While many health professionals typically advise against wearing flip-flops, they may not be as bad for children’s feet as previously thought.
New research from Griffith University in collaboration with the University of Queensland has found walking with flip-flops does not increase the work performed by the calf muscles.
“Instead our results suggest they act as a compliant surface and absorb energy during contact reducing the strain experienced by the Achilles tendon,’’ explained Dr Jayishni Maharaj, a podiatrist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Griffith Centre of Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering.
The researchers measured the length changes of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) fibres and muscle tendon unit in children during walking with and without flip-flops.
Eight healthy children walked barefoot and with flip-flops while 3D gait analysis and ultrasounds images of the MG fascicles were collected.
“We found the muscles and tendons across the ankle absorbed and generated greater amounts of power during barefoot walking compared to flip-flop walking,’’ Dr Maharaj said.
She said while the minimalist design of flip-flops provides limited support to the foot and ankle joints during movement compared to close-toed shoes, children who wear minimal footwear have been shown to have lower incidences of flat feet.
“This suggests that barefoot walking could be positive for foot and ankle health. As the ideal footwear for a child’s developing feet is believed to allow natural motion of the foot, our results indicate that wearing flip-flops may not hinder the development of muscles at the ankle joint during childhood and could actually promote development.”
Dr Maharaj said while it was possible that walking with flip-flops may alter the function of the plantar intrinsic foot muscles, not explored in this study, the benefits of slipping flip-flops on and off quickly makes them a great option for parents to protect the skin of the sole of the foot of their child from prickles, hot road and sand.
The study, published in the journal Gait & Posture, was supported by thePhysiotherapy Research Fellowship, Health and Medical Research, Preventive Health Unit, Department of Health, Queensland, Australia, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
President and Vice Chancellor of Griffith University Professor Carolyn Evans has paid tribute to Aunty Pamela Mam, who recently passed away.
“She was an inspiration to all people, a remarkable humanitarian, a First Peoples’ Elder, role model, patron and matriarch,” Professor Evans said.
A descendant of the KuKu Yalanji Peoples, Aunty Pamela spent her formative years on Palm Island, where she first realised her passion for nursing.
She worked as a Nurse Aid at Palm Island Hospital before training at Townsville Hospital and becoming one of the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses in Queensland.
She helped establish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Brisbane in 1973.
“In 2015, Griffith University, in conjunction with the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Brisbane established the Aunty Pamela Mam Indigenous Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship,” said Professor Evans.
“Three years later, in 2018, she was honoured with a Doctor of Griffith University, in recognition of her lifelong commitment to Indigenous health.
“The significant contributions she made to her people in health services and to the community were inspiring.”
Aunty Pamela once said, “When working in direct service with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it is important to offer humility and leadership, knowledge and learning, respect and culturally responsive care for people. We also must never neglect the everyday support and guidance required by all health care professionals to provide proper health care.”
Aunty Pamela Mam’s legacy will continue through the Aunty Pamela Mam Indigenous Nursing and Midwifery Scholarship.
Griffith University’s Director and Head of Research for the Institute for Glycomics Professor Mark von Itzstein AO has been honoured with the Gold Coast Citizen of the Year award at the city’s 2020 Australia Day awards.
The institute celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year, a fact which humbles Professor von Itzstein AO as much as news of the award.
“I am honoured to accept the award on behalf of all members of the Institute, as it is the team that has driven the success of our translational research in fighting diseases of global impact,” he said.
“The Gold Coast community is our partner and we have the responsibility of making a difference to health outcomes for them.
“I have been overwhelmed by the extent of the community’s support and it makes a real difference to our capacity to undertake world-leading research.
“I would also like to gratefully acknowledge Griffith University for the amazing investment and support that has been provided to the Institute.
“The vision that we started it with 20 years ago has not changed, and as a unique leading medical research institute in the country, we strive to discover solutions to difficult diseases.”
Professor von Itzstein AO lead the research team that discovered the world’s first drug for Influenza, Relenza. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia last year.
Professor Mark von Itzstein AO, Professor Carolyn Evans with Dr Linda Shi (Grand Medical Ltd) and Dr Michael Wang (China Grand Pharma)
Last December he also announced a multi-million dollar partnership with Hong Kong listed China Grand Pharma’s newly established Australian company Grand Medical Ltd to develop a new drug for Human Parainfluenza Virus (hPIv).
Respiratory tract infections remain the deadliest communicable diseases worldwide, causing more than 3.2 million deaths in 2015 alone.
Antiviral drugs that target these viruses are drastically underrepresented in the pharmaceutical market and there is currently no therapeutic available to specifically treat hPIV infection.
The exclusive licence and co-development agreement with China Grand Pharma will enable the development and commercialisation of a human parainfluenza drug candidate globally.
Professor von Itzstein AO said the institute’s achievements over the last 20 years were also made possible by generous financial contributionsfrom the Queensland State government and City of Gold Coast.
Design graduate Benny Lai recently completed his Honours research project at the Queensland College of Art (QCA), creating self-empowering jewellery for individuals living with anxiety.
“The project is based around reducing stigma through self-help techniques for anxiety disorders. It uses jewellery to change the perception of anxiety from something that is commonly feared to something that can be overcome,” he said.
Benny wanted to extend his studies to Honours to challenge himself and grow as a designer.
“This project constantly pushed me into learning new programs and skills to develop my work further, as well as progressing my personal skillset as a designer.”
He utilised the facilities and equipment available at the Queensland College of Art to create jewellery which is generated through a recording of the user’s voice, creating unique, one-off designs.
Benny Chung-Hang Lai, YANA Prototype, 2019. 3D Printed Nylon.
“The 3d printing facilities at ADaPT 1.0 were thoroughly used to quickly prototype and refine different designs.”
ADaPT brings together multi-disciplinary expertise across Griffith University, in collaboration with industry partners, to push the boundaries in advanced custom design, rapid prototyping and new materials.
With advanced design at its centre and collaboration at its core, ADaPT combines leading-edge expertise in micro and nanoscience, complex imaging, 3D digital scanning, 3D functional modelling, bioengineering, industrial design, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and specialist expertise in designing advanced manufacturing processes.
ADaPT is equipped with extensive 3D printing technologies including multiple metal, polymer and bio printing capabilities.
In addition to the cutting-edge technology and learning opportunities, Benny describes the level of access to expert staff as the “best thing about studying at QCA.”
“With such a wide range of expertise in all creative fields, being able to find advice for your specific needs is extremely beneficial,” he said.
Benny is excited about the future of 3D printing and advanced manufacturing and will be commencing postgraduate study this year.
“My time at QCA has grounded my passion for industrial design and has led me to starting my PhD in 2020.”
Under the supervision of experts in your field, studying Honours at QCA will help you to develop advanced levels of studio practice, theory and research; move into employment with significant expertise in your field or progress to further postgraduate study; enhance and grow your creative community and network within your area of expertise.
Applications to study Honours close 31 January 2020. Contact the Honours Program Director, Dr Lorraine Marshalsey for further information.
As we endure natural disasters around Australia, with drought and bushfires destroying swathes of land, many people are wondering how they can help native animals caught up in the aftermath.
Professor Darryl Jones – urban ecologist.
The question of whether it is ever appropriate to feed native animals, is a controversial topic that is highly divisive among conservationists but to help people through this dilemma, Urban Ecologist and Griffith University Environmental Science Professor Darryl Jones has written a book.
Feeding the Birds at Your Table is a guide to what is nutritionally appropriate to feed native animals, and what foods to avoid.
“It’s an attempt to say, `Millions of people are feeding birds, so let’s do it properly’,” Professor Jones says.
“It’s specifically about Australia and what we can do here. It’s a spinoff book, from a much larger more serious book called The Birds at My Table, which was just an exploration of what happens when we feed birds around the world.
“I study people and nature in cities. And what became very clear to me very soon was that there was an awful lot of people out there feeding birds, putting out food for them, really caring about what they can do.
“No one’s actually trying to do anything bad, but the problem in Australia is that it’s a forbidden subject. Everybody seems to know that we shouldn’t be feeding birds and that has led to a complete absence of any useful information.”
He’s found that one of the most common foods given to native birds, is particularly harmful for their health.
“The favourite birds in Australia to feed are magpies, kookaburra’s, butcherbirds, meat-eating birds. And almost all of the meat that we provide for them is mince, ground beef,” he says.
“It’s terrible. We absolutely shouldn’t be using mince for feeding the birds.
“There’s 100 things wrong with it. It’s not nutritionally appropriate. It’s got no calcium to speak of. That will weaken their bones, it’ll bend their bones, it’ll do all sorts of terrible things. So, that’s the most important thing.
“We wouldn’t eat just mince. You wouldn’t cook just mince and eat just mince.
“So, I’m advocating, because this is the commonest type of food put out for animals in Australia, that we don’t use mince and until somebody comes up with an appropriate magpie food that they develop with magpies in mind, until then it’s best to use just dog food or cat food, pet food.”
But he says the most important thing we all can provide particularly for native birds, particularly in the current harsh conditions, is a birdbath full of water.
“The first thing I would say is in the current circumstances everybody in Australia should have a birdbath,” he says.
“Water is absolutely the crucial thing. But as soon as we start to feed birds to provide the nutrition that they should have, we can get into trouble.”
He says feeding the birds is just one small aspect of his research into how nature interacts with urban environments, and that there is lots that people can do to help native animals, beyond actually feeding them.
Photo by Elmer Cañas on Unsplash
“It fits in to my overall concept of trying to understand the relationships between humans and nature in cities,” he says.
“I’m an urban ecologist, I’m really interested in the relationships that we have with wildlife and nature in general.
“People might think, and I was taught this myself, that there’s no nature in cities. If you live in southeast Queensland, you know that’s absolutely ridiculous. We’ve got so many wildlife in our own backyards…there’s tons of stuff out there and they interact with us all the time.
“What urban ecologists like me are trying to do is, `How can we make it far better for a bigger range of species? How can we bring all sorts of animals back into the city in a sensible way?’
“People in their own backyards can totally change their grassy patch and turn it into a habitat that’s useful for animals. There’s lots of tips in the book and there’s lots of information available generally about how to make even your little backyard or your porch or your inner-city patio into a place that other animals can use.”
Hear more from Professor Jones on the latest Remarkable Tales podcast.
Griffith University alumnus Lily Satiowijaya’s helicopter flights to and from jobs are a little different to the average commute.
Lily, who graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 2009 and a Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management in 2018, is now a Retrieval Registrar with RACQ LifeFlight where she helps save the lives of those involved in serious accidents that can only be reached by helicopter.
“I finished med school with quite a firm idea as to which training program I would like to embark on,” Lily said.
“LifeFlight has always been a career goal (and) bucket list item.”
The doctor credits Griffith’s supportive environment and relevant course content for helping her gain the skills needed for the job.
“The opportunity to rotate through all the different aspects of healthcare during placement helped me quite early on to decide which path I would like to take,” she said.
“The high concentration of clinical staff at the medical school allowed discussion into what each of the different pathways of training entails (and) I really liked the relevance of the assessments and teaching contents to clinical applicability.”
When asked what she liked about her job, Lily said she enjoyed that it made a positive impact on people’s lives.
“I love the knowledge that I have made a difference (and) the smiles from patients, family and staff members when we retrieve patients,” she said.
“I also enjoy the ability to look behind the scenes into the giant machine that is Retrieval Services Queensland and witness telehealth in action.”
Listening to the environment — singing birds and chirping crickets — is increasingly used as a means of monitoring change in ecosystems. Together with two colleagues from Melbourne and Paris, Griffith University senior lecturer Dr Simon Linke has led a major drive to kickstart acoustic monitoring in freshwater systems.
“Monitoring freshwater ecosystems is time consuming and costly. Using acoustics enables us to observe what is going on 24/7,” explains collaborator Dr Camille Desjonqueres.
Experienced in listening to grunting fish and creakingwaterbugs, Dr Linke – from Griffith’s Australian Rivers Institute – and his team assembled the key researchers from Europe, North America and Australia to compile a full issue of the leading journal in their field.
“We took over the editorial desk ofFreshwater Biologyfor an issue,” Dr Linke said. “We invited the biggest names in the field to help us tackle some of the key steps towardsoperationalisingacoustics in the freshwater realm.”
In their editorial, the researchers identified these steps to progress the field.
“We often arrive at a site and have no idea what produces the sounds we are hearing. A few articles — by our group, but also by one of the US-based gurus in the field — describe how sounds are identified andcharacterised,” says Dr Toby Gifford, formerly a lecturer at the Griffith Conservatorium.
Other articles deal with automatic sound processing. Dr Gifford, a global leader in real-time sound processing, explains: “We aim to build a Shazam for fish — a fish swims by and we can identify it in real-time.”
Another obstacle is spatial and temporal variation.
“Everybody knows the bird dawn chorus,” Dr Desjonqueres said. “Underwater soundscapes have similar dynamics.
“Some articles in the issues, including one by our student ChrisKaraconstantis, explore how tominimisesampling error byoptimisingwhen and how often to measure.”
Other articles deal with the sounds of love-sick arctic fish, endangered Bhutanesewaterbirdsand the chatter of Amazonian Piranhas.
However, as Dr Linke explains, the holy grail is to derive a link between sounds and ecological condition.
“We have cracked some aspects of it: articles from France and the US describe the detection of invasive species — also worked with acatchment management authorityin the Murray-Darling basin on acoustic detection of the benefits of the water buyback scheme.”
However, more research —which ispartly underway in Dr Linke’s lab—is needed to be able togeneraliselinks between sound and ecological condition.
Apart from the scientific outcomes, Dr Linke also highlights the capacity building aspect of the issue: “We are extremely proud that 9 out of the 15 articles were led by students. The future is looking bright indeed.”
https://soundcloud.com/user-101730111/episode-24-simon-linke
Two key members of Griffith University’s Learning Futures group have been appointed to positions of influence across Australasia, in the field of technology enhanced learning and teaching.
Professor Michael Sankey, currently the Deputy Director (Learning Transformations), has been elected President of the Australasian Council on Open, Distance and e-Learning (ACODE).
ACODE is the peak Australasian representative body for universities engaged in technology enhanced learning and teaching, with representation from 45 institutions.
“I have been on the ACODE Executive for eight years and Vice President for the past four years,” Professor Sankey said.
“As President I represent Griffith University and also provide a voice into the sector in relation to technology enhanced learning and teaching (what we call TEL).
Professor Sankey is also Director of the ACODE Learning Technologies Leadership Institute and will convene the Biannual ACODE Benchmarking Summit at Griffith in June.
Dr Chris Campbell has been elected President for the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE), following a 12-month term as Vice President and four years on the ASCILITE Executive committee.
ASCILITE is a professional association for those engaged in the educational use of technologies in tertiary education, with 588 individual and 22 institutional members.
“I’m looking forward to developing my academic leadership in the sector further and providing leadership for ASCILITE during the next two years during an exciting time in the technology enhanced learning fields,” Dr Campbell said.
“ASCILITE is an international collegial body and Griffith members have often hosted a number of online and face-to-face events which are extremely well-attended.”
Griffith’s Learning Futures group works with the university’s educators to lead, develop and inspire excellent, innovative and impactful learning and teaching across all campuses.
Griffith University researchers have shown that leaf litter can play an important role in controlling algal blooms.
After winning an ARC Linkage grant in 2016, Griffith University researchers, led byProfessor Michele Burfordat theAustralian Rivers Institute,looked at the organic compounds leached from leaves and how this interacts with soil, to determine whether these compounds could suppress the growth of blue-green algal (or cyanobacteria) blooms.
Professor Michele Burford.
Blue-green-algae outbreaks have major impacts on plants and animals that live in or near creeks, rivers, lakes, estuaries and the ocean. These algae can also produce toxins with major human health concerns.
Professor Burford said investigating how leaf litter can play a role in limiting those impacts could aid management authorities and environmental managers such as Healthy Land Water andSeqwaterin managing, monitoring and treating impacted water.
“Trees have an even greater role in preserving water quality than we previously thought,” she said.
“Nutrients from the land – viafertilisersand soil erosion, for example – are a major cause of algal blooms, and planting trees along waterways is one way to reduce nutrient runoff.
“This is because trees take up nutrients from the soil in order to grow. But trees have another role, as we have recently found.
“Trees and other plants also deliver organic material into waterways. They drop their leaves, they fall in the water or they fall on the ground, so we get leaf litter everywhere.”
Among the novel techniques the team employed was to add leachate from leaves to experimental chambers in a reservoir and observe the effect the leachate had on the growth of algae. The experiment revealed that if enough
Variations of leachate from the experiment.
leachate was added it can suppress the blue-green algal growth.
The findings explain why waterways surrounded by vegetation may have less problems with blue-green algal blooms than other waterways, suggesting that trees don’t just control algal growth by shading, they also chemically control algal growth, especially problematic blue-green algae.
Professor Burford said the research project also examined the relationship between these organic leachates from leaves and chlorination process used for treating drinking water. Organic leachates, such as tanninsdiscolourthe water but the combination of chlorine and organic leachate produces disinfection byproducts that can be harmful to humans.
“Some trees are likely to be better to plant when revegetatingriver banksthan others,” she said.
“It’s a difficult balance, so it’s important to plant the right trees tominimisethe effects on water treatment andmaximisethe effects on suppressing the algal blooms.”
The team published findings from their investigations in the journalScience of the Total Environment.
Funding / acknowledgments
An Australian Postgraduate Award and funding from the Australian Rivers Institute and the School of Environment, Griffith University supported AmandaNeilen.
An innovative social media campaign from a Queensland tourism icon, key to rebuilding bushfire ravaged communities dependent on the visitor economy according to new Griffith research.
Dr Sarah Gardiner is Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism and is a published researcher on travel consumer behaviour, experience design and innovation.
Researchers from Griffith Institute for Tourism, Dr Sarah Gardiner and Dr Debbie Cotterell, published key business insights for tourism operators affected by natural disasters.
Their case study of the Binna Burra Lodge’s disaster recovery, following a devastating bushfire in September last year, reveals how the business used #BringBackBinnaBurra to keep the public engaged.
Through social media posts and an email newsletter, supporters have seen videos of the Lodge site being cleared, photos of wildlife returning and blog posts about the staff who carried out the evacuation.
Dr Sarah Gardiner says tourism operators affected by natural disasters need to communicate their recovery efforts to minimise long-term effects on the visitor economy.
“Don’t ignore the event, your customers will know about it. Instead restructure messages around your recovery effort, it’s not a time for business as usual,” said Dr Gardiner.
Customers have shown their support by purchasing recovery supporter merchandise and raising over $100,000 through a crowdfunding campaign.
Dr Gardiner says the Binna Burra Lodge case study shows the strong ‘emotional connection’ customers build with destinations needs to be encouraged to ensure communities are not ‘abandoned in the aftermath’.
“There will be many challenges, but the destruction also provides an opportunity to rebuild and reimage the visitor experience. For example, following the cyclones in Tropical North Queensland resorts were rebuilt and improved,” said Dr Gardiner.
Dr Gardiner says Binna Burra Lodge is moving forward by changing fear and devastation into a new narrative. They plan to have the Rainforest Campsite, Lamington Teahouse and Sky Lodges in operation by April 2020.
“Collaborative approaches need to be considered to bring tourism back to these regions. Tourism businesses need to be creative in their vision to stay resilient in areas prone to natural disasters,” said Dr Gardiner.
Read the ‘Bushfire at Binna Burra Lodge’ case study in full.
