Deakin University

About: Deakin University is a education organization based out in Burwood, Victoria, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 12118 authors who have published 46470 publications receiving 1188841 citations. The organization is also known as: Deakin.

A global outlook to the interruption of education due to COVID-19 pandemic: Navigating in a time of uncertainty and crisis

Abstract: Uncertain times require prompt reflexes to survive and this study is a collaborative reflex to better understand uncertainty and navigate through it. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit hard and interrupted many dimensions of our lives, particularly education. As a response to interruption of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this study is a collaborative reaction that narrates the overall view, reflections from the K-12 and higher educational landscape, lessons learned and suggestions from a total of 31 countries across the world with a representation of 62,7% of the whole world population. In addition to the value of each case by country, the synthesis of this research suggests that the current practices can be defined as emergency remote education and this practice is different from planned practices such as distance education, online learning or other derivations. Above all, this study points out how social injustice, inequity and the digital divide have been exacerbated during the pandemic and need unique and targeted measures if they are to be addressed. While there are support communities and mechanisms, parents are overburdened between regular daily/professional duties and emerging educational roles, and all parties are experiencing trauma, psychological pressure and anxiety to various degrees, which necessitates a pedagogy of care, affection and empathy. In terms of educational processes, the interruption of education signifies the importance of openness in education and highlights issues that should be taken into consideration such as using alternative assessment and evaluation methods as well as concerns about surveillance, ethics, and data privacy resulting from nearly exclusive dependency on online solutions.

Extracting Embodied Energy Paths from Input–Output Tables: Towards an Input–Output-based Hybrid Energy Analysis Method

Abstract: Embodied energy is defined as the energy consumed in all activities necessary to support a process, including upstream processes. The Leontief inverse input–output (IO) matrix gives results that are practically complete, because of the aggregation of direct and indirect requirements, but which are also unreliable, because of inherent assumptions. Although accurate for the system boundary considered, process analysis results are incomplete relative to the pure IO system boundary. Attempts to combine process and IO analysis tend to be based on process analysis data. The system boundary is still significantly incomplete—although not as incomplete as for pure process analysis. An IO-based hybrid analysis technique that requires the extraction of particular paths from the direct IO matrix has been developed. The potential for embodied energy paths to be used as the basis for a hybrid analysis of the Australian residential building sector is discussed. The results indicate that less than three-quarters of the t...

Moderate exercise during growth in prepubertal boys: changes in bone mass, size, volumetric density, and bone strength: a controlled prospective study.

Abstract: Cross-sectional studies of elite athletes suggest that growth is an opportune time for exercise to increase areal bone mineral density (BMD). However, as the exercise undertaken by athletes is beyond the reach of most individuals, these studies provide little basis for making recommendations regarding the role of exercise in musculoskeletal health in the community. To determine whether moderate exercise increases bone mass, size, areal, and volumetric BMD, two socioeconomically equivalent schools were randomly allocated to be the source of an exercise group or controls. Twenty boys (mean age 10.4 years, range 8.4–11.8) allocated to 8 months of 30-minute sessions of weight-bearing physical education lessons three times weekly were compared with 20 controls matched for age, standing and sitting height, weight, and baseline areal BMD. Areal BMD, measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, increased in both groups at all sites, except at the head and arms. The increase in areal BMD in the exercise group was twice that in controls; lumbar spine (0.61 ± 0.11 vs. 0.26 ± 0.09%/month), legs (0.76 ± 0.07 vs. 0.34 ± 0.08%/month), and total body (0.32 ± 0.04 vs. 0.17 ± 0.06%/month) (all p < 0.05). In the exercise group, femoral midshaft cortical thickness increased by 0.97 ± 0.32%/month due to a 0.93 ± 0.33%/month decrease in endocortical (medullary) diameter (both p < 0.05). There was no periosteal expansion so that volumetric BMD increased by 1.14 ± 0.33%/month, (p < 0.05). Cortical thickness and volumetric BMD did not change in controls. Femoral midshaft section modulus increased by 2.34 ± 2.35 cm3 in the exercise group, and 3.04 ± 1.14 cm3 in controls (p < 0.05). The growing skeleton is sensitive to exercise. Moderate and readily accessible weight-bearing exercise undertaken before puberty may increase femoral volumetric BMD by increasing cortical thickness. Although endocortical apposition may be a less effective means of increasing bone strength than periosteal apposition, both mechanisms will result in higher cortical thickness that is likely to offset bone fragility conferred by menopause-related and age-related endocortical bone resorption.