Identifying language for people on the autism spectrum: a scoping review

Person-first language is considered a central component to recovery oriented person-centred care; however, there is a growing adoption of identify-first language among autistic advocates. Mental health nurses require awareness of critical autism issues given the high prevalence of comorbid psychopathology. This scoping review of literature from 2010 to 2018 regarding identifying language for people on the autism spectrum identified a paucity of research that systematically explored and considered antagonisms, representation, and potential consequences of either of the current modes of identifying language becoming dominant. Mental health nurses should appreciate the complexity within identifying language and adopt context dependent language

Working towards ‘doing it better’: seeking the student voice in teacher education

In this article we report on the monitoring of pre-service teachers’ experiences of their course at a regional university in NSW, Australia. The intention of this research project was to engage with pre-service teachers to gauge their perceptions and their awareness of their developing teacher knowledge and skills. Our aim was to gather more comprehensive and meaningful data than that generated by standard, centrally administered, student evaluation surveys. Our research was conducted across four consecutive years to gather thirdand final (fourth) year students’ expectations for, and reflections on, their secondary education course. Drawing from the extant literature, and set against a context of shifting political agendas surrounding teacher education, the surveys were designed to capture the student voice. Key findings included the perceived need for increased behaviour management strategies, the inclusion of more ‘practical’ assessment tasks, and improved university-to-school transitions, including sustained professional learning agendas

Limiting the rise in core temperature during a rugby sevens warm-up with an ice vest

Purpose: Determine how a cooling vest worn during a warm-up could influence selected performance [counter movement jump (CMJ)], physical (GPS metrics) and psycho-physiological (body temperature and perceptual) variables.Methods: In a randomized crossover design, twelve elite male World Rugby Sevens Series athletes completed an outdoor (WBGT: 23-27°C) match-specific externally-valid 30 min warm-up wearing a phase change cooling vest (VEST) and without (CONTROL), on separate occasions 7 days apart. CMJ was assessed before and after the warm-up, with GPS indices and heart rate monitored during the warm-ups, whilst core temperature (Tc; ingestible telemetric pill; n = 6) was recorded throughout the experimental period. Measures of thermal sensation (TS) and comfort (TC) were obtained pre- and post-warm-ups, with rating of perceived exertion (RPE) taken post-warm-ups.Results: Athletes in VEST had a lower ΔTc [mean (SD) VEST 1.3°C (0.1°C); CONTROL 2.0°C (0.2°C)] from pre-warm-up to post-warm-up [effect size (ES) ± 90% confidence limit; -1.54; ±0.62] and Tc peak [mean (SD) VEST 37.8°C (0.3°C); CONTROL 38.5°C (0.3°C)] at the end of the warm-up (-1.59; ±0.64) compared to CONTROL. Athletes in VEST demonstrated a decrease in ΔTS (-1.59; ±0.72) and ΔTC (-1.63; ±0.73) pre- to post-warm-up, with a lower RPE post warm-up (-1.01; ±0.46), compared to CONTROL. Changes in CMJ and GPS indices were trivial between conditions (ES \u3c 0.2).Conclusions: Wearing the vest prior-to and during a warm-up can elicit favorable alterations in physiological (Tc) and perceptual (TS, TC and RPE) warm-up responses, without compromising the utilized warm-up characteristics or physical performance measures

Experiences and perceptions of residential and home care services among older lesbian women and gay men in Australia

The needs of older lesbian and gay people regarding access and use of aged-care services remain underresearched. This paper reports the findings of 33 qualitative interviews with older lesbian women and gay men about their perceptions and experiences of residential aged-care and home-based aged-care services in Australia. The focus of this paper is their preparedness for using aged-care services. The results highlight that participants had a number of concerns related to accessing residential-care services in particular, including perceptions of a lack of inclusivity and concerns of potential for discrimination and hostility, loss of access to community and partners, decreased autonomy and concerns relating to quality of care and the potential for elder abuse. Participants noted a number of strategies they employed in avoiding residential-care services, including the use of home-care services, renovating the home for increased mobility, moving to locations with greater access to outside home-care services, a preference for lesbian/gay-specific housing and residential-care options if available, and the option of voluntary euthanasia to ensure dignity and autonomy. Participants, on the whole, were hopeful that they would never require the use of residential-care services, with some believing that having current good health or the support of friends could prevent this from happening. The findings suggest that older lesbian and gay people have a variety of concerns with aged-care and may need additional support and education to improve their perceptions and experiences of services, whether these are needed presently or in the future

Religious affiliation and earnings: evidence from Brazil

This article examines the relationship between wages and religious affiliation for Brazil using conventional human capital earnings functions. Data drawn from the 1991, 2000, and 2010 Brazilian Censuses were analysed for men and women. Our results indicate that Brazilian men (women) who identified as Traditional Protestants received a small wage premium 2.6% (1.4%) compared to those who identified as Catholic—the largest religious denomination in Brazil—even after controlling for a range of demographic and social characteristics. In contrast, Brazilian men (women) who identified as Pentecostal Protestants received a sizeable wage penalty of 4.3% (5.8%). In an effort to explain the wage gap between different religious affiliations in Brazil, we also conducted a conventional Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition

Performance enhancement of a multiresonant piezoelectric energy harvester for low frequency vibrations

Harvesting electricity from low frequency vibration sources such as human motions using piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEH) is attracting the attention of many researchers in recent years. The energy harvested can potentially power portable electronic devices as well as some medical devices without the need of an external power source. For this purpose, the piezoelectric patch is often mechanically attached to a cantilever beam, such that the resonance frequency is predominantly governed by the cantilever beam. To increase the power generated from vibration sources with varying frequency, a multiresonant PEH (MRPEH) is often used. In this study, an attempt is made to enhance the performance of MRPEH with the use of a cantilever beam of optimised shape, i.e., a cantilever beam with two triangular branches. The performance is further enhanced through optimising the design of the proposed MRPEH to suit the frequency range of the targeted vibration source. A series of parametric studies were first carried out using finite-element analysis to provide in-depth understanding of the effect of each design parameters on the power output at a low frequency vibration. Selected outcomes were then experimentally verified. An optimised design was finally proposed. The results demonstrate that, with the use of a properly designed MRPEH, broadband energy harvesting is achievable and the efficiency of the PEH system can be significantly increased

Sympathy for the devil? Uncovering inhibitors and enablers of emotional engagement between zoo visitors and the Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisi

This article explores enablers and inhibitors of emotional engagement between visitors and Tasmanian devils at Healesville Sanctuary, Australia. A qualitative research approach was utilized including 44 interviews (ten with staff and 34 with visitors) and eight hours of observations of 622 visitors. Findings are presented in relation to six themes: (a) visitors’ motivations for viewing Tasmanian devils, (b) visitors’ emotional responses to Tasmanian devils, (c) role of previsit expectations, (d) species’ attributes inhibiting emotional engagement, (e) species’ attributes enabling emotional engagement, and (f) elements of exhibit design and interpretation influencing emotional engagement. Results show clear views of active animals, firstperson interpretation, and an understanding of conservation threats were enablers of forming an emotional connection. Inability to view animals and general misconceptions of devils were inhibitors of forming an emotional connection. Implications for exhibit management, interpretation, and conservation are discussed