Digital Commons Network^™

Sulfur Compounds: From Plants To Humans And Their Role In Chronic Disease Prevention, Caroline R. Hill, Armaghan Shafaei, Lois Balmer, Joshua R. Lewis, Jonathan M. Hodgson, A. Harvey Millar, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sulfur is essential for the health of plants and is an indispensable dietary component for human health and disease prevention. Its incorporation into our food supply is heavily reliant upon the uptake of sulfur into plant tissue and our subsequent intake. Dietary requirements for sulfur are largely calculated based upon requirements for the sulfur-containing amino acids (SAA), cysteine and methionine, to meet the demands for synthesis of proteins, enzymes, co-enzymes, vitamins, and hormones. SAA are found in abundance in animal sources and are relatively low in plants. However, some plants, particularly cruciferous and allium vegetables, produce many protective sulfur-containing secondary …

Comparison Of The Cardiometabolic Profiles Of Adolescents Conceived Through Art With Those Of A Non-Art Cohort, L. A. Wijs, D. A. Doherty, J. A. Keelan, P. Burton, J. L. Yovich, L. Beilin, T. A. Mori, R. C. Huang, L. A. Adams, John K. Olynyk, O. T. Ayonrinde, B. Penova-Veselinovic, R. J. Hart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

STUDY QUESTION: Is the cardiometabolic health of adolescents conceived through ART worse than that of their counterparts conceived without ART? SUMMARY ANSWER: The majority of cardiometabolic and vascular health parameters of adolescents conceived through ART are similar or more favourable, than those of their counterparts of similar age and conceived without ART. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: It has been proposed that the cardiometabolic health of offspring conceived with ART may be unfavourable compared to that of their counterparts conceived without ART. The literature pertaining to cardiometabolic health of offspring conceived after ART is contradictory, but generally suggests unfavourable cardiometabolic health …

Flavonoid Intakes Inversely Associate With Copd In Smokers, Nicola P. Bondonno, Benjamin H. Parmenter, Frederik Dalgaard, Kevin Murray, Daniel Bech Rasmussen, Cecilie Kyrø, Aedin Cassidy, Catherine P. Bondonno, Joshua R. Lewis, Kevin D. Croft, Gunnar Gislason, Augustin Scalbert, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Anja Olsen, Jonathan M. Hodgson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Higher flavonoid intakes are beneficially associated with pulmonary function parameters; however, their association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown. This study aimed to examine associations between intakes of 1) total flavonoids, 2) flavonoid subclasses and 3) major flavonoid compounds with incident COPD in participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study. Methods: This prospective cohort included 55 413 men and women without COPD, aged 50-65 years at recruitment. Habitual flavonoid intakes at baseline were estimated from a food frequency questionnaire using Phenol-Explorer. Danish nationwide registers were used to identify incident cases of COPD. Associations were modelled …

European Epidemiological Patterns Of Cannabis- And Substance-Related Congenital Cardiovascular Anomalies: Geospatiotemporal And Causal Inferential Study, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As prenatal and community cannabis exposures have recently been linked with congenital heart disease (CHD), it was of interest to explore these associations in Europe in a causal framework and space-time context. Congenital anomaly data from Eurocat, drug-use data from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, and income from the World Bank. Countries with rising daily cannabis use had in general higher congenital anomaly rates over time than those without (time: status interaction: β-Est. = 0.0267, P = 0.0059). At inverse probability-weighted panel regression, cannabis terms were positive and significant for CHD, severe CHD, atrial septal defect, …

Optimal Sizing And Energy Scheduling Of Grid-Supplemented Solar Pv Systems With Battery Storage: Sensitivity Of Reliability And Financial Constraints, Aakash Hassan, Yasir M. Al-Abdeli, Martin Masek, Octavian Bass

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Establishing reliable, clean, and inexpensive solar PV systems is a complex interplay between the level of reliability (LPSP), financial constraints, and CO2 emissions. This paper investigates the impact of these factors on stand-alone (SA) and grid-supplemented (GS) solar PV systems over multiple seasons. The research uses established hardware models, detailed power management strategies as well as realistic Australian grid tariffs and Genetic Algorithms to find the minimum Cost of Energy (COE) subject to LPSP and financial constraints. The developed power management strategies are also tested experimentally on a real solar PV system. The results indicate that the grid-supplemented system yields …

Supporting Premature Infants’ Oral Feeding In The Nicu—A Qualitative Study Of Nurses’ Perspectives, Evalotte Mörelius, Charlotte Sahlén Helmer, Maria Hellgren, Siw Alehagen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

One major task in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) involves ensuring adequate nutrition and supporting the provision of human milk. The aim of this study was to explore nurses’ experiences of the oral feeding process in the NICU when the infant is born extremely or very preterm. We used a qualitative inductive approach. Nine nurses from three family-centered NICUs were interviewed face-to-face. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Five sub-categories and two generic categories formed the main category: ‘A complex and long-lasting collaboration.’ The nurses wished to contribute to the parents’ understanding of the feeding …

The Nursing Care Of People With Class Iii Obesity In An Acute Care Setting: A Scoping Review, Bev Ewens, Vivien Kemp, Mandy (Amanda) Towell-Barnard, Lisa Whitehead

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background

Patients with Class III obesity pose unique challenges to health care staff and organisations. Care requirements of this population are unique and require specialised equipment and knowledge to meet these needs, maintain the quality of care, as well as the safety of patients and staff.

Aim

To synthesise the evidence on the nursing care of Class III obese patients in acute care settings.

Methods

A scoping review informed by JBI. CINAHL Plus, Medline, Scopus, Proquest Central, Web of Science and Embase were searched for primary research articles about the nursing management of people classified as Class III obese in …

Optimum Geological Storage Depths For Structural H2 Geo-Storage, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

H₂ geo-storage has been suggested as a key technology with which large quantities of H₂ can be stored and withdrawn again rapidly. One option which is currently explored is H₂ storage in sedimentary geologic formations which are geographically widespread and potentially provide large storage space. The mechanism which keeps the buoyant H₂ in the subsurface is structural trapping where a caprock prevents the H₂ from rising by capillary forces. It is therefore important to assess how much H₂ can be stored via structural trapping under given geo-thermal conditions. This structural trapping capacity is thus …

Reference-Free Differential Histogram-Correlative Detection Of Steganography: Performance Analysis, Natiq M. Abdali, Zahir M. Hussain

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of utilizing neural networks for detect tampering in images. However, because accessing a database is complex, which is needed in the classification process to detect tampering, reference-free steganalysis attracted attention. In recent work, an approach for least significant bit (LSB) steganalysis has been presented based on analyzing the derivatives of the histogram correlation. In this paper, we further examine this strategy for other steganographic methods. Detecting image tampering in the spatial domain, such as image steganography. It is found that the above approach could be applied successfully to other kinds of steganography with different …

Residual Renal Function – How Fast Does The Residual Urine Output Function Decline In The First Year Of Haemodialysis? – A Scoping Review, Ulrich Steinwandel, Homa Kheirkhah, Hugh Davies

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Haemodialysis is the most common treatment method in Australia for individuals requiring renal replacement therapy. Although it is known that the residual renal function in these patients has many advantages for their overall health outcomes and that the residual urine volume production is also declining over time, it is unknown how fast this functional decline occurs when patients are embarking on their first year on haemodialysis. Aim: This scoping review sought to determine if the functional decline in renal residual function in the first year of haemodialysis has been previously investigated, documented or quantified. Method: The scoping review was …

Connectivity Shapes Functional Diversity And Maintains Complementarity In Surf Zones On Exposed Coasts, Christopher J. Henderson, Ben L. Gilby, Andrew D. Olds, Jesse Mosman, Rod M. Connolly, Glenn Hyndes, Brendan Kelaher, Brooke Maslo, Alan Williams, Thomas A. Schlacher

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Habitat complexity and connectivity can influence the number of species and their diversity across a landscape. For the surf zones of ocean-exposed beaches, globally one of the longest habitat interfaces, the assumed low structural complexity, and apparent homogeneity, of the sandy seafloor habitats predicts low taxonomic and functional diversity. Here, we assessed how the configuration of the seascape and the context of different beach structure functional diversity and functional niche space of fish assemblages in surf zones. We expected that beaches that were well connected with highly productive and complex estuarine and reef habitats would support a greater level of …

Quadriceps Muscle Fatigue Reduces Extension And Flexion Power During Maximal Cycling, Steven J. O'Bryan, Janet L. Taylor, Jessica M. D'Amico, David M. Rouffet

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose:

To investigate how quadriceps muscle fatigue affects power production over the extension and flexion phases and muscle activation during maximal cycling.

Methods:

Ten participants performed 10-s maximal cycling efforts without fatigue and after 120 bilateral maximal concentric contractions of the quadriceps muscles. Extension power, flexion power and electromyographic (EMG) activity were compared between maximal cycling trials. We also investigated the associations between changes in quadriceps force during isometric maximal voluntary contractions (IMVC) and power output (flexion and extension) during maximal cycling, in addition to interindividual variability in muscle activation and pedal force profiles.

Results:

Quadriceps IMVC (−52 ± 21%, …

Feasibility And Therapeutic Efficacy Of A Two-Week Low-Level Laser Acupuncture Therapy For Shoulder And Neck Pain In Office Workers: Protocol For A Pilot, Single-Blind, Doublearmed, Randomised Controlled Trial, Carol Chunfeng Wang, Lisa Whitehead, Travis Cruickshank, Johnny Lo, Jianhong Xia, Jun Wen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background:

Shoulder and neck pain (SNP) is common in office workers and represents a serious public health problem given its detrimental impact on quality of life, physical functioning, personal finances, employers, and the health care system. Management with painkillers has adverse implications such as tolerance, addiction, and opioid abuse. Safe, sustainable, cost-effective, and evidence-based solutions are urgently needed. The non-invasive, painless, noninfectious, and safe modality of low-level laser acupuncture (LLLA) has shown promise for SNP management.

Objective:

The overarching aim of this study is to provide evidence of the feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of LLLA for office workers with SNP. …

The Impact Of Skeletal Muscle Disuse On Distinct Echo Intensity Bands: A Retrospective Analysis, Zachary S. Logeson, Rob J. Maclennan, Gerard Kyle B. Abad, Johnathon M. Methven, Molly R. Gradl, Matheus D. Pinto, Ronei S. Pinto, Matt S. Stock

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Echo intensity (EI) is a novel tool for assessing muscle quality. EI has traditionally been reported as the mean of the pixel histogram, with 0 and 255 arbitrary units (A.U.) representing excellent and poor muscle quality, respectively. Recent work conducted in youth and younger and older adults suggested that analyzing specific EI bands, rather than the mean, may provide unique insights into the effectiveness of exercise and rehabilitation interventions. As our previous work showed deterioration of muscle quality after knee joint immobilization, we sought to investigate whether the increase in EI following disuse was limited to specific EI bands. Thirteen …

The Safety And Efficacy Of Using Moxibustion And Or Acupuncture For Cancer-Related Insomnia: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomised Controlled Trials, Carol Chunfeng Wang, Ellen Yichun Han, Mark Jenkins, Xuepei Hong, Shuqin Pang, Lisa Whitehead, Deborah L. Kirk, Anne Williams

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction:

This study aimed to synthesise the best available evidence on the safety and efficacy of using moxibustion and/or acupuncture to manage cancer-related insomnia (CRI).

Methods:

The PRISMA framework guided the review. Nine databases were searched from its inception to July 2020, published in English or Chinese. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of moxibustion and or acupuncture for the treatment of CRI were selected for inclusion. Methodological quality was assessed using the method suggested by the Cochrane collaboration. The Cochrane Review Manager was used to conduct a meta-analysis.

Results:

Fourteen RCTs met the eligibility criteria. Twelve RCTs used the Pittsburgh Sleep …

Fine-Grained Ship Image Recognition Based On Bcnn With Inception And Am-Softmax, Zhilin Zhang, Ting Zhang, Zhaoying Liu, Peijie Zhang, Shanshan Tu, Yujian Li, Muhammad Waqas

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The fine-grained ship image recognition task aims to identify various classes of ships. However, small inter-class, large intra-class differences between ships, and lacking of training samples are the reasons that make the task difficult. Therefore, to enhance the accuracy of the fine-grained ship image recognition, we design a fine-grained ship image recognition network based on bilinear convolutional neural network (BCNN) with Inception and additive margin Softmax (AM-Softmax). This network improves the BCNN in two aspects. Firstly, by introducing Inception branches to the BCNN network, it is helpful to enhance the ability of extracting comprehensive features from ships. Secondly, by adding …

Injury Surveillance In Community Cricket: A New Inning For South Africa, Benita Olivier, Oluchukwu L. Obiora, Candice Macmillan, Caroline Finch

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Published injury rates amongst elite and club-level youth cricketers highlight the need to implement injury risk-reducing strategies amongst the youth cricketing population. Data from sports injury surveillance systems are a prerequisite for the development and evaluation of strategies to reduce injury risk. Therefore, collecting injury surveillance data is a positive move towards reducing injuries in cricket. In South Africa, a systematic, standardised, evidence-informed injury surveillance system currently does not exist for community levels of play, namely, in cricket-playing high schools and cricket clubs. Although injury surveillance systems exist at elite levels, the obvious differences in elite versus community cricket settings …

Openness About Sexual Orientation And Exposure To Workplace Bullying, Helge Hoel, Duncan Lewis, Anna Einarsdottir, Guy Notelaers

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Previous studies of workplace bullying have not investigated whether Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) employees experience bullying in similar or different ways to their heterosexual counterparts. This study reports on how and to what extent sexuality or sexual orientation influences the experience of workplace bullying and whether openness about sexual orientation elevates risks and shapes exposure to bullying. Using a large and rigorously compiled sample of the British working population comprising 500 non-heterosexuals and 722 heterosexuals (N = 1,222) and applying latent Class Cluster Analysis, a similar behavioural pattern of bullying for LGB employees emerged as for heterosexuals, although LGB …

Summary Of Cannabis Use Among Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This Summary is based on the Review of cannabis use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The review summarises the evidence from journal publications, government reports, national data collections and national surveys accessed through the HealthInfoNet’s database of publications. Please note that statistics presented do not always include all states and territories, see sources for details. ...

Regulatory Flexibilities And Access To Covid-19 Vaccines During The Pandemic In Bhutan, Dawa Tshering, Pelden Chejor

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Summary Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly evolving with millions of cases and death reported globally. The first-ever case of COVID-19 in Bhutan was confirmed on 5 March 2020 in a 76-year-old American tourist. The national regulatory authorities have implemented varying degrees of regulatory flexibilities to prevent unnecessary death by ensuring timely access to medical products and technologies during the pandemic. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Bhutan, as a national medicines regulatory agency responsible for ensuring the quality of medical products has implemented several regulatory mechanisms to ensure access to medical products including COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. In this …

Integrating Indigenous Perspectives In The Drama Class: Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions And Attitudes, Elisa M. Williams, Julia Morris

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Currently, educational bodies are recognising the importance of integrating Australian Indigenous cultures in education to promote intercultural understanding and improve outcomes for Indigenous students. In drama, learning about Indigenous perspectives can be integrated through sharing cultural stories, with this integration mandated by the Australian curriculum. However, teachers are struggling to achieve this directive due to a lack of knowledge in Indigenous content and concerns surrounding permission and cultural appropriation. This qualitative study used a focus group interview to determine non-Indigenous pre-service drama teachers' perceptions about integrating Indigenous perspectives in their praxis. Inductive analysis of the data revealed participants strongly believed …

Psychological Distress And Quality Of Life In Asymptomatic Adults Following Provision Of Imaging Results For Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease Events: A Scoping Review, Reindolf Anokye, Ben Jackson, James Dimmock, Joanne M. Dickson, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Joshua R. Lewis, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims Psychological distress and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may occur after screening for disease. Reporting outcomes related to potential benefits and harms of screening is a key recommendation in the guidelines for reporting high-quality trials or interventions. However, no reviews have directly investigated outcomes related to psychological distress and/or changes in HRQoL following imaging assessment of cardiovascular risk and communication of cardiovascular findings to asymptomatic adults. A scoping review was conducted to map research on psychological distress and/or HRQoL following screening. Methods and results

Six electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Social Work Abstracts, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, …

Mathematical Connections Established In The Teaching Of Functions, Vesife Hatisaru

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study explores the types of mathematical connections established in the classroom in the teaching of functions. An extended model for mathematical connections (different representations (DR), procedural (PC), if-then (I-T), part-whole connections (PWC), feature/property (F/P), analogies, and instruction-oriented connections (IOC)) is used as the analytical framework. The context for the study is classroom observations of two secondary mathematics teachers teaching functions to Grade 9 students. The strength of teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) the concept of function is different: one has stronger MKT, while the other has weaker MKT. A total of 485 connections are identified in a sample …

Suffering To Save Lives: Torture, Cruelty, And Moral Disengagement In Australia’S Offshore Detention Centres, Jamal Barnes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Since Australia re-established offshore processing on Manus Island and Nauru in 2012, there have been ongoing reports that asylum seekers and refugees are being subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CIDT). People in detention have endured indefinite detention, inadequate provision of health care, and sexual, physical, and mental harm as the government attempts to ‘stop the boats’ and prevent deaths at sea. How can Australia continue to violate the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, while at the same time, promote its offshore detention policies worldwide? This article …

Mediation Roles Of Pedagogical Approaches And Personality Traits In Entrepreneurial Curriculum Design And Entrepreneurial Intention Nexus, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah, Akanganngang Joseph Asitik

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Planned behaviour theory was used in a path analysis modelling to investigate the serial mediation role of teaching methods and personality traits (locus of control, need for achievement and entrepreneurial attitude) in the relationship between entrepreneurship curriculum and entrepreneurial intention among university students in Ghana. A proposed 40-item instrument was used to measure outcomes for six constructs (3 personality trait constructs, entrepreneurship curriculum, teaching methods and entrepreneurial intention) for 324 participants. Acceptable convergent, divergent and construct validity scores were observed for the instrument. Teaching methods fully mediated the first-order relationships between entrepreneurial curriculum and each personality traits. The three constructs …

Determinants Of Switching Intention In The Electricity Markets - An Integrated Structural Model Approach, Shahid Hussain, Pi-Shen Seet, Maria Ryan, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Helen Cripps, Abdul Salam

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study adopts an integrated approach and combines the theory of planned behavior and push-pull theory to unpack the antecedents of customer switching intention in a contextual setting (Western Australia) that has a regulated electricity market. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze data from a survey of 405 retail electricity consumers, which reveals that perceived relative price, electronic word-of-mouth, customer-based reputation of a service provider, past switching experience, and subjective norms significantly influence attitude toward switching and switching intention. Our findings contribute to the literature on retail electricity markets by showing the importance of customer-based reputation …

‘It’S All About Context’: Building School Capacity To Implement A Whole-School Approach To Bullying, Natasha Pearce, Helen Monks, Narelle Alderman, Lydia Hearn, Sharyn Burns, Kevin Runions, Jacinta Francis, Donna Cross

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Student bullying behaviours are a significant social issue in schools worldwide. Whilst school staff have access to quality bullying prevention interventions, schools can face significant challenges implementing the whole-school approach required to address the complexity of these behaviours. This study aimed to understand how schools’ capacity to implement whole-school bullying prevention interventions could be strengthened to promote sustainability and improve student outcomes. Qualitative methods were used to observe schools over time to gain insight into their implementation capacity to improve student social and emotional wellbeing and prevent and ameliorate harm from bullying. A four-year longitudinal, multi-site case study intensively followed …

“It Only Hurts When I Laugh”: Tolerating Bullying Humour In Order To Belong At Work, Barbara Plester, Tim Bentley, Emily Brewer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Our study examines the impacts on workers when organisational humour is repeated, sustained, dominating, and potentially harmful, and thus can be considered to be bullying. In an ethnographic study of an idiosyncratic New Zealand IT company, we observed humour that was sexualised, dominating, and perpetrated by the most powerful organizational members. We argue that the compelling need for belonging in this extreme organizational culture influenced workers to accept bullying humour as just a joke and therefore acceptable and harmless even when it contravened societal workplace norms. Our contribution is in identifying and extending the significant theoretical relationship between workplace humour …

Ancestral Sars-Cov-2, But Not Omicron, Replicates Less Efficiently In Primary Pediatric Nasal Epithelial Cells, Yanshan Zhu, Keng Yih Chew, Melanie Wu, Anjana C. Karawita, Georgina Mccallum, Lauren E. Steele, Ayaho Yamamoto, Larisa I. Labzin, Tejasri Yarlagadda, Alexander A. Khromykh, Xiaohui Wang, Julian D. J. Sng, Claudia J. Stocks, Yao Xia, Tobias R. Kollmann, David Martino, Merja Joensuu, Frédéric A. Meunier, Giuseppe Balistreri, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Asha C. Bowen, Anthony Kicic, Peter D. Sly, Kirsten M. Spann, Kirsty R. Short

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Children typically experience more mild symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) when compared to adults. There is a strong body of evidence that children are also less susceptible to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with the ancestral viral isolate. However, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has been associated with an increased number of pediatric infections. Whether this is the result of widespread adult vaccination or fundamental changes in the biology of SARS-CoV-2 remain to be determined. Here, we use primary nasal epithelial cells (NECs) from children and adults, differentiated at an air-liquid interface to …

Applications Of Environmental Dna (Edna) In Agricultural Systems: Current Uses, Limitations And Future Prospects, Joshua H. Kestel, David L. Field, Philip W. Bateman, Nicole E. White, Morten E. Allentoft, Anna J. M. Hopkins, Mark Gibberd, Paul Nevill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Global food production, food supply chains and food security are increasingly stressed by human population growth and loss of arable land, becoming more vulnerable to anthropogenic and environmental perturbations. Numerous mutualistic and antagonistic species are interconnected with the cultivation of crops and livestock and these can be challenging to identify on the large scales of food production systems. Accurate identifications to capture this diversity and rapid scalable monitoring are necessary to identify emerging threats (i.e. pests and pathogens), inform on ecosystem health (i.e. soil and pollinator diversity), and provide evidence for new management practices (i.e. fertiliser and pesticide applications). Increasingly, …