Digital Commons Network^™

Diasporic Transnationalism In Zoë Wicomb’S "The One That Got Away" And "October", Aaron Eastley

Faculty Publications

Whereas the early works of South African/Scottish writer Zoë Wicomb delved into racial tensions caused by apartheid, her more recent works excavate diasporic tensions tied to present-day travel and transnationalism. In her 2009 short story collection The One That Got Away and her 2014 novel October, Wicomb presents a series of narratives in which Cape Town and Glasgow collide. In these narratives Wicomb gravitates toward the experiences of mostly middle-class immigrants and visitors, often in later stages of life, operating in the relatively established multiculturalism of today's South Africa and UK. The irony of present-day transnational mobility as Wicomb …

Analytics, Innovation, And Organizational Adaptation, Gerard George, Yimin Lin

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

With the advent of big data, organizations are integrating powerful computing tools into their organizational processes to drive efficiencies and improve service delivery. Yet, at the heart of this conversation lies the role of analytics and big data in innovation within and across organizations. In this article, we provide a stylistic model of the role of analytics in innovation and call for further research on the underlying processes, contingencies, and outcomes.

Effects Of Speech Intensity On Acoustic And Kinematic Articulatory Working Space, Christopher Dromey, Panika Palmer, Jason Whitfield

Faculty Publications

Acoustic measures calculated from the formant frequencies of corner vowels, such as the vowel space areas of triangles or quadrilaterals, have often been used as a window into articulatory function. Other measures, such as the formant centralization ratio (Sapir, Ramig, Spielman, & Fox, 2010), have been suggested as more sensitive alternatives. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in acoustic and kinematic measures of articulation across soft, comfortable, and loud speech conditions using both corner vowel-based and sentence level metrics. There were 19 participants, 9 male and 10 female, with ages ranging from 20 to 34 years. Each …

Incorporating Spanish Language Instruction Into Health Sciences Programs In A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Connie Summers, Vannesa Mueller, Celia Pechak, Jeri J. Sias

Faculty Publications

Patient-provider language discordance is a growing problem in health care among Spanish-speaking patients. To produce graduates capable of linguistically competent care, three university programs are incorporating Spanish language instruction into their curricula (pharmacy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology). We review these three models of Spanish language training and summarize the lessons learned to date. Differences in the training models reflect fundamental differences regarding the use of spoken language in the disciplines.

Vocal Fry Use In Adult Female Speakers Exposed To Two Languages, Todd A. Gibson, Connie Summers, Sydney Walls

Faculty Publications

Summary: Objective. Several studies have identified the widespread use of vocal fry among American women. Popular explanations for this phenomenon appeal to sociolinguistic purposes that likely take significant time for second language users to learn. The objective of this study was to determine if mere exposure to this vocal register, as opposed to nuanced sociolinguistic motivations, might explain its widespread use. Study Design. This study used multigroup within- and between-subjects design. Methods. Fifty-eight women from one of three language background groups (functionally monolingual in English, functionally monolingual in Spanish, and Spanish-English bilinguals) living in El Paso, Texas, repeated a list …

Perceptions Of Mentoring Slps And Clinical Fellows During The Clinical Fellowship, Maria Resendiz, Connie Summers, Roxanna Ruiz-Felter, Elizabeth Belasco, Katherine Fox

Faculty Publications

The clinical fellowship (CF) is completed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) after graduating with a master’s degree. The clinical fellow is supervised by a mentoring SLP who meets the qualifications set forth by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The current study focused on differences and similarities in expectations during the CF by the mentoring SLP and clinical fellow. Participants were asked about knowledge and skills for which clinical fellows are evaluated at the end of the CF in the areas of assessment and treatment. Clinical fellows wanted more help with assessment and less assistance with treatment. Mentoring SLPs felt assistance was …

Language Of Intervention In Bilingual Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Connie Summers, Vanessa Smith, Vannesa Mueller, Victoria Alexander, Amelie Muzza

Faculty Publications

Selecting the appropriate language of intervention for bilingual children with language impairment is difficult, especially for bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as their families are often encouraged by professionals to select one language only for communication. The limited evidence supports the use of bilingual language interventions when working with bilingual children with ASD. The current study sought to expand this limited work by presenting preliminary data of the effects of a bilingual and monolingual treatment condition on the language skills of two bilingual children with ASD (ages 3 and 5) using an alternating treatment, single-subject design. The two …

William Clark’S Impossible: The Sentimental Imperialist And The War Of 1812, Jay H. Buckley

Faculty Publications

William Clark stood silently, reflecting upon his first meeting with Brulé Chief Black Bull Buffalo (Untongarabar) over a decade previous, on September 24, 1804, at the Lakota village near the mouth of the Bad River in present-day South Dakota. For three days Black Buffalo, the Partisan, and Buffalo Medicine parlayed with Lewis and Clark. On September 28, as the expedition prepared to leave, a few Lakota warriors became so heated that Clark had actually drawn his sword. Fortunately, Black Buffalo’s presence prevented bloodshed. He even accompanied Lewis and Clark upstream, perhaps as a hostage, in order to discourage the Lakotas …

Ideas About Nature In American Art And Visual Culture, Mark Graham

Faculty Publications

The stories we tell ourselves about nature deeply influence how we attempt to preserve, use, or restore nature as well as practices of art and art education that are concerned with ecological issues (Cronon 1996). Landscapes are culture before they are nature (Schama 1996). Yet, our ideas about wilderness, nature, landscape, and sustainability are fraught with paradox and debate. For example, Darwin’s fundamental assertions about the human relationship to nature continue to spark theological, political and educational controversies. Some environmentalists caution that our consumerist economy will destroy the planet and that we need to return to a less sophisticated technology …

Men’S Help-Seeking In The First Year After Diagnosis Of Localised Prostate Cancer, M. K. Hyde, Robert Newton, Daniel A. Galvao, Robert Gardiner, S. Occhipinti, A. Lowe, G. A. Wittert, Suzanne K. Chambers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study describes sources of support utilised by men with localised prostate cancer in the first year after diagnosis and examines characteristics associated with help-seeking for men with unmet needs. A cross-sectional survey of 331 patients from a population-based sample who were in the first year after diagnosis (M = 9.6, SD = 1.9) was conducted to assess sources of support, unmet supportive care needs, domain-specific quality of life and psychological distress. Overall, 82% of men reported unmet supportive care needs. The top five needs were sexuality (58%); prostate cancer-specific (57%); psychological (47%); physical and daily living (41%); and health …

Feasibility Of Presurgical Exercise In Men With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Prostatectomy, Favil Singh, Robert Newton, Michael Baker, Nigel Spry, Dennis Taaffe, Jeffery Thavaseelan, Daniel A. Galvao

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

Prostatectomy is associated with short- and long-term morbidity, which includes attenuation of muscle function and deterioration of lean body mass. Physical function is a known predictor of morbidity and mortality, with initial evidence indicating that presurgical exercise is associated with fewer postsurgical complications and shorter hospitalization. The aim was to determine the feasibility of a supervised presurgical exercise program for prostate cancer (PCa) patients scheduled for prostatectomy.

Methods:

Ten men (68+6.4 years old) with localized PCa undertook a 6-week resistance and aerobic exercise program prior surgery. Training was undertaken twice weekly and patients were assessed at baseline, presurgery, and …

Are Rolling Averages A Good Way To Assess Training Load For Injury Prevention?, Paolo Mensaspa

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

I read the letter ‘Time to bin the term ‘overuse’ injury: is ‘training load error’ a more accurate term?’ with great interest.1 I agree with the authors that changes in training load (TL) could increase injury risk and I share their concern relating to periods of low/no loads. However, the terminology suggested by Drew and Purdam ‘errors in training load prescription’ may not be ideal. In fact, despite the potentially flawless TL prescription, some spikes in load may be due to variables that are out of control, such as variability in the demands of competitions,2 and cannot be avoided. Moreover, …

“Mental Health Day” Sickness Absence Amongst Nurses And Midwives: Workplace, Workforce, Psychosocial And Health Characteristics, Scott Lamont, Scott Brunero, Lin Perry, Christine M. Duffield, David Sibbritt, Robyn Gallagher, Rachel Nicolls

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aim

To examine the workforce, workplace, psychosocial and health characteristics of nurses and midwives in relation to their reported use of sickness absence described as ‘mental health days’.

Background

The occupational stress associated with the nursing profession is increasingly recognized and nurse/midwifery absenteeism is a significant global problem. Taking a ‘mental health day’ as sickness absence is a common phenomenon in Australian health care. No previous studies have empirically explored the characteristics of nurses and midwives using such sickness absence.

Design

Online cross-sectional survey.

Methods

Survey comprising validated tools and questions on workplace and health characteristics was distributed to nurses …

Acute Exposure To Fine Particulate Matter And Cardiovascular Hospital Emergency Room Visits In Beijing, China, Qin Xu, Shuo Wang, Yuming Guo, Chao Wang, Fangfang Huang, Xian Li, Qi Gao, Lijuan Wu, Lixin Tao, Jin Guo, Wei Wang, Xiuhua Guo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) air pollution outbreaks have recently occurred frequently in China. However, evidence of the associations between short-term exposure to PM_2.5 and cardiovascular morbidity is still limited in China. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between PM_2.5 and hospital emergency room visits (ERVs) for cardiovascular diseases in urban areas in Beijing. Daily counts of cardiovascular ERVs were collected from ten large general hospitals from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2013. Air pollution data were obtained from the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau including 17 monitoring stations. A generalized additive Poisson model was used to …

Barriers To Lung Cancer Care: Health Professionals’ Perspectives, J. Dunn, G. Garvey, P. C. Valery, D. Ball, K. M. Fong, S. Vinod, D. L. O'Connell, Suzanne K. Chambers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose

Globally, lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. Problematically, there is a wide variation in the management and survival for people with lung cancer and there is limited understanding of the reasons for these variations. To date, the views of health professionals across relevant disciplines who deliver such care are largely absent. The present study describes Australian health professionals’ views about barriers to lung cancer care to help build a research and action agenda for improving lung cancer outcomes.

Methods

Qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a multidisciplinary group of 31 Australian …

Altered Levels Of Blood Proteins In Alzheimer's Disease Longitudinal Study: Results From Australian Imaging Biomarkers Lifestyle Study Of Ageing Cohort, Veer B. Gupta, Eugene Hone, Steve Pedrini, James D. Doecke, Sid E. O'Bryant, Ian James, Ashley I. Bush, Christopher C. Rowe, Victor L. Villemagne, David Ames, Colin L. Masters, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction

A blood-based biomarker panel to identify individuals with preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) would be an inexpensive and accessible first step for routine testing.

Methods

We analyzed 14 biomarkers that have previously been linked to AD in the Australian Imaging Biomarkers lifestyle longitudinal study of aging cohort.

Results

Levels of apolipoprotein J (apoJ) were higher in AD individuals compared with healthy controls at baseline and 18 months (P =.0003) and chemokine-309 (I-309) were increased in AD patients compared to mild cognitive impaired individuals over 36 months (P =.0008).

Discussion

These data suggest that apoJ may have potential in the context …

Sensitivity Analysis For Justification Of Utilising Special Purpose Machine Tools In The Presence Of Uncertain Parameters, Ana Vafadar, Kevin Hayward, Majid Tolouei-Rad

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Decision-makers in manufacturing area frequently face machine tool selection problem under uncertainty due to competitive market changes. Special purpose machines (SPMs), a relatively new class of reconfigurable machine tools, are used to react quickly to changes. Justification of utilising these machines vs. other machine tools requires a technique to investigate the sources of uncertainties. In this work, sensitivity analysis is utilised to investigate the sources of these uncertainties and errors which may reveal new insights for evaluating a machine tool. An illustrative example is provided to show the sensitivity of parameters on the economic performance of SPMs compared to the …

Mediation For Affect: Coming To Care About Factory-Farmed Animals, Jane Mummery, Debbie Rodan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this article, we examine the digitalised emotional campaigning of one of Australia’s peak animal welfare body, Animals Australia, focusing on their most effective digital strategies associated with their campaigns against factory farming. Our broader interest lies with sounding out the affective affordances of the technologies informing such activist work; technologies of affect in a very significant sense. This discussion comprises three parts. First, we unpack the context for the problematic faced by animal and environmental activisms: neoliberalism, showing how neoliberal assumptions constrain such activisms to emotional appeals and denounce them for such strategising. Second, we sound out some of …

Physical Activity And Survival Among Long-Term Cancer Survivor And Non-Cancer Cohorts, Anthony Gunnell, Sarah Joyce, Stephania Tomlin, Dennis Taaffe, Prue Cormie, Robert Newton, David Joseph, Nigel Spry, Kristjana Einarsdottir, Daniel A. Galvao

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Evidence suggests physical activity improves prognosis following cancer diagnosis; however, evidence regarding prognosis in long-term survivors of cancer is scarce. We assessed physical activity in 1,589 cancer survivors at an average 8.8 years following their initial diagnosis and calculated their future mortality risk following physical activity assessment. We also selected a cancer-free cohort of 3,145 age, sex, and survey year group-matched cancer-free individuals from the same source population for comparison purposes. Risks for cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality in relation to physical activity levels were estimated using Cox regression proportional hazard regression analyses within the cancer and non-cancer cohorts. Physical …

A Theory Of Structured Experience, Gary D. Ellis, Patti A. Freeman, Tazim Jamal, Jingxian Jiang

Faculty Publications

We extend Duerden, Ward, and Freeman’s [2015. “Conceptualizing Structured Experiences.” Journal of Leisure Research 47 (5): 601– 620] ‘structured experience’ framework by proposing a formal theory of structured experiences. The theory advances propositions about how leisure service providers may structure environments and interactions to facilitate specific subjective experiences for guests and participants. Following the Duerden, Ward, and Freeman (2015) paper, the theory of structured experience is an integration of literature from leisure studies, tourism, and marketing. Formal definitions are provided for four co-created subjective experiences: immersion, absorption, engagement, and deep structured experience. Propositions about specific strategies providers can use to …

Creating Experiences For Study-Abroad Tourists, Gary D. Ellis, Patti A. Freeman, Jingxian Jiang

Faculty Publications

Effects of tourist activity type and locus of activity structure on subjective experiences of study-abroad tourists were examined. Subjective experiences measured included perceived value, delight, and prevalence of deep structured experience. These subjective experiences (n = 208) were measured immediately following participation in tourist activities at 13 attractions and settings. Each tourist activity was coded according to (a) experience type, and (b) locus of activity structure. Experience type categories included activities emphasizing narratives (engagement), activities emphasizing sensory stimulation (absorption), activities requiring skill performance (immersion), and familiar activities. Locus of activity structure referred to the source of the primary determinants …

Participatory Action And Dual Lens Research, Francesca Robertson, Jason Barrow, Magdalena Wajrak, Noel Nannup, Caroline Bishop, Alison Nannup

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the idea that, in the last few decades, collaborative inquiry methods have evolved along a similar trajectory to dual lens research. Dual lens research, known in various contexts as both ways, two-eyed seeing Old Ways New Ways, and Koodjal Jinnung (looking both ways), is designed to generate new knowledge by exploring a theme through Aboriginal and contemporary western lenses. Participatory action research and a dual lens approach are considered in a number of projects with a particular focus on the issues such work can raise including conceptual challenges posed by fundamental …

Immune Checkpoint Inhibition: Prospects For Prevention And Therapy Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Caryn L. Elsegood, Janina E.E. Tirnitz-Parker, John K. Olynyk, George C.T. Yeoh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The global prevalence of liver cancer is rapidly rising, mostly as a result of the amplified incidence rates of viral hepatitis, alcohol abuse and obesity in recent decades. Treatment options for liver cancer are remarkably limited with sorafenib being the gold standard for advanced, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma but offering extremely limited improvement of survival time. The immune system is now recognised as a key regulator of cancer development through its ability to protect against infection and chronic inflammation, which promote cancer development, and eliminate tumour cells when present. However, the tolerogenic nature of the liver means that the immune response …

Caffeine Consumption With Relevance To Type 3 Diabetes And Accelerated Brain Aging, I. J. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Major interests in caffeine consumption has increased with the alarming increase in the global NAFLD epidemic relevant to increased transport of caffeine to the brain with the induction of Type 3 diabetes. Specific nutritional diets are essential to maintain hepatic caffeine metabolism to facilitate rapid Aβ clearance in the periphery and to maintain the effects of drugs such as statins to reduce toxic Aβ formation not only in Type 3 diabetes but to various neurological diseases. Anti-aging gene Sirt 1 is responsible for brain Aβ and caffeine metabolism and inactivation of Sirt 1 by unhealthy diets is now relevant to …

Population-Based Cohort Study In Outcome Of Phased Progression Of Atherosclerosis In China (Persuade): Objective, Rationale And Design, Dong-Kai Shan, Yong Zhou, You-Xin Wang, Xiang Gao, Wei Wang, Jun-Jie Yang, Yun-Dai Chen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The coronary artery calcification score and pericardial fat volume have recently been reported to be strongly associated with the severity and presence of coronary atherosclerosis. However, no studies have explored the outcome of phased progression of atherosclerosis by non-contrast computed tomography in asymptomatic people in China. The population-based cohort study in outcome of phased progression of atherosclerosis in China (PERSUADE), an observational, longitudinal and prospective cohort study in a target population of healthy subjects based in Jidong Oilfield (China), prospectively analyzes the outcome of phased progression of atherosclerosis by non-contrast computed tomography in healthy population. The results of this study …

Prevalence Of Epilepsy In China Between 1990 And 2015: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Peige Song, Yezhou Liu, Xinwei Yu, Jingjing Wu, Adrienne N. Poon, Alessandro R. Demaio, Wei Wang, Igor D. Rudan, Kityee Chan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Epilepsy is a major neurological disorder that affects approximately 65 million people worldwide. Globally, the burden of epilepsy is not evenly distributed, with more than 80% of sufferers residing in low- and middle-income countries. This study estimates the burden of epilepsy in mainland China from 1990 to 2015 and explores the variations of burden by age and gender.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature from 1990 to 2015 using Chinese and English academic databases (CNKI, WanFang, VIP and PubMed) to identify population- based prospective studies on the prevalence of epilepsy in mainland Chinese. Multilevel mixed-effects …

Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors For Mainstream Industrial Processes, Gary Allwood, Graham Wild, Steven Hinkley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper reviews fiber Bragg grating sensing technology with respect to its use in mainstream industrial process applications. A review of the various types of sensors that have been developed for industries such as power generation, water treatment and services, mining, and the oil and gas sector has been performed. A market overview is reported as well as a discussion of some of the factors limiting their penetration into these markets. Furthermore, the author’s make recommendations for future work that would potentially provide significant opportunity for the advancement of fiber Bragg grating sensor networks in these mainstream industries.

An Investigation Into Spike-Based Neuromorphic Approaches For Artificial Olfactory Systems, Anup Vanarse, Adam Osseiran, Alexander Rassau

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The implementation of neuromorphic methods has delivered promising results for vision and auditory sensors. These methods focus on mimicking the neuro-biological architecture to generate and process spike-based information with minimal power consumption. With increasing interest in developing low-power and robust chemical sensors, the application of neuromorphic engineering concepts for electronic noses has provided an impetus for research focusing on improving these instruments. While conventional e-noses apply computationally expensive and power-consuming data-processing strategies, neuromorphic olfactory sensors implement the biological olfaction principles found in humans and insects to simplify the handling of multivariate sensory data by generating and processing spike-based information. Over …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Prevalence Of Different Functions Of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Peter Taylor, Khowla Jomar, Katie Dhingra, Rebecca Forrester, Ujala Shahmalak, Joanne M. Dickson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

A broad variety of different functions can underlie acts of Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Whilst research so far has identified many of the commonly reported functions, no reliable estimates of prevalence currently exist for these different NSSI functions. Understanding the prevalence of NSSI functions represents a key to better understanding the phenomenology of NSSI and addressing the differing needs of the NSSI population. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of NSSI functions in community and clinical samples.

Method

A literature search of electronic databases PsycINFO, Medline, and Web of Science from date of inception to March …

Bankruptcy Spillovers, Shai Bernstein, Emanuele Colonnelli, Xavier Giroud, Benjamin Iverson

Faculty Publications

How do different bankruptcy approaches affect the local economy? Using U.S. Census microdata at the establishment level, we explore the spillover effects of reorganization and liquidation on geographically proximate firms. We exploit the random assignment of bankruptcy judges as a source of exogenous variation in the probability of liquidation. We find that within a five-year period, employment declines substantially in the immediate neighborhood of the liquidated establishments, relative to reorganized establishments. Most of the decline is due to lower growth of existing establishments and, to a lesser extent, reduced entry into the area. The spillover effects are highly localized and …