Curtin University

About: Curtin University is a education organization based out in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Zircon. The organization has 14257 authors who have published 48997 publications receiving 1336531 citations. The organization is also known as: WAIT & Western Australian Institute of Technology.

The Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD): a new resource for vegetation science

Abstract: Question: How many vegetation plot observations (releves) are available in electronic databases, how are they geographically distributed, what are their properties and how might they be discovered and located for research and application? Location: Global. Methods: We compiled the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD; http://www.givd.info), an Internet resource aimed at registering metadata on existing vegetation databases. For inclusion, databases need to (i) contain temporally and spatially explicit species co-occurrence data and (ii) be accessible to the scientific public. This paper summarizes structure and data quality of databases registered in GIVD as of 30 December 2010. Results: On the given date, 132 databases containing more than 2.4 million non-overlapping plots had been registered in GIVD. The majority of these data were in European databases (83 databases, 1.6 million plots), whereas other continents were represented by substantially less (North America 15, Asia 13, Africa nine, South America seven, Australasia two, multi-continental three). The oldest plot observation was 1864, but most plots were recorded after 1970. Most plots reported vegetation on areas of 1 to 1000 m2; some also stored time-series and nested-plot data. Apart from geographic reference (required for inclusion), most frequent information was on altitude (71%), slope aspect and inclination (58%) and land use (38%), but rarely soil properties (<7%). Conclusions: The vegetation plot data in GIVD constitute a major resource for biodiversity research, both through the large number of species occurrence records and storage of species co-occurrence information at a small scale, combined with structural and plot-based environmental data. We identify shortcomings in available data that need to be addressed through sampling under-represented geographic regions, providing better incentives for data collection and sharing, developing user-friendly database exchange standards, as well as tools to analyse and remove confounding effects of sampling biases. The increased availability of data sets conferred by registration in GIVD offers significant opportunities for large-scale studies in community ecology, macroecology and global change research.

Global statistics on addictive behaviours: 2014 status report.

Abstract: Background and aims Addictive behaviours are among the greatest scourges on humankind. It is important to estimate the extent of the problem globally and in different geographical regions. Such estimates are available, but there is a need to collate and evaluate these to arrive at the best available synthetic figures. Addiction has commissioned this paper as the first of a series attempting to do this. Methods Online sources of global, regional and national information on prevalence and major harms relating to alcohol use, tobacco use, unsanctioned psychoactive drug use and gambling were identified through expert review and assessed. The primary data sources located were the websites of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Alberta Gambling Research Institute. Summary statistics were compared with recent publications on the global epidemiology of addictive behaviours. Results An estimated 4.9% of the world's adult population (240 million people) suffer from alcohol use disorder (7.8% of men and 1.5% of women), with alcohol causing an estimated 257 disability-adjusted life years lost per 100 000 population. An estimated 22.5% of adults in the world (1 billion people) smoke tobacco products (32.0% of men and 7.0% of women). It is estimated that 11% of deaths in males and 6% of deaths in females each year are due to tobacco. Of ‘unsanctioned psychoactive drugs’, cannabis is the most prevalent at 3.5% globally, with each of the others at < 1%; 0.3% of the world's adult population (15 million people) inject drugs. Use of unsanctioned psychoactive drugs accounts for an estimated 83 disability-adjusted life years lost per 100 000 population. Global estimates of problem gambling are not possible, but in countries where it has been assessed the prevalence is estimated at 1.5%. Conclusions Tobacco and alcohol use are by far the most prevalent addictive behaviours and cause the large majority of the harm. However, the quality of data on prevalence and addiction-related harms is mostly low, and comparisons between countries and regions must be viewed with caution. There is an urgent need to review the quality of data on which global estimates are made and coordinate efforts to arrive at a more consistent approach.

Use of OPC to improve setting and early strength properties of low calcium fly ash geopolymer concrete cured at room temperature

Abstract: Most previous works on fly ash based geopolymer concrete focused on concretes subjected to heat curing. Development of geopolymer concrete that can set and harden at normal temperature will widen its application beyond precast concrete. This paper has focused on a study of fly ash based geopolymer concrete suitable for ambient curing condition. A small proportion of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was added with low calcium fly ash to accelerate the curing of geopolymer concrete instead of using elevated heat. Samples were cured in room environment (about 23 °C and RH 65 ± 10%) until tested. Inclusion of OPC as little as 5% of total binder reduced the setting time to acceptable ranges and caused slight decrease of workability. The early-age compressive strength improved significantly with higher strength at the age of 28 days. Geopolymer microstructure showed considerable portion of calcium-rich aluminosilicate gel resulting from the addition of OPC.

Exploring the Counselor's Experience of Working With Perpetrators and Survivors of Domestic Violence

Abstract: Based on notions of vicarious trauma, burnout, and countertransference, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact on counselors of working with domestic violence (DV) clients. Eighteen counselors with high case loads of DV clients participated in a semistructured interview. They described classical symptoms of vicarious trauma, and reported changes in cognitive schema, particularly in regard to safety, world view, and gender power issues. Specific challenges of DV work included changes in counseling practice to meet the unique needs of DV clients, difficulties with confidentiality, fear for clients' safety, feelings of isolation, and powerlessness. The majority reported symptoms of burnout, but used a range of strategies for dealing with their adverse effects including monitoring client caseloads, debriefing, peer support, self care and political involvement. The implications of these findings for the training of DV counselors are discussed as are recommendations for best practice in DV counseli...