NSE of 0.98 for volume in the most upstream compartment. When emulating the aggregated surcharge from that compartment, the SM captured all surcharge events correctly. NSE improved from 0.35 to 0.84 when subdividing the compartment into 17 subcompartments. Uncertainty of SM parameters was examined using the Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) methodology. Two different sampling methods were applied. Limits of acceptability for real-time control, warning and planning, resulted in many accepted models upstream and few to none in downstream backwater-prone areas. All applications showed SM uncertainty bands within expected uncertainty bands for DPM, supporting the use of a simpler conceptual model in fit-for-purpose modelling in urban water systems when computational demands of DPMs are prohibitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Short-term electrical load forecasting is an important part in the management of electrical power because electrical load is an extreme, complex non-linear system. To obtain parameter values that provide better performances with high precision, this paper proposes a new hybrid electrical load forecasting model, which combines ensemble empirical mode decomposition, extreme learning machine, and grasshopper optimization algorithm for short-term load forecasting. The most important difference that distinguishes this electrical load forecasting model from other models is that grasshopper optimization can search suitable parameters (weight values and threshold values) of extreme learning machine, while traditional parameters are selected randomly. It is applied in Australia electrical load prediction to show its superiority and applicability. The simulation studies are carried out using a data set collected from five main states (New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria) in Australia from February 1 to February 27, 2018. Compared with all considered basic models, the proposed hybrid model has the best performance in predicting electrical load. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Grasshopper algorithm is incorporated in extreme learning machine. • A hybrid decomposition-and-ensemble model is constructed for forecasting. • The proposed model can predict electricity demands with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Australia's east coast gas market has faced transformational shifts in demand with the commencement of three Liquefied Natural Gas facilities in Queensland. Faced with risks of high domestic prices and potential gas shortages, political intervention has been considered as a possible solution. This paper investigates the impact of network interconnectivity on domestic gas prices by employing a long-term planning model underpinned by mathematical optimisation. At optimal system cost, improved network interconnectivity can provide material and sustained price reductions for the gas market with potential flow-on reductions to the electricity market. Increased connectivity is shown to deliver reductions of over $2/GJ in average gas prices across the eastern seaboard, with a subsequent reduction in electricity prices across all mainland National Electricity Market (NEM) regions. The results also highlight the need to unlock new supply as new transmission projects, though having the potential to reduce gas prices through market connectivity, rely on adequate supply to meet long term demand, and sustain market balance. Highlights • Improved network interconnectivity can provide material and sustained price reductions. • Potential reductions of over $2/GJ in average gas prices on the eastern seaboard. • Wallumbilla-Newcastle Gas Pipeline seen to have most value from system and investor perspective. • Flow-on electricity price reductions up to 19% depending on generator bidding behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Aquatic activities provide physical and social benefits, while the risk of drowning generates countervailing social costs. Drawing on estimates of fatal drowning gathered by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia, this paper outlines a method for estimating the economic burden attributable to fatal drowning. Methods This study estimated the burden of fatal drowning by combining Value of a Statistical Life Year (VSLY), hospitalization, productivity and emergency services costs. All unintentional fatal drowning cases in Australia between 1-July-2002 and 30-June-2017 were included. Foregone life years from each drowning were estimated based on Australian life expectancies for the year of death. The societal value of these Years of Life Lost was calculated using the VSLY for Australia, adjusted to reflect income elasticity. Corrections to discounting of VSLY were applied. Estimates of productivity losses not captured in VSLY were produced using net national capital growth. Time spent in hospital was found using coronial data and existing estimates of search, ambulance and coronial costs were adapted and incorporated. Results The study covers 4285 cases of unintentional fatal drowning over 15 years. Based on this sample and estimates for the VSLY ($203,000), the economic burden of fatal drowning for Australia over this 14 year period was $18.63 billion in 2017 Australian dollars, averaging $1.24 billion annually. Conclusions Fatal drowning represents a significant source of health burden in Australia, underlining the need for further preventative measures. Practical applications We provide an easily-understood estimate of the scale of Australia's fatal drowning problem, permitting comparison with other social problems. They can also be used in determining net benefits of proposed drowning prevention policies and to identify situations where burden of fatal drowning is disproportionate. Suggestions for improving the calculation of societal burden of illness can be incorporated in cost-benefit analyses in related fields of study. Highlights • We provide a scale estimate of Australia's fatal drowning problem, allowing comparison with other social problems. • Burden estimates can be used in determining net benefits of proposed drowning prevention policies. • Estimates of burden by demographic group and location enable identification of disproportionate burdens of fatal drowning. • Improvements to the calculation of burden of illness can be incorporated in cost-benefit analyses in related fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there are increasing concerns about the harms associated with methamphetamine use. This paper i) reports on the results of a cost-of-illness (CoI) study that quantified the social costs associated with methamphetamine use in Australia and, ii) drawing on examples from this study, critically examines the general applicability of CoI studies for the alcohol and other drug field. A prevalence approach was used to estimate costs in 2013/2014, the most recent year for which reasonably comprehensive data were available. The value selected for a statistical life-year in our central estimate was AUD 281,798. Other costs were estimated from diverse sources. Total cost was estimated at AUD 5023.8 million in 2013/14 (range, AUD 2502.3 to AUD 7016.8 million). The greatest cost areas were crime including costs related to policing, courts, corrections and victims of crime (AUD 3244.5 million); followed by premature death (AUD 781.8 million); and, workplace costs (AUD 289.4 million). The social costs of methamphetamine use in Australia in 2013/14 are high, and the identification of crime and premature mortality as the largest cost areas is similar to USA findings and represents important areas for prevention and cost remediation. However, caution is required in interpreting the findings of any CoI study, as there is uncertainty associated with estimates owing to data limitations. Moreover, CoI estimates on their own do not identify which, if any, of the costs are avoidable (with drug substitution being a particular problem) nor do they shed light on the effectiveness of any potential interventions. We also recognise that data limitations prevent some costs from being estimated at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There is now considerable evidence to suggest that children placed in foster care experience greater levels of adversity compared to those in the general population. Early adversity has been shown to continue across the lifespan: those who have experienced the sustained trauma of threat or deprivation have a range of poor life outcomes including homelessness, poor mental health, and over-representation in the criminal justice system and low educational attainment. This paper reports on a study of a program response to children who have experienced trauma and are placed in out-of-home care. The program model, known as Treatment and Care for Kids (TrACK), introduced a paradigm shift in the treatment and care of children in Australia, in that it was designed to provide intensive, home-based therapeutic intervention for children presenting with complex trauma and challenging behaviours. This program sought to integrate knowledge about the neurobiology of trauma with therapeutic practice and care, reflecting growing recognition that 'care is not enough' to achieve holistic and effective healing for children who have experienced severe trauma. As such, the relationship that encircles the child was seen as the vehicle for recovery. The study examined client files and interviewed carers, key professionals and young people who had experienced the therapeutic care program since its inception 18 years ago. Data, informed by narrative inquiry methodology, were analysed. Key findings highlight the significance of relational practice to interrupt the projected trauma trajectory and for young people to stabilise and self-regulate. Highlights • Children had experienced a high level of adversity prior to entry into this home-based therapeutic program. • Seven of the 48 children had experienced more than 10 placements, with one child having experienced 30 placements. • The program was overwhelmingly successful in stabilising children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work has been put into the creation of a comprehensive soil classification system (CSCS) using a harmonised dataset of 23 soil properties at 18 depth intervals. The classification consists of selected soil taxa from the US Soil Taxonomy, World Reference Base for Soil Resources, the Australian Soil Classification, and the New Zealand Soil Classification. In this paper, the CSCS was tested for allocation using data for from 44 soil profiles collected in Iran. A distance-based algorithm was used to allocate and name the soil profiles according to the CSCS. It was found that 36 Iranian soil profiles are close to the existing taxa of the CSCS in the taxonomic space. Three Iranian profiles with distances between 25 and 30 taxonomic units to the closest CSCS taxa were added to the CSCS and assigned with new systematic names. Allocating the remaining 5 Iranian taxa would require regenerating the nomenclature system. The CSCS has shown advantages for allocating soil profiles from other regions of the world other than the USA, Australia and New Zealand. It also enables cross-referencing with existing soil classification systems. In the future, the CSCS can be further improved by adding taxa from other global or regional soil classification systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • LIB waste is still largely disposed to landfill in Australia. • Urban mining of LIB waste can supplement dwindling primary minerals and materials. • Strong economic drivers support the development of a local LIB recycling industry. • Low volumes forecast to reach criticality by 2036, with no recycling infrastructure in place. • Materials tracking, waste generation and fate and technology design need to be addressed. • Low collection rates can be improved with policy and regulation development. Abstract With declining ore grades and increasing waste volumes, lithium-ion battery (LIB) wastes are increasingly considered valuable for urban mining for metal recovery and re-use. In Australia, LIB is not classified as hazardous, despite having significant human and environmental health risks if handled and disposed of improperly. Unlike in Europe and Asia, regulations or policies to enforce or encourage product stewardship are lacking, with small recycling schemes targeting only consumer behaviour, and voluntary actions of manufacturers and distributors. Although manual sorting and dismantling of LIB waste occur onshore, the valuable components are shipped overseas for processing due to limited onshore capacity to recover the inherent metal values. In this paper, LIB recycling in Australia is reviewed, considering the projections of LIB waste generation, identification of future trends, opportunities and potential for innovation for LIB recycling in Australia. Key gaps surrounding materials tracking, waste generation and fate and technology design need to be addressed to support the development of the industry and to support the use of primary minerals and materials in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Novel transport model with unprecedented large number of variables affecting cost and time. • High flexibility to accommodate a variety of transport supply chains. • Strong link to GIS allowing for spatial mapping of transport movements. • National scale application for entire industry sectors. • Tested in various case studies which analyse road upgrades, flood events and use of rail. Abstract Transport infrastructure is essential to moving over 85 million tonnes of agricultural products and 30 million cubic metres of timber from farms and production areas to domestic and international markets each year in Australia. Agriculture supply chains in Australia are characterised by long distances with transport costs accounting for up to 40 percent of the market price. Targeted infrastructure investment and/or regulatory changes can substantially reduce transport-related logistics costs. To provide a comprehensive view of transport logistics costs and benefits due to infrastructure investments and regulatory changes in agriculture and forestry supply chains, CSIRO developed a computer-based tool – the Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool (TraNSIT). TraNSIT optimises transport routes for upto hundreds of thousands of enterprises and millions of vehicle trips between farms and their markets, providing information on routing to maximise cost efficiencies. Through an Australian Government initiative, TraNSIT was applied to over 30 commodities representing 98% of Australian agricultural and plantation forestry volume transported by road and rail. TraNSIT is now a comprehensive logistics tool that has been applied to the largest agricultural supply chain dataset ever assembled in Australia. This paper provides an overview of TraNSIT, its adaptation to agriculture and forestry logistics as part of the project, and its application to several case studies in Australia including new road links, rail versus road and flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The spatial impact of socioeconomic determinants on the macro-level early developmental vulnerability of children was analyzed in this paper using Local Government Areas (LGAs) as samples. Five domains of developmental outcomes: physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive, and communication have been addressed as ordinal outcomes, and fitted by the proportional odds model. Areas with a high percentage of low-income, welfare dependent and single parent families significantly increased the proportion of vulnerable children in all five domains. Other factors that significantly affect some aspects of developmental vulnerability in children are participation of women in the labor market, availability of home Internet and unemployment rate in the locality. The macro-level results match with previous micro-level assessments showing the relationship between household socioeconomic features and childhood vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network planning of bus services requires addressing the trade-off between frequency and coverage. Traditional network planning has focused on coverage using the rule of thumb that people will walk four hundred meters to access bus based public transport services. More modern approaches have recognised that encouraging mode shift means improving quality and thus in the presence of budget constraint, a shift of resources is needed to provide better frequency or smaller headways on core corridors. Using a Stated Choice experiment approach, this paper elicits the trade-off between access distance and headways and how this might vary in a number of cities around the world. The key results confirm travellers in all cities forming part of the sample are willing to walk further for a more frequent service: in Australian capital cities between 226 m and 302 m further for a 10-min reduction in bus headways, while in UK and US this is between 370 m and 475 m further for the same improvement in bus headway. The research provides a consistent valuation for the design attributes of service (such as distance to stop, journey time, headway/frequency and crowding) over eleven cities together with an estimation of the role of socio demographics in tempering how far passengers are likely to walk to access a high frequency corridor and potentially achieve mode shift from the private car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential solar photovoltaics (PV), a once niche technology reliant on direct regulatory support to stimulate its adoption, has progressively become more competitive because of economies of learning and scale in production. Given its extraordinary market growth, a better understanding of the various market and social factors affecting residential consumers’ PV purchasing decisions is required for policy makers to create efficient support mechanisms, by industry participants to better target marketing activities, and for more informed planning of centralised electricity generation and network infrastructure development. This paper reports on an analysis of the behavioural drivers of households as decision-making units fulfilling an intention to adopt PV. Drawing upon Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory and using a logistic regression choice model, the actual outcomes of the residential PV market are examined in the state of Queensland, Australia. A recent survey of more than 8000 households is used to investigate the difference in demographic and motivational factors among households with the stated intention to purchase PV with those that have already adopted the technology. Our findings suggest that PV is the technology of the middle class. This reasoning is made based on surveyees’ stated concerns over rising electricity bills and survey data which indicates that economic life events have a significant influence over perceptions of affordability. Households need to be concerned with rising electricity bills to be motivated to adopt PV, but must also have access to sufficient capital to afford its upfront cost. Familiarity with the technology appeared to reduce adoption motivations based on self-sufficiency and intentions to go off grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We integrate the NFD with a feedback-control-based toll optimization framework. • Various tolling regimes are studied including a new joint distance and delay toll. • We apply the proposed framework on a large-scale DTA model of Melbourne, Australia. • Results show that the joint tolls can reduce the uneven distribution of congestion. Abstract Given the efficiency and equity concerns of a cordon toll, this paper proposes a few alternative distance-dependent area-based pricing models for a large-scale dynamic traffic network. We use the Network Fundamental Diagram (NFD) to monitor the network traffic state over time and consider different trip lengths in the toll calculation. The first model is a distance toll that is linearly related to the distance traveled within the cordon. The second model is an improved joint distance and time toll (JDTT) whereby users are charged jointly in proportion to the distance traveled and time spent within the cordon. The third model is a further improved joint distance and delay toll (JDDT) which replaces the time toll in the JDTT with a delay toll component. To solve the optimal toll level problem, we develop a simulation-based optimization (SBO) framework. Specifically, we propose a simultaneous approach and a sequential approach, respectively, based on the proportional-integral (PI) feedback controller to iteratively adjust the JDTT and JDDT, and use a calibrated large-scale simulation-based dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) model of Melbourne, Australia to evaluate the network performance under different pricing scenarios. While the framework is developed for static pricing, we show that it can be easily extended to solve time-dependent pricing by using multiple PI controllers. Results show that although the distance toll keeps the network from entering the congested regime of the NFD, it naturally drives users into the shortest paths within the cordon resulting in an uneven distribution of congestion. This is reflected by a large clockwise hysteresis loop in the NFD. In contrast, both the JDTT and JDDT reduce the size of the hysteresis loop while achieving the same control objective. We further conduct multiple simulation runs with different random seed numbers to demonstrate the effectiveness of different pricing models against simulation stochasticity. However, we postulate that the feedback control is not applicable with guaranteed convergence if the periphery of the cordon area becomes highly congested or gridlocked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Many countries use financial incentive programs to attract physicians to work in rural areas. This paper examines the effectiveness of a policy reform in Australia that made some locations newly eligible for financial incentives and increased incentives for locations already eligible. The analysis uses panel data (2008–2014) on all Australian general practitioners (GPs) aggregated to small areas. We use a difference-in-differences approach to examine if the policy change affected GP entry or exit to the 755 newly eligible locations and the 787 always eligible locations relative to 2249 locations which were never eligible. The policy change increased the entry of newly-qualified GPs to newly eligible locations but had no effect on the entry and exit of other GPs. Our results suggest that location incentives should be targeted at newly qualified GPs. Highlights • Difference-in-differences design is used to study GP rural financial incentives. • Overall rural-urban distribution of GPs is unaffected by financial incentives. • New GPs are more likely to respond to financial incentives than existing GPs. • The findings suggest a targeted approach in incentive design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ‘Neolithic problem’ refers to forager/farmer interaction in northern Australia, where despite a shared environmental inheritance with their New Guinea neighbours, Indigenous Australians seemingly rejected both the domesticates and the practices of the Melanesian horticultural economy (White, 1971). This ethnographic example is often used to suggest that hunter-gatherers elsewhere may have chosen not to adopt agriculture. However, the premise of the ‘Neolithic problem’ has been criticised for its over-reliance on the ethnographic record and on an anachronistic notion of cultural evolution, which exaggerates the dichotomy between New Guinean agriculturalists and Australian hunter-gatherers. In this paper we review the historical and theoretical treatment of the ‘Neolithic problem’ and the archaeological evidence for subsistence practices in northern Sahul spanning the past 50–60,000 years. Using niche construction theory (Rowley-Conwy and Layton, 2011) to re-examine the archaeological and ethnohistoric record, it is possible to observe the development and expansion of a variety of subsistence systems. Contrary to the premise of the ‘Neolithic problem’, the past 50–60,000 years of occupation in Sahul has seen the development of a varied array of food-producing subsistence practices in both New Guinea and Australia. However, the archaeological evidence for the expansion of horticultural practices and cultivars outside of highland New Guinea suggests a spatially and temporally narrow window for the adoption of agriculture by Indigenous populations in Cape York. Instead, the interaction between different subsistence systems in northern Sahul may have centred on the New Guinea lowlands and the Bismarck Archipelago, where, in the late Holocene, local communities interacted with other Melanesian and Austronesian populations. Whilst further archaeological investigation is required, it is clear that the image of culturally-static Indigenous Australian populations often implied in the consideration of forager/farmer interactions belongs to another era of archaeological thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes a risk analysis of the economic impact of damage to metal roofing of a typical contemporary (new) Australian house subject to extreme wind loading. The failure modes considered are roof cladding and batten-to-truss connection failures, with the effect of defective construction also considered. Monte-Carlo simulation and structural reliability methods are used to stochastically model spatially varying pressure coefficients, roof component failure, and load re-distribution across the roof. This spatial reliability analysis enables fragility curves to be developed that relate likelihood and extent of roof cover loss to gust wind speed. The annual economic risk is up to 0.3% of house replacement value. A typical house with construction defects increases economic risk more than sixfold when compared to the defect-free house. There is a 10% chance that a changing climate will increase expected losses for houses in Brisbane and Melbourne by 6–18% over the next 50 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, as two transnational migrant women of colour we explore both privilege and disempowerment as afforded us by our education, laden with postcolonial influences and reinscribed patriarchal limits. We also examine our sense of vulnerability and ‘voicelessness’ as migrants in defining our positionalities and gendered identities within a transnational space. Within the conjunctures in our stories we analyse the impacts of postcolonialism, education, gender, patriarchy, identity discourses and transnationality. Using evocative autoethnography through ‘intimate landscapes’ of self-confession we focus on intergenerational female relationships, in particular with our mothers. Through socio-cultural, postcolonial and transnational feminist lenses we substantiate our arguments on the denial of ‘voice,’ irrespective of educational achievements. Our stories contribute to discourses surrounding the ambiguities around contested and intersecting notions of education, gender, social and cultural differences and identities within the spaces of postcolonial histories and transnationalism. Highlights • Transnational women of colour exploring privilege and disempowerment within education and migration experiences • Evocative autoethnographic accounts of ‘intimate landscapes of self-confessions’ based on personal ethnographic accounts • Negotiating ‘voices’ and ‘identities’ as wrought by gender and intergenerational female conflicts [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In some occupations, employers impose gendered appearance requirements on their employees. In this paper we present the findings of a small sample of Australian service industry workers subject to such requirements. We analyse these empirical findings to evaluate competing proposals in the literature for how to combat the material and other harms entailed by gendered appearance codes. We argue that the findings suggest that in the Australian context, these codes and the anachronistic norms that underpin them should be resisted across multiple fronts, including in employment and anti-discrimination law reform but also other sites of gender normalisation such as the media, schools and other institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present Ace Mod, an agent-based modelling framework for studying influenza epidemics in Australia. The simulator is designed to analyse the spatiotemporal spread of contagion and influenza spatial synchrony across the nation. The individual-based epidemiological model accounts for mobility (worker and student commuting) patterns and human interactions derived from the 2006 Australian census and other national data sources. The high-precision simulation comprises 19.8 million stochastically generated software agents and traces the dynamics of influenza viral infection and transmission at several scales. Using this approach, we are able to synthesise epidemics in Australia with varying outbreak locations and severity. For each scenario, we investigate the spatiotemporal profiles of these epidemics, both qualitatively and quantitatively, via incidence curves, prevalence choropleths, and epidemic synchrony. This analysis exemplifies the nature of influenza pandemics within Australia and facilitates future planning of effective intervention, mitigation and crisis management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key criterion of successful adaptation to climate change is that it avoids potential inequalities arising from climate impacts or from adaptation strategies themselves. Recent research on adaptation in developing and developed countries argues that the measures of such fairness cannot be captured by standard metrics of vulnerability and should be situated in the milieu of people’s daily lives and temporalities. Yet there is little empirical evidence to support this theoretical argument. This paper describes a method, and presents findings from research that aimed to understand and classify the lived values of four marginal rural communities at risk of sea-level rise in Australia to inform adaptation planning and implementation. Our research finds that there are at least five types of primary residents and second home-owners attached to these four low-lying coastal communities. Some of these residents are more likely to be amenable to relocation if their needs for affordable living and belonging are met. For others, there may be little that can be done to compensate for the loss of place attachment, and implementing a measured approach that provides them time to adapt to the idea of change and form connections to new places is the best that could be achieved. We discuss the implications of place-specific and people-centric values for achieving fair adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cemented paste backfill (CPB) is used extensively in Australia for providing ground support during underground mining operations. This paper considered the use of polypropylene fibres to reinforce the partial or whole body of CPB models in laboratory centrifuge tests. Specimens were cast as non-reinforced (tailings, cement and water), quarter-height, half-height and full height fibre-reinforced CPB model stopes. The stability of CPB models with vertically exposed faces was investigated by a series of centrifuge tests. The modelling data showed that the prototype height of fibre reinforced CPB stopes could be much higher than that of unreinforced stopes depending on the extent of reinforcing. The vertical displacement and failure mass ratio of CPB models were also compared and discussed. The distinct failure modes showed that fibre reinforcement was effective in preventing the CPB failing into the strong box. Furthermore, virtually no fragments were spalled from the exposed faces of reinforced sections of the stopes. It indicated that the application of fibre reinforcement would potentially reduce ore dilution and recovery costs, because the risks of failure would be lowered and prototype stope sizes be enlarged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies established methods from population geography to assess the impact of Australia’s emerging housing affordability crisis in shaping the distribution of Australia’s population into more or less advantaged places. Using a whole of population measure of locational advantage/disadvantage, we analyse the characteristics of movers, their reasons for moving, and their pre and post move residential outcomes. We find evidence at the population level of a ‘two-speed’ process, where - on average - Australians are moving to slightly more advantageous locations, but more vulnerable groups undertake more frequent, multi-step moves to disadvantaged areas. Housing affordability is found to be the key driver of the selective migration of some Australians into less advantaged places. The paper highlights the dynamic character of places, the increasing importance of housing affordability as a determinant of population distribution, and signals a need to look beyond simple place-based interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has formally recognized the importance of digital identity and has raised the issue of reciprocal rights and duties between the government and its citizens. Australia is the first country to articulate digital citizenship in these terms. This paper considers the respective rights and duties of government and citizens that could be included in a digital citizenship charter, and the likely legal implications. The paper explores these aspects in relation to digital identity because of its increasing commercial and legal importance. The author argues that considering the consequences for individuals, the right to identity, as an international fundamental human right, should now be recognized and protected in relation to digital identity. The argument is presented that recognition and protection of this right is an essential component of a model of accountable and responsible digital citizenship. While the paper uses the Australian concept of digital citizenship as the basis for the discussion, the issues are relevant to all jurisdictions implementing e-government initiatives that require an individual to use digital identity for transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proponents of low-carbon transformation face an uphill battle to reconfigure incumbent energy systems against powerful interests protecting the status quo. Australia's electricity sector is an example of such a system, wedded to fossil fuels and backed by much of the country's political establishment. This paper addresses the potential for low-carbon transformation in Australia's electricity sector. It explores the complex and uncertain dynamics shaping the sector and outlines how these can be understood through the lens of strategic agency – with an eye for opportunities to drive a shift to renewables. It reviews the dynamics of change and re-stability shaping Australia's electricity sector between 2006 and 2015 and applies a resource-based view of transformative agency to analyse these dynamics. Results show the sector suffers multiple stressors and emphasise disruptive changes ‘in the pipeline’. Critically, many of these transformative dynamics stem from factors outside the influence of the electricity sector and its supporters. While results do not point to a clear trajectory or outcome of transformation, they indicate the uptake of small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems by households and small business will play a defining role in the sector's future configuration. Furthermore, the exploration of transformative dynamics affecting the electricity sector through a resource-based lens shows that many opportunities exist for strategic agents to intervene in support of a disruptive shift to renewables. The paper suggests a range of mechanisms that agents could use to undermine the strength of fossil energy in the electricity sector and encourage a shift to renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the increasing number of students from “Asian” backgrounds in Australian schools, little consideration has been given to the experiences of Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers in teaching these students. This paper centres on the experiences of eight Anglo-Celtic Australian HPE teachers teaching mainly Chinese students in two schools in Queensland. In order to understand the nuanced diversity of their teaching experiences, three key theories were drawn on. They include: Bourdieu's concepts of capital and (mis)recognition, Chinese “complementary difference” and postcolonialism. Underpinned by critical and interpretive ethnographic methods, this paper also discussed key implications for promoting diversity in HPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Austrian eID system constitutes a main pillar within the Austrian e-Government strategy. The eID system ensures unique identification and secure authentication for citizens protecting access to applications where sensitive and personal data are involved. In particular, the Austrian eID system supports three main use cases: identification and authentication of Austrian citizens, electronic representation, and foreign citizen authentication at Austrian public sector applications. For supporting all these use cases, several components — either locally deployed in the applications' domain or centrally deployed — need to communicate with each other. While local deployments have some advantages in terms of scalability, still a central deployment of all involved components would be advantageous, e.g., due to less maintenance efforts. However, a central deployment can easily lead to load bottlenecks because theoretically the whole Austrian population as well as — for foreign citizens — the whole EU population could use the provided services. To mitigate the issue on scalability, in this paper we propose the migration of the main components of the ecosystem into a public cloud. However, a move of trusted services into a public cloud brings up new obstacles, particularly with respect to privacy. To bypass the issue on privacy, in this paper we propose an approach on how the complete Austrian eID ecosystem can be moved into a public cloud in a privacy-preserving manner by applying selected cryptographic technologies (in particular using proxy re-encryption and redactable signatures). Applying this approach, no sensitive data will be disclosed to a public cloud provider by still supporting all three main eID system use cases. We finally discuss our approach based on selected criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the role of the teacher in relation to moral education in Catholic schools in Australia and Ireland. Literature pertaining to faith-based schooling, the moral role of the teacher and moral education across the curriculum in both countries is outlined. The paper draws on a small-scale study involving a survey with 154 respondents and individual interviews with nine teachers. Some interesting country differences emerged that are indicative of cultural settings. These include pedagogical practices, the nature of teacher–student relationships and levels of awareness of schools' founding charisms. Some implications for moral education in faith-based schools are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the impact of economic insecurity on the mental health of Australian adults. Taking microdata from the 2001–2011 HILDA panel survey, we develop a conceptually diverse set of insecurity measures and explore their relationships with the SF-36 mental health index. By using fixed effects models that control for unobservable heterogeneity we produce estimates that correct for endogeneity more thoroughly than previous works. Our results show that exposure to economic risks has small but consistently detrimental mental health effects. The main contribution of the paper however comes from the breadth of risks that are found to be harmful. Job insecurity, financial dissatisfaction, reductions and volatility in income, an inability to meet standard expenditures and a lack of access to emergency funds all adversely affect health. This suggests that the common element of economic insecurity (rather than idiosyncratic phenomena associated with any specific risk) is likely to be hazardous. Our preferred estimates indicate that a standard deviation shock to economic insecurity lowers an individual's mental health score by about 1.4 percentage points. If applied uniformly across the Australian population such a shock would increase the morbidity rate of mental disorders by about 1.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This discussion paper focuses on English proficiency standards for nursing registration in Australia, how Australia has dealt with the issue of language proficiency, and the factors which have led to the establishment of the current language standards. Also, this paper will provide a comparison of the two language tests that are currently accepted in Australia (OET and IELTS), including the appropriateness of these tests and the minimum standards used. The paper will also examine the use of educational background as an indicator of language proficiency. Finally, communication-based complaints in the post-registration environment will be explored, and some discussion will be provided about why pre-registration measures might have failed to prevent such problematic situations from occurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hello Sunday Morning (HSM) is an online program that encourages people to commit to a period of non-drinking and blog about their experiences. The purpose of this paper is to explore how HSM members negotiated their periods of abstention, with a focus on how not drinking influenced their narratives of selfhood.Methods: Thematic analysis was undertaken of 2844 blog posts from 154 Victorians who signed up to HSM in 2013 or 2014.Results: Analysis revealed three key narratives of selfhood offered by participants: (1) abstinence resulting in a disrupted sense of self, (2) non-consumption facilitating the development of a new healthy self, and (3) anti-consumption facilitating the development of a resistant self.Conclusion: Individuals construct and maintain their sense of self through consumption (or non-consumption) activities, and this occurs within the broader context of the relationship between selfhood, consumption and culture. HSM members developed narratives of self by drawing on a range of wider discursive structures concerning pleasure, healthism and resistance. The typologies of non-drinking selves identified in this paper could be disseminated through platforms such as HSM to support people who are new to non-drinking in choosing how they might construct and enact alternative selfhoods in contexts where alcohol consumption is deeply embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both developed and developing countries have committed to reduce their emissions through the increased use of renewable energy. This paper aims to compare renewable energy deployment in developed and developing countries represented by Australia and China. The paper firstly argues the validity of comparison of renewable energy deployment in Australia and China. Then, the governance structures in both countries are compared; the paper also compares management mechanisms in terms of funding and incentive support, renewable energy grid-connection and coordination between different levels of governments in both countries. Moreover, the current status of renewable energy development in two countries is summarized. From the study, it can be concluded both countries have set a Renewable Energy Target and promulgated legislation and regulations to enlarge the scale of renewable energy; China shows a stronger commitment to renewable energy than Australia. However, Renewable Energy Certificate mechanism is implemented more effectively in Australia than in China. The paper suggests: augmenting and rebuilding the electricity network and strengthening coordination between different levels of governments for both countries; enhancing manufacturing facilities and incentives for the solar and wind industry for Australia, while developing more-detailed implementation legislation and renewable power quota system for China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aged care staff are often seen as holding power in care relationships, particularly in client engagement. Such a perception, however, may limit our understanding and analysis of the dynamics and politics within care spaces. This paper uses interview and focus group data from both staff and clients of an Australian aged care provider to identify the positions given to, and taken up by, staff in client engagement. Focusing on one of these positions, in which staff are seen as managing and negotiating constraints, the paper uses an ethic of care lens to examine the context in which engagement – and this position taking – occurs. Findings reflect the importance of the organisational and systemic context to the practice of care ethics and the potential vulnerability and disempowerment of care giving staff. Implications for the support of staff in client engagement and the role of care organisations beyond structures and processes to an active participant in an ethic of care are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Smart Grid (SG) is an emerging concept, which is in a testing phase in many countries. It is a relatively new perception that integrates electricity and communication on power system networks, which enable SG applications, mainly for the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). This paper presents a review of the existing studies on SG systems, the use of SG technologies and the modeling techniques for SG available in the literature. Furthermore, the paper focuses on SG features when connected at a distribution grid and its active distribution management capability. It also identifies the current practice as provided in technical standards and potential industry investments that can facilitate a pathway towards SG development in Australia. The paper also has highlighted the possible areas of research that would be required to implement practical SG facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purposes: This study aimed to compare between electronic medication administration records and paper-based records in the nursing time spent on various activities in a medication round and the medication administration processes followed by nurses in an Australian residential aged care home. It also aimed to identify the benefits and unintended adverse consequences of using the electronic medication administration records.Methods: Time-motion observation, taking of field notes, informal conversation and document review were used to collect data in two units of a residential aged care home. Each unit had one nurse administer medication. Seven nurses were observed over 12 morning shifts. Unit 1 used electronic medication administration records and Unit 2 used paper-based records.Results: No significant difference between the two units was found in the nursing time spent on various activities in a medication round, including documentation, verbal communication, medication administration, infection control and transit. Comparison of the medication administration processes between the electronic and paper-based medication administration records identified a procedural problem which violated the organization's documentation requirement. This problem was documenting before providing medication to a resident when using the paper-based records. It was not observed with the electronic medication administration records. Benefits of introducing the electronic medication administration records included improving nurses' compliance with documentation requirements, freedom from the error of signing twice, reducing the possibility of forgetting to medicate a resident, facilitating nurses to record the time of medication administration to a resident and increasing documentation space. Unintended adverse consequences of introducing the electronic medication administration records included inadequate information about residents, late addition of a new resident's medication profile in the records and nurses' forgetting to medicate a resident due to power outage of the portable device.Conclusions: The electronic medication administration records may not change nursing time spent on various activities in a medication round or substantially alter the medication administration processes, but can generate both benefits and unintended adverse consequences. Future research may investigate whether and how the adverse consequences can be prevented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Census-based deprivation indices have been widely used in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada and UK to measure area-based socio-economic inequalities. This paper examines the indicators used in census-based area deprivation indices using a political ecology approach. We question whether the current indicators of deprivation derived from census data are meaningful for the all age groups and minority groups in the population, with a particular focus on deprivation indicators used in New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. We comparatively reviewed methodological papers and reports that describe the indicators of deprivation in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada and the UK from 1975 to 2014. We consider the relationship between the notion of standards of living and measurements of deprivation and explore how hegemonic cultural constructs are implicit in measures of deprivation that privilege a Eurocentric, ageist and gender normative construction of statistics. We argue for more political ecological analyses to studying the relationship between social inequalities, geographies, health inequities and political economy to transform structures of oppression and inequality. This requires turning the analytical gaze on the wealthy and privileged instead of defaulting into deficit models to account for inequality. Studies of deprivation and inequality would benefit from understanding the processes and operations of power in the (re)production of socio-economic and health inequities to inform holistic strategies for social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon reduction has become one of the most significant challenges for economic growth. This paper presents the preliminary analysis of undesirable output reduction targets and emission schedules in temporal–spatial comparisons based on Data Envelopment Analysis. The reduction targets of undesirable outputs are investigated, including the maximum, input, technical and ideal reduction targets. Four Data Envelopment Analysis models that are based on a sequential benchmark technology and variable returns to scale are introduced to measure these reduction percentages. In order to formulate the optimal emission schedule of undesirable outputs, an optimal model is provided without inflation. Data from the Australian construction industry from 2000 to 2010 are employed to develop the models. The results of the analysis indicate that the Australian Government could achieve its promised carbon reduction targets in the construction industry. Most Australian regions' construction industries possess carbon mitigation potential and some of them could increase their desirable outputs if carbon were decreased. This paper suggests that policymakers can benefit from formulating various suitable undesirable output reduction objectives and schedules through the models developed. The research method can be replicated for other sectors and regions focussing on undesirable output reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting electricity demand data is considered an essential task in decisions taking, and establishing new infrastructure in the power generation network. To deliver a high-quality electricity demand prediction, this paper proposes a hybrid combination technique, based on a deep learning model of Convolutional Neural Networks and Echo State Networks, named as CESN. Daily electricity demand data from four sites (Roderick, Rocklea, Hemmant and Carpendale), located in Southeast Queensland, Australia, have been used to develop the proposed hybrid prediction model. The study also analyzes five other machine learning-based models (support vector regression, multilayer perceptron, extreme gradient boosting, deep neural network, and Light Gradient Boosting) to compare and evaluate the outcomes of the proposed deep learning approach. The results obtained in the experimental study showed that the proposed hybrid deep learning model is able to obtain the highest performance compared to other existing models developed for daily electricity demand data forecasting. Based on the statistical approaches utilized in this study, the proposed hybrid approach presents the highest prediction accuracy among the compared models. The obtained results showed that the proposed hybrid deep learning algorithm is an excellent and accurate electricity demand forecasting method, which outperformed the state of the art algorithms that are currently used in this problem. [Display omitted] • A Hybrid deep learning model is proposed for daily electricity demand prediction. • Convolutional Neural Networks and Echo State Networks are integrated into a single forecasting algorithm. • The proposed deep learning-based approach is excellent in electricity demand prediction. • The proposed algorithm has practical use in inter-daily electricity demand prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Preparing teachers for child protection and safeguarding must begin in initial teacher education. • We included 31 studies in a systematic scoping review. • In future, course developers should draw from models of rigorously evaluated courses. • Underpinning courses with trauma-informed approaches is strongly indicated. To improve educational outcomes for maltreated children, there is an urgent need to strengthen the capacity of the education workforce to respond appropriately to their needs. We conducted a systematic scoping review to synthesize current evidence about child protection and safeguarding in initial (pre-registration) teacher education with the aim of developing a knowledge base, and understanding what we — as researchers, teacher educators, and professional accreditation bodies — can and should be doing better. Thirty-one studies (reported in 38 papers) met the inclusion criteria. Studies were coded inductively against standardised criteria and critically appraised. Coding of study aims yielded three themes forming a descriptive map of research in the field: (i) studies investigating student teachers' perceptions of their preparedness to deal with child protection and safeguarding (n = 15); (ii) studies investigating preparation for child protection and safeguarding in initial teacher education courses (n = 14); and (iii) studies investigating student teachers' preferences for future training (n = 2). We identified key contents or topics covered, teaching methods and delivery modes, time allocations, and personnel involved in course delivery. Findings show that child protection and safeguarding are seldom investigated in initial teacher education, averaging only one published study per year over a 32-year search period with most studies having been conducted in Australia and the UK. Time allocated to child protection and safeguarding in initial teacher education courses varied from 1 to 16 h. Content covered was limited to several core topics with primacy given to child maltreatment subtypes, indicators, and reporting duties. Delivery methods were dominated by lectures, workshops, and discussions. Few studies had investigated the efficacy of innovative and interactive teaching strategies or online learning. We conclude that child protection and safeguarding in initial teacher education may be improved by leveraging off existing well-designed, rigorously evaluated programs, which have been found to be feasibly delivered and acceptable to future professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Explored gender gaps in school students' reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation NAPLAN test results. • Boys were outperformed by girls in all NAPLAN literacy assessments from 2008 to 2021. • The largest literacy gender gap was writing while the smallest was reading. • The developmental trajectories of the literacy gender gaps were different. • The transition from primary to secondary school was a problematic time for boys' literacy outcomes. There is general agreement in primary education that boys as a group face greater challenges becoming literate than girls. Studies have found gender to be a strong predictor of student achievement on standardised literacy tests, fuelling arguments that boys are being failed by contemporary schooling. Australia's large-scale standardised assessment—NAPLAN—has tested students' literacy skills annually since 2008. Little research has investigated NAPLAN results with the aim of making visible patterns underlying literacy gender gaps in the Australian context. This paper analyses NAPLAN language conventions results between 2008 and 2021 and complements this with results from the NAPLAN reading and writing tests to determine which aspects of literacy cause boys most difficulty, and how boys fall behind girls at particular stages of schooling. We offer possible explanations and suggest where policymakers and schools should direct their attention to close the literacy gender gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, food poisoning affects over 4.1 million people annually, with most cases occurring in domestic (i.e., household) environments. Strategies aimed at improving safe food-handling among the community have begun being implemented across Australia. Recently, the 'Play it Food Safe' mass media campaign by the Western Australian Department of Health was piloted and shown to have some effectiveness in improving safe food-handling behaviour among consumers following the campaign. However, little is known about whether these changes in safe food-handling behaviours can be maintained in the long-term. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to determine if the Western Australian 'Play it Food Safe' campaign could lead to long-term change of safe food-handling knowledge, behaviour, and related psychological constructs (i.e., habit, perceived risk, self-efficacy, and subjective norms) among consumers. Participants (N = 689) completed measures assessing their safe food-handling knowledge, behaviour, and psychological constructs, derived from psychological theories, following the conclusion of the 'Play it Food Safe' campaign that was re-run in Perth, Western Australia. Participants completed these measures again approximately eight-weeks later. Data were analysed to determine if there were any changes in these measures over time, or whether scores on these measures were maintained long-term. Results indicated that some psychological constructs improved over time, and knowledge was higher among participants who saw the campaign, however, behaviour remained the same. These findings show that the 'Play it Food Safe' campaign may be effective for increasing knowledge, and effective for improving some psychological constructs long-term, though further development of the campaign is needed for further impact on behaviour. • Eight-weeks following the campaign, safe food-handling knowledge improved. • Similarly, some psychological constructs changed. • Safe food-handling behaviour did not change, eight-weeks following the campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]