Building creative connections: An analysis of a creative arts widening participation program

Widening participation or outreach agendas have been a major part of higher education policy since the early 2000s. These policies and programs seek to increase marginalised groups’ access to further study through activities, tutoring programs, workshops, and other provisions. Some programs openly state their intention to assist people from low socioeconomic backgrounds to become more civically engaged and socially mobile by improving their education, which creates an immediate link between education and social capital (see Morley 2012; Hillmert and Jacob 2010). Social capital refers to the ‘connections among individuals’ and the consequent value of the things they do together (Putnam 2000; Gauntlett 2011). Media and creative arts widening participation programs, arguably, are better equipped to build social capital than any other form of outreach, due to their relationship-building capacity (Gauntlett 2011; Kinder and Harland 2004). This article analyses Queensland University of Technology’s Creative Industries Widening Participation Program. It investigates social capital and its relationship with higher education in outreach initiatives in order to identify how media and creative arts widening participation programs have the capacity to influence the attitudes of low socioeconomic background students towards higher education.

Investigating the potential of Shikonin, a Chinese herbal medicine, as a novel scar remediation therapy

This project investigates for the first time the biological mechanisms underlying the anecdotal use of Shikonin, an active component extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine "Zi Cao", as a treatment for hypertrophic scars. Compelling molecular and cellular evidence was generated supporting the therapeutic value of Shikonin as a scar treatment, suggesting that further development of this agent is warranted.

Constructing a traditional Chinese medicine data warehouse application

The explosive growth in the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has resulted in the continued increase in clinical and research data. The lack of standardised terminology, flaws in data quality planning and management of TCM informatics are preventing clinical decision-making, drug discovery and education. This paper argues that the introduction of data warehousing technologies to enhance the effectiveness and durability in TCM is paramount. To showcase the role of data warehousing in the improvement of TCM, this paper presents a practical model for data warehousing with detailed explanation, which is based on the structured electronic records, for TCM clinical researches and medical knowledge discovery.

Transition: Exchange establishing a visual arts practice based on personal pedagogy

There is a perceived tension in the relationship between the roles of art teacher and artist that led to the question: can an art teacher use their professional training and experience to establish an authentic artistic identity? This self-study tracked and analysed how the process of making her own art enabled an art teacher to also identify as an artist. Drawing on Lamina, the public exhibition of her multimedia artworks, the final exegesis proposes five conditions for art teachers in developing their own art practice: developing an identity as artist, using time and space mindfully, tolerating uncertainty, mentoring, and privileging the process.

An investigation into drink driving among aboriginal and Torres strait islander peoples in regional and remote Queensland and the development of the 'Hero to Healing' program

This program of research investigated the factors facilitating drink driving in Indigenous communities in Far North Queensland. Drink driving-related road crashes are a significant health burden for Indigenous people, as they die in road crashes at three times the rate of other Australians and are 30% more likely to be seriously injured. This research provided information to develop and pilot a culturally-specific program, 'Hero to Healing'. The main motivation to drink drive was related to 'kinship pressure; where drivers were pressured by family members to drive after drinking. The underlying responsibility for transporting family members was related to cultural values and involved responding to family needs as a priority. Exposure to older family members drink driving was considered to play a role in normalising the behaviour, leading to imitation into adulthood. The research highlighted the need to treat drink driving as a community issue, rather than an individual phenomenon.

Learner driver mentor programs: Stakeholder perspectives on an ideal program

This study investigated the development and operation of Learner Driver Mentor Programs (LDMPs). LDMPs are used throughout Australia to assist young learner drivers to gain supervised on-road driving experience through coordinated access to vehicles and supervisors. There is a significant lack of research regarding these programs. In this study, 41 stakeholders including representatives from existing or ceased LDMPs as well as representatives of other groups completed a questionnaire in either survey or interview format. The questionnaire sought information about the objectives of LDMPs, any social problems that were targeted as well as the characteristics of an ideal program and what could be done to improve them. Stakeholders indicated that LDMPs were targeted at local communities and, therefore, there should be a clear local need for the program as well as community ownership and involvement in the program. Additionally, the program needed to be accessible and provide clear positive outcomes for mentees. The most common suggestion to improve LDMPs related to the provision of greater funding and sponsorship, particularly in relation to the vehicles used within the programs. LDMPs appear to have an important role in facilitating young learner drivers to acquire the appropriate number of supervised hours of driving practice. However, while a number of factors appear related to a successful program, the program must remain flexible and suitable for its local community. There is a clear need to complete evaluations of existing programs to ensure that future LDMPs and modifications to existing programs are evidence-based.

Gel-coated ion-exchange resin: A new kinetic model

Regenerable 'gel-coated' cationic resins with fast sorption kinetics and high sorption capacity have application potential for removal of trace metal ions even in large-scale operations. Poly(acrylic acid) has been gel-coated on high-surface area silica (pre-coated with ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer providing a thin barrier layer) and insolubilized by crosslinking with a low-molecular-weight diepoxide (epoxy equivalent 180 g) in the presence of benzyl dimethylamine catalyst at 70 degrees C, In experiments performed for Ca2+ sorption from dilute aqueous solutions of Ca(NO,),, the gel-coated acrylic resin is found to have nearly 40% higher sorption capacity than the bead-form commercial methacrylic resin Amberlite IRC-50 and also several limes higher rate of sorption. The sorption on the gel-coated sorbent under vigorous agitation has the characteristics of particle diffusion control with homogeneous (gel) diffusion in resin phase. A new mathematical model is proposed for such sorption on gel-coated ion-exchange resin in finite bath and solved by applying operator-theoretic methods. The analytical solution so obtained shows goad agreement with experimental sorption kinetics at relatively low levels (< 70%) of resin conversion.

Evaluation of ion exchange as a pre-treatment option for coal seam gas water

The Coal Seam Gas (CSG) industry in Australia has grown significantly in recent years. During the gas extraction process, water is also recovered which is brackish in character. In order to facilitate beneficial reuse of the water, the CSG industry has primarily invested in Reverse Osmosis (RO) as the primary method for associated water desalination. However, the presence of alkaline earth ions in the water combined with the inherent alkalinity of the water may result in RO membrane scaling. Consequently, weak acid cation (WAC) synthetic ion exchange resins were investigated as a potential solution to this potential problem. It was shown that resins were indeed highly efficient at treating single and multi-component solutions of alkaline earth ions. The interaction of the ions with the resin was found to be considerably more complex that previously reported.

An innovative online intervention: The Steering Clear First Offender Drink Driving Program

Drink driving remains a substantial public health issue warranting investigation. First offender drink drivers are seen to be less risky than repeat offenders, though the majority of first offenders report drink driving prior to detection, and many continue to drink drive following conviction. Few first offenders are offered treatment programs, and as such there is a need to address drink driving behaviour at this stage. A comprehensive approach including first offender treatment is needed to address the problem. Online interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing risky behaviours such as harmful substance use. Such interventions allow for personalised tailored content to be delivered to individuals targeting specific mechanisms of behavioural change. This method also allows for targeting screening to ensure relevance of content on an individual level. However, there have been no research based online programs to date aimed at reducing repeat drink driving by first offenders. The Steering Clear First Offender Drink Driving Program is a self-guided, research based online program aimed at reducing recidivism by first time drink driving offenders. It includes a specialised web app to track drinks and build plans to prevent future drink driving. This allows for elongation of learning and encouragement of sustained behavioural change using self-monitoring after initial program completion. An outline of the program is discussed and the qualitative experience of the program on a sample of first offenders recruited at the time of court appearance is described.

Examining novice education: What can we learn from a compulsory program delivered to both mature-age and young pre-learner licence drivers?

This paper reports results from a qualitative evaluation of a compulsory pre-Learner driver education program within the Australian Capital Territory(ACT), Australia. Two methods were used to obtain feedback from those involved in the delivery of the program as well as those who participated in programs. The first, semi-structured interviews, was undertaken with class room teachers who run the program in their schools, group facilitators running the program with more mature-age students at private facilities (n = 15 in total), and former participants in both school-based and private-based versions of the program (n = 19). The second method used an on-line survey for students (n = 79). Results from both methods were consistent with each other, indicating that strengths of the program were perceived as being its interactive components and the high level of engagement of the target audience. There was strong support from young and mature-age students for the program to remain compulsory. However, consistent with other findings on novice driver education, mature-age participants identified that the program was less relevant to them. It may be that to have greater relevance to mature-age learners, content could address and challenge perceptions about behaviours other than intentional high-risk behaviours (e.g. low level speeding, fatigue) as well as encourage planning/strategies to avoid them. While a longer term, outcome focussed, evaluation of the pre-learner education program is needed, this study suggests that the program is well received by pre-licence drivers and that teachers and facilitators perceive it as both effective and beneficial.

Implementing best practice principles in the delivery of a Learner Driver Mentor Program in rural Queensland: A case study report

Learner Driver Mentor Programs (LDMPs) assist disadvantaged learner drivers to gain supervised on-road driving experience by providing access to vehicles and volunteer mentors. In the absence of existing research investigating the implementation of Best Practice principles in LDMPs, this case study examines successful program operation in the context of a rural town setting. The study is based on an existing Best Practice model for LDMPs, and triangulation of data from a mentor focus group (n = 7), interviews with program stakeholders (n = 9), and an in-depth interview with the site-based program development officer. The data presented is based upon selected findings of the broader evaluation study. Preliminary findings regarding driving session management, support of mentors and mentees, and building and maintaining relationships with program stakeholders, are discussed. Key findings relate to the importance of relationships in engagement with the program and collaborating across sectors to achieve a range of positive outcomes for learners. The findings highlight the need for the program to be relevant and responsive to the requirements of the population and the context in which it is operating.

The challenges of Weibo for data-driven digital media research

Data generated via user activity on social media platforms is routinely used for research across a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines. The availability of data through the Twitter APIs in particular has afforded new modes of research, including in media and communication studies; however, there are practical and political issues with gaining access to such data, and with the consequences of how that access is controlled. In their paper ‘Easy Data, Hard Data’, Burgess and Bruns (2015) discuss both the practical and political aspects of Twitter data as they relate to academic research, describing how communication research has been enabled, shaped and constrained by Twitter’s “regimes of access” to data, the politics of data use, and emerging economies of data exchange. This conceptual model, including the ‘easy data, hard data’ formulation, can also be applied to Sina Weibo. In this paper, we build on this model to explore the practical and political challenges and opportunities associated with the ‘regimes of access’ to Weibo data, and their consequences for digital media and communication studies. We argue that in the Chinese context, the politics of data access can be even more complicated than in the case of Twitter, which makes scientific research relying on large social data from this platform more challenging in some ways, but potentially richer and more rewarding in others.

The National Road Safety Partnership Program providing a pathway for any business/organisation to create a positive road safety culture

The National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) is an industry-led collaborative network which aims to support Australian businesses in developing a positive road safety culture. It aims to help businesses to protect their employees and the public, not only during work hours, but also when their staff are ‘off-duty’. How do we engage and help an organisation minimise work-related vehicle crashes and their consequences both internally, and within the broader community? The first step is helping an organisation to understand the true cost of its road incidents. Larger organisations often wear the costs without knowing the true impact to their bottom line. All they perceive is the change in insurance or vehicle repairs. Understanding the true cost should help mobilise a business’s leadership to do more. The next step is ensuring the business undertakes an informed, structured, evidence-based pathway which will guide them around the costly pitfalls. A pathway based around the safe system approach with buy-in at the top which brings the workforce along. The final step, benchmarking, allows the organisation to measure and track its change. This symposium will explore the pathway steps for organisations using NRSPP resources to become engaged in road safety. The 'Total Cost of Risk' calculator has been developed by Zurich, tested in Europe by Nestle and modified by NRSPP for Australia. This provides the first crucial step. The next step is a structured approach through the Workplace Road Safety Guide using experts and industry to discuss the preferred safe system approach which can then link into the national Benchmarking Project. The outputs from the symposium can help frame a pathway for organisations to follow through the NRSPP website.

Characterization of Ion-Exchange Fibers for Controlled Drug Delivery

Increasing attention has been focused on methods that deliver pharmacologically active compounds (e.g. drugs, peptides and proteins) in a controlled fashion, so that constant, sustained, site-specific or pulsatile action can be attained. Ion-exchange resins have been widely studied in medical and pharmaceutical applications, including controlled drug delivery, leading to commercialisation of some resin based formulations. Ion-exchangers provide an efficient means to adjust and control drug delivery, as the electrostatic interactions enable precise control of the ion-exchange process and, thus, a more uniform and accurate control of drug release compared to systems that are based only on physical interactions. Unlike the resins, only few studies have been reported on ion-exchange fibers in drug delivery. However, the ion-exchange fibers have many advantageous properties compared to the conventional ion-exchange resins, such as more efficient compound loading into and release from the ion-exchanger, easier incorporation of drug-sized compounds, enhanced control of the ion-exchange process, better mechanical, chemical and thermal stability, and good formulation properties, which make the fibers attractive materials for controlled drug delivery systems. In this study, the factors affecting the nature and strength of the binding/loading of drug-sized model compounds into the ion-exchange fibers was evaluated comprehensively and, moreover, the controllability of subsequent drug release/delivery from the fibers was assessed by modifying the conditions of external solutions. Also the feasibility of ion-exchange fibers for simultaneous delivery of two drugs in combination was studied by dual loading. Donnan theory and theoretical modelling were applied to gain mechanistic understanding on these factors. The experimental results imply that incorporation of model compounds into the ion-exchange fibers was attained mainly as a result of ionic bonding, with additional contribution of non-specific interactions. Increasing the ion-exchange capacity of the fiber or decreasing the valence of loaded compounds increased the molar loading, while more efficient release of the compounds was observed consistently at conditions where the valence or concentration of the extracting counter-ion was increased. Donnan theory was capable of fully interpreting the ion-exchange equilibria and the theoretical modelling supported precisely the experimental observations. The physico-chemical characteristics (lipophilicity, hydrogen bonding ability) of the model compounds and the framework of the fibrous ion-exchanger influenced the affinity of the drugs towards the fibers and may, thus, affect both drug loading and release. It was concluded that precisely controlled drug delivery may be tailored for each compound, in particularly, by choosing a suitable ion-exchange fiber and optimizing the delivery system to take into account the external conditions, also when delivering two drugs simultaneously.