Australian health services research and its contribution to the international literature, CHERE Discussion Paper No 41

This study was prompted by the findings of Butler et al (1998) that the Australian contribution to the international health services research literature accounted for 5.6% in 1993-1994. First, the methodology used in that study is critically appraised, and second, to identify the extent to which Health Services Research (HSR) is published in the journals identified by Butler et al, and to assess the contribution of Australian HSR, an alternative search strategy is used. Findings indicate that Australian HSR is far from out-performing other medical research fields in international publication.Health services research, Australia, Comparison

teamLab Research

teamLab undoubtedly opened a new era of art. It allows professionals in multi-industries to use the latest science and technology to create art, they are all popular for local audiences from Japan to the United States, from Italy to China, wherever they go. As a significant representative form of the trendy show and immersive exhibition, teamLab\u27s works are completely different from the past in terms of creative logic, exhibition experience, and collection methods. By going through the development history of teamLab, this article studies the characteristics of its exhibitions, audience, and the connection with traditional art, in order to explore the development of today\u27s art and look forward to the future of new art

The Security Flaw of an Untraceable Signature Scheme

In 2003, Hwang et al. proposed a new blind signature based on the RSA cryptosystem. The Extended Euclidean algorithm is employed in their proposed scheme. They claimed that the proposed scheme was untraceable and it could meet all requirements of a blind signature. However, we find that the signer can still trace the blind signature applicant in some cases. Thus, we present the security flaw of Hwang et al.’s scheme in this paper

Hiker Trash and Trail Dogs: An Ethnographic Inquiry into Human Nature in the Trail Space

In the face of declining trail maintenance budgets and increasing recreational use, we must develop a critical understanding of trail culture, including the motivations, perspectives, and experiences of various users and how they intersect with one another. Trail use on National Scenic Trails (NSTs) may represent a deeper symbolic yearning to seek out meaningful connections with nature, self, and community. This study seeks to understand: (1) How trails are built and paved with meaning, (2) how trails foster and sustain social, symbolic, and material landscapes, through performance of work and leisure; and (3) the relationship between the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) as an idea, and the National Trails System (NTS) as its practice. NSTs provide an ideal backdrop for studying how such connections and relationships are formed and sustained. Using ethnographic methods, this research will provide a descriptive account of the emergent cultural domain of trail builders and trail users, as two deeply immersed stakeholders. Washington State is the terminus for two intersecting National Scenic Trails: the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) and the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNT), making it an ideal study area for understanding cultural phenomena associated with deeply immersed trail culture. Understanding the well-developed trail culture on the PCT may help provide insight for management challenges associated with the emerging trail culture on the newly designated PNT to provide guidance for better management of NSTs and, to some extent, all trails

“I try my very best and then I send it to the wizards, who make up numbers”: Science students’ perceptions of (in)effective assessment and feedback practices

Assessment and feedback are key concerns for tertiary students, as evidenced by university and national student experience surveys (QILT, 2020). While these large surveys convey the general student sentiment, literature recommends approaches other than surveys to deepen understanding of students' experiences in individual faculties, courses etc. (Berk, 2018). This is particularly important when planning any changes in assessment practices. Following on from an initial study into students’ assessment and feedback literacy (Wills et al., 2022), we present the second stage of our project aiming to understand students’ experiences and perceptions of assessment and feedback at the University of New South Wales. From a thematic analysis of semi-structured student interviews, we present several case studies of what science students consider to be effective assessment and feedback in their program. Some identified themes such as linked assessments, worked answers, and annotated submissions, were found to be effective practices across board. However, for other themes such as the usefulness of formative assessment, rubrics, and positive feedback, students were not in agreement. Resoundingly, students condemned the lack of closure around final exams. These and other findings will be presented before student suggestions for improvement are discussed, as well as looking to a future assessment co-design with students. Feedback on final exams: “…about final exams, it it's like a black box. You know, you answer and you might get, I don't know, 70%. But that means there's 30% you've got wrong and you still want to know why that is…” Effectiveness of formative assessment: “I think that often, they're just one or two questions that are about a detail that was unimportant. And the lecture isn't… the lecture content isn’t tested properly.” REFERENCES Berk, R. (2018). Beyond Student Rating: Fourteen Other Sources of Evidence to Evaluate Teaching. In E. Roger & H. Elaine (Eds.), Handbook of quality assurance for university teaching (pp. 317–344). London: Routledge. QILT. (2020). Student Experience Survey. Social Research Centre. https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/student-experience-survey-(ses)#report Wills, S.S, Jackson, K. & Wijenayake, N. (2022). On the same page: Science students' assessment literacy. In Spagnoli, D. & Yeung, A., Proceedings of The Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education (pp.76). Perth, Western Australi

Stable amorphous georgeite as a precursor to a high-activity catalyst .

Copper and zinc form an important group of hydroxycarbonate minerals that include zincian malachite, aurichalcite, rosasite and the exceptionally rare and unstable—and hence little known and largely ignored1—georgeite. The first three of these minerals are widely used as catalyst precursors2, 3, 4 for the industrially important methanol-synthesis and low-temperature water–gas shift (LTS) reactions5, 6, 7, with the choice of precursor phase strongly influencing the activity of the final catalyst. The preferred phase2, 3, 8, 9, 10 is usually zincian malachite. This is prepared by a co-precipitation method that involves the transient formation of georgeite11; with few exceptions12 it uses sodium carbonate as the carbonate source, but this also introduces sodium ions—a potential catalyst poison. Here we show that supercritical antisolvent (SAS) precipitation using carbon dioxide (refs 13, 14), a process that exploits the high diffusion rates and solvation power of supercritical carbon dioxide to rapidly expand and supersaturate solutions, can be used to prepare copper/zinc hydroxycarbonate precursors with low sodium content. These include stable georgeite, which we find to be a precursor to highly active methanol-synthesis and superior LTS catalysts. Our findings highlight the value of advanced synthesis methods in accessing unusual mineral phases, and show that there is room for exploring improvements to established industrial catalysts

Continuous catalytic upgrading of ethanol to n-butanol and >C-4 products over Cu/CeO2 catalysts in supercritical CO2

n-Butanol (BuOH) often has superior properties as a bio-fuel compared to ethanol (EtOH). However finding sustainable sources of BuOH is proving difficult. In this paper, direct production of BuOH from EtOH is compared over custom-synthesized six Cu catalysts, supported on different solid acids. These catalysts were tested in a continuous flow supercritical CO2 (scCO2) reactor, and were found to catalyse the dehydrogenation, aldol condensation and hydrogenation steps of the so-called Guerbet reaction converting EtOH to BuOH. BuOH yields and selectivities were significantly different over the four catalysts. Cu on high surface area CeO2 showed the best activity for BuOH formation, with yields above 30% achieved with good selectivity. In addition high pressure CO2 is shown to have a positive effect on the reaction, possibly due to the redox cycle of Ce2O3 and CeO2

On the impact of Cu dispersion on CO2 photoreduction over Cu/TiO2

A family of Cu/TiO2 catalysts was prepared using a refined sol–gel method, and tested in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 by H2O to CH4 using a stirred batch, annular reactor. The resulting photoactivity was benchmarked against pure TiO2 nanoparticles (synthesised by an identical sol–gel route). CO2 photoreduction exhibited a strong volcano dependence on Cu loading, reflecting the transition from 2-dimensional CuOx nanostructures to 3-dimensional crystallites, with optimum CH4 production observed for 0.03 wt.% Cu/TiO2