Training programs: the key to achieving ILO goals

[Excerpt] The article, featured in the Monthly Labor Review, discusses the importance of utilizing training as a way to achieve its goals, “such as equal opportunity for workers in acquiring skills that will allow them to choose productive employment”

American Grand Strategy in the Mediterranean during World War II (Book Review) by Andrew Buchanan

Review of American Grand Strategy in the Mediterranean during World War II by Andrew Buchanan

Examining the role of insulin in the regulation of cardiovascular health

A substantial body of evidence has reported that insulin has direct actions on the cardiovascular system independent of its systemic effects on plasma glucose or lipids. In particular, insulin regulates endothelial synthesis of the vasoactive mediators nitric oxide and endothelin-1, yet the importance of this in the maintenance of cardiovascular health remains poorly understood. Recent studies using animals with targeted downregulation of insulin signaling in vascular tissues are improving our understanding of the role of insulin in vascular health. This article focuses on the direct actions of insulin in cardiovascular tissues, with particular emphasis on the molecular mechanisms of insulin action on endothelial function. The potential contribution of impaired vascular insulin action to the cardiovascular complications of diabetes will also be discussed

Super connected jobs: understanding Australia’s future workforce

Connectivity, entrepreneurialism and a rising population will shape three million new jobs by 2030, argues a new study by Bernard Salt which has uncovered the distinct skill sets which represent Australia’s future jobs in the digital age. Developed by KPMG Demographics and commissioned by nbn, the Super connected jobs report explores how the potential for universal access to fast broadband can shape the future Aussie workforce and liberate employees from the confines of set working hours or places. It predicts significant growth and transformation in existing jobs such as beauty therapists and personal trainers as well as a changing perception for stereotypically ‘geek’ jobs such as computer programmers and high tech start-ups which will become less niche and more mainstream. Key findings include: Three million more jobs by 2030 – With three million new jobs since 2000, it is likely the Australian workforce will increase by another three million more workers in the next 15 years to 2030. There will be a growing emphasis on part-time working women work as well as longer careers for older workers. A culture of entrepreneurialism – The rise of new technology and digital disruption will facilitate a level of entrepreneurialism unlike ever before. This will influence the economy with the rise of ‘Silicon Cities and Beaches’ outside of metro areas, as more small and agile businesses pop-up with new ways to disrupt, improve and create value. It’s not only about ‘robot polishers’ – While the invention of the motorcar created jobs in car cleaning, future jobs won’t mean everyone suddenly enters the robot cleaning business. Jobs of the future will stem from what is in most demand due to changing skill sets, population increase and the potential for ubiquitous access to fast broadband via the nbn network. Connectivity the common thread – While digital disruption will create new business models, the majority of Australian job growth will come from ‘the jobs of today’. Connectivity will impact all types of jobs, even those not strictly in the technology space. New tools and new ways of communicating will influence all jobs of the future, no matter if you are a teacher, plumber, doctor or photographer. Author of the Super connected jobs report, demographer Bernard Salt said: “Australians are on the dawn of a disruptive ‘Uber-work’ era. Super connectivity made available via the nbn network will deliver a greater balance between work and lifestyle pursuits as we redefine how, when and where we will work. “We could also see the rise of new Silicon cities or beaches in regional hubs around the country as universal access to fast broadband drives a culture of entrepreneurialism and innovation outside our capital cities.” Who are the workers of the future? The Care Givers – includes support services such as social worker and personal services like beauty therapists, nannies and fitness instructors. A future Care Giver fitness instructor will pitch for work using an uber-like app and conduct group workouts via HD video-conferencing. The Technocrats – knowledge-workers who are highly skilled, highly trained and well-remunerated. The spectrum of jobs includes electrical engineers, medical researchers and business entrepreneurs. A future Technocrat could conduct an international collaboration via high speed broadband, to collaborate, develop and commercialise a research project. The Specialist Professions – knowledge-workers that maintain systems and deliver outcomes including accountants, dentists, urban planners and teachers. A future Specialist Professional such as a doctor will conduct more of their work remotely and use technology to diagnose and treat patients. The Doers – skilled jobs for those who ‘do’, such as plumbers, carpenters and electricians. No matter how much we automate, there will still be a requirement for waiters in the future. A future Doer will use technology to create new ways of communicating with clients, ordering materials, allocating work and processing payment. The Creatives – this group of workers is driven by what pleases as opposed to what delivers the best return on effort. Stylist, social media engineer, photographer and yoga instructor are all Creative jobs that in the future will draw on access to high speed broadband for inspiration, instant connections with peers and clients and hassle-free large data transfers

Towards a super connected Australia - GenNBN: understanding Australia's most connected generation

Foreword Bernard Salt, KPMG partner and social researcher There is one feature that has galvanised Australians across every generation since WWII and possibly longer and that is the irrepressible pursuit of lifestyle. To most Australians the idea of lifestyle involves having the personal and economic freedom to live comfortably and to pursue interests, family/relationships and work. In the post-war era the Australian lifestyle was embodied in the suburban home and the traditional nuclear family; today the idea of lifestyle is more sophisticated, more international perhaps, but at its core it still involves having personal and economic freedoms. From the time of the three-bedroom brick veneer and the barbeque area of the 1950s and the 1960s through to the sea-change shift of the late 1990s, and into the new century with the rise of the inner-city hipster, it’s always been about and probably always will be about, lifestyle. That’s what Australia is famous for and when you look at the way we Aussies live, the reason for our lifestyle fixation is really quite simple. Australia is a resource rich continent that naturally affords its inhabitants a good quality of life and a high standard of living. If my central proposition is correct, Australians are now, and in the past have been, fixated with lifestyle then this trend will continue to be at the core of our values. New technologies in communication, new housing styles, new forms of transportation, the arrival of new cultural influences, even changes to the way we work, have all been leveraged in one way or another by the Australian people to enhance their quality of life and their lifestyle. This report looks at the themes and the technologies that have been central to the making of the modern Australia lifestyle, from the time of Federation right through to today and beyond. It also investigates how the introduction of fast broadband could be the catalyst for a new generation, Australia’s most connected generation, ‘GenNBN’.   KPMG Partner Bernard Salt founded and heads KPMG Demographics a specialist advisory group that looks at social, cultural and demographic trends over time. Bernard has worked as an advisor to business and government for more than 25 years drawing on census and other datasets. He is a twice weekly columnist with The Australian newspaper and he is one of the most in-demand speakers on the Australian corporate speaking circuit. Bernard holds a Master of Arts degree from Monash University and since 2011 has been an adjunct professor at Curtin University Business School. Bernard also holds a number of board positions in education and the art

Common visual problems in children with disability

Children with disability are at a substantially higher risk of visual impairment (VI) (10.5% compared with 0.16%) but also of ocular disorders of all types, including refractive errors and strabismus. The aetiology of VI in children with disability reflects that of the general population and includes cerebral VI, optic atrophy, as well as primary visual disorders such as retinal dystrophies and structural eye anomalies. VI and other potentially correctable ocular disorders may not be recognised without careful assessment and are frequently unidentified in children with complex needs. Although assessment may be more challenging than in other children, identifying these potential additional barriers to learning and development may be critical. There is a need to develop clearer guidelines, referral pathways and closer working between all professionals involved in the care of children with disability and visual disorders to improve our focus on the assessment of vision and outcomes for children with disability

Molecular mechanisms regulating perivascular adipose tissue - potential pharmacological targets?

No abstract available

Plantation forests and biodiversity conservation

There are five key reasons why biodiversity conservation should be considered a part of plantation management. (1) The plantation estate is large, and balancing various land management values with wood and pulp production is important when extensive areas of land are involved. (2) The locations and management of new plantations will affect the biota that currently exist in such landscapes. (3) Maintaining some elements of biodiversity within plantations can have benefits for stand productivity and the maintenance of key ecosystem processes such as pest control. (4) The retention (or loss) of biota in plantations is relevant to the formulation of ecological standards and the certification of plantations in many parts of the world. (5) Plantation forestry has a narrow and intensive management focus on producing a forest crop for a limited array of purposes. It will not meet future societal demands for a range of outputs from plantations (in addition to wood and pulp supply), and will not be congruent with the principles of ecological sustainability. This paper briefly reviews the biodiversity conservation values of Australian plantation s. It shows that almost all work in Australian plantations, whether conifer or eucalypt, highlights the importance of landscape heterogeneity and stand structural complexity for enhancing biodiversity. Management of plantations to promote landscape heterogeneity and stand structural complexity and enhance the conservation of biodiversity will, in many cases, involve tradeoffs that will affect wood and pulp production. The extent to which this occurs will depend on the objectives of plantation management and how far they extend towards the more complex plantation forestry models that incorporate social and environmental values. We argue that the widespread adoption of plantation forestry that leads to homogenous stands of extensive monocultures will risk re-creating the array of negative environmental outcomes that have been associated with agriculture in many parts of Australia