Assurance of learning : the role of work integrated learning and industry partners

In the partnering with students and industry it is important for universities to recognize and value the nature of knowledge and learning that emanates from work integrated learning experiences is different to formal university based learning. Learning is not a by-product of work rather learning is fundamental to engaging in work practice. Work integrated learning experiences provide unique opportunities for students to integrate theory and practice through the solving of real world problems. This paper reports findings to date of a project that sought to identify key issues and practices faced by academics, industry partners and students engaged in the provision and experience of work integrated learning within an undergraduate creative industries program at a major metropolitan university. In this paper, those findings are focused on some of the particular qualities and issues related to the assessment of learning at and through the work integrated experience. The findings suggest that the assessment strategies needed to better value the knowledges and practices of the Creative Industries. The paper also makes recommendations about how industry partners might best contribute to the assessment of students’ developing capabilities and to continuous reflection on courses and the assurance of learning agenda

Nurse telephone triage in out of hours primary care: a pilot study

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Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for the treatment of lower limb intermittent claudication: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (the SHOCKWAVE 1 trial)

© 2017 The Author(s). Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has a population prevalence of 4.6% with intermittent claudication (IC) presenting as one of the earliest and most common symptoms. PAD has detrimental effects on patients' walking ability in terms of maximum walking distance (MWD) and pain-free walking distance (PFWD). Research has suggested extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) may induce angiogenesis in treated tissue; therefore, our objective is to assess the tolerability and efficacy of ESWT as a novel treatment of intermittent claudication. Methods/design: Patients with unilateral claudication will be randomised to receive either ESWT (PiezoWave 2 shockwave system) or sham treatment to the calf muscle bulk three times per week for 3 weeks. All patients are blinded to treatment group, and all assessments will be performed by a masked assessor. Treatment tolerability using a visual analogue scale, ankle-brachial pressure index, MWD, PFWD and safety will all be formally assessed as outcome measures at baseline and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks follow-up. Discussion: This trial will be the first of its kind in terms of methodology in relation to ESWT for intermittent claudication. A double-masked randomised controlled trial will provide useful information about the potential for the use of ESWT as a non-invasive treatment option and the need for further robust research. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02652078. Registered on 17 October 2014

Soil fertility and small grain production

Cover title

The value of farm manure

Caption title.Digitized 2006 AES MoU

Cropping systems and soil fertility

Caption title.Digitized 2006 AES MoU

One year of monitoring the Vela pulsar using a Phased Array Feed

We have observed the Vela pulsar for one year using a Phased Array Feed (PAF) receiver on the 12-metre antenna of the Parkes Test-Bed Facility. These observations have allowed us to investigate the stability of the PAF beam-weights over time, to demonstrate that pulsars can be timed over long periods using PAF technology and to detect and study the most recent glitch event that occurred on 12 December 2016. The beam-weights are shown to be stable to 1% on time scales on the order of three weeks. We discuss the implications of this for monitoring pulsars using PAFs on single dish telescopes.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in PAS

A Systematic Review of the Uptake and Adherence Rates to Supervised Exercise Programs in Patients with Intermittent Claudication

Background Intermittent claudication (IC) is a common and debilitating symptom of peripheral arterial disease and is associated with a significant reduction in a sufferer's quality of life. Guidelines recommend a supervised exercise program (SEP) as the primary treatment option; however, anecdotally there is a low participation rate for exercise in this group of patients. We undertook a systematic review of the uptake and adherence rates to SEPs for individuals with IC. Methods The MEDLINE, Embase, and PubMed databases were searched up to January 2015 for terms related to supervised exercise in peripheral arterial disease. The review had 3 aims: first, to establish the rates of uptake to SEPs, second, the rates of adherence to programs, and finally to determine the reasons reported for poor uptake and adherence. Separate inclusion and/or exclusion criteria were applied in selecting reports for each aim of the review. Results Only 23 of the 53 potentially eligible articles for uptake analysis identified on literature searches reported any details of screened patients (n = 7,517) with only 24.2% of patients subsequently recruited to SEPs. Forty-five percent of screen failures had no reason for exclusion reported. Sixty-seven articles with 4,012 patients were included for analysis of SEP adherence. Overall, 75.1% of patients reportedly completed an SEP; however, only one article defined a minimal attendance required for SEP completion. Overall, 54.1% of incomplete adherence was due to patient withdrawal and no reason for incomplete adherence was reported for 16% of cases. Conclusions Reporting of SEP trials was poor with regard to the numbers of subjects screened and reasons for exclusions. Only approximately 1 in 3 screened IC patients was suitable for and willing to undertake SEP. Levels of adherence to SEPs and definitions of satisfactory adherence were also lacking in most the current literature. Current clinical guidelines based on this evidence base may not be applicable to most IC patients and changes to SEPs may be needed to encourage and/or retain participants

The Impact of Vein Mechanical Compliance on Arteriovenous Fistula Outcomes

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. Background Arteriovenous fistulae (AVFs) are the preferred access for hemodialysis but suffer a high early failure rate. The aim of this study was to determine how venous distensibility, as measured in vitro, relates to early outcomes of AVF formed with the sampled vein. Methods Ethical approval was obtained for all aspects of this study. During AVF formation a circumferential segment of the target vein was sampled. Mechanical stress testing of the venous segments was undertaken using a dynamic mechanical analyzer, with progressive stress loading at 2 N/min to a maximum of 10 N or until sample disruption. Stress-strain curves were obtained for vein samples and Young's modulus (YM) calculated. Duplex assessment of the fistulae was undertaken at 30 days. Results Thirty patients consented to participate with 29 samples obtained for analysis. Statistical comparison of YM demonstrated no relationship with common cardiovascular risk factors or dialysis status. Subject age greater than 65 was the only patient factor which showed a significant difference in YM (P = 0.05). Furthermore, a negative correlation was confirmed between age and YM (Pearson's r = -0.465, P < 0.05). Nine of the 29 subjects suffered an early AVF failure. Mann-Whitney U testing for differences in distribution reported that YM was significantly higher in those fistulas which failed (P < 0.005). Conclusions Reduced venous compliance appears to result in higher failure rates of AVFs. With the advancement of clinical tools such as speckle tracing ultrasound identification of vessel compliance in vivo may produce valuable additional information for clinicians planning AVF surgery

Recovery of fertilizer nitrogen from soils

The bulletin reports on Department of soils research project 178, Soils and Nutrition--P. [2].Digitized 2007 AES.Includes bibliographical references (page 28)