Digital Commons Network^™

Clostridium Difficile In Asia: Opportunities For One Health Management, Deirdre A. Collins, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Clostridium difficile is a ubiquitous spore-forming bacterium which causes toxin-mediated diarrhoea and colitis in people whose gut microflora has been depleted by antimicrobial use, so it is a predominantly healthcare-associated disease. However, there are many One Health implications to C. difficile, given high colonisation rates in food production animals, contamination of outdoor environments by use of contaminated animal manure, increasing incidence of community-associated C. difficile infection (CDI), and demonstration of clonal groups of C. difficile shared between human clinical cases and food animals. In Asia, the epidemiology of CDI is not well understood given poor testing practices in many countries. …

Benner's Model And Duchscher's Theory: Providing The Framework For Understanding New Graduate Nurses' Transition To Practice, Melanie Murray, Deborah Sundin, Vicki Cope

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The transition to quality and safety in the new graduate registered nurses' practice remains problematic directly impacting patient outcomes. Effective mentoring during transition serves to enhance experiential learning, allowing the development and establishment of safe, quality nursing practice. Comprehensive understanding of the transition process, including the barriers and effective enablers to transition is the key to effective mentoring. A theoretical framework guided by Duchscher's Stages of Transition Theory and Transition Shock Model and Benner's From novice to expert model can facilitate such understanding. Nurse Theorists play an important part in shaping nurse education and practice and have provided nurse educators …

Suboptimal Health Pregnant Women Are Associated With Increased Oxidative Stress And Unbalanced Pro- And Antiangiogenic Growth Mediators: A Cross-Sectional Study In A Ghanaian Population, Enoch Odame Anto, Peter Roberts, David Anthony Coall, Eric Adua, Cornelius Archer Turpin, Augustine Tawiah, Youxin Wang, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Optimal oxidative stress (OS) is important throughout pregnancy; however, an increased OS may alter placental angiogenesis culminating in an imbalanced of angiogenic growth mediators (AGMs). Suboptimal Health Status (SHS), a physical state between health and disease, may be associated with increased OS and unbalanced AGMs. In this study, we explored the association between SHS, biomarkers of OS (BOS) and AGMs among normotensive pregnant women (NTN-PW) in a Ghanaian Suboptimal Health Cohort Study (GHOACS). This comparative GHOACS recruited 593 NTN-PW from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana. SHS was measured using a Suboptimal Health Status Questionnaire-25 (SHSQ-25). Along with the subjective …

General Practitioners’ Perceptions Of Their Communication With Australian Aboriginal Patients With Acquired Neurogenic Communication Disorders, Deborah Hersh, Elizabeth Armstrong, Meaghan Mcallister, Natalie Ciccone, Judith Katzenellenbogen, Juli Coffin, Sandra Thompson, Colleen Hayward, Leon Flicker, Deborah Woods

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective:

Aboriginal people have high rates of stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), often with residual, chronic communication deficits and multiple co-morbidities. This study examined general practitioners’ (GPs’) perceptions of their communication with Aboriginal patients with acquired communication disorders (ACD) after brain injury. Effective communication underpins good care but no previous research has explored this specific context.

Methods:

A qualitative descriptive approach was employed using interviews and focus groups with 23 GPs from metropolitan Perth and five regional sites in Western Australia. Data were analysed thematically. Results: GPs reported low visibility of Aboriginal patients with ACD in their practices, minimal …

An Optimal Allocation And Sizing Strategy Of Distributed Energy Storage Systems To Improve Performance Of Distribution Networks, Choton K. Das, Octavian Bass, Thair S. Mahmoud, Ganesh Kothapalli, Mohammad A. S. Masoum, Navid Mousavi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The allocation of grid-scale energy storage systems (ESSs) can play a significant role in solving distribution network issues and improving overall network performance. This paper presents a strategy for optimal allocation and sizing of distributed ESSs through P and Q injection by the ESSs to a distribution network. The investigation is carried out in a renewable-penetrated (wind and solar) medium voltage IEEE-33 bus distribution network for two different scenarios: (1) using a uniform ESS size and (2) using non-uniform ESS sizes. DIgSILENT PowerFactory is used for system modeling and testing, and simulation events are automated using Python scripting. A hybrid …

Mapping Product And Service Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis And A Typology, Anton Klarin

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Research conducted in the innovation field lags behind organizations’ general technological development and innovativeness. Literature that previously depicted innovation types in developed markets is markedly different from progressively publicized emerging market innovation types. While capital-abundant firms tend to engage in respective pioneering and incremental innovation loops, resource-constrained firms and firms in emerging countries may partially free-ride on existing products and services through innovations such as copycat and frugal. To date, there have been no attempts to holistically consolidate product and service innovation types into one overarching typology. Using novel methods of text mining and co-citation analysis, this study systematically maps …

Perceived Justice, Community Support, Community Identity And Residents’ Quality Of Life: Testing An Integrative Model, Lujun Su, Songshan (Sam) Huang, Mehran Nejati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study tested an integrative model to investigate the effect of perceived justice, in its three dimensions (procedural, distributive, and interactional), on destination residents’ quality of life (QOL) with perceived community support and community identification as mediators. Analysis on a sample of 453 Gulangyu Island residents in China shows that procedural and interactional justice positively influenced perceived community support, whilst procedural and distributive justice positively affected community identification; both perceived community support and community identification contributed to resident QOL. This study offers a new perspective on how to improve resident QOL in tourist destinations. Theoretical and marketing implications are discussed.

Using Smartwatches For Fitness And Health Monitoring: The Utaut2 Combined With Threat Appraisal As Moderators, Phaik Khee Beh, Yuvaraj Ganesan, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Behzad Foroughi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent advancements in smartwatch technology have led to several applications in continuous fitness and health monitoring. Considering the benefits of smartwatches, their low level of usage for fitness and health monitoring purposes, and the limited understanding of determinants of their usage, this study advances the body of knowledge by developing an innovative and comprehensive research model that integrates the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) with perceived vulnerability and perceived severity as moderators. The model was tested using partial least squares (PLS), in a quantitative study with data from 271 respondents from Malaysia. The results showed …

What Temporal Resolution Is Required For Remote Sensing Of Regional Aerosol Concentrations Using The Himawari-8 Geostationary Satellite, Miles Sowden, Ute Mueller, David Blake

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Few studies have directly addressed the question of what temporal resolution is required for air quality studies using geostationary remote sensing data. If timescales are too large, there is a risk that events affecting air quality may be missed; and if too small, there is a possibility that large data files may be processed frequently, at significant computing cost and potentially without concomitant improvements in the monitoring of air quality. The problem is particularly significant in sparsely populated regional areas such as the Pilbara in Western Australia, where air quality issues arising from a range of events, dispersed over a …

Impacts Of Cannabinoid Epigenetics On Human Development: Reflections On Murphy Et. Al. 'Cannabinoid Exposure And Altered Dna Methylation In Rat And Human Sperm' Epigenetics 2018; 13: 1208-1221, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent data from the Kollins lab ('Cannabinoid exposure and altered DNA methylation in rat and human sperm' Epigenetics 2018; 13: 1208-1221) indicated epigenetic effects of cannabis use on sperm in man parallel those in rats and showed substantial shifts in both hypo- and hyper-DNA methylation with the latter predominating. This provides one likely mechanism for the transgenerational transmission of epigenomic instability with sperm as the vector. It therefore contributes important pathophysiological insights into the probable mechanisms underlying the epidemiology of prenatal cannabis exposure potentially explaining diverse features of cannabis-related teratology including effects on the neuraxis, cardiovasculature, immune stimulation, secondary genomic …

Enabling The Transfer Of Skills And Knowledge Across Classroom And Work Contexts, Denise Jackson, Jenny Fleming, Anna Rowe

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Increasingly, contemporary work means graduates will operate in multiple workplace settings during their careers, catalysing the need for successful transfer of capabilities across diverse contexts. The transfer of skills and knowledge, however, is a complex area of learning theory which is often assumed and lacks empirical analysis. Facilitating transfer is critical for preparing students for effective transition to the workplace. Work Integrated Learning (WIL) provides an opportunity for tertiary education students to ‘practice’ transfer across classroom and work settings. Building on existing scholarship and using a mixed-methods design, this study aimed to explore the nature of transfer across these contexts …

Pole Dancing For Fitness: The Physiological And Metabolic Demand Of A 60-Minute Class, Joanna C. Nicholas, Kirsty Mcdonald, Peter Peeling, Ben Jackson, James Dimmock, Jacqueline A. Alderson, Cyril J. Donnelly

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Nicholas, JC, McDonald, KA, Peeling, P, Jackson, B, Dimmock, JA, Alderson, JA, and Donnelly, CJ. Pole dancing for fitness: The physiological and metabolic demand of a 60-minute class. J Strength Cond Res 33(10): 2704–2710, 2019—Little is understood about the acute physiological or metabolic demand of pole dancing classes. As such, the aims of this study were to quantify the demands of a standardized recreational pole dancing class, classifying outcomes according to American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exercise-intensity guidelines, and to explore differences in physiological and metabolic measures between skill- and routine-based class components. Fourteen advanced-level amateur female pole dancers …

Career Values And Proactive Career Behaviour Among Contemporary Higher Education Students, Denise Jackson, Michael Tomlinson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The paper draws on evidence from a survey of Australian and UK students (N = 433) on students’ career values and their relationship to their proactivity in career self-management. Much of the dominant approaches to careers have focused on career competencies and adaptability in the context of increased movement from traditional to more self-managed career trajectories. Limited attention has been given to the role of career values in shaping individuals’ approaches to career management, particularly among higher education students. This study reveals data on a range of career values among students on a continuum between intrinsic and extrinsic careers. It …

Rumination Selectively Mediates The Association Between Actual-Ideal (But Not Actual-Ought) Self-Discrepancy And Anxious And Depressive Symptoms, Joanne M. Dickson, Nicholas J. Moberly, Christopher D. Huntley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Actual-ideal and actual-ought self-discrepancies have been theorised to be independently associated with depressive and anxious symptoms respectively. This study tested this prediction and extended it to consider whether rumination mediates these relationships. One hundred and thirty-eight students (48 males, 90 females) listed four adjectives describing how they would ideally hope to be and four adjectives describing how they ought to be. Participants then rated how distant they perceived themselves to be from each of their ideal and ought selves, as well as the importance of each ideal and ought self. Finally, participants self-reported levels of negative rumination, anxious and depressive …

Innovating Authentically: Cultural Differentiation In The Animation Sector, Susan Standing, Craig Standing

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examines the concept of authentic innovation and the development of the animation industry in Malaysia. Authenticity is a concept that has been investigated from philosophical and institutional perspectives in the quest to explain the role of self-fulfillment and decision-making. It links with systems thinking because authenticity as a strategy requires a holistic approach since it is based upon values that influence action. The desire for authenticity can create expression outside the norms and produce innovation. We present interpretations of authenticity, explain the concept of authentic innovation and relate this to three case studies of Malaysian animation studios. We …

Genetic Characterization Of Early Renal Changes In A Novel Mouse Model Of Diabetic Kidney Disease, Lois A. Balmer, Rhiannon Whiting, Caroline Rudnicka, Linda A. Gallo, Karin A. Jandeleit, Yan Chow, Zenia Chow, Kirsty L. Richardson, Josephine M. Forbes, Grant Morahan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Genetic factors influence susceptibility to diabetic kidney disease. Here we mapped genes mediating renal hypertrophic changes in response to diabetes. A survey of 15 mouse strains identified variation in diabetic kidney hypertrophy. Strains with greater (FVB/N(FVB)) and lesser (C57BL/6 (B6)) responses were crossed and diabetic F2 progeny were characterized. Kidney weights of diabetic F2 mice were broadly distributed. Quantitative trait locus analyses revealed diabetic mice with kidney weights in the upper quartile shared alleles on chromosomes (chr) 6 and 12; these loci were designated as Diabetic kidney hypertrophy (Dkh)-1 and -2. To confirm these loci, reciprocal congenic mice were …

Development And Validation Of The Needs Of Children Questionnaire: An Instrument To Measure Children's Self-Reported Needs In Hospital, Mandie Foster, Lisa Whitehead, Diana Arabiat

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

AIM: To develop and psychometrically test the needs of children questionnaire (NCQ), a new instrument to measure school-aged children's self-reported psychosocial physical and emotional needs in paediatric wards.

DESIGN: This is an instrument development study based on recommendations for developing a reliable and valid questionnaire.

METHOD: The NCQ was developed over three phases between February 2013-April 2017 and included item generation; content adequacy assessment; questionnaire administration; factor analysis; internal consistency assessment and construct validity. Psychometric properties were assessed after 193 school-aged children completed the needs of children's questionnaire in four paediatric areas in Australia and New Zealand.

RESULTS: The development …

Professional Development: Life Or Death After Pre-Service Training?, Christine Higginbotham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Within the ELT profession there has been some discussion regarding the appropriateness of one-month pre-service teacher training courses such as CELTA. These courses are designed on the assumption that graduates will need further support and professional development in their first post. This paper examines the extent to which 115 newly qualified teachers (NQTs) were supported in their first teaching posts and addresses a second concern: Do short, intensive courses encourage trainees to develop reflective-practice skills? The findings suggest that generally NQTs are not well supported in their first teaching posts, nor are they provided with adequate continued professional development by …

Examining The Effects Of Creatine Supplementation In Augmenting Adaptations To Resistance Training In Patients With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Ciaran M. Fairman, Kristina L. Kendall, Robert U. Newton, Nicolas H. Hart, Dennis R. Taaffe, Raphael Chee, Colin I. Tang, Daniel A. Galvao

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

INTRODUCTION: Creatine supplementation has consistently been demonstrated to augment adaptations in body composition, muscle strength and physical function in a variety of apparently healthy older adults and clinical populations. The effects of creatine supplementation and resistance training in individuals with cancer have yet to be investigated. This study aims to examine the effects of creatine supplementation in conjunction with resistance training on body composition, muscle strength and physical function in prostate cancer patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to examine the effects of creatine supplementation in addition to resistance training …

Autophagy Modulation As A Treatment Of Amyloid Diseases, Zoe Mputhia, Eugene Hone, Timir Tripathi, Tim Sargeant, Ralph Martins, Prashant Bharadwaj

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Amyloids are fibrous proteins aggregated into toxic forms that are implicated in several chronic disorders. More than 30 diseases show deposition of fibrous amyloid proteins associated with cell loss and degeneration in the affected tissues. Evidence demonstrates that amyloid diseases result from protein aggregation or impaired amyloid clearance, but the connection between amyloid accumulation and tissue degeneration is not clear. Common examples of amyloid diseases are Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and tauopathies, which are the most common forms of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as polyglutamine disorders and certain peripheral metabolic diseases. In these diseases, increased accumulation of toxic …

Industrial Modernisation Through Institutional Upheaval In A Transition Economy, Anton Klarin, Pradeep Kanta Ray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of Russian institutional upheavals on industrial development. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a longitudinal case study analysis of three Russian pharmaceutical firms exploring the role of state support in developing a self-sustained competitive innovation-dependent industry. Findings Russia’s shock therapy transition to a newly liberalised economy the 1990s without a supportive institutional framework led to severe setbacks in its modernisation process. A weak institutional context was not conducive to development of its fledgling organisations. In late 2000s, Russian Government initiated large-ranging institutional support in favour of strategic industries. This resulted in …

A "Human Knockout" Model To Investigate The Influence Of The Α-Actinin-3 Protein On Exercise-Induced Mitochondrial Adaptations, I. D. Papadimitriou, N. Eynon, X. Yan, F. Munson, M. Jacques, J. Kuang, S. Voisin, K. N. North, David Bishop

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Research in α-actinin-3 knockout mice suggests a novel role for α-actinin-3 as a mediator of cell signalling. We took advantage of naturally-occurring human "knockouts" (lacking α-actinin-3 protein) to investigate the consequences of α-actinin-3 deficiency on exercise-induced changes in mitochondrial-related genes and proteins, as well as endurance training adaptations. At baseline, we observed a compensatory increase of α-actinin-2 protein in ACTN3 XX (α-actinin-3 deficient; n = 18) vs ACTN3 RR (expressing α-actinin-3; n = 19) participants but no differences between genotypes for markers of aerobic fitness or mitochondrial content and function. There was a main effect of genotype, without an interaction, …

Title Page

Sound Scripts

No abstract provided.

Editorial Introduction: Circuits Of Art And Communication In The Twenty-First Century, Jonathan W. Marshall

Sound Scripts

A founding editor of Sound Scripts, Jonathan W. Marshall, introduces the essays that follow in volume six of the journal, taking the reader through a tour of informatic exchanges, truths and falsehoods.

Contents Page

Sound Scripts

No abstract provided.

Copyright Page

Sound Scripts

No abstract provided.

Sonic Ventures In Post-Truth Surrealism: Raudelunas, The Rev. Fred Lane, And Lsd: Huxley’S Last Trip, Anne Lebaron

Sound Scripts

In the arena of contemporary music and performance, truthiness—a fuzzy-edged concept linking “truth” and “post-truth”—provides a malleable framework for examining how musicians and musical communities are confronting, reacting to, or embodying belief systems grounded in deception. Does the notion of authenticity embrace deliberate falsifications? In an attempt to answer such questions, I will offer examples of performers, writers, and artists cavorting along the truthiness bridge.

From The Phenomenal Sublime To Critical Play: Sonic Approaches To Engagement At The 13th Totally Huge New Music Festival, Jonathan W. Marshall

Sound Scripts

The thirteen Tura Totally Huge Festival of New Music was held in Perth, 19-29 Oct 2017. The Festival included numerous performances, residencies and workshops, as well as the Totally Huge New Music Festival Conference, 26 Oct 2017. The following article provides a critical overview of key performances within the Festival. The 2017 Festival was particularly notable for immersive works which offered what one might call phenomenal experiences, particularly Michael Pisaro’s A Wave and Waves and DCC: Glitch by Kouhei Harada, Mitsuaki Matsumoto and Shohei Sasagawa. A Wave and Waves and DCC: Glitch harnessed the fully embodied and located experience of …

Fake It ‘Til You Make It: The Virtual Orchestra In New Electronic Music, Michael Terren

Sound Scripts

This paper describes a variety of audio technologies under the neologism “the virtual orchestra,” their relationship with neoliberal capitalism, and four electronic music works that utilise these technologies to highlight this relationship. The virtual orchestra comprises digital technologies that emulate orchestral performances, ranging from the ersatz sounds of General MIDI in the 1990s (often used in computer game soundtracks), to orchestral sample libraries, which can be virtually indiscernible from a well-recorded orchestral performance. It is suggested that the virtual orchestra emerged as part of a cultural movement that privileges individualism and control, and that this has precedence in the structure …

Musical Interpretation In Improvised Human-Machine Performance, Benjamin Carey

Sound Scripts

The development of interactive performance systems is an active area of research in the field of live electronic music. Whilst various models and metaphors of interactivity have been proposed in the literature, the engagement of these systems in improvised performance remains under-researched. This paper explores the notion of musical interpretation in improvised human-machine performance practice from the perspective of a performer-developer. Through a consideration of the notion of the musical text, these creative artefacts and the performance practices they engender are situated within the context of interpretive musical practice. I argue that musical performances with these software systems may be …