Victoria University

Self-harm and suicide ideation are global health concerns, significantly impacting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations. Emergency departments (EDs) play a role in intervening following such presentations, yet there is limited research focusing on the CALD population's use of these services in Australia. This study aimed to explore patterns in ED use for self-harm and suicide ideation, comparing CALD and non-CALD persons in terms of service use, presentation themes and likelihood of repeat presentations. This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from presentations for self-harm and suicide ideation to the ED of a major metropolitan hospital in Victoria, Australia, from 2012 to 2019. The study used thematic analysis of triage notes, recurrent event analysis and logistic and linear regressions to compare CALD and non-CALD presentations. CALD presentations comprised 1.3% (n = 202) of the total (n = 15 606). CALD presentations were more likely to occur during business hours, less likely to be triaged as urgent and more likely to result in ward admission. Occupation stressors were more common in CALD presentations. A lower likelihood of repeat presentations was observed among CALD persons. The study also highlighted the limitations of current data collection practices in capturing the full spectrum of CALD presentations. This study found variability in the recording of CALD status, warranting further investigation into how data collection in EDs may be improved. Increased ward admission rate and lower likelihood of repeat presentation by CALD persons also indicate that further research is required to understand help-seeking and clinical decision-making in the CALD population.

Like every other aspect of learning and teaching on the Block, assessment must be reimagined for a more intense and condensed timeframe. The challenge lies in balancing that reimagining with the need for the complex rigour, integrity, authenticity, and accordance with accrediting requirements where necessary, demanded of assessment in HE.

To be truly successful, any move to the Block must consider the entirety of the student experience, as it is often in the transition spaces before, between and after class that students disengage, feel lost and so become at-risk. This is particularly so for non-traditional students and those from diverse backgrounds who may find the university experience foreign, intimidating and overwhelming.

This chapter will discuss the nature and the point of the Block, why it is worth considering both pedagogically and operationally, as a delivery method, and what it offers educational institutions in terms of providing opportunities for disruption, change and innovation.

Engaging all students in their learning is not easy, but surely it is a key goal for universities in the age of massified education. This chapter, grounded in experience gleaned during Victoria University’s (VU) VU Block Model® in 2018 (the first undertaken by a large public university anywhere in the world) will discuss how block courses and units of study, if designed, developed and delivered with the student at the centre of all concerns, might just make that fundamental shift possible.

Public discussions of non-normative sexualities are generally ‘tolerated’ in many Thai public spaces; however, being visibly homosexual in Thailand can mean being susceptible to discrimination and stigmatization. In this study, children’s ability to re-narrate their life worlds is articulated and through an a/r/tographic articulation of the assemblages of their onto-epistemic social relations drawn from their everyday encountering of images of gender and sexuality. Their depictions via social media we collected include self-disclosure, desired becoming, intimacy, and the ideal of coupledom and marriage. This study argues that the conspicuous divide between the curated personas of young queers in the digital platform and the nuanced authenticity of their lived experiences may not singularly account for the prejudices they endure within Thai society. The immediacy and alluring nature of these platforms heighten the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ ingénues, whose audacious self-representation serves as both a declaration of identity and a target for inspection.

Vertical Greenery Systems, also known as Green Walls have emerged as essential components of Green Infrastructure, offering promising outcomes for both the present and the distant future. This study aimed to establish correlations between orientation and the thermal performance of green walls. The research was conducted in a controlled climatic environment, featuring a bare wall as the control experiment and green walls with four different plant species, including Xiphidium caeruleum, Asparagus aethiopicus, Ophiopogon japonicas, and Dianella ensifolia variegate. The growth medium consisted of a consistent 1:1:1 ratio of coir dust, sand, and compost for all plant species. Data collection, which spanned from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., included parameters: surface temperature, ambient temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed for the green wall’s exterior and interior. The results of the study demonstrated that east-oriented green walls, particularly those featuring Asparagus aethiopicus, achieved significant influence on building energy conservation, with a maximum temperature reduction of 4.1 °C in both interior and exterior surface temperatures compared to the bare wall. The findings highlight the potential of optimally oriented green walls to reduce cooling energy consumption in buildings.

Objective We determine whether there is a relationship between the number of different lower‐limb resistance exercises prescribed in a program and outcomes for people with knee osteoarthritis. Methods We used a systematic review with meta‐regression. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Embase up to January 4, 2024. We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated land‐based resistance exercise for knee osteoarthritis compared with nonexercise interventions. We conducted meta‐regressions between number of different exercises prescribed and standardized mean differences (SMDs) for pain and function. Covariates (intervention duration, frequency per week, use of resistance exercise machine[s], and comparator type) were applied to attempt to reduce between‐study heterogeneity. Results Forty‐four trials (3,364 participants) were included. The number of resistance exercises ranged from 1 to 12 (mean ± SD 5.0 ± 3.0). Meta‐regression showed no relationship between the number of prescribed exercises and change in pain (slope coefficient: −0.04 SMD units [95% confidence interval {95% CI} −0.14 to 0.05]) or self‐reported function (SMD −0.04 [95% CI −0.12 to 0.05]). There was substantial heterogeneity and evidence of publication bias. However, even after removing 31 trials that had overall unclear/high risk of bias, there was no change in relationships. Conclusion There was no relationship between the number of different lower‐limb resistance exercises prescribed in a program and change in knee pain or self‐reported function. However, given that we were unable to account for all differences in program intensity, progression, and adherence, as well as the heterogeneity and overall low quality of included studies, our results should be interpreted with caution.

There has been concern raised in religion/spirituality (R/S) research about the use of measures of spirituality that are contaminated by indicators of mental and/or social health. Many of these scales are used widely in published studies examining associations with health, and yet many researchers and reviewers are not aware of contamination issues. We have previously cautioned researchers to be careful in their choice of religious/spirituality (R/S) measures (Koenig and Carey in J Relig Health, 63(5):3729–3743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02112-6, 2024), and to avoid using measures contaminated with the health outcome being assessed, which will result in tautological findings (particularly between spirituality and mental health). However, not all is lost. There are approaches for analyzing collected data using contaminated measures that can still result in meaningful and interpretable results, which may contribute to our knowledge of the impact of R/S on health. In this brief article, we describe several approaches for analyzing such data including deleting contaminated items from the scale, analyzing subscales separately, and modeling psychosocial scales, subscales, or collections of variables as mediators in the causal pathway that leads from R/S to health. The use of path analysis or structural equation modeling to identify direct effects and indirect effects through mediating constructs may also be helpful in this regard.

The significance of the 24-h movement guidelines (24-HMG) for the health of typically developing children and adolescents has gained considerable attention in recent years. However, there has been limited research on the impact of adhering to 24-HMG among children and adolescents with speech/language impairments. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between adherence to 24-HMG and psychological health and academic engagement in this population. This cross-sectional study involved a secondary analysis of data from 1609 students aged 6–17 years with speech/language impairment. Self-report questionnaires were employed to measure the movement behaviours, psychological indicators, and academic engagement. Multivariable regressions were used to analyze the associations between adherence to 24-HMG and psychological health and academic engagement. The findings revealed that merely 10.82% of participants adhered to all three 24-HMG. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that, compared to meeting none of the recommendations, meeting all the three recommendations was significantly associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and cognitive difficulties, higher psychological resilience and increased academic engagement. The findings underscore that adherence to the 24-HMG is associated with enhanced psychological health and academic engagement among children and adolescents with speech/language impairments.

Purpose The present study aimed to compare the impacts of different exercise types on cardiovascular health and executive function in sedentary young individuals, and to determine the associations between cardiovascular function and executive function (EF) after exercise. Methods Sixty-three sedentary participants were randomly divided into high-intensity interval training (HIIT), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), resistance exercise (RE), and control groups. Macro- and microvascular endothelial function were assessed using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation and fingertip reactive hyperemia index, respectively. Arterial stiffness was evaluated through carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, ankle-brachial index, and augmentation index. EF performance was evaluated using the Stroop and N-back tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was employed to measure cortical activation and real-time oxyhemoglobin concentration (Oxy-Hb) changes in different cerebral regions. Key circulating biomarkers for vascular and cognitive function, including BDNF, irisin, VEGF, IGF-1, and TNF-α, were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Eight weeks of HIIT, MICT, and RE effectively improved macro- and microvascular endothelial function while reducing arterial stiffness in sedentary young individuals. Furthermore, exercise-induced increase in BDNF level was correlated with enhanced macrovascular endothelial function, while increase in IGF-1 level was associated with enhanced microvascular endothelial function and reduced arterial stiffness. Notably, both HIIT and MICT, but not RE, efficiently enhanced Oxy-Hb level in certain brain regions, such as the FPA and DLPFC, leading to the improvement in EF performance. Exercise-induced increase in Oxy-Hb level and EF performance were correlated with enhanced BDNF level and endothelial function and reduced arterial stiffness. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that 8 weeks of HIIT, MICT, and RE effectively improved endothelial function in both macro- and microvessels, and arterial stiffness among sedentary young individuals. However, HIIT and MICT, but not RE, notably increased blood oxygen level in the FPA and DLPFC brain regions and improved EF performance. Due to the efficiency and time-saving features of HIIT, the present study highlights HIIT as an effective exercise prescription for promoting vascular and EF in sedentary young individuals. Importantly, the observed improvements in cardiovascular function following exercise training is pivotal in improving EF, and elevated circulating levels of biomarkers like BDNF and IGF-1, induced by exercise, are involved in the regulatory mechanisms.

Background Moral distress is reported to be a critical force contributing to intensifying rates of anxiety, depression and burnout experienced by healthcare workers. In this paper, we examine the moral dilemmas and ensuing distress personally and collectively experienced by healthcare workers while caring for patients during the pandemic. Methods Data are drawn from free-text responses from a cross-sectional national online survey of Australian healthcare workers about the patient care challenges they faced. Results Three themes were derived from qualitative content analysis that illuminated the ways in which moral dilemmas and distress were relationally experienced by healthcare workers: (1) the moral ambiguity of how to care well for patients amid a rapidly changing work environment; (2) the distress of witnessing suffering shared between healthcare workers and patients; and (3) the distress of performing new forms of invisible work in the absence of institutional recognition. These findings reveal that moral distress was a strongly shared experience. Conclusions Findings advance understandings of moral distress as a relational experience, collectively felt, constituted, and experienced by healthcare workers. Considering how to harness collective solidarity in effectively responding to moral distress experienced across the frontline healthcare workforce is critical.

Background. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is sometimes used alongside medication to alleviate motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the evidence supporting NIBS’s effectiveness for improving motor function in PD patients is uncertain. Objective. This umbrella review aims to synthesize recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses that have evaluated the effectiveness of NIBS in improving motor function in people with PD, with a key focus being to examine the quality of the evidence presented. Methods. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022380544) and conducted per Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The search strategy was guided by the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome framework, focusing on individuals with idiopathic PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-4). The review included studies comparing various NIBS techniques (eg, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation) to sham or alternative treatments, targeting motor and cognitive regions. Six databases were searched up to June 2024. Methodological quality was assessed using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2), and random-effects meta-analyses were performed to pool standardized mean differences (SMDs). Results. The final analysis included 31 meta-analyses and 10 systematic reviews. Overall, the reviews were rated as moderate quality (54% average for AMSTAR2). NIBS showed a small-to-moderate effect on motor function (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-Section III scores; SMD = −0.80), functional mobility (gait speed and timed-up-and-go; SMD = −0.39), and freezing of gait (SMD = −0.58), but no significant effect on balance. Conclusion. NIBS offers small-to-moderate benefits for motor symptoms and functional movement in PD, though it does not significantly impact balance. Practitioners should consider the variety of techniques and treatment parameters before application.

Background Social media hashtags play a significant role in increasing the visibility of health information by making it easier for people to explore health-related content. Health promotion campaigns use campaign-specific hashtags to disseminate health-related messages, enabling individuals to access accurate and timely resources and updates. The study aims to discover patterns of connection between hashtags and identify the most influential hashtags used on Twitter in the American Heart Month campaigns. Method We collected a total of 73,288 tweets containing #AmericanHeartMonth between January 2019 and March 2023 and retrieved 18,143 original tweets, 42,930 retweets, 2,519 quotes, and 20,846 likes related to the past five campaigns. We adapted co-occurrence network analysis to explore the patterns of relationships between hashtags and association rules mining to assess the quality and strength of association between the co-occurred hashtags. Result While #AmericanHeartMonth, #OurHearts, and #HeartMonth play central roles in all hashtag co-occurrence networks, the results of association rules mining indicate a significant association of #OurHearts within the networks. The highest density of hashtags has been observed in the quoted tweets, introducing a new range of hashtags such as #GoRedForWomen, #WearRedDay, #HeartDisease, and #HeartHealth by Twitter users, indicating the positive correlation between co-occurring hashtags and users' engagement. The results of quality measurements of association rules (Lift > 1) indicate positive relationships between the co-occurred hashtags in the top 5 rules in all data subsets. Conclusion We employed co-occurrence network analysis and association rules mining as powerful techniques to identify influential hashtags that may have a central role in health-related discussions and drive engagement within the co-occurrence hashtag network. In conclusion, we recommend additional hashtag structures in conjunction with heart health-related topics to improve community building and the effectiveness of disseminating messages in future heart health promotion campaigns. The study contributes to knowledge and practice by offering a structured and data-driven approach and providing practical guidance for public health practitioners, professionals, and organisations to optimise content, targeting, and messaging to reach and engage a broader audience with health-related information.

As digital healthcare evolves, the security of electronic health records (EHR) becomes increasingly crucial. This study presents the GPT-Onto-CAABAC framework, integrating Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT), medical-legal ontologies and Context-Aware Attribute-Based Access Control (CAABAC) to enhance EHR access security. Unlike traditional models, GPT-Onto-CAABAC dynamically interprets policies and adapts to changing healthcare and legal environments, offering customized access control solutions. Through empirical evaluation, this framework is shown to be effective in improving EHR security by accurately aligning access decisions with complex regulatory and situational requirements. The findings suggest its broader applicability in sectors where access control must meet stringent compliance and adaptability standards.

Recreational spaces, such as local parks, are important public spaces for the community to engage in various activities. With the global ageing population, the concept of multigenerational recreational spaces has become popular in recent years with the aim to design active spaces to cater for all age groups, including older people. However, designing multigenerational spaces that enable safe usage by older people can be challenging due to the competing interests and needs of different age groups. This paper is a reflective narrative describing four case studies of multigenerational outdoor spaces in Melbourne, Australia with the inclusion of age-friendly equipment and analysing parks layout and design using aerial imagery data. Factors impacting safe usage of the space by older people were identified and discussed. The main challenges identified in the recreational case study areas included: proximity of the seniors’ exercise area relative to children’s play-spaces, accessibility, layout of the area, and surrounding features which can pose potential safety risks for older people or be a deterrent for visiting the parks. The information described in this paper provides practical learnings relating to park layout, proximity of different spaces, and strategies that may be required to be implemented to facilitate safe usage of the space by older people for better multigenerational design. A national recreational age-friendly policy is also needed to provide overarching guidelines to assist local governments in the design and delivery of inclusive multigenerational recreational spaces.

The aim of this study was to understand and describe the physiological and biomechanical demands of various tasks used in basketball training and, subsequently, to provide a practical application of these tasks in a typical training week. Twelve basketball players had their external load variables monitored across 179 training sessions (2896 samples) using local positioning system technology. These variables included total distance covered, distance covered at various intensity levels, accelerations, decelerations, PlayerLoad™, and explosive efforts. The analysis revealed significant differences in both physiological and biomechanical loads across various drills. Specifically, tasks with more space and fewer defenders, such as 3v0 full court, impose higher physiological loads compared to tasks with less space and more defenders, like 5v5 full court. The difference in physiological load between these tasks was statistically significant (p < 0.05) with a moderate effect size (ES: −0.60, 95% CI: [−0.99, −0.22]). In terms of biomechanical load, drills with increased defensive pressure, such as 5v5 full court, exhibited significantly higher values compared to less specific drills, such as 5v0 full court, with a very large effect size (ES: 1.37, 95% CI: [1.04, 1.70], p < 0.01). Additionally, comparisons between 5v5 full court and 3v0 full court for biomechanical load produced a very large effect size (ES: 1.67, 95% CI: [1.37, 1.97], p < 0.01), indicating a substantial difference in load demands. The results indicate that tasks with more space and fewer defenders impose higher physiological loads, while those with less space and more defenders increase the biomechanical load. For training design, it is recommended to schedule tasks with a higher biomechanical load at the beginning of the session and those with a physiological orientation toward the end. Understanding the distinct demands of different drills can help coaches structure training sessions more effectively to optimize player load and performance development throughout the week.

As the climate crisis worsens and ecological destruction looms large, humans are becoming increasingly aware of the interconnectedness between humans, non-humans, and the planet in the search for ways to respond in an ecologically progressive way. Critical green social work encapsulating eco-feminist, feminist materialism, indigenous, and post-Anthropocene social work offers a framework in which the politics of sustainable development become a new pedagogy for cultural, economic, and social change. In acknowledging the interconnectedness and entanglement with nature, rather than being separate from it, a critical green lens requires social work to move away from its historical anthropocentric position with a new eco-centric shift to remind us that we are not separate from the Earth but of the Earth. I argue this to secure the future survival of the planet and support the growing social work scholarship promoting a progressive green politics.