How young people are faring 2012

This report provides an independent, up-to-date and in-depth analysis of the education, training and work activities of young Australians. The series provides important information on how successfully our education and training system is working to meet the needs of young Australians as they make the transition from school to further study and work.  This contemporary, point-in-time picture of the learning and earning circumstances of young Australians is also placed in the context of the long-term trends that emerge from looking at changes in educational and labour force participation over the last two to three decades. How Young People are Faring 2012 has been prepared by Lyn Robinson and Stephen Lamb from the Centre for Research on Education Systems at the University of Melbourne. The significant story that emerges from HYPAF 2012 is one of a changing landscape of work and learning. The report shows solid gains in educational attainment , however, the data suggests that we should not become complacent about broader and alternative pathways from school to work, further study and training. Traditional education pathways are not enough in themselves to help young people enter the world of work. The combination of a changing youth labour market, long-term unemployment and the persistent marginalisation experienced by certain groups reinforces the need to ask: how well are young people prepared for increasingly fluid worlds of work? Image: merfam / flick

The ‘Got Milk’ project. The timing of lactogenesis phase II: the impact of mother-infant proximity

This study explores the effects of mother-infant close-contact while on the postnatal ward on the maternal perception of the onset of lactogenesis phase II (LII).The 'Got Milk?' project utilized a sub-sample of 49 mothers of newly delivered infants participating in a large randomised trial (The North-East Cot Trial) which had allocated the mother-infant dyads to receive either a stand-alone bassinette (current hospital practices) or a side-car crib (a three sided bassinette that attaches to the mother's bed) while on the postnatal ward. Data were collected using simple daily home diaries completed immediately following birth until five days postpartum. Mothers of infants assigned to located the side-car crib condition reported experiencing: the onset of LII earlier (p=0.003); more physiological sensations of LII on reported day of milk arrival (p=0.025); and were discharged earlier from hospital (p=0.042), in comparison to mothers whose infants were allocated the stand-alone bassinette condition. There was a clear trend for infants in the side-car crib group to breastfeed more frequently than infants in the stand-alone bassinette group. Multifarious mothers, regardless of cot allocation, reported experiencing: the onset of LII sooner (p=0.046); a greater frequency of breastfeeding (p=0.026); and a greater confidence in breastfeeding their infant (p=0.003), sooner than primiparous mothers. This study contributes to the growing understanding of the effects current Western postnatal infant care practices on the breastfeeding physiology in the immediate postpartum period. Side-car cribs allow mother-infant close-contact which facilitates an earlier onset of LI

The Impact of Mother-Infant Postnatal Proximity and Birth Intervention on Breastfeeding Outcomes

ABSTRACT Employing an anthropological perspective, this thesis explores whether alterations in postnatal care can impact on lactation physiology and long-term breastfeeding outcomes. The intervention examined was designed to facilitate mother-infant close proximity on the postnatal ward (using a side-car crib, as opposed to a standard cot), and outcomes were examined for first-time mothers who intended to breastfeed. The intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding were also investigated, particularly the role of labour analgesia and delivery interventions. I collected the data presented in this thesis via two separate research studies, both of which investigated the impact of hospital postnatal care on breastfeeding outcomes. Both studies were conducted at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. First, I conducted a non-randomised pilot study to investigate the effect of mother-infant postnatal proximity on maternal lactation physiology (maternal prolactin levels) and breastfeeding outcomes. The pilot study was considered an important stage prior to the implementation of a larger trial, and aimed to assess: the feasibility of novel data collection methods (dried blood spot (DBS) sampling), recruitment strategies, the management of the research and the required sample size. The pilot study included 57 women after receiving either a side-car crib or a standard cot on the postnatal ward, following an unassisted delivery. Blood spot analysis aimed to assess differences in prolactin increase. Results from the non-randomised pilot study generated useful information regarding the recruitment of participants and collection of biological samples via novel methods (DBS sampling), despite experiencing shortcomings with the analysis of the DBS samples. Recruitment rates were higher among women recruited from antenatal breastfeeding workshops, as opposed to women recruited following delivery on the postnatal ward. Descriptive statistics suggested that participants recruited at antenatal breastfeeding workshops reported high affluence than participants recruited on the postnatal ward. Equal numbers of participants in the two groups provided the DBS samples requested and data generated supported the use of DBS sampling as an alternative to venepuncture for research. The pilot study highlighted issues regarding the provisioning of the intervention (fidelity of implementation) and constraints to recruitment and data collection imposed by being a lone researcher. Second, I worked as the nominated Ph.D researcher on a large randomised controlled trial, referred to as the North-East Cot Trial (NECOT), where I contributed fully to the recruitment, data collection and management of the trial. I recruited participants at antenatal ultrasound clinics at 20 weeks gestation, midwifery staff provided the allocated cot type (side-car crib or standard cot) on the postnatal ward and data on breastfeeding duration were collected via a weekly telephone follow-up from birth until six months postpartum. I performed subgroup analysis on data from 366 first-time mother-infant dyads and employed three methods of analysis (intention-to-treat, per-protocol and as-treated) to assess the intervention on breastfeeding outcomes following differing birth experiences (vaginal unmedicated (VU), vaginal medicated (VM), instrumental medicated (IM) and caesarean section (CS)) and prenatal breastfeeding attitudes. The intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding among these first-time mothers were also investigated. Results from the analyses indicated that birth interventions (VM, IM, CS) increased the risk of early breastfeeding cessation (both exclusive and any); postnatal ward cot type was not associated with breastfeeding duration among these groups. Following a VU delivery, facilitating mother-infant close proximity significantly improved the duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding among women whose commitment to breastfeeding was more uncertain. However, analysis also indicated that some women experienced inexplicably better breastfeeding outcomes following birth intervention (IM delivery). Maternal socio-demographic variables and prenatal breastfeeding attitudes increased the risk of early breastfeeding cessation at different time-points from birth to 26 weeks postpartum. Results from this analysis can be used to generate hypotheses for future research. This research highlighted that: (1) mother-infant dyads are more receptive to the benefits of postnatal proximity for breastfeeding following a VU delivery and (2) birth intervention and prenatal breastfeeding attitudes impact on breastfeeding longevity. Essentially, women rework breastfeeding behaviours in line with changing internal and external factors throughout the postpartum period, especially during times of vulnerability

The effects of part-time work on school students

This report investigates the character and consequences of part- time work by school students. It looks at students\u27 experience of part-time work; the measured effects of part-time work on schooling; and the initial labour market outcomes of employment during secondary school

"A different kind of knowing": speculations on understanding in light of the Philosophy of Information

This short and speculative paper considers some philosophical approaches to understanding, particularly those related to Luciano Floridi's Philosophy of Information, and based on the general idea that understanding is a special kind of knowledge. It is a slightly extended and updated version of the paper presented at CoLIS9

Into the infosphere: theory, literacy, and education for new forms of document

Coming changes in the information environment, particularly the infosphere and immersive documents are briefly reviewed, and their significance for library/information science considered, with a focus on topics addressed in the writings of Tatjana Aparac-Jelušić. Issues analysed include the nature of these new developments, new models of information behaviour and information literacy, consequences for education and professional training, and the relation between theory and practice

Super-science, fundamental dimension, way of being: Library and information science in an age of messages. With critique from Rafael Capurro

This is a blog post containing the somewhat revised text of a chapter published in a Festschrift for Rafael Capurr, with comments from Capurro on our chapter

Impact of digital information resources in the toxicology literature

Purpose – The purpose of the study reported here was to assess the degree to which new forms of web-based information and communication resources impact on the formal toxicology literature, and the extent of any change between 2000 and 2005. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of an empirical examination of the full content of four toxicology journals for the year 2000 and for the year 2005, with analysis of the results, comparison with similar studies in other subject areas, and with a small survey of the information behaviour of practising toxicologists. Findings – Scholarly communication in toxicology has been relatively little affected by new forms of information resource (weblogs, wikis, discussion lists, etc.). Citations in journal articles are still largely to “traditional” resources, though a significant increase in the proportion of web-based material being cited in the toxicology literature has occurred between 2000 and 2005, from a mean of 3 per cent to a mean of 19 per cent. Research limitations/implications – The empirical research is limited to an examination of four journals in two samples of one year each. Originality/value – This is the only recent study of the impact of new ICTs on toxicology communication. It adds to the literature on the citation of digital resources in scholarly publications

Fan Futures—Beyond the Archive: Papers from the FanLIS 2022 Symposium

Following the first successful FanLIS symposium (Price & Robinson, 2022), our aim in 2022 was to continue to build bridges between the two fields, doing this through two streams held over the two-day event—the first stream being ‘Beyond the Archive’, and the second ‘Fan Futures’. ‘Beyond the Archive’ focused on the ways in which fans move beyond traditional relationships with the archive to subvert, use and perhaps even abuse the archive to create and innovate. ‘Fan Futures’ then zoomed out from the archive to consider different aspects of the information communication chain—creation, organisation, dissemination, discovery, management, preservation, analysis, use and understanding—traditional domains of concern to LIS—and how fan practice is changing and innovating in those areas