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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and challenges of Middle Eastern refugee mothers in using technology for language learning in regional Australian context. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a qualitative research design and used a narrative enquiry technique to understand participants' experiences of language acquisition with limited access to technology in new resettlement setting. Findings: The findings presented in this paper were derived from a qualitative investigation conducted on a sample of 21 refugee mothers from Middle Eastern countries. The research aimed to explore the role of a language education programme on their integration within the regional Australian context. Participants discussed a variety of aspects of their everyday lives within their new resettlement context while offering insights on the language education programme and its impacts on their educational progress. The theme "lack of access/use of technology in English language learning" emerged from the narratives. This paper draws on selected interview data from the participants. Originality/value: This study fills the gap in the literature on Middle Eastern refugees in regional Australia by exploring how lack/limited technology access can impact language acquisition of women from under-represented contexts.

Objective: The notion of revision has garnered considerable attention across various sectors of society, with higher education institutions also placing significant emphasis on it as a key performance evaluation metric. The burden of cultivating educators and facilitators for an evolving educational framework in society predominantly falls on universities and educational establishments. Consequently, there is a pressing need for this university to approach curriculum revision with heightened seriousness. Thus, the primary aim of this manuscript is to provide a succinct overview of the curriculum revision frameworks employed by Farhangian University, highlighting their shared characteristics as identified through research conducted in Iran, Turkey, and Australia. Methods: The methodology adopted for the study is both descriptive and analytical in nature. The study's participants consist of a panel of experts, with 13 individuals selected for interviews and 20 individuals chosen to respond to the questionnaire (which assesses indicator importance). Results: The study's results have indicated that the fundamental features common to curriculum revision models include: a strategic, long-term perspective on the revision process; a cyclical and continuous nature; an emphasis on interpretative and analytical procedures; recognition of the role played by organizational structure and stakeholders; and an approach to revision that integrates management principles with a research-oriented outlook. Conclusions: The findings reveal that effective curriculum revision models, as exemplified by Farhangian University and corroborated by research in Iran, Turkey, and Australia, share several key characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify socio-demographic determinants, risky behaviors and type of drug use, and the association with visiting by general practitioners (GP) in the last 12 months or outpatient service use among people who inject drugs (PWID). Studies in English published before November 1 2021, were searched for on PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science to identify primary studies on the factors associated with visiting by GP or outpatient service use among PWID. After a detailed assessment of over 17,348 papers, a total of 13 studies met the eligibility criteria. Greater odds of visits to the GP in the last 12 months or outpatient service use was associated with (i) being younger, (ii) being female, (iii) employment status, (iv) having public health insurance, (v) individuals who shared needles, (vi) individuals who were prescribed benzodiazepines, (vii) history of taking prescribed mental health medications, (viii) individuals who got methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and (X) individuals who had used primary care services. The present research findings highlighted that a significant proportion of the study participants used GP or outpatient service use/outpatient psychiatrist, suggesting that the focus should not be restricted to PWID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays an increasingly significant role in business and can impact organizational performance and sustainability. However, the degree to which stakeholders see the organization as legitimate may depend on the perceived authenticity of CSR processes and practices. As internal stakeholders, employees have a strong influence on organizational outcomes. CSR, in turn, has been found to positively influence several employee outcomes. To examine the mechanisms of this relationship, this study questioned when and how CSR enhances employees' perceptions and results in affective commitment. Drawing on a time‐lagged sample of 317 full‐time employees in Australia, we found that substantive CSR is positively associated with affective commitment mediated by meaningfulness through work and strengthened with embeddedness, while symbolic CSR is not. Through assessing and controlling for endogeneity threats in analysis, this study provides more accurate empirical insights into the importance of CSR authenticity, offers theoretical contributions to the field, and presents practical implications for organizations in enhancing their CSR planning and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood utility poles are widely applied in power transmission and telecommunication systems in Australia. Because of a variety of external influence factors, such as fungi, termite and environmental conditions, failure of poles due to the wood degradation with time is of common occurrence with high degree uncertainty. The pole failure may result in serious consequences including both economic and public safety. Therefore, accurately and timely identifying the health condition of the utility poles is of great significance for economic and safe operation of electricity and communication networks. In this paper, a novel non-destructive evaluation (NDE) framework with advanced signal processing and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques is developed to diagnose the condition of utility pole in field. To begin with, the guided waves (GWs) generated within the pole is measured using multi-sensing technique, avoiding difficult interpretation of various wave modes which cannot be detected by only one sensor. Then, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and principal component analysis (PCA) are employed to extract and select damage-sensitive features from the captured GW signals. Additionally, the up-to-date machine learning (ML) techniques are adopted to diagnose the health condition of the pole based on selected signal patterns. Eventually, the performance of the developed NDE framework is evaluated using the field testing data from 15 new and 24 decommissioned utility poles at the pole yard in Sydney. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the prevalence of device-related problems associated with hearing aid use, participants' help-seeking behaviours for these problems, and factors associated with hearing aid problems. Design: A prospective convenience cohort design surveying 413 adult hearing aid users (34–97 years of age) recruited from seven clinics across Australia. Results: Almost all participants (98%) indicated that they were experiencing at least one of the hearing aid problems included on the survey. The number of hearing aid related problems reported by participants ranged from 0 to 25 (of a possible 26), with a mean of 10 problems (SD = 5). The three most reported problems were related to difficulty hearing in noisy environments, hearing in windy environments, and understanding certain voices. Participants had reported less than half (46.33%) of the total problems identified to their clinic (range = 0–100%, mean = 43.40, SD = 13.92). Participants who reported experiencing a greater number of hearing aid problems also reported lower levels of hearing aid benefit, and satisfaction with their hearing aids. Conclusions: The majority of hearing aid owners experience problems with their hearing aids. Addressing these problems would likely contribute to improved hearing aid outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study provides a detailed analysis of the factors influencing variation in cyanobacterial communities of a large shallow off-river drinking water reservoir on the east coast of Australia. Receiving multiple inflows from two unprotected mixed land-use catchments, the Grahamstown Reservoir is a model example of a reservoir which is highly vulnerable to adverse water quality issues, including phytoplankton blooms and the resulting filtration, toxin and taste and odour problems produced. The spatial and temporal distributions of cyanobacteria were assessed for a period of 3 years (January 2012–December 2014) based on samples collected from three monitoring stations within the reservoir. Relationships between cyanobacterial abundance and a range of environmental factors were evaluated by application of multivariate curve resolution–alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) analysis. Results of the analysis indicated that among the 22 physico-chemical variables and 14 cyanobacterial taxa measured, the vertical temperature gradient within the water column and nutrient availability were the most powerful explanatory factors for the observed temporal and spatial distribution patterns in the densities of cyanobacterial taxa. The abundance patterns of the dominant cyanobacterial taxa—Aphanocapsa, Aphanothece, Microcystis and Pseudanabaena—were strongly linked with rainfall and run-off patterns into the reservoir, while Coelosphaerium and Microcystis were the taxa most influenced by the apparent occurrence of thermal stratification. The findings demonstrate the capacity of rigorous multivariate data analysis to identify more subtle relationships between water quality variables, catchment factors and cyanobacterial growth in drinking water reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an analysis of cooperative non- entrée policies in Australia and Italy. Through their funding, training and interception activities, Australia and Italy have aided and assisted Indonesia and Libya, respectively, in the commission of a number of internationally wrongful acts against refugees and migrants. These wrongful acts include refoulement ; arbitrary detention; violations of the right to life; cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; and violations of the right to leave. These human rights violations benefit Australia and Italy by preventing refugees and migrants from entering Australian and Italian territory. They are extensively reported and widely known. Neither Australia nor Italy can claim ignorance of the circumstances of these acts. In the light of this analysis, it is argued that, under Article 16 of the Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, Australia and Italy are therefore responsible for their complicity in human rights violations in Indonesia and Libya, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We assess compatibilities, conflicts and potential trade-offs between public land-use preferences and tenure policies. • The type of constraint affects zone configuration only at low to medium target level and does not change zone distributions at high target level. • Compatible land-use preferences with tenure policies can determine future landscape arrangements regardless of current land-use areas. • Findings highlight the importance of including preference data in planning process, particularly when aiming to meet low to medium target objectives. Abstract Allocating multiple land-uses in the landscape while accommodating social preferences is an overarching goal of an effective land-use plan. While there is momentum to include social preferences into planning, successful integration of preferences for multiple objectives, such as development and conservation, have been limited to date. Our aim was to examine how land-use designations can be modified to reduce conflict among multiple social preferences in a regional study area in Baffle Basin, Queensland state, Australia. We collected empirical data on spatially-explicit preferences for land-uses using Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) and integrated them into land-use planning. We used the systematic conservation planning tool Marxan with Zones to optimize zone allocations in a way that met objectives for these land-use preferences while minimizing conflicts as much as possible. We considered four scenarios that ranged from no constraints (assuming we could zone the region without consideration of existing land tenures or policies) through to full constraints (including preference against use, existing land-use, and land tenure types). We considered a full range of targets (10%–90%) to explore the extent to which targets influence the ability to align zones with preferences or result in possible conflicts. In the fully allocated outputs (90% targets), we found spatial land-use zonings were similar across scenarios; however for lower targets there were spatial variations in priority areas depending on the constraints included. In terms of meeting objectives, all targets could be met across scenarios up to 50% targets and tourism and residential preferences were the first to have missed targets and displayed the largest shortfalls for higher targets. Suggesting that for targets higher than 50% trade-offs in land-uses and social preferences will be made. The findings of this study can inform future landscape arrangements in terms of the influence of social preferences on zone allocations in the context of current and future use policies in order to reduce potential conflicts and make more socially acceptable land-use decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This inquiry has sought to assess for the first time the effectiveness of three of Australia’s National Human Rights Action Plans (NHRAP) in realising human rights and show that among other factors, the traditional concept of planning, which is still predominant in international human rights law, can play a key part in generating different problems in the way of an effective action plan. This focused case study was informed by four sources of data, including an online survey of 37 experts, an in-depth interview and secondary data, qualitative and quantitative. As the results of this mixed methods research indicate, the first two of Australia’s NHRAPs were only ‘slightly effective’ in implementing human rights. These two plans are beset by six fundamental and four subordinate problems which all stem from, inter alia, traditional planning. On the contrary, Australia’s current NHRAP which steps away from the very nature of traditional planning is more effective than the first two. The current experience of Australia, particularly in the areas of women’s rights and children’s rights, has a number of important implications for future practices. These include, but are not limited to, conducting a baseline study, linkage to the universal periodic review, evidence-based, theoretical foundation, extensive consultation and integrated governance approach. This all suggests a strategic shift towards the modern model of planning which is multi-level, participatory, top-down bottom-up, and theory laden. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Molecular epidemiological data indicates that the resurgence of pertussis (whooping cough) in populations with high vaccine coverage is associated with genomic adaptation of Bordetella pertussis , the causative agent of the disease, to vaccine selection pressure. We have previously shown that in the period after the introduction of acellular pertussis vaccine (ACV), the majority of circulating strains in Australia switched to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) cluster I (carrying ptxP3/prn2 ), replacing SNP cluster II (carrying ptxP1/prn3 ). In this study, we carried out an in vivo competition assay using a mouse model infected with SNP cluster I and II B. pertussis strains from Australia. We found that the SNP cluster I strain colonised better than the SNP cluster II strain, in both naïve and immunised mice, suggesting that SNP cluster I strains had better fitness regardless of immunisation status of the host, consistent with SNP cluster I strains replacing SNP cluster II. Nevertheless, we found that ACV enhanced clearance of both SNP cluster I and II strains from the mouse respiratory tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the failure of Australia's extraterritorial processing regime in Papua New Guinea. Topics include creation of a sustainable and legal regional protection framework in the Asia-Pacific using bilateral agreements; Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea court case Namah v Pato which deals with detention of refugees and asylum seekers in the Australian-funded centers; and criticism faced by the extraterritorial processing regime by national and international bodies.

Objectives: Despite high pertussis vaccination coverage, Australia experienced a prolonged epidemic in 2008-2012. The predominant Bordetella pertussis genotype harboured pertussis toxin promoter allele, ptxP3, and pertactin gene allele, prn2. The emergence and expansion of prn non-expressing isolates (Prn negative), were also observed. We aimed to investigate the microevolution and genomic diversity of epidemic B. pertussis isolates.Methods: We sequenced 22 B. pertussis isolates collected in 2008-2012 from two states of Australia which are geographically widely separated. Ten of the 22 were Prn negative isolates with three different modes of silencing of prn (prn::IS481F, prn::IS481R and prn::IS1002). Five pre-epidemic isolates were also sequenced for comparison.Results: Five single nucleotide polymorphisms were common in the epidemic isolates and differentiated them from pre-epidemic isolates. The Australian epidemic isolates can be divided into five lineages (EL1-EL5) with EL1 containing only Prn negative isolates. Comparison with global isolates showed that three lineages remained geographically and temporally distinct whereas two lineages mixed with isolates from 2012 UK outbreak.Conclusion: Our results suggest significant diversification and the microevolution of B. pertussis within the 2008-2012 Australian epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whooping cough or pertussis is a highly infectious respiratory disease in humans caused by Bordetella pertussis . The use of acellular vaccines (ACV) has been associated with the recent resurgence of pertussis in developed countries including Australia despite high vaccination coverage where B. pertussis strains that do not express pertactin (Prn), a key antigenic component of the ACV, have emerged and become prevalent. In this study, we used an in vivo competition assay in mice immunised with ACV and in naïve (control) mice to compare the proportion of colonisation with recent clinical Prn positive and Prn negative B. pertussis strains from Australia. The Prn negative strain colonised the respiratory tract more effectively than the Prn positive strain in immunised mice, out-competing the Prn positive strain by day 3 of infection. However, in control mice, the Prn positive strain out-competed the Prn negative strain. Our findings of greater ability of Prn negative strains to colonise ACV-immunised mice are consistent with reports of selective advantage for these strains in ACV-immunised humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale waterfront redevelopment projects, an urban development phenomenon that originated in the 1970s, are attractive to a growing suite of cities worldwide. But why? These mega-projects are full of pitfalls, broken promises, cost overruns, disappointments and are often accused of promoting inequality. In this article, we consider the specific case of Melbourne's Docklands, which local popular opinion has roundly judged a failure despite the countervailing judgment of success in the revival of 'liveability' of the adjacent Melbourne central business district. We use the Docklands case to illustrate the utility of a 'critical pragmatic' framework of analysis to get behind dominant explanations of the demands of the urban growth machine and postmodern neoliberal capitalism. Without denying the existence of these dynamics, nor their hegemony, we nevertheless explicate how a critical pragmatic analysis can reveal the social dynamics driving the judgments and justifications offered by actors in urban redevelopment. A pragmatic analysis of these dynamics of argument and action at critical moments in the long process of an urban redevelopment can reveal new kinds of compromises and tests by which these projects are judged. In other words, what counts as failure and as success in the work of city building will shift, depending on what actors do and how they talk about it, and on how well these actions and justifications hold up to public challenges about the true character of a successful city. By gauging how these challenges are constituted and settled, we can better understand the evolution of the urban value proposition, and the new notion of justice grounded in urbanity that is emerging at the urban redevelopment frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article makes a case for the importance of social learning in urban planning and development practice, particularly in the context of attempts to achieve higher standards of sustainability. We proceed by comparing learning outcomes in Vancouver’s Southeast False Creek and Melbourne’s Docklands urban redevelopment projects. We find that the instrumental model of learning supports facilitated learning approaches pursued in a manner that is mostly disconnected from the learning being demanded for improved decision-making and improved results. The emergent learning which can be empirically demonstrated, which is more easily explained by a systems-theory model, lacks exposure to deliberative process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Grevillea rhizomatosa is a spreading shrub which exhibits multiple breeding strategies within a narrow area in the fire-prone heathlands of eastern Australia. Reproductive strategies include self-compatibility, self-incompatibility and clonality (with and without sterility). The close proximity of contrasting breeding systems provides an opportunity to explore the evolution of sterility and to compare and contrast the origins of genotypic diversity (recombinant or somatic) against degrees of sexual expression. Methods ISSR markers for 120 band positions (putative loci) were used to compare genetic diversity among five populations at a macro-scale of 5 m between samples (n = 244 shrubs), and at a micro-scale of nearest neighbours for all plants in five 25-m2 quadrats with contrasting fertilities (n = 162 shrubs). Nearest-neighbour sampling included several clusters of connected ramets. Matrix incompatibility (MIC) analyses were used to evaluate the relative contribution of recombination and somatic mutation to genotype diversity. Key Results High levels of genotypic diversity were found in all populations regardless of fertilities (fertile populations, G/N ≥ 0·94; sterile populations, G/N ≥ 0·97) and most sterile populations had a unique genetic profile. Somatic mutations were detected along connected ramets in ten out of 42 ramet clusters. MIC analyses showed that somatic mutations have contributed to diversity in all populations and particularly so in sterile populations. Conclusions Somatic mutations contribute significantly to gene diversity in sterile populations of Grevillea rhizomatosa, the accumulation of which is the likely cause of male and female sterility. High levels of genetic diversity therefore may not always be synonymous with sexual fitness and genetic health. We hypothesize that frequent fires drive selection for clonal reproduction, at the cost of flowering such that sexual functions are not maintained through selection, and the build-up of somatic mutations in meristems results in high genotype diversity at the cost of pollen and ovule fertilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the issue of miscarriage of justice considered in the December 15, 2005 ruling of the High Court of Australia in Weiss versus The Queen. Ruling of the lower court; Facts of the case;Jurisprudence upon which the ruling of the court was based; Application of the provision of the Crimes Act 1958 in criminal appeals.

• Role of indicators in measuring sustainability is critically evaluated. • Role of SDI in solving the shortcomings of indicators is discussed. • UADI has been developed using Ontology as a core component. • Selected transport sustainability indicators are quantified manually and using UADI. • Indicators quantification by user and UADI are compared considering 5 technical lenses. This paper examines capabilities of a new Spatial Data Infrastructure called Urban Analytics Data Infrastructure (UADI 1 1 Spatial Data Infrastructure called Urban Analytics Data Infrastructure), through deriving and evaluating transport sustainability indicators. The UADI was developed in Australia to support multi-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional analytics to overcome the challenges related to model generalisation, data accessibility, data integration, data heterogeneity and city performance benchmarking. In this paper, the UADI were evaluated through 5 technical lenses of: data accessibility; integration; harmonisation; data reliability and model reliability. The paper shows that using open geospatial standards in UADI enabled transport sustainability indicators to be derived through accessing and integrating different spatial data layers and the process of mapping data to ontology facilitated data harmonisation. In addition, the input data, tool processing, and output of ontology-based transport sustainability indicators could be traced in UADI, which addresses the challenge of model and data reliability. The paper highlights the role of spatial data infrastructures in decision support systems for uncertainty analysis and promoting smart cities and resilient environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the shortcomings identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees related to human rights violations in the new arrangement signed by Australia with Papua New Guinea (PNG). It informs that the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on July 19, 2013 that asylum seekers entering Australia through boats will be transferred to PNG and detained in expanded facilities on Manus Island. PNG for refugee status determinations.

The unforeseen rate of global warming has boosted the frequency and severity of bushfires in Australia, and several regions of the world, calling for the urgent development of fire-proof buildings and architectures. This natural hazard has driven an ever-increasing demand for innovative building materials to slow or stop fire spread. Polydopamine (PDA) was introduced as an innovative, inexpensive, and nontoxic intumescent coating to induce flame-retardancy less than a decade ago and has been used on several substrates. Although several reports document the fire retardance enhancement in materials by including PDA, either as an embedded additive into nanocomposites or in the form of a protective coating onto a substrate, there is limited literature that represents the application of PDA coatings on timber substrates. This review outlines the history of PDA emergence and the corresponding state-of-the-art fabrication methodologies for effectively incorporating PDA to develop fire-retardant materials. Another important aspect of this work is to present recent case study results on using polydopamine coating on timber to induce fire retardancy. Ultimately, PDA-coated timber surface properties and fire retardancy mechanisms are discussed with their current and future applications. We hope this review can enhance the current knowledge regarding the development of fire-retardant timber coatings and reduce research gaps for this emerging technology. This review considers the key approaches for synthesising and fabricating polydopamine-based fire-retardant coatings for cellulose-based substrates, including timber. The ultimate goal of this work is to augment the current knowledge regarding the development of fire-retardant timber coatings, analyze barriers and reduce research gaps for this emerging technology to enhance building safety. [Display omitted] • An unprecedented and systematic review on the potential use of polydopamine coatings for the fire protection of timber. • Polydopamine polymerization, timber characteristics, fire-retardant coating mechanisms and applications have been discussed. • Preliminary experimental study results for polydopamine coated timber are presented and discussed. • Polydopamine coated timbers' potential, and future recommendations have been laid out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common among military veterans and has been associated with an increased risk of dementia. It is unclear if this is due to increased risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other mechanisms. This case control study sought evidence for AD, as defined by the 2018 National Institute on Aging - Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) research framework, by measuring tau, β-amyloid, and glucose metabolism using positron emission tomography (PET) in veterans with service-related TBI. Seventy male Vietnam war veterans-40 with TBI (age 68.0 ± 2.5 years) and 30 controls (age 70.1 ± 5.3 years)-with no prior diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment underwent β-amyloid ( 18 F-Florbetaben), tau ( 18 F-Flortaucipir), and fluorodeoxyglucose ( 18 F-FDG) PET. The TBI cohort included 15 participants with mild, 16 with moderate, and nine with severe injury. β-Amyloid level was calculated using the Centiloid (CL) method and tau was measured by standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) using the cerebellar cortex as reference region. Analyses were adjusted for age and APOE-e4. The findings were validated in an independent cohort from the Department of Defense-Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (DOD ADNI) study. There were no significant nor trending differences in β-amyloid or tau levels or 18 F-FDG uptake between the TBI and control groups before and after controlling for covariates. The β-amyloid and tau findings were replicated in the DOD ADNI validation cohort and persisted when the Australian Imaging Biomarkers and Lifestyle study of aging-Veterans study (AIBL-VETS) and DOD ADNI cohorts were combined (114 TBI vs. 87 controls in total). In conclusion, no increase in the later life accumulation of the neuropathological markers of AD in veterans with a remote history of TBI was identified.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical utility of the City University of New York sentence test in a cohort of post-lingually deafened cochlear implants recipients over time., Methods: 117 post-lingually deafened, Australian English-speaking CI recipients aged between 23 and 98 years (M = 66 years; SD = 15.09) were recruited. CUNY sentence test scores in quiet were collated and analysed at two cut-offs, 95% and 100%, as ceiling scores., Results: CUNY sentence scores ranged from 4% to 100% (M = 86.75; SD = 20.65), with 38.8% of participants scoring 95% and 16.5% of participants reaching the 100% scores. The percentage of participants reaching the 95% and 100% ceiling scores increased over time (6 and 12 months post-implantation). The distribution of all post-operative CUNY test scores skewed to the right with 82% of test scores reaching above 90%., Discussion: This study demonstrates that the CUNY test cannot be used as a valid tool to measure the speech perception skills of post-lingually deafened CI recipients over time. This may be overcome by using adaptive test protocols or linguistically, cognitively or contextually demanding test materials., Conclusion: The high percentage of CI recipients achieving ceiling scores for the CUNY sentence test in quiet at 3 months post-implantation, questions the validity of using CUNY in CI assessment test battery and limits its application for use in longitudinal studies evaluating CI outcomes. Further studies are required to examine different methods to overcome this problem.