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Farm advisors are recognised as playing an increasingly central role in facilitating interactions between scientists and farmers to improve local implementation of sustainable soil management practices and agricultural innovations more broadly. However, there has been limited scrutiny of what farm advisors do when faced with conflicting interpretations among actors over techniques or approaches for facilitating agricultural innovation. This article advances knowledge in this area by investigating the role of farm advisors in aligning different frames on agricultural soil research and extension across seven Australian mixed farming regions. Drawing upon theoretical work on frame alignment, we argue that farm advisors use three types of strategies to align conflicting frames—frame bridging, frame amplification and frame transformation. These strategies seek to frame local soil research and extension priorities in ways that are assumed to resonate more closely with the frames of multiple constituents, such as farmers and soil scientists. Through our analysis, we argue that the application of a frame alignment approach enables greater precision in identifying which (a) interactive and social learning processes, (b) key local influencers and communities of practice and (c) resourcing and governance arrangements are most likely to be effective in facilitating soil research and extension that is locally useful and useable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the twentieth century, inadequate management of mine waste at the Mount Lyell Copper Mine affected the ecology of the Queen–King Rivers and Macquarie Harbour, western Tasmania, Australia. Over the past two decades, the water quality of the river system has been measured semi-annually to investigate the long-term hydrochemical and environmental impacts caused by these historical mine practices and the waste associated with the Mount Lyell mine to the Queen–King Rivers. At sample sites below the confluence of Haulage Creek, the water pH was below pH 3.5, remaining below pH 5 across all sites to Macquarie Harbour. Local baseline rivers ranged from pH 4.0 to 8.4. Elemental concentrations of dissolved metals in water samples downstream of Haulage Creek were above the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) water quality guidelines. Copper, Fe, and Zn were not attenuated along the length of the river, with concentrations remaining elevated to the King River Delta. Mineralogical analyses demonstrated secondary minerals in sediments at Haulage Creek and pyrite concentrated at the King River Delta. Static tests on mining-affected sediments indicated risk of AMD and metal(loid) leaching in the river system. Since 2016, after flooding of the Prince Lyell mine, dissolved metal levels in the Queen–King Rivers have decreased; however, concentrations remain above guidelines. Almost three decades after legacy mine waste disposal ended, it still poses a long-term risk to the downstream environment, implying that without effective management of these historical mine wastes, the Queen–King Rivers will continue to be severely impacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Australia-wide consensus was reached on seven core concepts of physiology, one of which was "structure and function" with the descriptor "Structure and function are intrinsically related to all levels of the organism. In all physiological systems, the structure from a microscopic level to an organ level dictates its function." As a framework for the structure and function core concept, the renal system was unpacked by a team of 5 Australian Physiology educators from different universities with extensive teaching experience into hierarchical levels, with 5 themes and 25 subthemes up to 3 levels deep. Within theme 1, the structures that comprise the renal system were unpacked. Within theme 2, the physiological processes within the nephron such as filtration, reabsorption, and secretion were unpacked. Within theme 3, the processes involved in micturition were unpacked. In theme 4, the structures and processes involved in regulating renal blood flow and glomerular filtration were unpacked; and within theme 5, the role of the kidney in red blood cell production was unpacked. Twenty-one academics rated the difficulty and importance of each theme/subtheme, and results were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA. All identified themes were validated as "essential" to "important"/"moderately important" and rated between "difficult" to "not difficult." A similar framework consisting of structure, physiological processes, physical processes, and regulation can be used to unpack other body systems. Unpacking of the body systems will provide a list of what students should be taught in curricula across Australian universities and inform assessment and learning activities. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first attempt to unpack and validate the "structure and function" core concept in physiology with all Australian educators. We unpacked the renal system into themes with hierarchical levels, which were validated by an experienced team of Australian physiology educators. Our unpacking of the "structure and function" core concept provides a specific framework for educators to apply this important concept in physiology education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of core concepts ("big ideas") integral to the discipline of physiology are important for students to understand and demonstrate their capacity to apply. We found poor alignment of learning outcomes in programs with physiology majors (or equivalent) from 17 Australian universities and the 15 core concepts developed by a team in the United States. The objective of this project was to reach Australia-wide consensus on a set of core concepts for physiology, which can be embedded in curricula across Australian universities. A four-phase Delphi method was employed, starting with the assembling of a Task Force of physiology educators with extensive teaching and curriculum development expertise from 25 Australian universities. After two online meetings and a survey, the Task Force reached agreement on seven core concepts of physiology and their descriptors, which were then sent out to the physiology educator community across Australia for agreement. The seven core concepts and their associated descriptions were endorsed through this process (n = 138). In addition, embedding the core concepts across the curriculum was supported by both Task Force members (85.7%) and educators (82.1%). The seven adopted core concepts of human physiology were Cell Membrane, Cell-Cell Communication, Movement of Substances, Structure and Function, Homeostasis, Integration, and Physiological Adaptation. The core concepts were subsequently unpacked into themes and subthemes. If adopted, these core concepts will result in consistency across curricula in undergraduate physiology programs and allow for future benchmarking. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first time Australia-wide agreement has been reached on the core concepts of physiology with the Delphi method. Embedding of the core concepts will result in consistency in physiology curricula, improvements to teaching and learning, and benchmarking across Australian universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imaginaries of protected areas as state-based fortresses have been challenged by expansion of the global nature conservation estate on non-government lands, notably in contexts such as Australia where neoliberal reform has been strong. Little is known about the implications of this change for the meanings, purposes and practices of nature conservation. Images are central to public understandings of nature conservation. We thus investigate the visual communication of environmental non-government organisations (ENGOs) involved in private protected areas in Australia, with particular focus on Bush Heritage Australia (BHA). We employ a three-part design encompassing quantitative and qualitative methods to study the visual imaginaries underlying nature conservation in BHA's magazines and the web homepages of it and four other ENGOs over 2004–2020. We find that visual imaginaries changed across time, as ENGOs went through an organisational process of professionalisation comprising three dynamics: legitimising, marketising, and differentiating. An imaginary of dedicated Western volunteer groups protecting scenic wilderness was replaced by the spectacle of uplifting and intimate individual encounters with native nature. Amenable to working within rather than transforming dominant political-economic structures, the new imaginary empowers professional ENGOs and their partners as primary carers of nature. It advertises a mediated access to spectacular nature that promises positive emotions and redemption for environmental wrongs to financial supporters of ENGOs. These findings reveal the role of non-government actors under neoliberal conditions in the use of visual representations to shift the meanings, purposes and practices of nature conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of this article report on a qualitative study of Australian community-based natural resource management groups known as Landcare groups. They discuss how four Landcare groups contributed to sustainability practices and how a policy change implemented in 2003 influenced the efforts of the groups to remain active in their activities. Using case-study methodology and drawing on Habermasian theory to support their work, the authors show that changing administrative structures created a tighter connection among government policies, projects and landholders carrying out natural resource management projects. The tighter connections provide more efficient processes to deliver officially valued outcomes as they are mediated by the catchment management authorities, but that efficiency is achieved at a cost because each landholder is now in competition with other landholders in the catchment to improve his/her own properties. Now the landholders are clients of the system, as private consumers rather than as a local community.

To identify pathways to lower environmental impacts, this research examined the motivation and antecedents of motivation (autonomy, relatedness, competence), of environmentally active people. Previous research suggests that people with more self-determined motivation for pro-environmental behavior (PEB) should carry out more PEBs, and have lower environmental impacts, than people whose motivation is more externally regulated. Path analysis in Sample 1 (N = 261) confirmed that self-determined motivation was positively related to both easy and difficult PEB. The more participants judged that their needs for autonomy and relatedness were met in relation to performing PEB, the more self-determined their motivation. Higher perceived relatedness was also directly related to reporting more engagement in difficult PEB. Perceived competence was not related to self-determined motivation or PEB. The pattern of results was largely supported when re-tested with a sample (N = 320) who completed a "carbon footprint" measure of environmental impact as well as the questionnaire completed by Sample 1. In this sample, autonomy, relatedness, "and" competence were related to self-determined motivation. The research is the first to our knowledge to examine and find a relationship between higher self-determined motivation and lower self-reported environmental impact. These findings point to new approaches to increasing PEB.

Teacher feedback is critically related to student learning. This study sought to determine the relationships between distance education (DE) student level of self-regulated learning (SRL) and their preference for audio-recorded vs. written feedback from tutors. DE students (n = 102) enrolled in a first-year university course completed an online questionnaire that assessed eight dimensions of SRL as well as a personal evaluation of written vs. audio-recorded tutor feedback that was provided during the academic study period. In general, the participating DE students expressed preference for written over audio-recorded feedback. However, complex patterns of relationships emerged between dimensions of SRL and evaluation of written vs. audio-recorded feedback. For example, DE students who were most likely to listen to audio-recorded feedback appreciated peer interaction and personal challenges more than students who preferred written feedback. In DE learning environments, a variety of feedback formats may best meet the needs of all students, although exposure to various technologies may facilitate SRL.

The psychometric properties of the General Functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device were examined using the Rasch Model (N = 237 couples). Mothers' and fathers' ratings of the General Functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device are recommended, provided these are analyzed separately. More than a quarter of couples differed significantly in their ratings.

The slow uptake of Education for Sustainability (EfS) curricula in universities has, partly, been attributed to academics' perceptions that EfS has little relevance within some disciplines. Understanding teaching academics' attitudes, values and experiences of EfS across disciplines can inform future EfS efforts in higher education. This paper presents one part of a larger study that sought the views of ˜6% of the entire university teaching workforce of Australia. One quarter of the teaching academics in every discipline of every Australian university (except one) (n?=?38) was sent an online questionnaire asking for their opinions of EfS. Precisely, 1819 academics participated (26% response rate) and data was analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings suggest that academics are supportive of EfS for all university students. Support, perceived relevance and reported difficulties with EfS are discipline specific; academics would respond positively to EfS framed within their disciplinary worldviews.

What can we learn from the prodigious expansion of the non-government protected areas that now comprise 12% of terrestrial Australia? An increasingly professional, formal, and diverse non-government sector has developed since 1990, comprising private individuals, non-government organizations, and First Nations and having close ties to governments. We investigate the drivers, dynamics, and diversity of this sector through thematic analysis of 24 key informant interviews and associated gray literature. Changing environmental movements, science-led conservation, partial recognition of First Nations land rights, international agreements, and neoliberal reforms combined to formalize the sector during the 1990s. A bipartisan policy framework for incorporating non-government lands in the national conservation estate, diverse partnerships, transnational networks, and innovation in public and private funding helped grow the sector. The confluence of interests that has transformed the politics and practice of nature conservation in Australia is likely to inform those engaged with similar changes elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neuroscience patients can present with agitation due to a number of factors such as the presence of cerebral abnormalities, tumours, trauma, or medications. Agitation among neuroscience patients that escalates to violence and aggression appears to be increasing and highly challenging for neuroscience nursing practice across Australasia. Neuroscience wards or units endeavour to effectively manage patients who are affected by agitation and provide appropriate training for clinical and non-clinical staff. Following a workshop through Australasian Neuroscience Nurses' Association (ANNA), a group of neuroscience nurses, passionate about improving the care of neuroscience patients presenting with agitation and the safety of the staff; collaborated and researched the most effective prevention and management strategies that can be used to ensure that care delivery for these patients is therapeutic and effective. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to share recommendations that can guide the prevention and management of agitation among neuroscience patients from the perspective of neuroscience nurses in Australasia. Discussion: These recommendations have been discussed from hospitals across Australasia including Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and Wellington in the hope that other cities can make changes in their own hospitals to inform neuroscience nurses and allied clinicians, improve guidelines and provide effective education for staff members that interact with neuroscience patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) reduces cardiovascular risk factors, morbidity and mortality after a cardiac event. Traditional Australian CR programs are located in metropolitan areas and delivered by an expert, multidisciplinary team. Referral and uptake barriers for people living in rural and remote locations are significantly affected by geographical isolation. This scoping review aimed to explore how phase II CR services in rural and remote Australia are being delivered. Methods: A scoping review was conducted to obtain all published literature relating to CR service delivery for people living in rural and remote Australia. A literature search of the following databases was performed in December 2021: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and PubMed. Results: Six articles met the inclusion criteria. Study designs varied and included mixed methods, cross-sectional design and narrative review. Overall, literature relating to CR programs in rural and remote Australia was limited. Three themes were apparent: (1) barriers to the delivery of phase II CR in rural and remote Australia remain; (2) community centre‐based programs do not reach all people in rural and remote Australia; and (3) alternative models of CR are underutilised. Conclusions: Phase II CR programs in rural and remote Australia do not align with current recommendations for service delivery. The use of technology as a primary or adjunct model of delivery to support people living in rural and remote Australia needs to be further developed and implemented. Further research exploring barriers to the uptake of alternative models of CR delivery is recommended. What is known about the topic? After a cardiac event, people living in rural and remote Australia face many barriers to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) attendance. What does this paper add? This paper demonstrates the need to improve CR service access provision in rural and remote Australia via alternate models of delivery. What are the implications for practitioners? Exploring barriers to and facilitators of the uptake of hybrid models of delivery is recommended to ensure that CR services reach and support all people living in rural and remote Australia after a cardiac event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Integrated peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) demonstrate clinical efficacy, however, device complexity and design differences may be a potential barrier to implementation. Aims: To assess nurse acceptability of integrated PIVC systems. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was nested within a multicentre randomised controlled trial. One hundred nurses caring for patients with integrated and non-integrated PIVCs completed a 17-item survey about key differences between devices (eg function and appearance, perceived patient comfort and skin injuries). Findings: Most nurses reported the integrated PIVC wings prevented device movement (80%), achieved patient comfort in areas of flexion (78%), and no patients developed skin injuries (100%). Nurses rated the ease of accessing and overall confidence using the integrated PIVC as significantly higher than the non-integrated design (P<0.001).Conclusion: The integrated PIVC received positive feedback from nurses and had few barriers to implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review seeks to understand the implications of using "adoption" to evaluate agricultural soil management outreach in the twenty-first century. The act of changing from one practice to another practice is referred to as "adoption". The concept of adoption is closely associated with the design and evaluation of agricultural extension programs. Although focusing on adoption is deeply entrenched in agricultural extension, some scholars question the usefulness of the concept in light of the complexity and uncertainty that characterises farming in the twenty-first century. We present a purposeful review of literature that considers adoption in relation to three general approaches to agricultural extension; top-down, bottom-up and co-constructionist, with an emphasis on land management in Australia. The conceptual fit of adoption as a measure of success for each extension approach is explored. We conclude that the usefulness of adoption of individual practices or tools as a measure of success needs to be considered in context. Failing to reflect on what adoption means in any particular program or activity risks ignoring or misunderstanding real change and impacts and /or shaping activities to fit a simple, linear adoption expectation. We suggest that adoption remains a useful concept, but could be best considered as a gateway to increased reflection and reflexivity when projects and activities are being developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the sustainability of Robot-assisted upper limb therapy (RT-UL) as part of routine occupational therapy and physiotherapy clinical practice. Two separate audits, 12 months apart, of RT-UL computer data records were undertaken to determine sustainability in a subacute rehabilitation unit. Records of the two audits were compared in terms of the number of early subacute stroke survivors using RT-UL, the number of RT-UL sessions, duration of RT-UL sessions, and disciplines prescribing RT-UL. During Audit 1 58% (n = 18) of stroke survivors received RT-UL compared to 50% (n = 7) in Audit 2. The total number of RT-UL sessions reduced between audits (148 vs. 36 sessions) reflecting the overall reduction in admission rates for stroke survivors. There was no significant difference between audits in the average number of RT-UL sessions per patient (p = 0.203) nor the length of sessions (p = 0.762). Patients engaged in active therapy more than three-quarters of the time when on the robotic device. Physiotherapists were the primary prescribers of RT-UL when compared to occupational therapists. RT-UL was in continued and regular use with stroke survivors 2 years after initial implementation within an inpatient rehabilitation setting. RT-UL practice was intensive and used routinely with patients. RT-UL is a sustainable and intensive intervention for stroke survivors within an inpatient rehabilitative setting. The cost-benefits of RT-UL should be evaluated from the perspective of the whole rehabilitation service not just at an individual patient level. RT-UL may be considered a "bridging" form of UL practice for those with more limited active UL movement until there is sufficient UL movement and power for more complex real-world task-specific practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Health services implemented a range of initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic to support employee wellbeing and assist employees to manage the professional and personal challenges they experienced. However, it is not known if such initiatives were acceptable to employees or met their needs. Aims To evaluate the wellbeing and support initiatives implemented at an Australian health service during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of employees (both users and non-users) and key stakeholders. Methods A mixed-methods design (survey, interviews and data audit) to investigate employees' and key stakeholders' perceptions, experiences and use of the wellbeing and support initiatives implemented at a large tertiary metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia. Results Ten employees participated in an interview and 907 completed a survey. The initiatives were well used and appreciated by staff. There was no significant difference in the proportion of clinical staff who had used the initiatives compared to non-clinical staff (44% versus 39%; P =0.223). Survey respondents reported the initiatives improved their mental health (n = 223, 8%), ability to cope with COVID-19 related stress and anxiety (n = 206, 79%), do their work (n = 200, 77%) and relationships with colleagues (n = 174, 67%). Staff would like many of the initiatives (with some modifications) to continue after the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions The findings suggest a high level of staff satisfaction with the implemented wellbeing and support initiatives, and confirm the need for, and importance of, developing and implementing initiatives to support health service staff during outbreaks of infectious diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes a new hypothesis regarding the origin of bulungamayine kangaroos. Suggests that this group of Oglio-Miocene kangaroos independently evolved adaptations for herbivory and are likely to be ancestral to modern and recently extinct plant-eating kangaroos. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/WRM)

Climate change threatens the survival of coral reefs on a global scale, primarily through mass bleaching and mortality as a result of marine heatwaves. While these short-term effects are clear, predicting the fate of coral reefs over the coming century is a major challenge. One way to understand the longer-term effect of rapid climate change is to examine the response of coral populations to past climate shifts. Coastal and shallow-water marine ecosystems such as coral reefs have been reshaped many times by sea-level changes during the Pleistocene, yet few studies have directly linked this with its consequences on population demographics, dispersal, and adaptation. Here we use powerful analytical techniques, afforded by haplotype-phased whole-genomes, to establish such links for the reef-building coral, Acropora digitifera. We show that three genetically distinct populations are present in northwestern Australia, and that their rapid divergence since the last glacial maximum (LGM) can be explained by a combination of founder-effects and restricted gene flow. Signatures of selective sweeps, too strong to be explained by demographic history, are present in all three populations and overlap with genes that show different patterns of functional enrichment between inshore and offshore habitats. In contrast to rapid divergence in the host, we find that photosymbiont communities are largely undifferentiated between corals from all three locations, spanning almost 1000 km, indicating that selection on host genes, and not acquisition of novel symbionts, has been the primary driver of adaptation for this species in northwestern Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]