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.

Investigating Classroom Environments in Taiwan and Australia With Multiple Research Methods

Abstract: Multiple research methods from different paradigms were used in this interpretive study to explore the nature of classroom environments in a cross-national study involving Taiwan and Australia. When English and Mandarin versions of a questionnaire assessing student perceptions of 7 dimensions of the classroom learning environment were administered to 50 classes in each country, data analysis supported the reliability and factorial validity of the questionnaire and revealed differences between Taiwanese and Australian classroom environments. The data provided a starting point from which other methods (such as observations, interviews, and narrative stories) were used to gain a more in-depth understanding of the classroom environments in each country. Findings are represented in the form of stories and interpretive commentaries.

Part 2: Home based family caregiving at the end of life: a comprehensive review of published qualitative research (1998 - 2008)

Abstract: The changing context of palliative care over the last decade highlights the importance of recent research on home-based family caregiving at the end of life. This article reports on a comprehensive review of quantitative research (1998—2008) in this area, utilizing a systematic approach targeting studies on family caregivers, home settings, and an identified palliative phase of care (n = 129). Methodological challenges were identified, including: small, non-random, convenience samples; reliance on descriptive and bivariate analyses; and a dearth of longitudinal research. Robust evidence regarding causal relationships between predictor variables and carer outcomes is lacking. Findings suggest the need for knowledge regarding: family caregiving for patients with non-malignant terminal conditions; whether needs and outcomes differ between family caregivers at the end of life and comparison groups; and caregiver outcomes in bereavement. Clear definitions of ‘family caregiving’, ‘end of life’, and ‘needs’ are ...

Economic impacts of Wuhan 2019-nCoV on China and the world.

Abstract: Uncertainties over the Wuhan 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has killed 1,017 people and sickened more than 43,100 as of Feb 11,(1) has interrupted global trade and supply chains, depressed asset prices, and forced multinational businesses to make hard decisions with limited information This article is protected by copyright All rights reserved

Tectonothermal evolution of the Mayuan Assemblage in the Cathaysia Block; implications for Neoproterozoic collision-related assembly of the South China Craton

Abstract: The Mayuan assemblage in the Cathaysia Block, Southeast China, consists of felsic paragneiss, pelitic schist, greenschist, amphibolite, marble, calcsilicate, and quartzite that underwent three episodes of deformation (D1-D3) and four episodes of metamorphism (M1-M4) in the early Neoproterozoic. The M1 assemblage consists of mineral inclusions defining an early foliation (S1) within porphyroblasts, represented by chlorite muscovite biotite plagioclase quartz in pelitic schist and actinolite chlorite epidote albite quartz enclosed in amphibolite. M2 coincides with the development of the regional schistosity (S2) and represents the formation of the porphyroblasts and growth of matrix minerals, resulting in development of prograde metamorphic zones (chlorite-biotite, garnet, staurolite, and kyanite zones). M3 is simultaneous with the third phase of deformation (D3) and produced sillimanite-bearing mineral assemblages in pelitic schist and hornblende-bearing assemblages in amphibo- lite. The last metamorphic episode M4 gave rise to the retrogressive assemblage chlorite muscovite in pelitic rock and actinolite chlorite epidote in amphibolite. The sequence of mineral assemblages and history of metamorphic reactions built from the petrogenetic grid of pelites suggest a near-isothermal decompression clockwise P-T path for the Mayuan pelitic schists. Using the TWEEQU software program, the garnet-biotite thermometer and garnet- muscovite-biotite-plagioclase barometer yield P-T conditions for M1 of 5.5 to 6.0 kb and 450° to 500°C and conditions for the garnet, staurolite, and kyanite zones of M2 of 6.0 to 7.0 kb and 550° to 600°C, 6.0 to 7.5 kb and 600°C and 11.0 to 11.5 kb and 600°C. The P-T conditions of M3 were estimated at 570° to 625°C and 4.0 to 4.5 kb using the muscovite-biotite thermometer and hornblende-plagioclase geothermo- barometer. The garnet-chlorite thermometer yields temperatures of 300° to 400°C for M4, but the pressures of M4 cannot be quantitatively estimated because of the lack of a suitable geobarometer. These P-T estimates also define an near- isothermal decompression clockwise P-T path, which is involved in initial crustal thickening followed by rapid exhumation and final cooling, and is related to amalgamation of the Cathaysia and Yangtze Blocks to form the South China craton.

Convergent evolution of the genomes of marine mammals

Abstract: Marine mammals from different mammalian orders share several phenotypic traits adapted to the aquatic environment and therefore represent a classic example of convergent evolution. To investigate convergent evolution at the genomic level, we sequenced and performed de novo assembly of the genomes of three species of marine mammals (the killer whale, walrus and manatee) from three mammalian orders that share independently evolved phenotypic adaptations to a marine existence. Our comparative genomic analyses found that convergent amino acid substitutions were widespread throughout the genome and that a subset of these substitutions were in genes evolving under positive selection and putatively associated with a marine phenotype. However, we found higher levels of convergent amino acid substitutions in a control set of terrestrial sister taxa to the marine mammals. Our results suggest that, whereas convergent molecular evolution is relatively common, adaptive molecular convergence linked to phenotypic convergence is comparatively rare.