Digital Commons Network^™

A Novel Approach To Measure Executive Functions In Students: An Evaluation Of Two Child-Friendly Apps, Valeska Berg, Shane Rogers, Mark Mcmahon, Michael Garrett, Dominic Manley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Interest in measurement of children’s executive functions has shown a major increase over the past two decades. The present study evaluates two new apps (EYT and eFun) for measuring executive functions in children. The results of this study show that children (aged 5–8) enjoy executive function assessment in the form of games on an iPad. However, only one executive function, EYT working memory, showed significant positive correlations with several types of grades (e.g., English and maths) in primary school students. New, self-assessed, child-friendly executive function measurement tools have the potential to provide future possibilities for teachers to integrate information on …

The Importance Of Catchments To Mine-Pit Lakes: Implications For Closure, Mark Lund, Eddie Van Etten, Jonas Polifka, Marylin Quintero Vasquez, Ravish Ramessur, Dechen Yangzom, Melanie L. Blanchette

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Despite the large body of riparian literature for rivers and lakes, there are few studies on the catchments of mine pit lakes. Therefore, the broad objective of this research was to determine if catchment characteristics were related to pit lake nutrient concentrations. We hypothesised that: (1) catchment characteristics would vary among pit lakes, (2) pit lake catchments would differ from co-occurring naturally-forested catchments, and (3) connecting a pit lake (Kepwari) to a naturally-forested catchment via a river flow-through would increase C accumulation in the lake. The research was conducted in pit lakes of the Collie lake district in Western Australia …

Sport Coaches As Policy Actors: An Investigation Of The Interpretation And Enactment Of Disability And Inclusion Policy In Swimming In Victoria Australia, Andrew M. Hammond, Dawn Penney, Ruth Jeanes

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper draws upon education policy sociology, and sport coaching literature, in critically examining sport coaches as policy actors. Stephen Ball and colleagues’ conceptualisation of different policy actor positions and roles provided the framework for research that investigated how eight professional swimming coaches in Victoria, Australia, interpreted and enacted disability and inclusion policy. A discourse analysis of semi-structured interviews with the eight coaches reveals the complexities associated with how and why different coaches interpret and enact disability and inclusion policy imperatives in different ways in their specific club contexts. Data are presented that shows coaches adopting multiple and hybrid policy …

Cost-Effectiveness Of An Environmental Cleaning Bundle For Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections, Nicole M. White, Adrian G. Barnett, Lisa Hall, Brett G. Mitchell, Alison Farrington, Kate Halton, David L. Paterson, Thomas V. Riley, Anne Gardner, Katie Page, Christian A. Gericke, Nicolas Graves

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) remain a significant patient safety issue, with point prevalence estimates being ~5% in high-income countries. In 2016–2017, the Researching Effective Approaches to Cleaning in Hospitals (REACH) study implemented an environmental cleaning bundle targeting communication, staff training, improved cleaning technique, product use, and audit of frequent touch-point cleaning. This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of the environmental cleaning bundle for reducing the incidence of HAIs. Methods: A stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial was conducted in 11 hospitals recruited from 6 Australian states and territories. Bundle effectiveness was measured by the numbers of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, Clostridium difficile infection, and vancomycin-resistant …

Aboriginal People With Chronic Hcv: The Role Of Community Health Nurses For Improving Health-Related Quality Of Life, Amineh Rashidi, Peter Higgs, Susan Carruthers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: There is a lack of knowledge about Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) of Aboriginal Australians with self-reported hepatitis C infection in Western Australia. This marginalised group of people is disproportionally affected by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) for which there is no preventative vaccine. This study provides data that help understand the long-term consequences of living with HCV infection within the Aboriginal community. It outlines opportunities for nursing interventions for hepatitis care that focus on supporting mental health and drug and alcohol issues within this population. Methods: We surveyed 123 Aboriginal people living with HCV in a community setting. …

Whole Genome Landscapes Of Uveal Melanoma Show An Ultraviolet Radiation Signature In Iris Tumours, Peter A. Johansson, Kelly Brooks, Felicity Newell, Jane M. Palmer, James S. Wilmott, Antonia L. Pritchard, Natasa Broit, Scott Wood, Matteo S. Carlino, Conrad Leonard, Labros T. Koufariotis, Vaishnavi Nathan, Aaron B. Beasley, Madeleine Howlie, Rebecca Dawson, Helen Rizos, Chris W. Schmidt, Georgina V. Long, Hayley Hamilton, Jens F. Kiilgaard, Timothy Isaacs, Elin S. Gray, Olivia J. Rolfe, John J. Park, Andrew Stark, Graham J. Mann, Richard A. Scolyer, John V. Pearson, Nicolas Van Baren, Nicola Waddell, Karin W. Wadt, Lindsay A. Mcgrath, Sunil K. Warrier, William Glasson, Nicholas K. Hayward

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular tumour in adults and despite surgical or radiation treatment of primary tumours, ~50% of patients progress to metastatic disease. Therapeutic options for metastatic UM are limited, with clinical trials having little impact. Here we perform whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 103 UM from all sites of the uveal tract (choroid, ciliary body, iris). While most UM have low tumour mutation burden (TMB), two subsets with high TMB are seen; one driven by germline MBD4 mutation, and another by ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure, which is restricted to iris UM. All but one tumour have …

Provenance-Aware Knowledge Representation: A Survey Of Data Models And Contextualized Knowledge Graphs, Leslie F. Sikos, Dean Philp

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Expressing machine-interpretable statements in the form of subject-predicate-object triples is a well-established practice for capturing semantics of structured data. However, the standard used for representing these triples, RDF, inherently lacks the mechanism to attach provenance data, which would be crucial to make automatically generated and/or processed data authoritative. This paper is a critical review of data models, annotation frameworks, knowledge organization systems, serialization syntaxes, and algebras that enable provenance-aware RDF statements. The various approaches are assessed in terms of standard compliance, formal semantics, tuple type, vocabulary term usage, blank nodes, provenance granularity, and scalability. This can be used to advance …

Sport Event Sponsorship Management From The Sponsee’S Perspective, Ashlee Morgan, Tracy Taylor, Daryl Adair

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Sponsorship plays a critical role in the delivery of major sport events. To date, the majority of sponsorship research has focused on the sponsors’ perspective or consumer responses. Drawing upon brand alliance literature and relationship marketing theory, this paper discusses learnings from the management of sponsor-sponsee relationships at a major sport event. We provide insights from the sponsee (i.e., the event) perspective: this is intended to further our understanding of relationship management in the context of event sponsorship, as well as providing practical information for both event industry and sport industry practitioners. This case study produced three main findings in …

Pedogenic Processes In A Posidonia Oceanica Mat, Nerea Pineiro-Juncal, Carmen Leiva-Duenas, Oscar Serrano, Miguel Angel Mateo, Antonio Martinez-Cortizas

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Scientists studying seagrasses typically refer to their substratum as sediment, but recently researchers have begun to refer to it as a soil. However, the logistics of sampling underwater substrata and the fragility of these ecosystems challenge their study using pedological methods. Previous studies have reported geochemical processes within the rhizosphere that are compatible with pedogenesis. Seagrass substratum accumulated over the Recent Holocene and can reach several meters in thickness, but studies about deeper layers are scarce. This study is a first attempt to find sound evidence of vertical structuring in Posidonia oceanica deposits to serve as a basis for more …

Factors Influencing Carbon Stocks And Accumulation Rates In Eelgrass Meadows Across New England, Usa, A. B. Novak, M. C. Pelletier, P. Colarusso, J. Simpson, M. N. Gutierrez, A. Arias-Ortiz, M. Charpentier, Pere Masque, P. Vella

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Increasing the protection of coastal vegetated ecosystems has been suggested as one strategy to compensate for increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere as the capacity of these habitats to sequester and store carbon exceeds that of terrestrial habitats. Seagrasses are a group of foundation species that grow in shallow coastal and estuarine systems and have an exceptional ability to sequester and store large quantities of carbon in biomass and, particularly, in sediments. However, carbon stocks (Corg stocks) and carbon accumulation rates (Corg accumulation) in seagrass meadows are highly variable both spatially and temporally, making it difficult to extrapolate this …

Population-Based Case-Control Study Revealed Metabolomic Biomarkers Of Suboptimal Health Status In Chinese Population—Potential Utility For Innovative Approach By Predictive, Preventive, And Personalized Medicine, Hao Wang, Qiuyue Tian, Jie Zhang, Hongqi Liu, Xiaoyu Zhang, Weijie Cao, Jinxia Zhang, Enoch Odame Anto, Xingang Li, Xueqing Wang, Di Liu, Yulu Zheng, Zheng Guo, Lijuan Wu, Manshu Song, Youxin Wang, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Suboptimal health status (SHS) is a subclinical stage of chronic diseases, and the identification of SHS provides an opportunity for the predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM) of chronic diseases. Previous studies have reported the associations between metabolic signatures and early signs of chronic diseases. Methods: This study aimed to detect the metabolic biomarkers for the identification of SHS in a case-control study. SHS questionnaire-25 (SHSQ-25) was used in a population-based health survey to measure the SHS levels of participants. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics analysis was conducted on plasma samples collected from 50 SHS participants and 50 …

Préface (English Translation), Jonathan W. Marshall

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A discussion of the role of pain and suffering in butoh and in the work of renowned butoh photographer and artist Nourit Masson-Sékiné (author of the landmark text Butoh: Shades of Darkness, 1987)

Examining The Relationship Between Sport Spectator Motivation, Involvement, And Loyalty: A Structural Model In The Context Of Australian Rules Football, Sangkyun Kim, Ashlee Morgan, Guy Assaker

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study examines the relationships between sport spectator motivation, involvement, and loyalty. It sought to validate a comprehensive motivation scale and test the interrelationships among these three concepts using a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) analysis. Data were analysed from 585 surveys collected from match day attendees of Australian Rules football in South Australia. The findings suggest that a strong positive relationship was found between sport spectators’ motivation and both socio-psychological involvement and behavioural involvement. Spectators’ motivation displays a mediating (indirect) effect on their loyalty through both involvement constructs. However, non-significant relationships between motivation and loyalty were found. …

"Ode To Confidence": Poetry Groups For Dysarthria In Multiple Sclerosis, Rebecca Balchin, Deborah Hersh, Jamaica Grantis, Maddie Godfrey

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: Approximately 40–50% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have dysarthria impacting confidence in communication. This study explored how people with MS experienced a novel therapeutic approach combining dysarthria therapy with poetry in a group format. Method: Participants were recruited through MSWA (formerly known as the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Western Australia), a leading service provider for people living with all neurological conditions in Western Australia. They attended eight weekly sessions led by a speech pathologist and a professional poet. The study was co-designed and qualitative, using observational field notes recorded during sessions and semi-structured in-depth interviews with participants after …

You Can’T Flight, You Need To Fight – A Qualitative Study Of Mothers’ Experiences Of Feeding Extremely Preterm Infants, Evalotte Morelius, Kajsa Kling, Eva Haraldsson, Siw Alehagen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aim To describe mother's experiences of feeding their extremely preterm infant. Background When an infant is born extremely preterm, there is a long rocky road for the mother if she wants to breastfeed. Some manage to reach their goals, others do not. Studies of feeding extremely preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are scarce. Design A qualitative method with an inductive approach. Methods Nine mothers giving birth to extremely preterm infants were interviewed by telephone after discharge from the NICU. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed with qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist was followed. Results …

The Rise Of Rapid Implementation: A Worked Example Of Solving An Existing Problem With A New Method By Combining Concept Analysis With A Systematic Integrative Review, James Smith, Frances Rapport, Tracey A. O'Brien, Stephanie Smith, Vanessa J. Tyrrell, Emily V.A Mould, Janet C. Long, Hossai Gul, Jeremy Cullis, Jeffrey Braithwaite

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background The concept of rapid implementation has emerged in the literature recently, but without a precise definition. Further exploration is required to distinguish the concept’s unique meanings and significance from the perspective of implementation science. The study clarifies the concept of rapid implementation and identifies its attributes, antecedents, and consequences. We present a theoretical definition of rapid implementation to clarify its unique meaning and characteristics. Methods Rodgers evolutionary concept analysis method, combined with a systematic integrative review, were used to clarify the concept of rapid implementation. A comprehensive search of four databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and WEB OF SCIENCE …

Is Dietary Vitamin A Associated With Myopia From Adolescence To Young Adulthood?, Fletcher J. Ng, David A. Mackey, Therese A. O'Sullivan, Wendy H. Oddy, Seyhan Yazar

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: Potential links may exist between vitamin A intake and myopia via various pathways. In this study, we examined the association between dietary vitamin A intake during adolescence and myopia in early adulthood. Methods: We performed a prospective analysis utilizing data collected from participants of the Raine Study Gen2. Dietary vitamin A intake, determined via food frequency questionnaires completed at ages 14, 17, and 20 years, was compared with ophthalmic measurements collected at year 20. Low vitamin A levels were defined as <600 >µg/day. Regression models were used to adjust for ocular sun exposure level, educational level, and parental myopia as …

Global Database Of Ratios Of Particulate Organic Carbon To Thorium-234 In The Ocean: Improving Estimates Of The Biological Carbon Pump, Viena Puigcorbe, Pere Masque, Frederic A.C. Le Moigne

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The ocean's biological carbon pump (BCP) plays a major role in the global carbon cycle. A fraction of the photosynthetically fixed organic carbon produced in surface waters is exported below the sunlit layer as settling particles (e.g., marine snow). Since the seminal works on the BCP, global estimates of the global strength of the BCP have improved but large uncertainties remain (from 5 to 20 Gt C yr−1 exported below the euphotic zone or mixed-layer depth). The 234Th technique is widely used to measure the downward export of particulate organic carbon (POC). This technique has the advantage of allowing a …

Igg Glycosylation Profile And The Glycan Score Are Associated With Type 2 Diabetes In Independent Chinese Populations: A Case-Control Study, Zhiyuan Wu, Haibin Li, Di Liu, Lixin Tao, Jie Zhang, Baolu Liang, Xiangtong Liu, Xiaonan Wang, Xia Li, Youxin Wang, Wei Wang, Xiuhua Guo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background. The relationship between the IgG glycan panel and type 2 diabetes remains unclear in Chinese population. We aimed to investigate the association of the IgG glycan profile and glycan score with type 2 diabetes. Methods. In the discovery population, 162 individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 162 matched controls from Beijing health management cohort were included. We analyzed the IgG glycan profile and composed a glycan score for type 2 diabetes. Findings were validated in the replication population from Beijing Xuanwu community cohort (280 cases and 508 controls). Area under curve (AUC) using 10-fold and bootstrap validation, net …

Docosahexaenoic Acid-Rich Fish Oil Supplementation Reduces Kinase Associated With Insulin Resistance In Overweight And Obese Midlife Adults, Rohith N. Thota, Jessica I. Rosato, Tracy L. Burrows, Cintia B. Dias, Kylie A. Abbott, Ralph N. Martins, Manohar L. Garg

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Targeting kinases linked to insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation may help in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in its early stages. This study aimed to determine whether DHA-rich fish oil supplementation reduces glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3), which is linked to both IR and AD. Baseline and post-intervention plasma samples from 58 adults with abdominal obesity (Age: 51.7 ± 1.7 years, BMI: 31.9 ± 0.8 kg/m2) were analysed for outcome measures. Participants were allocated to 2 g DHA-rich fish oil capsules (860 mg DHA + 120 mg EPA) (n = 31) or placebo capsules …

Absolute And Relative Strength, Power And Physiological Characteristics Of Indian Junior National-Level Judokas, Dale M. Harris, Kristina Kendall, G. Gregory Haff, Christopher Latella

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The physical qualities that underpin successful junior judokas requires continuing investigation. We investigated the physical and physiological characteristics of junior national level judokas. We tested 25 (15 male, 10 female) Indian judokas for absolute and relative strength (back-squat and bench-press one-repetition maximum (1RM) as well as isometric handgrip), aerobic (RAMP test) and lower-body anaerobic power (Wingate 6-s sprint and countermovement jump), change-of-direction (5-0-5 test) and speed (30 m sprint). Athletes were grouped according to national-level competition placing (gold-medal winners (GM; n = 8), all medal winners (MW; n = 13), non-medallists (NM; n = 12), and NM plus silver and …

Indonesian Migrant Workers In Hong Kong: Smartphone Culture And Activism, Irfan Wahyudi, Panizza Allmark

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article focuses on contemporary smartphone culture and activism performed by female Indonesian migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. There are around 330.000 migrant workers in Hong Kong, and wherein 150.000 originated from Indonesia. Most of the Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong work in the domestic sectors: housemaid, babysitter, and career. They are obliged to live with their employer and start working from five mornings until late at night for six days a week. The smartphone is their primary medium in keeping a connection with friends and families back home and reduces social isolation. Interestingly, Indonesian migrant workers also …

‘Dudes Are Meant To Be Tough As Nails’: The Complex Nexus Between Masculinities, Culture And Health Literacy From The Perspective Of Young Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Males – Implications For Policy And Practice, James A. Smith, Anthonly Merlino, Ben Christie, Mick Adams, Jason Bonson, Richard Osborne, Barry Judd, Murray Drummond, David Aanundsen, Jesse Fleay

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Health literacy is generally conceptualized as skills related to successfully navigating health – ultimately linked to well-being and improved health outcomes. Culture, gender and age are considered to be influential determinants of health literacy. The nexus between these determinants, and their collective relationship with health literacy, remains understudied, especially with respect to Indigenous people globally. This article presents findings from a recent study that examined the intersections between masculinities, culture, age and health literacy among young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males, aged 14–25 years in the Northern Territory, Australia. A mixed-methods approach was utilized to engage young Aboriginal and …

The ‘Obvious’ Stuff: Exploring The Mundane Realities Of Students’ Digital Technology Use In School, Neil Selwyn, Selena Nemorin, Scott Bulfin, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper explores the ways in which students perceive digital technology as being helpful and/or useful to their schooling. Drawing upon survey data from students (n=1174) across three Australian high schools, the paper highlights seventeen distinct digital ‘benefits’ in domains such as information seeking, writing and composition, accessing prescribed work, scheduling and managing study tasks. While these data confirm the centrality of such technologies to students’ experiences of school, they also suggest that digital technology is not substantially changing or ‘transforming’ the nature of schools and schooling per se. Instead, students were most likely to associate digital technologies with managing …

A Measure Of Classroom Management: Validation Of A Pre-Service Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Eileen Slater, Susan Main

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Classroom management skills are essential for effective teaching and consequently form an integral part of undergraduate teaching degrees. Self-efficacy in classroom management influences an individual’s willingness to undertake specific actions and their perseverance in the face of difficulties in executing these actions. In order to track the progress of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management, an easy to administer Classroom Management Self Efficacy Instrument (CMSEI) was developed and piloted with a third year cohort of pre-service teachers. This article reports on the psychometric properties of the CMSEI as determined through a Rasch analysis. The analysis supports the Classroom Management Self …

Informing Retention In Longitudinal Cohort Studies Through A Social Marketing Lens: Raine Study Generation 2 Participants’ Perspectives On Benefits And Barriers To Participation, Leesa Costello, Julie Dare, Manon Dontje, Leon Straker

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Longitudinal cohort studies have made significant contributions to medical discoveries and provide the impetus for health interventions which reduce the risk of disease. Establishing and maintaining these cohorts is challenging and costly. While some attrition is unavoidable, maintaining a sufficient number of participants ensures that results remain representative and free from bias. Numerous studies have investigated ways to reduce attrition but few studies have sought to understand the experience of participants, and none have examined this through a social marketing framework. This first paper in a two part-series describes participants’ experiences according to: benefits, barriers, motivators and influencers. The …

Exploring The Role Of Goal Setting In Weight Loss For Adults Recently Diagnosed With Pre-Diabetes, Lisa Whitehead, Courtney C. Glass, Sally L. Abel, Kiri Sharp, Kirsten Coppell

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

The management of prediabetes in the community setting is a global priority. We evaluated the feasibility of a 6-month multilevel practice nurse-led prediabetes dietary intervention which involved goal setting. The aim of this paper is to explore the weight loss goals and strategies reported by participants to achieve their weight loss goals as recorded by practice nurses, and report on factors that influenced dietary behaviours.

Methods

This study used a convergent mixed-methods design. A six-month pragmatic non-randomised pilot study with a qualitative process evaluation was conducted in two neighbouring provincial cities in New Zealand. A structured dietary intervention delivered …

Tropomyosin Autoantibodies Associated With Checkpoint Inhibitor Myositis, Pauline Zaenker, David Prentice, Melanie Ziman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Treatment plan adherence is recognized as a worldwide health issue, particularly important in the management of cardiovascular patients. Healthcare professionals are the primary sources of information and support for people diagnosed with CVD and those who have experienced a cardiac event, yet we know little about how healthcare professionals contribute to the process of adherence to treatment plans that aim to prevent and/or reduce disease and adverse events. Qualitative evidence that explores factors that influence adherence to treatment plans is limited.

Objective

This systematic review identified and synthesised the best available evidence on factors that influence adherence to treatment …

Leveraging Inter-Industry Spillovers Through Diy Laboratories: Entrepreneurship And Innovation In The Global Bicycle Industry, Peter Galvin, Nicholas Burton, Richard Nyuur

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

DIY laboratories have the potential to advance new technologies, products and services through the leveraging of low-cost facilities by entrepreneurial individuals. We add to this emerging understanding of the DIY phenomenon by investigating the prevalence, operations and contextual factors that impact the use of DIY laboratories in the bicycle industry. We find two contexts in which DIY laboratories are utilised to develop component-level innovations: first, DIY laboratories are utilised as a low-cost way to enter an industry where the entrepreneur lacks the necessary financial resources and rely upon bootstrapping to build their enterprise. Second, and more frequently, DIY laboratories were …

The Relationship Between Lifestyle And Serum Neurofilament Light Protein In Huntington’S Disease, Travis Cruickshank, Danielle Bartlett, Andrew Govus, Anthony Hannan, Wei-Peng Teo, Sarah Mason, Johnny Lo, Mel Ziman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objectives: Serum neurofilament light protein (NfL) is a promising marker of disease onset and progression in Huntington's disease (HD). This study investigated associations between lifestyle factors and NfL levels in HD mutation carriers compared to healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Materials and Methods: Participants included 29 HD mutation carriers and 15 healthy controls. Associations between serum NfL concentrations and lifestyle factors, including cardiorespiratory fitness, social network size and diversity, physical activity, cognitive reserve, smoking status, and alcohol consumption, were examined using a stepwise multivariable linear regression model. Results: Higher NfL levels were associated with lower cognitive reserve, social network size …