Emotion regulation in daily life: Capturing context and flexibility. This project aims to understand the role of contextual and individual factors in effective emotion regulation in daily life. The ability to manage emotions is central to virtually every aspect of psychosocial functioning and wellbeing. However, because research in this domain has relied heavily on laboratory methods, very little is known about emotion regulation as it naturally occurs in daily life. Using cutting-edge mobile te ....Emotion regulation in daily life: Capturing context and flexibility. This project aims to understand the role of contextual and individual factors in effective emotion regulation in daily life. The ability to manage emotions is central to virtually every aspect of psychosocial functioning and wellbeing. However, because research in this domain has relied heavily on laboratory methods, very little is known about emotion regulation as it naturally occurs in daily life. Using cutting-edge mobile technologies, this project aims to uncover when, and for whom, various forms of emotion regulation are most effective in daily life. Besides a significantly improved scientific understanding of emotion regulation, this project is expected to inform the development of novel person - and situation-specific interventions in the many applied domains involving emotion regulation.Read moreRead less
Reducing the harms associated with conscientious objection to abortion. This project aims to critically evaluate the regulation of conscientious objection to abortion. A range of state-based laws regulate this practice in Australia, and there is evidence that all result in inequitable access, harms to women and lack clarity for providers. The project will critically evaluate the legal and regulatory options for managing conscientious objection and interview conscientious objectors to develop a c ....Reducing the harms associated with conscientious objection to abortion. This project aims to critically evaluate the regulation of conscientious objection to abortion. A range of state-based laws regulate this practice in Australia, and there is evidence that all result in inequitable access, harms to women and lack clarity for providers. The project will critically evaluate the legal and regulatory options for managing conscientious objection and interview conscientious objectors to develop a conceptual model to explain their practices. A participatory process with experts will identify the optimal model for regulation and how to translate the model to practice. Expected outcomes are world first evidence on practice, progress towards effective regulation, and benefits will be reduced conflict and harms.Read moreRead less
Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, loc ....Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters. Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, local recruitment and/or adaptation are at play. Recent developments in genomics and bioinformatics should allow this project to understand the ecological processes underpinning these genetic signatures and determine their evolutionary implications. Such findings could direct targeted rebuilding of depleted fisheries stocks.Read moreRead less
Globalising studies of the politics of history education: a comparative analysis of history national curriculum implementation in Russia and Australia. Internationally, history education has been, and continues to be, a highly controversial element in curriculum change. In that context, this project compares and analyses the processes involved in developing national history curricula in Russia (a former dictatorship) and in Australia (a liberal democracy).
The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling m ....The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling method. Resultantly, a holistic picture of integrated health and environmental risk will be developed that will build a scientific foundation for future fuel,transport and land use to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
Enabling wider use of mechanistic models for biodiversity forecasts . Forecasting species distributions is challenging yet necessary. The pattern-based models commonly used are error-prone. Mechanistic models, best equipped for the task, are limited by lack of data. This project aims to enable wider use of mechanistic models by developing new methods for dealing with incomplete trait data and uncertainty. It expects to generate new knowledge about how species’ traits define the environments in w ....Enabling wider use of mechanistic models for biodiversity forecasts . Forecasting species distributions is challenging yet necessary. The pattern-based models commonly used are error-prone. Mechanistic models, best equipped for the task, are limited by lack of data. This project aims to enable wider use of mechanistic models by developing new methods for dealing with incomplete trait data and uncertainty. It expects to generate new knowledge about how species’ traits define the environments in which they persist. Anticipated outcomes include enhanced capacity to apply mechanistic models to conservation problems, methods for communicating uncertainties and models for tens of species of immediate conservation interest. This will enable more reliable biodiversity forecasts, supporting better decision-making.
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Addressing childcare flexibility. This project aims to identify how best to achieve flexible childcare for the large number of Australian shift-work, professional or casual employees who work outside or beyond standard work hours. Consecutive governments have attempted to intervene in what is now regarded as a childcare flexibility crisis, but their attempts have failed due to fundamental misunderstandings of family needs for affordable, quality care and service providers' business requirements. ....Addressing childcare flexibility. This project aims to identify how best to achieve flexible childcare for the large number of Australian shift-work, professional or casual employees who work outside or beyond standard work hours. Consecutive governments have attempted to intervene in what is now regarded as a childcare flexibility crisis, but their attempts have failed due to fundamental misunderstandings of family needs for affordable, quality care and service providers' business requirements. This project seeks to reconcile family and provider experiences with government cost and quality concerns. It aims to deliver new knowledge on the alignments between stakeholders’ interests so as to offer a way forward in the creation of an affordable, flexible, quality care system.Read moreRead less
Social Futures & Life Pathways of Young People in Queensland: Waves 6 & 7. This project plans to extend a large longitudinal study of young people in Queensland to investigate the impact of social, political and economic changes on educational, workforce, partnering, family and housing transitions in early adulthood. The project is designed to combine large-scale survey research with in-depth qualitative interviewing to track stability and change in the values, aspirations, health and wellbeing ....Social Futures & Life Pathways of Young People in Queensland: Waves 6 & 7. This project plans to extend a large longitudinal study of young people in Queensland to investigate the impact of social, political and economic changes on educational, workforce, partnering, family and housing transitions in early adulthood. The project is designed to combine large-scale survey research with in-depth qualitative interviewing to track stability and change in the values, aspirations, health and wellbeing of a cohort of young people who were first surveyed as secondary school students a decade earlier. This aims to inform social policy by identifying factors that promote positive career, relationship, housing and health outcomes for young adults, and those which place young adults at risk of unemployment, tertiary non-completion, residential and relationship instability, and poorer mental and physical wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Determining elements that underpin learning of child-witness interviewing. This project aims to investigate the elements that underpin the learning of child witness interviewing skills. Preliminary indications from pioneering research suggest that positive change in interviewer behaviour is achievable. This project aims to extend that work on a larger scale. Expected outcomes include knowledge about the conditions under which skill acquisition is effective for different learners in disparate con ....Determining elements that underpin learning of child-witness interviewing. This project aims to investigate the elements that underpin the learning of child witness interviewing skills. Preliminary indications from pioneering research suggest that positive change in interviewer behaviour is achievable. This project aims to extend that work on a larger scale. Expected outcomes include knowledge about the conditions under which skill acquisition is effective for different learners in disparate contexts, and how skills can be maintained over the long term. The findings will guide the planning and implementation of interviewer training programs and contribute to improved interview quality and better justice outcomes for child complainants of abuse.Read moreRead less
Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidi ....Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidity by developing a multi-country study; and estimate the burden of diseases attributed to bushfire air pollution. This project will provide essential scientific evidence to policy-makers and stakeholders in the development, prioritization and implementation of health protection strategies and policies.
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