Agency-generated research of consumer-generated content

Social media enable advertising agencies to engage directly with the public by participating in-and observing-real conversations. The current study recruited a Delphi panel to explore how some of the world's leading advertising professionals view the use of social media to test, track, and evaluate advertising campaigns and how they identify related risks and ethical considerations. The findings suggest that agencies primarily use social media as a tool for understanding consumers and igniting insight, not as a means of testing creative ideas. The authors believe this research provides an important benchmark of agency best practice in social-media research and outlines ethical implications.

Keeping international visitors safe on Australian beaches : informing the content of surf safety messages

In Australia, international tourists/visitors are one of the highest risk groups for drowning at beaches. Swimming in patrolled areas, between the flags, reduces the risk of drowning with most drownings occuring outside these areas. There is a need to understand beliefs which influence the extent to which international tourists/visitors intend to swim between the flags. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and, in particular, the indirect beliefs which underpin constructs in the model, represent a means of determining what factors influence this intention. The current study compared international visitors/tourists as having either low or high intentions to swim between the flags on a range of behavioural, normative, and control beliefs. A series of MANOVAs revealed significant differences between the groups in all three of the beliefs. The findings provide insight into potential foci for message content for use in educational campaigns aimed at keeping international visitors safe on Australian beaches.

Spatial mapping of proteoglycan content in articular cartilage using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy

Diagnosis of articular cartilage pathology in the early disease stages using current clinical diagnostic imaging modalities is challenging, particularly because there is often no visible change in the tissue surface and matrix content, such as proteoglycans (PG). In this study, we propose the use of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to spatially map PG content in articular cartilage. The relationship between NIR spectra and reference data (PG content) obtained from histology of normal and artificially induced PG-depleted cartilage samples was investigated using principal component (PC) and partial least squares (PLS) regression analyses. Significant correlation was obtained between both data (R2 = 91.40%, p<0.0001). The resulting correlation was used to predict PG content from spectra acquired from whole joint sample, this was then employed to spatially map this component of cartilage across the intact sample. We conclude that NIR spectroscopy is a feasible tool for evaluating cartilage contents and mapping their distribution across mammalian joint

Functional adaptation and rehabilitation following total knee replacement

This research project evaluated the biomechanical and functional outcomes of patients following total knee replacement measured at 6 and 12 months following surgery. Using more objective measures, patients were examined to determine changes in biomechanical and neuromuscular function during performance of activities of daily living such as walking, stair climbing and turning. Adaptations in joint positioning and performance were identified and progressive improvements were made in some areas of locomotor function. The findings of the study provided important objective information to contribute to the design and evaluation of prostheses, new surgical and rehabilitation procedures and improved recovery of patients.

Ongoing Adaptation as a Feature of Complexity : Further Thoughts and Possible Ideas for Pedagogy in Physical Activity

This chapter takes as its central premise the human capacity to adapt to changing environments. It is an idea that is central to complexity theory but receives only modest attention in relation to learning. To do this we will draw from a range of fields and then consider some recent research in motor control that may extend the discussion in ways not yet considered, but that will build on advances already made within pedagogy and motor control synergies. Recent work in motor control indicates that humans have far greater capacity to adapt to the ‘product space’ than was previously thought, mainly through fast heuristics and on-line corrections. These are changes that can be made in real (movement) time and are facilitated by what are referred to as ‘feed-forward’ mechanisms that take advantage of ultra-fast ways of recognizing the likely outcomes of our movements and using this as a source of feedback. We conclude by discussing some possible ideas for pedagogy within the sport and physical activity domains, the implications of which would require a rethink on how motor skill learning opportunities might best be facilitated.

Television content for the 21st century classroom

This thesis examines the confluence of digital technology, evolving classroom pedagogy and young people's screen use, demonstrating how screen content can be deployed, curated, and developed for effective use in contemporary classrooms. Based on four detailed case studies drawn from the candidate's professional creative practice, the research presents a set of design considerations for educational media that distill the relevance of the research for screen producers seeking to develop a more productive understanding of and engagement with the school education sector.

Reconceptualizing green infrastructure for climate change adaptation: Barriers to adoption and drivers for uptake by spatial planners

Urban green infrastructure can help cities adapt to climate change. Spatial planning can play an important role in utilizing green infrastructure for adaptation. Yet climate change risks represent a different sort of challenge for planning institutions. This paper aims to address two issues arising from this challenge. First, it defines the concept of green infrastructure within the context of climate adaptation. Second, it identifies and puts into perspective institutional barriers to adopting green infrastructure for climate adaptation, including path dependence. We begin by arguing that there is growing confusion among planners and policy makers about what constitutes green infrastructure. Definitional ambiguity may contribute to inaction on climate change adaptation, because it muddies existing programs and initiatives that are to do with green-space more broadly, which in turn feeds path dependency. We then report empirical findings about how planners perceive the institutional challenge arising from climate change and the adoption of green infrastructure as an adaptive response. The paper concludes that spatial planners generally recognize multiple rationales associated with green infrastructure. However they are not particularly keen on institutional innovation and there is a tendency for path dependence. We propose a conceptual model that explicitly recognizes such institutional factors. This paper contributes to the literature by showing that agency and institutional dimensions are a limiting factor in advancing the concept of green infrastructure within the context of climate change adaptation.

Using viewer’s facial expression and heart rate for sports video highlights detection

Viewer interests, evoked by video content, can potentially identify the highlights of the video. This paper explores the use of facial expressions (FE) and heart rate (HR) of viewers captured using camera and non-strapped sensor for identifying interesting video segments. The data from ten subjects with three videos showed that these signals are viewer dependent and not synchronized with the video contents. To address this issue, new algorithms are proposed to effectively combine FE and HR signals for identifying the time when viewer interest is potentially high. The results show that, compared with subjective annotation and match report highlights, ‘non-neutral’ FE and ‘relatively higher and faster’ HR is able to capture 60%-80% of goal, foul, and shot-on-goal soccer video events. FE is found to be more indicative than HR of viewer’s interests, but the fusion of these two modalities outperforms each of them.

The history, content and evolution of The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education

The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education (Int J FYHE) began in 2010 with a specific FYHE focus and has published two issues per year with one issue linked to The International First Year in Higher Education Conference (FYHE Conference). This issue—Volume 6, Issue 1—is the last under this title. In 2015 the Journal will align to a new conference that has a broader focus on Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention and Success (STARS). At this significant point and before we move on to the new journal, the journal team felt it was appropriate that the Feature in this final issue of the Int J FYHE should summarise the Journal’s activity over the years from 2010 to 2014.