Enhancing student learning in the workplace through developing the leadership capabilities of clinical supervisors in the nursing discipline

The purpose of this project was to build the leadership capacity of clinical supervisors in the nursing discipline by developing, implementing and systematically embedding a leadership model into the structure and practice of student supervision. The University worked in partnership with three major metropolitan hospitals in Queensland to develop a framework and professional development program incorporating leadership and clinical supervision. The Leadership and Clinical Education (LaCE) program consisted of two structured workshops complemented by individual personal development projects undertaken by participants. Participants were supported in these activities with a purpose-built website that provides access to a wide variety of information and other learning resources. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations indicated that the approach was highly valued by participants, as it promoted useful peer dialogue, sharing of experiences and personal development in relation to assisting leadership development and student learning in the workplace. The LaCE program provides an ideal springboard for introducing the development of welltrained leaders into the clinical workplace. The resources developed have the potential to provide ongoing support for clinical supervisors to improve the learning of undergraduate nursing student. The challenge will be to achieve continued innovation within clinical education through sustainable leadership programs.

Promoting resilience and effective workplace functioning in international students in health courses

The purpose of this project was to improve the quality of the learning experiences of international students in nursing, public health and nutrition and dietetics, both at university and in the clinical setting. The university worked in partnership with three major metropolitan health care facilities/services in Queensland to develop a framework and resources designed to promote quality work-integrated learning experiences for international students and clinical supervisory staff. The Resilience in International Student Education (RISE) model consists of student and staff workshops complemented by a purpose-built Cultural Connections for Learning (CCL) website that provides access to a wide variety of information and other learning resources. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations indicate that the approach is highly valued by participants as it promotes useful dialogue, sharing of experiences and greater understanding regarding quality learning experiences for international students in the health workplace. It provides an ideal springboard for promoting collaboration between international students and clinical supervisors in the workplace. The resources developed have the potential to enhance student learning as well as clinical teaching. The challenge will be to achieve continued progress within international student education through the development of sustainable strategies to embed the program within the context of individual curricula.

Measurement equivalence of the dispositional resistance to change scale

Intended to bridge the gap between the latest methodological developments and cross-cultural research, this interdisciplinary resource presents the latest strategies for analyzing cross-cultural data. Techniques are demonstrated through the use of applications that employ cross national data sets such as the latest European Social Survey. With an emphasis on the generalized latent variable approach, internationally?prominent researchers from a variety of fields explain how the methods work, how to apply them, and how they relate to other methods presented in the book. Syntax and graphical and verbal explanations of the techniques are included. [from publisher's website]

Bimolecular interaction of Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF) binding protein-2 with αvβ3 negatively modulates IGF-I-Mediated migration and tumor growth

Both the integrin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) families independently play important roles in modulating tumor cell growth and progression. We present evidence for a specific cell surface localization and a bimolecular interaction between the αvβ3 integrin and IGFBP-2. The interaction, which could be specifically perturbed using vitronectin and αvβ3 blocking antibodies, was shown to modulate IGF-mediated cellular migration responses. Moreover, this interaction was observed in vivo and correlated with reduced tumor size of the human breast cancer cells, MCF-7β3, which overexpressed the αvβ3 integrin. Collectively, these results indicate that αvβ3 and IGFBP-2 act cooperatively in a negative regulatory manner to reduce tumor growth and the migratory potential of breast cancer cells.

An introduction to radiation protection in medicine

"Combining facets of health physics with medicine, An Introduction to Radiation Protection in Medicine covers the background of the subject and the medical situations where radiation is the tool to diagnose or treat human disease. Encouraging newcomers to the field to properly and efficiently function in a versatile and evolving work setting, it familiarizes them with the particular problems faced during the application of ionizing radiation in medicine. The text builds a fundamental knowledge base before providing practical descriptions of radiation safety in medicine. It covers basic issues related to radiation protection, including the physical science behind radiation protection and the radiobiological basis of radiation protection. The text also presents operational and managerial tools for organizing radiation safety in a medical workplace. Subsequent chapters form the core of the book, focusing on the practice of radiation protection in different medical disciplines. They explore a range of individual uses of ionizing radiation in various branches of medicine, including radiology, nuclear medicine, external beam radiotherapy, and brachytherapy. With contributions from experienced practicing physicists, this book provides essential information about dealing with radiation safety in the rapidly shifting and diverse environment of medicine."--publisher website

Bone sialoprotein supports breast cancer cell adhesion proliferation and migration through differential usage of the αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrins

Bone sialoprotein (BSP), a secreted glycoprotein found in bone matrix, has been implicated in the formation of mammary microcalcifications and osteotropic metastasis of human breast cancer (HBC). BSP possesses an integrin-binding RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) domain, which may promote interactions between HBC cells and bone extracellular matrix. Purified BSP, recombinant human BSP fragments and BSP-derived RGD peptides are shown to elicit migratory, adhesive, and proliferative responses in the MDA-MB-231 HBC cell line. Recombinant BSP fragment analysis localized a significant component of these activities to the RGD domain of the protein, and synthetic RGD peptides with BSP flanking sequences (BSPRGD) also conferred these responses. The fibronectin-derived RGD counterpart, GRGDSP (Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro), could not support these cellular responses, emphasizing specificity of the BSP configuration. Although most of the proliferative and adhesive responses could be attributed to RGD interactions, these interactions were only partly responsible for the migrational responses. Experiments with integrin-blocking antibodies demonstrated that BSP-RGD-induced migration utilizes the αvβ3 vitronectin receptor, whereas adhesion and proliferation responses were αvβ5-mediated. Using fluorescence activated cell sorting, we selected two separate subpopulations of MDA-MB-231 cells enriched for αvβ3 or αvβ5 respectively. Although some expression of the alternate αv integrin was still retained, the αvβ5-enriched MDA-MB-231 cells showed enhanced proliferative and adhesive responses, whereas the αvβ3-enriched subpopulation was suppressed for proliferation and adhesion, but showed enhanced migratory responses to BSP-RGD. In addition, similar analysis of two other HBC cell lines showed less marked, but similar RGD-dependent trends in adhesion and proliferation to the BSP fragments. Collectively, these data demonstrate BSP effects on proliferative, migratory, and adhesive functions in HBC cells and that the RGD-mediated component differentially employs αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrin receptors.

Incorporated associations

Non-profit community groups such as sporting clubs, charities, interest groups and community associations can be formally incorporated and recognised by the law. More than 21,000 associations are already incorporated in Queensland. The governing legislation is the Associations Incorporate Act 1981 (Qld) (the Act) and the Associations Incorporate regulation 1999 (Qld) (The Regulation). The Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General is responsible for administering this Act and incorporating associations and does so through the Office of Fair Trading. This chapter covers some of the basic concepts and procedures for incorporating an association under the Act. The Act and the Regulation are usually amended at least once a year, and current materials are available on the Queensland Government legislation website.

Using social media to create a participatory library service : an Australian study

Public libraries are increasingly using social media in an attempt to meet users in their own spaces. Social media can be useful when used to create a participatory library service – to engage with users. However, there has been little empirical investigation into the success of social media use by public libraries. This article reports on the findings of a research project that explored the use of social media by Australian public libraries. Two organisations participated in case studies that involved interviews, document analysis, and social media observation. To contextualise the use of social media in the case study organisations, a sub study was undertaking involving observation of an additional 24 public libraries across Australia. This article focuses on the findings from the observation sub study. It presents and applies a methodology for classifying social media content to determine whether the sample libraries’ social media use is indicative of a participatory approach to service delivery. This article explores how a range of social media platforms are used by the sample libraries and considers what ‘best practice’ in participatory library service looks like. The two case study organisations’ use of social media is highlighted as exemplary practice.

Gelatinase A (MMP-2) activation by skin fibroblasts : dependence on MT1-MMP expression and fibrillar collagen form

The respective requirements of collagen and MT1-MMP in the activation of MMP-2 by primary fibroblast cultures were explored further. Three-dimensional gels enriched in human collagen types I and III or composed of recombinant human type II or III collagen, caused increased MT1-MMP production (mRNA and protein) and induced MMP-2 activation. Only marginal induction was seen with dried monomeric collagen confirming the need for collagen fibrillar organisation for activation. To our surprise, relatively low amounts (as low as 25 μg/ml) of acid soluble type I collagen added to fibroblast cultures also induced potent MMP-2 activation. However, the requirement for collagen fibril formation by the added collagen was indicated by the inhibition seen when the collagen was pre-incubated with a fibril-blocking peptide, and the reduced activation seen with alkali-treated collagen preparations known to have impaired fibrilisation. Pre-treatment of the collagen with sodium periodate also abrogated MMP-2 activation induction. Further evidence of the requirement for collagen fibril formation was provided by the lack of activation when type IV collagen, which does not form collagen fibrils, was added in the cultures. Fibroblasts derived from MT1-MMP-deficient mice were unable to activate MMP-2 in response to either three-dimensional collagen gel or added collagen solutions, compared to their littermate controls. Collectively, these data indicate that the fibrillar structure of collagen and MT1-MMP are essential for the MMP-2 activational response in fibroblasts.

Introduction

"The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a major new international principle, adopted unanimously in 2005 by Heads of State and Government. Whilst it is broadly acknowledged that the principle has an important and intimate relationship with international law, especially the law relating to sovereignty, peace and security, human rights and armed conflict, there has yet to be a volume dedicated to this question. The Responsibility to Protect and International Law fills that gap by bringing together leading scholars from North America, Europe and Australia to examine R2P’s legal content. The Responsibility to Protect and International Law focuses on questions relating to R2P’s legal quality, its relationship with sovereignty, and the question of whether the norm establishes legal obligations. It also aims to introduce readers to different legal perspectives, including feminism, and pressing practical questions such as how the law might be used to prevent genocide and mass atrocities, and punish the perpetrators."--publisher website

Conclusion

"The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a major new international principle, adopted unanimously in 2005 by Heads of State and Government. Whilst it is broadly acknowledged that the principle has an important and intimate relationship with international law, especially the law relating to sovereignty, peace and security, human rights and armed conflict, there has yet to be a volume dedicated to this question. The Responsibility to Protect and International Law fills that gap by bringing together leading scholars from North America, Europe and Australia to examine R2P’s legal content."--publisher website

Crime, Justice and Social Democracy: Proceedings of the Second International Conference, 2013, volume 2

The refereed papers contained in this volume of conference proceedings were among those presented at the 2nd International Conference on Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, hosted by the Crime and Justice Research Centre, Faculty of Law, QUT, from 8 – 11 July 2013. The conference attracted an impressive list of speakers from Australasia, Europe, North America and Latin America. These seven papers can be viewed at the Crime and Justice Research Centre’s website at http://crimejusticeconference.com/publications/ as can Volume 1 representing another 26 selected papers from the conference. As with the papers contained in the first volume, this set of papers raises important questions about the links between crime, justice and social democracy, and continues the contribution that the Crime and Justice Research Centre makes towards engaging with these topics. We thank all those who submitted papers for review for this second volume of proceedings, as well as the peer reviewers for taking the time to review the papers, often within very tight timelines.

Broadcast anti-jamming systems

In a traditional anti-jamming system a transmitter who wants to send a signal to a single receiver spreads the signal power over a wide frequency spectrum with the aim of stopping a jammer from blocking the transmission. In this paper, we consider the case that there are multiple receivers and the transmitter wants to broadcast a message to all receivers such that colluding groups of receivers cannot jam the reception of any other receiver. We propose efficient coding methods that achieve this goal and link this problem to well-known problems in combinatorics. We also link a generalisation of this problem to the Key Distribution Pattern problem studied in combinatorial cryptography.

Effects of plasterboard joints on the fire performance of cold-formed steel walls

This paper presents the effect of plasterboard joints on the fire performance of cold-formed steel walls. Plasterboard joints are unavoidable. However, they can be arranged in a way that they do not significantly influence the fire performance of cold-formed steel walls. Hence a research study into the effects of plasterboard joints on the fire performance of plasterboard lined cold-formed steel walls was undertaken using both full-scale fire tests and numerical studies. In this study a back-blocking technique was used to eliminate the plasterboard joints being located over the studs. Instead plasterboard joints were used between studs with 150 mm wide plasterboards as back-blocks. Both experimental and numerical results from this study show that the fire resistance rating of single plasterboard lined cold-formed steel walls can be increased by 25% through the use of a back-blocking joint arrangement in comparison to the traditional plasterboard joint arrangement over the studs.

Enhancement of optical absorption in thin-film solar cells through the excitation of higher-order nanoparticle plasmon modes

Recent research in the rapidly emerging field of plasmonics has shown the potential to significantly enhance light trapping inside thin-film solar cells by using metallic nanoparticles. In this article it is demonstrated the plasmon enhancement of optical absorption in amorphous silicon solar cells by using silver nanoparticles. Based on the analysis of the higher-order surface plasmon modes, it is shown how spectral positions of the surface plasmons affect the plasmonic enhancement of thin-film solar cells. By using the predictive 3D modeling, we investigate the effect of the higher-order modes on that enhancement. Finally, we suggest how to maximize the light trapping and optical absorption in the thin-film cell by optimizing the nanoparticle array parameters, which in turn can be used to fine tune the corresponding surface plasmon modes.