Narrative : family trauma or challenge and resilience in the Galapagos Archipelago

The chapter is a "here and now" narration in the first person as witnessed and experienced by the author during field work in the Galapagos Islands in 1976-79. The story begins on the most remote volcanic island of Fernandina where the breeding biology of Flightless cormorants was being studied. A small selection of the many potentially life threatening situations and challenges is described including stories related to the birth of their son.

Psychosocial experience of cancer : surpassing mere survival and recognising the potential for posttraumatic growth as well as distress.

The publication of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) introduced the notion that a life-threatening illness can be a stressor and catalyst for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since then a solid body of research has been established investigating the post-diagnosis experience of cancer. These studies have identified a number of short and long-term life changes resulting from a diagnosis of cancer and associated treatments. In this chapter, we discuss the psychosocial response to the cancer experience and the potential for cancer-related distress. Cancer can represent a life-threatening diagnosis that may be associated with aggressive treatments and result in physical and psychological changes. The potential for future trauma through the lasting effects of the disease and treatment, and the possibility of recurrence, can be a source of continued psychological distress. In addition to the documented adverse repercussions of cancer, we also outline the recent shift that has occurred in the psycho-oncology literature regarding positive life change or posttraumatic growth that is commonly reported after a diagnosis of cancer. Adopting a salutogenic framework acknowledges that the cancer experience is a dynamic psychosocial process with both negative and positive repercussions. Next, we describe the situational and individual factors that are associated with posttraumatic growth and the types of positive life change that are prevalent in this context. Finally, we discuss the implications of this research in a therapeutic context and the directions of future posttraumatic growth research with cancer survivors. This chapter will present both quantitative and qualitative research that indicates the potential for personal growth from adversity rather than just mere survival and return to pre-diagnosis functioning. It is important to emphasise however, that the presence of growth and prevalence of resilience does not negate the extremely distressing nature of a cancer diagnosis for the patient and their families and the suffering that can accompany treatment regimes. Indeed, it will be explained that for growth to occur, the experience must be one that quite literally shatters previously held schemas in order to act as a catalyst for change.

Qualitative study of adversity activated development and resilience in adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease and their parents

What is it like to have a medical condition that few people have ever heard about? How does it feel to have to question whether daily physical activities are dangerous for you, whilst you watch your friends enjoy those activities without a care? Can you imagine that you need to have a complicated heart surgery, with risks such as paralysis or death? Or even imagine facing the painful recovery period and scars after such a surgery? Then imagine that you are a child or teenager dealing with this medical condition when all your friends are simply occupied with school and normal life. Now consider that surgery has been undertaken to extend your lifespan, but the operation is so new that the long-term outcomes are just not known? All you really know is that you might have ‘surgical repairs’ to your heart and symptoms may be relieved or managed by medications or cardiac devices, but you are never going to be cured. What if you had already experienced painful, frightening, lonely and tedious hospitalisations and you were forced to put your life on hold to re-enter that situation, time and time again. This may be your life, as a Congenital Heart Disease or CHD patient. How do such patients cope and in many cases even thrive? This chapter will review current international literature regarding the medical and personal impact of CHD. Our qualitative study of the perspectives of young CHD patients and their parents contributes to the Australian story of CHD, as well as highlighting the potential for CHD related adversity to promote personal development.

Civil Procedure : Commentary and Materials (5th ed.)

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the practical and theoretical issues encountered in Australian civil procedure, including alternative dispute resolution. Each chapter features in-depth questions and notes together with lists of further reading to aid understanding of the issue. It also examines and discusses each substantive and procedural step in the trial process. Topics include jurisdiction of a court to consider a matter, alternative dispute resolution. limitations of actions, commencing proceedings, pleading, gathering evidence, trial and appeal, costs and practice directions. Each of the state, territory and federal procedures is covered.

Supply chain benefits expectation management framework

Organizations invest heavily in Supply Chain Management Systems expecting the benefits promised by the software vendors and the implementation partners. However, both academic and industry reports suggest that there is growing dissatisfaction among client organizations due to an increasing gap in benefits purported by the software vendors and benefits realised by the client. In order to better manage expectations of the client organization, this study proposes a Benefit Expectation Management Framework for Supply Chain Management Systems, based on Expectation-Confirmation Theory. This study derives 60 expected benefits of Supply Chain Management Systems through 41 vendor-reported customer stories and academic papers. Through comparing those benefits with the received benefits by a case organization that has implemented SAP Supply Chain Management Systems for seven years, two salient factors – long timetable and multiple stakeholders – have been identified as the controlling factors affecting the confirmation level of Supply Chain Management System expectations and further impacting the satisfaction of a client organization. The case study also highlights the likely causes for realized benefits and enduring issues in relation to the Supply Chain Management Systems.

Analytical Solution of a Walters’ Liquid B Flow Over a Linear Stretching Sheet in a Porous Medium

This chapter represents the analytical solution of two-dimensional linear stretching sheet problem involving a non-Newtonian liquid and suction by (a) invoking the boundary layer approximation and (b) using this result to solve the stretching sheet problem without using boundary layer approximation. The basic boundary layer equations for momentum, which are non-linear partial differential equations, are converted into non-linear ordinary differential equations by means of similarity transformation. The results reveal a new analytical procedure for solving the boundary layer equations arising in a linear stretching sheet problem involving a non-Newtonian liquid (Walters’ liquid B). The present study throws light on the analytical solution of a class of boundary layer equations arising in the stretching sheet problem.

Near Infrared Spectroscopy Evaluation of Articular Cartilage : Decision-Making in Arthroplasty : Real-Time Assessment of Articular Cartilage

Current diagnostic methods for assessing the severity of articular cartilage degenerative conditions, such as osteoarthritis, are inadequate. There is also a lack of techniques that can be used for real-time evaluation of the tissue during surgery to inform treatment decision and eliminate subjectivity. This book, derived from Dr Afara’s doctoral research, presents a scientific framework that is based on near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for facilitating the non-destructive evaluation of articular cartilage health relative to its structural, functional, and mechanical properties. This development is a component of the ongoing research on advanced endoscopic diagnostic techniques in the Articular Cartilage Biomechanics Research Laboratory of Professor Adekunle Oloyede at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane Australia.