Supporting Wellbeing: Perspectives of University Work-Integrated Learning Students

The health of students engaging in work-integrated learning (WIL) should be a key focus of universities. WIL students encounter various personal, social, and financial pressures which impact their wellbeing, which are often different from those of an on-campus student or a workplace employee. The aim of the research was to explore student perspectives of the impact of WIL on their wellbeing, and strategies for supporting wellbeing. Using a qualitative approach, data was collected from 16 students across four disciplines and three New Zealand universities. Wellbeing is a visible construct, and this was illustrated in the participants’ ability to articulate their understanding of wellbeing. Students also emphasized that WIL experiences impact wellbeing both positively and negatively. Multiple strategies contribute to enhancing their wellbeing and these are summarized as recommendations for students, host organizations, universities, and the government. Clearly, WIL wellbeing is the responsibility of all stakeholders in the WIL enterprise

A New Journal for a New Era [Editorial]

It is with great excitement and anticipation that we introduce the inaugural issue of the Journal of Psychology and AI. In this period in history where the pace of technological advancements is rapidly transforming every facet of human life, a journal dedicated to the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for psychology and human behaviour is not only timely but essential

N49 Sexual and Reproductive Health of Australian Women Who Live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background Robust research in the field of inflammatory bowel disease is readily available, however an exploration of gender issues which are specific for women who live with inflammatory bowel disease remain limited in the literature. Currently much of the literature regarding sexual health is limited to reproduction and sexual dysfunction and the broader impact that inflammatory bowel disease has on sexual wellbeing is not well understood. By exploring sexual and reproductive health issues for Australian women who live with inflammatory bowel disease, this research aims to draw attention to the current limitations within the literature and to stimulate discussion and inform future directions for research, policy, and practice. Methods An exploratory concurrent mixed methods study, using an online survey and qualitive interviews, was employed to develop an understanding of the sexual and reproductive health needs of Australian women who live with inflammatory bowel disease. The survey included questions specific to women’s physical and emotional health, their self-esteem, their satisfaction with life and women’s pregnancy related knowledge specific to inflammatory bowel disease. Additionally qualitative interviews allowed for further exploration of women’s experiences accessing health services and more detail regarding the challenges for them as women and the impact of inflammatory bowel disease on their identify. In keeping with feminist frameworks, qualitative data collection and analysis was informed by Anderson and Jack (1991) and Hesse-Biber (2014). This included the interviewer actively listening and encouraging women to talk about their day-to-day experiences and feelings which were related to their sexual and reproductive health and how this may have been impacted by their diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. Results Australian women participated in conversational interviews and completed an online survey. Preliminary themes which have emerged from this research include Sexuality, Sexual and reproductive health; Feeling vulnerable and dismissed. Conclusion Research which focuses specifically on the sexual health experience of women living with inflammatory bowel disease is important to inform acute and chronic models of care which are relevant across women’s lifespan. Findings may help to inform nursing curricula, primary healthcare service delivery and sexual and reproductive health services policy development

“It’s a Given Now, That’s Just How We Communicate”: Pregnant People’s Experiences With Using Communication Technology When Connecting With Their Midwife

Introduction: Effective communication between pregnant women/people and midwives is important in establishing trusting and respectful relationships. Texting and email have been shown to be convenient ways for people to connect and share information. Aim: This paper reports on findings from interviews with pregnant and recently pregnant women/people on what is important for them when using communication technology to connect with their midwife. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an online platform. Two participants had previously completed an online survey in phase 1B of the multi-phase study and had expressed interest in participating further. Three other participants were recruited via a closed Pregnancy Facebook group and midwives. All participants were emailed an invitation to participate. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. Findings: Three themes emerged from the findings, highlighting what was important for participants when using communication technology with their midwife during their pregnancy: being known, access and connectedness, and the midwife recognised as a professional. Discussion: Being known was important when using communication technology, as it enabled respectful and trusting relationships to develop. These relationships were further enhanced through the functionality of communication technology which provided space for participants to compose messages and respond to their midwife, and through the convenience and flexibility with being able to communicate in a non-intrusive manner. The professionalism of the midwife was recognised with ensuring privacy of information, despite participants being unconcerned about privacy themselves. Conclusion: The knowingness that comes from a continuity of care relationship contributed towards a relationship of trust. This was reflected in the respectful choices made by the participants when using communication technology to connect with their midwife

NMS-EACO: A Novel Multi-Strategy ACO for Mobile Robot Path Planning

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) has been widely used in engineering implementation due to its simplicity and effectiveness. However, it often faces challenges such as slow convergence, susceptibility to local optima, and generating paths with excessive turning points. To address these limitations, this paper introduces a Novel Multi-Strategy Enhanced Ant Colony Optimization algorithm (NMS-EACO) for mobile robot path planning under nonholonomic constraints. NMS-EACO integrates five key strategies: an A*-guided heuristic function, an adaptive enhanced pheromone update rule, a state transition probability under nonholonomic constraints, a smoothing factor embedded in the state transition probability, and a global path smoothing technique. Comprehensive simulation experiments are conducted across six distinct map types, with comparisons made against six existing algorithms through extensive trials.Results demonstrate that NMS-EACO significantly improves convergence speed, enhances global search capability, and reduces path irregularities. These results validate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed multi-strategy method for nonholonomic mobile robot navigation

Characterising Acute and Chronic Care Needs: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Chronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly

The Training Effects of Wearable Resistance on Throwing Performance in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers: A Pilot Study

Purpose: The objective of this study was to explore the effects of training using wearable resistance (WR) applied above the elbow of the throwing arm on throwing velocity, arm speed, shoulder internal and external rotation, strength, and range of motion in baseball pitchers. Methods: College baseball pitchers (N = 17) participated in a volume-matched 6-week throwing program, twice per week, unloaded (quasi-control) or with WR added to the upper arm (intervention). Arm speed was measured with an inertial sensor, throwing velocity via radar gun, shoulder rotator peak force (Fₘₐₓ) with a strain gauge, and range of motion by a goniometer, before and after training. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine differences between groups, time (pre and post), and their interaction with random intercepts for participants. Results: A significant effect from pretesting to posttesting was observed in external-rotation range of motion (η²ₚ =.456, P = .005) and tended to increase more in the control group (interaction, η²ₚ =.261, P = .047). Otherwise, no other statistically significant differences were observed. Conclusion: This was the first WR training study with pitchers, and the lack of clear improvement using upper-arm WR loading was notable. Future researchers should explore the efficacy of lower-arm loading and/or potentially increase training volume as a means of stimulating adaptation

Wanderer: An Aisthetic Inquiry into the Experience of Exile.

This practice-led, artistic research project asks: If a sensory designer draws on a historical literary convention of the羁旅 (exile), how might she create fictional artefacts that speak to the experience of loss and disorientation experienced by a Chinese student studying overseas? The project tells the story of Jiang Xiazheng, and her experience of exile when living as a Chinese student overseas. At the center of the study is a fictional 旅行皮箱 (suitcase-portmanteau) that constitutes a repository of ephemera. This suitcase operates as a form of narrative portrait. Each artefact inside it is a fictional design (including the student’s passport, official documents, and assignments she submitted for assessment). In composite these relate a story of estrangement and eventual triumph. Jiang Xiazheng’s background narrative is available in a small bound notebook (on the shelf). On the table beside the suitcase is her final degree project. The suitcase has two layers. Please feel free to unpack and examine each artefact and return it to its original position. When you read, touch, smell and feel the objects, they will speak of an extraordinary experience in the language of aisthetic (sensory) design

News Sentiment and Commodity Futures Investing

We investigate the role of media news sentiment in commodity futures investing. The weekly rebalanced long-short portfolio sorted by news sentiment generates a significant average annualized return of around 8.3% after transaction costs. The time-series spanning test reveals that the abnormal return of the long-short portfolio sorted by news sentiment is statistically significant at above 7% even after controlling for various benchmark factors. The premium of the news sentiment factor is also significantly priced at above 8% in the cross-section of commodity futures returns. Furthermore, we show that news sentiment enhances the performance of commodity futures investment portfolios

Pragmatics of Second Person Address Variation in New Zealand Sign Language

Expansion of contexts and purposes for the use of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) and the affordances of online video communication modes have led to the emergence of new genre features which have not yet been described. Focusing on contemporary online informative videotexts in NZSL, we take a variationist pragmatics lens to examining variation in second person address between index-finger and whole-hand pointing forms. Forms of address are significant in the construction of social relations between speakers and addressees, having the potential to index dimensions of status, social distance and speaker stance. This study used mixed methods to investigate the use and social indexicality of a whole-hand pronominal variant in NZSL, including analysis of its distribution and associated factors in a dataset of online videotexts and data from other genres and time periods. Metapragmatic insight of NZSL signers about contextual and social motivations for the use of whole-hand pointing address enriches our interpretation of observations in the video data. In addition to confirming that the whole-hand form of address is a modern usage, participants identified four other associations with this form: genre, mode, politeness, and Māori context. We conclude that the typical use of whole-hand address in these informative online videos is a feature re-mediated from in-person public speaking contexts, which is now associated with and replicated in the online modality of this public address genre