Western Sydney University Research Articles

Introduction

Research Article| January 01 2020 Introduction: Migrant Projects of Freedom Michael Hardt; Michael Hardt Editor Michael Hardt teaches political theory in the Literature Program at Duke University. His most recent book, coauthored with Antonio Negri, is Assembly (2017). He serves as editor of the South Atlantic Quarterly and, together with Sandro Mezzadra, directs the “Social Movements Lab” at Duke. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Sandro Mezzadra Sandro Mezzadra Editor Sandro Mezzadra teaches political theory at the University of Bologna and is an adjunct research fellow at the Institute for Culture and Society of Western Sydney University. With Brett Neilson, he is the author of Border as Method, or, the Multiplication of Labor (2013) and The Politics of Operations: Excavating Contemporary Capitalism (2019). Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google South Atlantic Quarterly (2020) 119 (1): 168–175. https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-8007853 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Michael Hardt, Sandro Mezzadra; Introduction: Migrant Projects of Freedom. South Atlantic Quarterly 1 January 2020; 119 (1): 168–175. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-8007853 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsSouth Atlantic Quarterly Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2020 by Duke University Press2020 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Is there a causal relationship between acute stage sensorimotor cortex activity and the development of chronic low back pain? a protocol and statistical analysis plan

IntroductionWhy some people develop chronic pain following an acute episode of low back pain is unknown. Recent cross-sectional studies have suggested a relationship between aberrant sensorimotor cortex activity and pain...

Preface

Dear distinguished Authors and Guests,The organizing committee warmly welcome you to 1st UPY International Conference on Applied Science and Education (UPINCASE) and 5th International Conference and Sustainable Development (ICESDev), held on October 24-26, 2018, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.On behalf of 1st UPINCASE and 5th ICESDev, we would like to thank all the authors that contributed to this conference. We would like to extend our special gratitude to the Keynote Speakers who support this conference.1. Prof. Jasper L. Pastrano from Iloilo Science and Technology University, Philippines2. Prof. Allan Leslie White from University of Western Sydney, Australia3. Prof. Cathy S. Lin from National University of Kaohsiung, Taiwan4. Prof. Datuk Mohd Noh Dalimin from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia5. Prof. Prapto Yudono from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia6. Prof. Buchory MS from Universitas PGRI Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

1203 Low Viscosity Soluble Dietary Fibre for Gastroparesis Sufferers

INTRODUCTION: Gastroparesis is a chronic idiopathic disorder which affects 125,000 people in Australia. The symptoms of gastroparesis can range from mild to very severe. Current management of gastroparesis involves enteral strategies such as prescription drugs, feeding tubes using jejunostomy and gastric electric simulation (GES). Medical practitioners currently recommend that gastroparesis sufferers take little to no fibre in their diet regardless of the severity of their symptoms but low-viscosity soluble fibres have been proposed as a solution for dietary fibre intake in mild to moderate gastroparesis sufferers. METHODS: The rheological properties of ten soluble dietary fibres were studied under normal and simulated gastric conditions. A clinical trial involving two soluble fibres (test fibres), one partially-soluble fibre (positive control) and no fibre (negative control) was approved under the UID H12254 at Western Sydney University, AUS. The clinical trial is used to study blood glucose absorption, symptoms and mouth-to-caecum emptying times of eligible patients after consumption of soluble dietary fibres under controlled conditions. The polysaccharide chain length and monosaccharide unit composition in these dietary fibres will be analysed using Q-ToF-MS. RESULTS: The rheological stress σ (Pa) at the visco-elastic relaxation modulus Gc under normal and simulated gastric conditions was characterised for 10 different fibres. There was a significant reduction in the rheological stress from normal to gastric conditions for three low-stress soluble fibres. Two of those three low-stress fibres and one medium-stress fibre were selected for the clinical trial. Preliminary results of the clinical trial (6 patients) indicate that most patients find the low-stress fibres more palatable than the medium-stress fibre based on the Gastroparesis Cardinal symptom Index (GCSI). No significant differences in postprandial blood glucose absorption over 3 hours were observed for both the low-stress and medium-stress fibres. The low-stress fibres also show no significant delay in gastric emptying up to 3 hours compared to the negative control using hydrogen breath test analysis. CONCLUSION: The preliminary results of the rheology and the clinical trial indicate that soluble fibres could be incorporated into the diet of a gastroparesis patient. We hope to summarize the rheological, chemical and clinical data about these fibres and provide the relevant information to dieticians and gastroenterologists.

Effects of friendship and relationship dimensions of classroom environment on general and academic self-concept

The purpose of present study was to examine the effect of friendship and relationship dimensions of the classroom environment on general and academic selfconcept. 784 male students aged 13–14 years from 30 classes in 11 schools in Tehran, Iran, participated in the study. A questionnaire was devised and used based on items from the Self-Description Questionnaire-II (Marsh in Self-description questionnaire-II: manual, Publication Unit, Faculty of Education, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, 1992), What Is Happening In this Class (Fraser et al. in Paper presented at the Western Australian Institute for Educational Research forum, Perth, 1996) and Classroom Environment Scale (Moos in Evaluating educational environments, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1979) in addition to some new items. The relationship dimensions of classroom environment were significantly correlated with general and academic self-concept. Moreover, general self-concept mediated the relationship between friendship and academic self-concept. Pupils’ academic norms had an effect on neither this correlation nor the correlation between general self-concept and academic self-concept. Finally, the correlation between general self-concept and academic self-concept was not effectively moderated by pupil–teacher relationship. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are explained.

The Way I Saw It; the Way It Was: The Making of National Agricultural and Natural Resource Management Policy, John C.Kerin Published by APO, Melbourne, VIC, 2017, 713 pages.

The Way I Saw It; the Way It Was: The Making of National Agricultural and Natural Resource Management Policy, John C.Kerin Published by APO, Melbourne, VIC, 2017, 713 pages.

NTT and Dimension Data Sign Memorandum of Understanding with Deakin University and Western Sydney University to Accelerate Innovation

NTT and Dimension Data Sign Memorandum of Understanding with Deakin University and Western Sydney University to Accelerate Innovation

Decoupling of nutrient cycles in a Eucalyptus woodland under elevated CO2

Abstract Elevated atmospheric [CO2] (eCO2) is currently altering nutrient cycling and availability in ecosystems worldwide. If the availabilities and turnover rates of macro‐ and micronutrients are differentially affected, then nutrient cycles may become out of sync (i.e., decoupled). We evaluated the impacts of 3 years of eCO2 (550 µmol CO2/mol) on the availability, stability and coupling of eleven essential macro and micronutrients in a mature, P‐limited Eucalyptus woodland from Eastern Australia (EucFACE). Despite increases in N and P availability in the first 18 months of study, nutrient availabilities and their stoichiometric ratios were unaffected by eCO2 across the study period (26–57 months of experimental duration). In contrast, the stability of nutrient availability increased under eCO2, which was concomitant with a reduction in the degree of biogeochemical coupling. Synthesis. We demonstrate that macro‐ and micro‐nutrient cycles can quickly become out of sync (i.e., decoupled) under eCO2 in a low‐nutrient Australian eucalypt woodland, despite the lack of consistent effects on nutrient availability; such decoupling of nutrient cycles may have unpredicted consequences in terms of ecosystem functioning under the widely assumed positive relationship between biogeochemical coupling and ecosystem functioning.

1661-P: Outcomes of a Church-Based Lifestyle Intervention among Australian Samoans Living in South Western Sydney (SWS)—A Pilot Study

Objectives: Samoan people are susceptible to early onset of type 2 diabetes and have low primary care participation. We have evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally adapted, church-based intervention delivered by Samoan coaches and Peer Support Facilitators to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes in Samoans associated with 3 churches in South Western Sydney (SWS). Methods: This pre-post study included Samoans ≥18 years and involved the delivery of 12 lifestyle messages and 10 diabetes messages. Participants completed questionnaires, the diabetes knowledge and behavior questionnaire, anthropometric measurements and provided a non-fasting blood sample (‘new’ diabetes diagnosis was defined if HbA1c or random blood glucose was ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or ≥11.1mmol/l respectively). Obesity was defined using a Pacific body mass index (BMI) threshold ≥32kg/m2. Results: One hundred participants (70%) participated with 68 (mean age 49.6±14.2 years; female 57.4%) completing data collection 3-8 months after commencing the intervention. The prevalence of obesity was 73% and diabetes was 32.8% (19.8% previously diagnosed; 13% undiagnosed). Overall, HbA1c fell from baseline to follow-up (mean±SD; 6.4±1.7% (46 mmol/mol) vs. 6.0±1.4% (42 mmol/mol); p<0.001). HbA1c reductions were greatest in participants with known diabetes (8.1±2.4% (65 mmol/mol) vs. 7.4±1.8% (57 mmol/mol); p=0.040). The number of participants engaging in moderate and vigorous activities per week increased significantly (336.7±136.3mins vs. 622.6±213.0 mins; p=0.019). Diabetes knowledge increased from baseline to follow-up (45.5±15.7% to 60.3±20.1%; p<0.001). There were no significant reductions in weight, blood pressure or waist circumference at follow-up. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of diabetes and its risk factors among Samoans living in SWS. A structured church-based culturally tailored lifestyle intervention showed promise in reducing their diabetes risks. Disclosure D. Ndwiga: None. F. MacMillan: None. K. McBride: None. O. Alofivae-Doorbinnia: None. J. Reath: None. P.A. Abbott: None. D. Simmons: Speaker's Bureau; Self; Sanofi-Aventis. Other Relationship; Self; Medtronic. Funding South Western Sydney Local Health District; South Western Sydney Primary Health Network; WentWest Health Care; Western Sydney University

Do sensorimotor cortex activity, an individual’s capacity for neuroplasticity, and psychological features during an episode of acute low back pain predict outcome at 6 months: a protocol for an Australian, multisite prospective, longitudinal cohort study

IntroductionLow back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with prevalence doubling in the past 14 years. To date, prognostic screening tools display poor discrimination and offer no...

Cerebral Blood Flow Ultrasonography as a Diagnostic Tool for Monitoring Recovery from Concussion in Children and Adolescents

Approximately 70% of concussions are sports‐related, accounting for up to 1.9 million children and adolescents in the USA every year. Despite the high rates of injury, there are currently no consistent agreements regarding objective measures of diagnosis or severity of injury. Our pilot study determined whether cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the internal carotid artery can be utilized as an objective marker of concussion and recovery trajectory in concussed children and adolescents. We recruited individuals being seen at a concussion clinic with post concussive symptoms (mean= 40 ± 31 days post injury; range= 8–101 days) vs a group of controls who were being seen at the clinic for musculoskeletal injury. Concussed (n=10, 7 male; 12 ± 3 years) and healthy controls (n=8, 5 male; 13 ± 2 years) underwent ultrasound assessments of internal carotid artery blood flow during resting conditions when seated and supine. Continuous blood pressure, ECG, and end‐tidal CO2 were also obtained in participants. Preliminary results showed a trend for an increase in CBF in concussed children when seated (concussed= 644 ± 167 ml/min vs control= 535 ± 118 ml/min; p=0.122) but not when supine (concussed= 628 ± 142 ml/min vs control= 602 ± 140 ml/min; p=696). When comparing the percent of supine CBF when seated, concussed children showed a trend for greater CBF (concussed= 104 ± 19% vs control= 90 ± 11% p=0.101). Interestingly, in our 10 concussed participants, the ratio of seated to supine CBF negatively correlated with the number of days since injury (r= −0.738; p=0.015), suggesting elevated seated CBF may be returning towards normal values. There were no differences in end‐tidal CO2 between concussed and controls when seated (concussed= 40.4 ± 3.0 mmHg vs control= 40.8 ± 3.3 mmHg) or supine (concussed= 40.4 ± 3.8 mmHg vs control= 41.1 ± 3.8 mmHg). However there was significantly increased mean arterial pressure in controls when supine (concussed= 83.4 ± 4.8 mmHg vs control= 92.4 ± 11.9 mmHg; p=0.036) and a trend when seated (concussed= 86.2 ± 5.2 mmHg vs control= 96.0 ± 12.2 mmHg; p=0.074). If additional subjects follow the same pattern, our preliminary data would suggest that concussed children appear to be hyperperfused when seated. While it is unclear why CBF may be elevated when seated, one possibility is that flow is matching the increased metabolic demand associated with neural remodeling after injury. Our preliminary data supports that ultrasonography may be a useful diagnostic tool to monitor recovery from concussion in children and adolescents when taking into account body posture.Support or Funding InformationThe study was supported by the MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, AUS.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

From manuscript to digital: an overview of the 2018 SHARP conference

Caroline Jones reports on the eclectic presentations at the 2018 SHARP (Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing) conference, which was held at Western Sydney University in Par...

Linked digital archives and the historical publishing world: An Australasian perspective

AbstractThe ARCHIVER project (Angus & Robertson Collection for Humanities and Education Research), based at Western Sydney University, is developing a model for curating digitally accessible versions of print‐based manuscript collections that has the potential to transform humanities research. Using structured, linked metadata concepts, “Linked Archives” allows archival collections to be connected in new ways and facilitates complex meta‐analyses of associated data between and across these collections to achieve results that would be impossible using traditional methods alone. Our current dataset consists of the records of key Australasian publishing companies from the 20th century. This paper will demonstrate the potential of this approach, when applied to this dataset, for examining the underlying infrastructure and networks of the book trade, and thus the creation of literary culture in Australasia and beyond.

Killing for Conservation - Plenary 2

Following the second session of the forum, a question and answer session was facilitated by Paul Willis. The presentations covered by this plenary session were: John Woinarski (Charles Darwin University) - Killing Peter to save Paul: when is it appropriate to cull native species to benefit other native species?Ricky Spencer (Western Sydney University) - What ‘impact’ will the killing of two million cats by 2020 have on feral cat populations?Rod Kavanagh (Australian Wildlife Conservancy) - Conservation fencing: little cost but significant benefits for threatened native species.Libby Robin (Australian National University) - Eradicating the ugly.George R Wilson and Melanie Edwards (Australian Wildlife Services) - Professional kangaroo population control leads to better animal welfare, conservation outcomes and avoids waste. (Paper included post forum.)

Music's Immanent Future: The Deleuzian Turn in Music Studies ed. by Sally Macarthur, Judy Lochhead, and Jennifer Shaw

Reviewed by: Music's Immanent Future: The Deleuzian Turn in Music Studies ed. by Sally Macarthur, Judy Lochhead, and Jennifer Shaw Dimitris Exarchos Music's Immanent Future: The Deleuzian Turn in Music Studies. Edited by Sally Macarthur, Judy Lochhead, Jennifer Shaw. Abingdon, Oxon, Eng.: Routledge, 2016. [xx, 240 p. ISBN 9781472460219 (hard-cover), $160; ISBN 9781315597027 (ebook), $28.98.] Music examples, illustrations, bibliography, index. [End Page 529] Music's Immanent Future is a kaleidoscopic collection that reflects on aspects of music studies today, drawing on concepts by Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, Jean-Luc Nancy, Julia Kristeva, and Michel Foucault, among others. The collection, subtitled The Deleuzian Turn in Music Studies, includes seventeen chapters grouped into five parts that explore themes such as music studies in higher education ("The Academic Music Machine"), musical practices ("Deleuzian Encounters"), composition ("Materialities of Sounding"), listening ("Immanent Listening"), and ontology ("Deleuzian Ontologies"). In addition to an overall introduction to the book, there are introductory chapters to each part—"folding" chapters that serve to connect the different strands of the contributed chapters in each part. The Deleuzian concept of the fold indexes the possibility of space that is opened up each time, avoiding the single-view perspective that "leads to privileging the identity of the author." The book's main ambition is to move beyond a typical account of music, conceived to have "an essence, surface, and depth," and achieve a multiplicity of types of engagement, both by its authors and by its readers (p. 2). Such multiplicity (a central Deleuzian concept, whereby difference is privileged over identity, and relationship in is privileged over relationship to) is evident by the editors' choice of approaches. (It should be noted that the book originates in two symposia at the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, in 2012 and 2013.) Not all chapters employ a Deleuzian approach, properly speaking. Two out of three contributing authors in part 1 make no explicit reference to Deleuze. This is also true of the entirety of part 3, in which composers discuss their approach to music making. Similarly, the two contributing authors of part 4, and the sole contributed chapter of part 5, make no substantial Deleuzian analysis either (except for brief references). This seems to suggest that a turn to a Deleuzian mode of thought has been underway in music studies, even when scholars do not engage with Deleuzian or Guattarian concepts. The implicit conclusion might be drawn then that there is something Deleuzian in the way authors employ concepts by Nancy, Kristeva, Foucault, or others. The editors, however, do not warn readers away from concluding that these authors should be categorized as "Deleuzian." I doubt that this was the intention of the editors or contributors, and to say the least, that conclusion would have very little connection to Deleuze's thinking. This decision to include such diverse approaches is counteracted by the introductory chapters to each part, thus providing a Deleuzian perspective (without which parts 3 and 5 would seem out of context). If a Deleuzian turn has been underway even with no explicit reference to Deleuze, then of what does this turn consist? The keyword immanent in the title suggests that all authors favor an approach to music that is not representational, which would entail subsuming things to the already-known. Rather, "Immanent listening … is a continual openness to the not-yet-known." The practice of listening is central to all activities—including composing, analyzing, and performing—as it enables thinking beyond traditional boundaries: "Immanent listening seeks to dissolve all boundaries, and the categorisations that divide the self from the other, and the self from sound object" (p. 9). All the above practices are explored in the book, including those of education and the formation of musical canons, as for example in the chapter by Susan McClary, whose pedagogical practice supersedes the dichotomies of [End Page 530] Western/non-Western, art/popular, and so forth. Nonetheless, the book is mainly preoccupied with Western art composition, with references in the chapters by McClary and Bruce Crossman to other kinds of music precisely as others. For instance, the book lacks discussion of improvised music (Western or not, jazz, traditional...

From First to Last: A Few Notes from Sharp 2018 Conference in Sydney

This was the first time that the annual conference of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP) has been held outside Europe and North America in its 25-year history. The conference took place at Western Sydney University on its historic Parramatta South campus, in the multicultural heart of Western Sydney. More about SHARP 2018 can be found Online: http://sharp2018.sydney.

Taking ‘a rightful place in our own country’: Indigenous self‐determination and the Australian people: A symposium

Taking ‘a rightful place in our own country’: Indigenous self‐determination and the Australian people: A symposium

Eradicating the legacy of Othello: Western Sydney University's attempt to raise awareness of intimate partner violence

In Australia scant attention is given to teaching medical students how to identify and manage intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA). In Australia one woman dies weekly from IPV and the prevalence of IPV in Australian women is 29 percent. The Australian Prime Minister labelled it a ‘national disgrace’ and yet, of the five World Health Organisation (WHO) regions, the Western Pacific Region has the lowest rates in the world.1 Since 2015 reducing IPV has become a national strategy. In undergraduate medicine the obstetric and gynaecological curriculum is a logical and appropriate place for such education given the predominance of female victims. Western Sydney University (WSU) commenced this training as a 1 day practical multidisciplinary workshop on IPV and Management of Sexual Assault in 2017. Prior to that time the University provided less than 2 h of training in IPV or SA in a 5 year undergraduate degree course. The preliminary results suggest that medical students are predominantly positive towards developing skills in dealing with IPV and their enthusiasm and knowledge increases after the workshop.

Vulnerability and marginality in human services

Reviewed by Justin Canty, Lecturer, Social Work, Western Sydney University.

Predictability and phonology: past, present and future

Abstract Many papers in this special issue grew out of the talks given at the Symposium “The role of predictability in shaping human language sound patterns,” held at Western Sydney University (Dec. 10–11, 2016). Some papers were submitted in response to an open call; others were invited contributions. This introduction aims to contextualize the papers in the special issue within a broader theoretical context, focusing on what it means for phonological theory to incorporate gradient predictability, what questions arise as a consequence, and how the papers in this issue address these questions.