Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea On Circulating Immune Cells Profiles: Evidence From Nhanes Dataset And Mendelian Randomization, Yajie Jia, Xiang Gao, Shenglong Xu, Jingli Shi, Haifeng Hou, Yanru Li, Demin Han

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) on immune cell profiles by utilizing both the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset and a two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) method. Methods: We included 20,732 participants from the NHANES to explore the relationship between symptom defined OSA and peripheral immune cells. Additionally, we conducted a two-sample MR analysis to investigate the effect of OSA on 35 summarized peripheral immune cell properties and 731 immunophenotypes. To ensure the robustness of findings in MR analysis, we conducted a sensitivity analysis. Results: The NHANES dataset and MR analysis …

Inpatient Versus Outpatient Management Of Bilateral Optic Nerve Head Elevation Presentation To A Tertiary Emergency Department, Mengchen Suo, Johnny Lo, Fred K. Chen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Increased accessibility to fundus cameras has changed the referral pattern for patients with suspected bilateral optic nerve head elevation (BONHE) presenting to emergency departments (EDs). We aim to review the management of these patients to streamline the process. Methods: A retrospective review of patients with suspected BONHE referred to a tertiary centre ED between 2017 and 2022. We collected demographics, referral source, clinical assessment, neuroimaging and retinal imaging results. Final diagnosis and treatment outcomes were compared between those managed as inpatients and those managed as outpatients. Results: 100 patients were referred to the ED with a suspected BONHE. Most …

Integrative Oncology For Prostate Cancer: A Narrative Review, Kevin T. Liou, Nicole A. Metri, Robert U. Newton, Divya Ajay, Eleanor M. Walker, Channing J. Paller

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Prostate cancer is most common malignancy among men in the United States. As men are now living longer with prostate cancer due to advances in treatment, there exists a growing need to manage the long-term physical and psychological sequelae of this disease, which range from genitourinary dysfunction to cardiometabolic and psychosocial consequences. Over half of men with prostate cancer report unmet needs in symptom management. Integrative oncology, a patient-centered, evidence-informed field combining lifestyle, natural product, and mind–body interventions with conventional treatments, offers a promising approach to prostate cancer symptom management. This review summarizes the current landscape of integrative oncology research …

Predicting Accumulation And Age At Onset Of Amyloid-Β From Genetic Risk And Resilience For Alzheimer's Disease, Eleanor K. O'Brien, Timothy Cox, Shane Fernandez, Pierrick Bourgeat, Tenielle Porter, Ben Goudey, James D. Doecke, Colin L. Masters, Jurgen Fripp, Kwangsik Nho, Victor L. Villemagne, Carlos Cruchaga, Christopher C. Rowe, Andrew J. Saykin, Vincent Doré, Simon M. Laws

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Accumulation of brain amyloid beta (Aβ), a key pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), begins decades before cognitive symptoms. Being able to predict the risk of Aβ accumulation, or the age at which Aβ exceeds a critical threshold, may enable intervention to delay or prevent onset of AD. Methods: Using published genome-wide association studies (GWASs), we developed polygenic scores (PGS) for AD risk (PGSrisk) and resilience (PGSresilience), and tested whether these predicted (i) if an individual is an Aβ accumulator (‘Accumulator Status’), and (ii) in accumulators, the age at which brain Aβ exceeds a 20 centiloid (CL) threshold (‘Age …

Regional Homeschool Children’S Experience With Arts-Based Digital Literacy Workshops, Kimberly Maslin, Karen Murcia, Jane Mulcock

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The number of children engaged in homeschool education is increasing, particularly in regional areas of Australia. Homeschool families currently access community-based activities such as theatre productions and sports programs, as well as public library services, to enrich their children’s learning. However, access to quality programs that support digital literacy skills remains limited and the benefits of these programs to home schoolers remain largely unexplored. This study examined the experiences of homeschool families with children aged 6–12 who participated in a series of stop-motion animation workshops held in a regional Western Australian public library. Data were collected from both participating parents …

Sliding Mode Control In Grid-Tied Inverters: Techniques, Applications, And Future Directions, Taimoor Muzaffar Gondal, Asma Aziz, Daryoush Habibi, Iftekhar Ahmad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sliding mode control (SMC) has emerged as a robust and adaptive strategy for grid-tied inverters. It has unique attributes which make it an appropriate control choice under increasingly complex power systems. However, there are a limited number of review articles which comprehensively explore the true potential of SMC for grid-tied inverter applications. This systematic review has been structured to explore SMC techniques with respect to certain challenges, i.e., stability challenges, unbalanced conditions, low inertia scenarios, and harmonics distortion. The classification of various SMC techniques is presented with respect to their control law and sliding surfaces design. The comparative analysis indicates …

The Contribution Of Adolescent Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors To Vascular Stiffness And Cardiac Remodelling In Young Adults, Anne E. Barden, Lawrence J. Beilin, Nick S.R. Lan, Amro Sehly, Girish Dwivedi, Rae-Chi Huang, Brendan Adler, Trevor A. Mori

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims: Early identification of abnormalities in vascular and cardiac structure offers an opportunity for intervention to reduce future cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study examined factors contributing to increased CVD risk from adolescence to young adulthood. Methods and results: Raine Study participants (n = 716) classified as low- or high-CVD risk using cluster analysis at 17 years were re-studied at 27 years. Outcomes at 27 years were vascular stiffness assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left ventricular (LV), right ventricular (RV), and left atrial (LA) myocardial strain and respective ejection fractions (EF) assessed by cardiac …

Co-Design And Pilot Testing Of A Nurse-Led Gp-Supported Self-Management Intervention For Breast Cancer Survivors With Cardiovascular Diseases: A Study Protocol, Anu Correya, Jing Yu Tan, Xian Liang Liu, Daniel Bressington, Leah East, Tao Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background/Objectives: Self-management intervention strategies are recommended to address the needs of breast cancer survivors (BCSs) who have cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Despite the benefits, these strategies are often suboptimally implemented, resulting in inadequate cardiovascular management among BCS with CVDs. The project aims to develop a nurse-led and GP-supported self-management (NGPS) intervention to reduce cardiovascular risks in BCS with CVDs and evaluate its feasibility and potential effects in primary care settings using the double diamond co-design process and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions.

Methods: The study will be conducted in two phases. In phase I, …

Dasyurus Hallucatus Movement Response To Fire In A Complex, Resource Rich Tropical Savanna, Ian J. Radford, Annette Cook, Natasha Harrison, Ben Corey, Roberta Bencini, Harriet R. Mills

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus, is part of a suite of threatened native northern Australian mammals that have inappropriate fire regimes listed as a threatening process. However, fire responses reported for D. hallucatus are inconsistent among different studies. Based on the theory that the fire response of D. hallucatus will depend partially on habitat quality, we postulate that home range in high quality savannas of the north Kimberley will be small, post-breeding male mortality low and prey resources little affected by fire. Based on previous research we hypothesised that male D. hallucatus would respond to fire more than females. By …

Diversity And Inclusivity In Australian Dementia Prevention Research: A Mixed Methods Review, Olivia E. Giameos, Maddison L. Mellow, Diana Karamacoska, Aaron Davis, Paul A. Gardiner, Eddy Roccati, Kaarin J. Anstey, Nicolas Cherbuin, Jessica M. Adsett, Nikki Anne Wilson, Kylie Radford, Louise Lavrencic, Perminder S. Sachdev, Simone Reppermund, Suraj Samtani, Annabel P. Matison, Zara A. Page, Philip J. Batterham, Sophie C. Andrews, Alex Bahar-Fuchs, Michelle K. Lupton, Andrew Pipingas, Adrienne Withall, Belinda M. Brown, Helen Macpherson, Hannah A.D. Keage, Britt Burton, James C. Vickers, David W. Dunstan, Ashleigh E. Smith

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Minoritized communities are disproportionately impacted by modifiable dementia risk factors but are underrepresented in dementia research globally. In Australia, the number of dementia prevention cohort and intervention studies has rapidly increased in the past two decades, yet the representation of minoritized groups has not been synthesized. The aims of this mixed-methods review were to summarize the demographic characteristics of participants involved in Australian dementia prevention-focused cohort and intervention studies. A systematic search of published literature, funded grant outcomes, and clinical trial registrations was conducted in October 2023 and updated in February 2025 to identify any Australia-based cohort or intervention studies …

Forecast: An Exhibition Inviting Slow Feeling Through Participation In Unstable Weather States, Jo Pollitt, Helena Grehan, Lilly Blue, Peggy Attkinson, Justine Dandy, Naomi Joy Godden, Leanda Mason, Renee Esther Newman, Alexa Taylor, Danielle Gilson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents a series of responses from Western Australian based artists and scholars from a range of disciplines including: meteorology, science, education, social work, psychology, art and performance studies, to a year-long exhibition titled Forecast in Gallery 09 at The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA). Forecast is a collaboration between AGWA's Head of Learning and Creativity Research, Lilly Blue, Edith Cowan University's Centre for People, Place and Planet artist-scholar, Jo Pollitt, together with artists Dianne Jones and Eva Fernández. The exhibition invites audiences to contribute to two participatory works: Weather Patterns, a daily changing installation that makes room …

Genome-Wide Cline Analysis Identifies New Locus Contributing To A Barrier To Gene Flow Across An Antirrhinum Hybrid Zone, David L. Field, Sean Stankowski, Taylor Reiter, Jitka Polechova, Desmond Bradley, Daniel M. Richardson, Annabel Whibley, Arka Pal, Daria Shipilina, Louis Boell, Melinda Pickup, Yongbiao Xue, Enrico Coen, Nicholas Barton

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Identification of the genomic regions that contribute to reproductive isolation and how they interact is a major goal of evolutionary genetics. Much effort has focused on locating candidate genes and potential barrier loci by scanning genomes for regions of excess differentiation (FST). An alternative, and perhaps more robust approach, is to scan for genomic regions exhibiting steep clines in allele frequency across a hybrid zone. We develop a computationally efficient method for approximating cline parameters for large number of loci, and apply it to genomic data from across a hybrid zone between flower colour varieties of Antirrhinum majus (A. m. …

Analysis Of Normalization, Resampling, And Weighted Voting To Improve K-Nn Performance In Diabetes Disease Detection, Agustiyar, R. Rizal Isnanto, Budi Warsito, Adi Wibowo, Ferry Jie

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Diabetes is a global health issue, and machine learning has become crucial for early detection. The k-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) machine learning algorithm is widely used because it is simple and easy to implement; however, its performance is sensitive to feature scale differences, class imbalance, and the assumption of uniform decision-making, as commonly found in clinical datasets such as the Pima Indians Diabetes (PID) dataset. Many studies have been conducted to address these issues; however, very few have systematically evaluated the combined effects of preprocessing and distance-based decision-making methods on k-NN performance. This study evaluates the combined effects of preprocessing strategies …

A Physically Unclonable Function Authentication Protocol To Secure Ieee C37.118 Communications, Taylor Griffiths, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Chadni Islam, Paul Haskell-Dowland

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper outlines the need for security on the smart grid, specifically for Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) and Phasor Data Concentrators (PDCs). These devices are targeted due to their criticality to the smart grid and the insecure communication protocols used. Common attacks on these devices target the data sent between them. As such, integrity-based attacks are the focus of this paper, more specifically on False Data Injection attacks (FDIAs) and Time Synchronisation Attacks (TSAs). Security solutions are proposed throughout literature from mitigation and protection techniques to detection and resolution techniques. To secure the PMU and PDC, this paper proposes an …

Review And Development Of An Explicit Machine Learning Model For Pollutant Gas Solubility In Ionic Liquids As Green Solvents, Amir Dashti, Farid Amirkhani, Mojtaba Raji, John L. Zhou, Ali Altaee, Ali Braytee, Brett Turner, Hossein Ali Khonakdar, Amir Razmjou

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The increasing release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and industrial contaminants (indirect GHGs) such as SO₂ and H₂S has prompted significant global worries due to their role in climate change, air pollution, and harm to the environment. Ionic liquids (ILs) as green solvents have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional solvents because of their minimal volatility, high thermal stability, and adjustable physicochemical characteristics. Yet, limited gas solubility data in ILs is hindering their applications in carbon capture and air pollution control. Machine learning (ML) is a powerful tool for modeling and simulating the solubility of polluting gases …

Effectiveness Of Lay Workers Delivering Behavioural Activation For People With Depression: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Shwikar Othman, Lauren Blekkenhorst, Asangaedem Akpan, Irene Ngune, Nilufeur Mckay, Alison Kennedy, Elizabeth Armstrong, Michael Hunter, Kevin Murray, Mathew Coleman, Richard Gray, Emma Jones, Christopher Lee, Martin Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background Behavioural activation is effective for depression, but its effectiveness in treating adults with depression when delivered by lay workers remains unclear. Aims To examine the effectiveness of behavioural activation delivered by lay workers, compared with any control group, in reducing depressive symptoms in adults. Method This systematic review searched six databases from inception to January 2025, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing behavioural activation and any control conditions for individuals with depression when delivered by lay workers. Additional searches were conducted in the international trial registries and reference lists (PROSPERO registration CRD42024625620). Risk of bias was assessed using the …

Does Set Configuration Influence Long-Term Adaptations To Complex Training In National-Level Wrestlers? A Volumematched Randomized Trial, Yueqiang Ma, Pengpeng Gou, Yuxiong Huang, Jialiang Yu, Lijia Zhou, Kai Xu, Binbin Jia, Danyang Li

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: Complex training is commonly used to enhance strength and explosive performance in athletes; however, the long-term influence of set configuration within complex training remains unclear in highly trained wrestlers. This randomized, volumematched trial investigated whether set configuration influences long-term adaptations to complex training (CT) in national-level male Chinese-style wrestlers. Specifically, the study compared the effects of cluster-set complex training (CS-CT) and traditional-set complex training (TS-CT) on maximal strength, lower-limb explosive performance, anaerobic power, and sport-specific performance.

Methods: Sixteen highly trained wrestlers (Tier 3; n=16) completed an 8-week lowerbody CT program performed twice weekly. Participants were randomly allocated to either …

Corporate Eldercare Responsibility: Forging A Strategic Approach To Sustaining Work–Care Balance, Kazunori Kobayashi, Gabriel Eweje, Mayowa Babalola, Tazeeb Rajwani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose – Population ageing is intensifying pressures on employees with eldercare responsibilities, yet eldercare remains weakly addressed within corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business strategy research. This study aims to examine how firms strategically respond to these emerging pressures and develops the concept of corporate eldercare responsibility. Design/methodology/approach – The study draws on qualitative interviews with senior managers in large Japanese corporations. The analysis focuses on how firms interpret eldercare-related challenges and translate them into organisational responses within existing employment and CSR strategy frameworks. Findings – The findings identify two distinct CSR logics shaping organisational responses. Provision-focused practices extend supports …

Bridging The Gender Gap In Ghanaian Local Governance: Key Enablers And Pathways, Martin Brantuo, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Joseph Akanganngang Asitik, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This qualitative study examines factors facilitating women’s election to District Assemblies in Ghana through social capital and supply–demand theoretical frameworks. Through interviews with thirteen female Assembly members and four officials, the research identifies four critical enablers: financial resources, political affiliations, community relationships, and educational qualifications. Financial resources emerged as crucial for campaign management and voter mobilization, while political party support provided strategic advantages despite the nonpartisan nature of local elections. Strong interpersonal relationships within communities proved vital for building voter trust, and educational background enhanced candidates’ credibility. The findings inform recommendations for implementing gender quotas, establishing campaign funding mechanisms, voter …

An International Multidisciplinary Consensus Statement On Laparoscopic Liver Biopsy, Si Yi Lei, Yu Han, Don C. Rockey, Khalid Alswat, Vincent Wai Sun Wong, Nozim Jumaev, Carlos Jesus Toro-Huamanchumo, Safwan Taha, Mohamed El-Kassas, Jacob George, Mark Muthiah, Omar Ghanem, Masato Yoneda, Dao Viet Hang, Giada Sebastiani, George Papatheodoridis, Adam Abu-Abeid, Andrew G. Robertson, Sang Hyun Kim, Rudolf Weiner, Kamal Mahawar, Asim Shabbir, Mohammad Kermansaravi, Reynu Rajan, Yosuke Seki, Halit Eren Taskin, Scott Shikora, Edward Oliveros, Chetan Parmar, Qiuye Cheng, Omar Thaher, Elena Ruiz-Úcar, Rodolfo Oviedo, Rui Ribeiro, Mario Musella, Almino C. Ramos, Seung-Wan Ryu, Tamer Abdelbaki, Wei Jei Lee, Man Pan Chan, Jose Eduardo Garcia Flores, James Skinovsky, Ahmad Madkhali, Sylvia Weiner, Frank Tacke, Wah Yang, James Neuberger, Ming-Hua Zheng

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Laparoscopic liver biopsy (LLB) provides a way to obtain liver tissue samples under direct visual inspection of the liver surface. It complements percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) for complex or high-risk cases where PLB cannot be performed. Clinical practices for LLB vary across centers due to the lack of international standards. To improve the procedural quality and diagnostic efficiency of LLB, a multidisciplinary panel of 45 international experts from 6 continents, including hepatology, hepatobiliary surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and metabolic and bariatric surgery, developed this consensus statement through three rounds of a modified Delphi process. This consensus covers clinical application scenarios, high-risk …

Using Social Return On Investment To Evaluate Services That Support The Health Of People Experiencing Homelessness In Australia: A Scoping Review, Cate Mckenna, Christopher Rouen, Mary O'Loughlin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The increasing demand for homelessness services in Australia highlights the need for robust evaluation methodologies to assess their social impact. Traditional economic evaluation methods often struggle to capture the intangible social and health outcomes associated with homelessness. Social return on investment (SROI), an outcomes-based framework driven by stakeholders, offers a flexible and comprehensive approach to measuring social, economic and environmental impacts. This scoping review examines the application of SROI in evaluating services that support the health of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Australia. A total of 25 reports from grey literature (2010-2023) were reviewed. The findings reveal …

Where To Now With Privacy? A Systematic Literature Review With Human–Artificial Intelligence Synthesis (Slr-Hais), Moulik M. Zaveri, Ameet Pandit, Violetta Wilk, Steven D’Alessandro

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose – The development of digital technologies has led to changes in how consumers perceive privacy. This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to introduce human–artificial intelligence (AI) synthesis (HAIS) as a novel methodology for extending traditional SLRs. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive review of the privacy literature is conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of the SLR with HAIS (SLR-HAIS) approach, using 149 articles published by top marketing journals on consumer privacy. The PRISMA approach is adopted as the organizing framework. In addition, the TCCM framework is applied in conjunction with Leximancer-driven HAIS analysis, which utilizes natural language processing techinques for thematic …

Proteomic Evidence Indicates Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Enhances Recovery Of Membrane-Associated Proteins In Hericium Erinaceus, Tanvir Ahmed, Angéla Juhász, Utpal Bose, Netsanet Shiferaw Terefe, Michelle L. Colgrave

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Membrane-associated fungal proteins mediate essential functions and contain bioactive proteins with therapeutic potential but are underrepresented in aqueous extracts due to hydrophobicity and lipid associations. Ultrasound-assisted aqueous extraction was applied to Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus), and the proteins were fractionated by molecular weight (≥30 kDa, 10–30 kDa, 3–10 kDa). Proteomic profiling using data-dependent (DDA) and data-independent (DIA) mass spectrometry identified 1500 and 1702 proteins, respectively (1% global FDR). Ultrasonication induced surface irregularity and a less compact, heterogeneous microstructure. Topology predictions showed higher proportions of transmembrane and secretory proteins in ultrasonicated fractions. Extraction preserved protein integrity (82% molecular-weight retention, 97% tryptic …

Implementation Of Co-Designed Strategies Enhances Referral To Pulmonary Rehabilitation For People With Copd In Tertiary Care: An Interrupted Time Series Study, Sarah Hug, Vinicius Cavalheri, Daniel F. Gucciardi, Richard Norman, Christine Teague, Natasha Bear, Kylie Hill, Optimal Consortium

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PRPs) are a core component of care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet referral is low. The aims of this study were to; (i) engage with people with COPD receiving care at a tertiary hospital and HCPs involved in the management of people with COPD, to co-design and implement strategies that sought to improve referrals to PRPs; (ii) evaluate the effect of implementing co-designed strategies on the rate of referral to PRPs across three tertiary hospitals; and (iii) understand the sustainability of co-designed strategies by estimating relative costs and number of potentially prevented …

Norm Dust Intake: Comparison Of Personal Air Sampling And Bioassays, Gregory S. Hewson, Martin I. Ralph, Marcus Cattani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Intake of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), particularly the inhalation of thorium-bearing dust in mineral sand operations, has traditionally been assessed via personal air sampling (PAS). However, data from bioassay studies suggest that the actual intake determined via PAS may be underestimated. This review integrates thorium intake estimates derived from historical bioassay datasets, such as urine, faeces, lung counting, and thoron-in-breath tests, with historical PAS data. The findings indicated that bioassay-based predictions of intake were consistently greater, with mean bioassay-to-PAS intake ratios ranging from 2.6 to 4.2. The contributing factors to this discrepancy include biokinetic model uncertainties, potential dust sampler …

Patterns Of Language And Visuospatial Lateralisation In Three-Year-Old Children, Josephine E. Quin-Conroy, Donna M. Bayliss, Stephanie J. Bovell, Debra Eamer, Georgina H.M. Earl, Simon E. Fisher, Clyde Francks, Murray T. Maybery, Sarah Pillar, Desiree Silva, Andrew J.O. Whitehouse, Nicholas A. Badcock

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Little is known about how or when language and visuospatial processing lateralise in the brain, and if individual differences in lateralisation are related to early language or visuospatial abilities. We explored if patterns of language and visuospatial lateralisation are related to cognitive skills in young children. A large sample of 3-year-olds (n = 136) attempted two functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound (fTCD) tasks to estimate language and visuospatial lateralisation. At the group level, language was lateralised to the left hemisphere, but visuospatial processing was weakly lateralised to the right hemisphere. The relationship between patterns of lateralisation and cognitive skills was investigated …

Blue Carbon Stocks, Accumulation Rates And Knowledge Gaps In Africa, Janine B. Adams, Pattrick, Pere Masqué, Dennis Adotey, Elsheikh Bashir Ali, Abdelgadir Bashir Mohamed Awatif, Mohamed Fathi Ben Hamouda, Moncef Benmansour, Joseph F. Charles, Jerome Harlay, Lucienne Human, Linet Kiteresi Imbayi, Rashid Omari Ismail, Anesu Machite, Nezha Mejjad, Athi N. Mfikili, Ndanu Mumo, Maurice Ndeye, Wilfried Essowè Panassa, Issa Sakho, Suleiman Suleiman, Vanessa Hatje

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), including mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, play a critical role in climate mitigation due to their high carbon sequestration capacity. Despite Africa's extensive and diverse coastal ecosystems, continent-wide assessments of blue carbon stocks and accumulation rates remain scarce. Here, we synthesized blue carbon data from 87 publications (January 1993 - March 2026) to evaluate the current state of knowledge and regional variability. Our analysis reveals marked regional heterogeneity in sediment organic carbon (SOC) stocks across Africa, reflecting both ecological variability and methodological differences among studies. Normalised to a sediment depth of 1 m, median SOC stocks …

Body Mass-Normalized Handgrip Strength As A Better Indicator Of General Health Than Absolute Values In Middle-Aged Women, Ricardo M. Lima, Trezise, Sally Poppitt, Amanda Devine, Anthony J. Blazevich

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: To examine the association between HGS and physical function, quality of life (QoL), and cardiometabolic risk markers in midlife women, and verify potential discrepancies between absolute and relative HGS on these relationships. Study design: This cross-sectional study enrolled 83 participants (50.7±5.3y) who completed handgrip (hydraulic dynamometer), knee extensor and plantar flexor (isokinetic dynamometry) strength tests, and body composition evaluations (DXA). A variety of physical function tests, QoL (SF-36) and cardiometabolic blood markers were also measured. Results: Participants below the cutoff for HGS/body mass (0.34) did not differ in height but were significantly (P<0.01) heavier (80.8±12.8 vs. 68.6±11.4 kg), had higher BMI (30.0±4.2 vs. 25.4±4.0 kg/m²) and body fat (39.9±4.4 …

A Novel Multi−Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Framework For Fast Frequency Response In Inverter−Based Hybrid Power Plants, Muhammad Ikram, Asma Aziz, Daryoush Habibi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The increasing penetration of inverter−based resources (IBR) in power grids necessitates novel control techniques to deliver advanced ancillary services such as fast frequency response (FFR), crucial for ensuring power system stability. Existing schemes−droop control, virtual synchronous generator (VSG), and hybrid approaches−require full observability, and centralized control, which are unsuitable for utility−scale hybrid power plant (HPP) with a distributed grid−forming inverter (GFMI). In addition, it lacks adaptive control capabilities in response to real−time disturbances according to the IEEE 2800−2022 standard. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a design of a novel multi−agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL) framework for utility−scale IBR−dominated …

Assessing Shifts In Research Priority Areas From The Neurological Community Before And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Leah Dempsey, Travis Cruickshank, Mitchell Turner, Manja Laws, Danielle Bartlett, Barby Singer, Onno Van Der Groen, Moira Sim, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: People living with a neurological condition face many difficulties in daily life, impacting their function and quality of life (QoL). There is currently no cure to many neurological conditions, therefore identifying interventions to improve QoL is of high importance. COVID-19 changed society in many ways and understanding the research priorities from the neurological community post pandemic is urgently needed to ensure resources are used efficiently and aligned with the needs and priorities of the community. To better understand the priority areas, it is essential for individuals with lived experience to have input into priority areas for research. Therefore, the …