Digital Commons Network^™

The Missing Link Between Medical Science Knowledge And Public Awareness: Implications For Tourism And Hospitality Recovery After Covid-19, Jun Wen, Haifeng Hou, Metin Kozak, Fang Meng, Chung-En Yu, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: As the world grapples with the pervasive effects of the coronavirus pandemic, a notable disconnect has emerged in the public's understanding of scientific and medical research. Particularly, the travel industry has become unquestionably vulnerable amid the COVID-19 outbreak; this pandemic has interrupted the industry's operations with devastating economic consequences. This paper aims to highlight the importance of deconstructing barriers between medical science and public awareness related to COVID-19, taking tourism as a case in point. It also discusses the role of interdisciplinary research in facilitating the tourism and hospitality industry's recovery and alleviating tourists' uncertainties in the wake of …

Problems, Policy And Politics – Perspectives Of Public Health Leaders On Food Insecurity And Human Rights In Australia, Stephanie L. Godrich, Liza Barbour, Rebecca Lindberg

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background:

To achieve zero hunger targets set within the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, high-income countries such as Australia must reconsider current efforts to improve food security. This study aimed to; explore perspectives from public health nutrition experts on the usefulness of drawing on the international human right to food, and associated mechanisms, to address food insecurity; identify potential roles of key stakeholders in Australia to implement a rights-based approach; and examine barriers and enablers to achieving the right to food in Australia.

Methods:

Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants ( > 10 years professional experience). Braun and Clarke’s (2006) …

Design And Perspective Of Amorphous Metal Nanoparticles From Laser Synthesis And Processing, Shun-Xing Liang, Lai-Chang Zhang, Sven Reichenberger, Stephan Barcikowski

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Amorphous metal nanoparticles (A-NPs) have aroused great interest in their structural disordering nature and combined downsizing strategies (e.g. nanoscaling), both of which are beneficial for highly strengthened properties compared to their crystalline counterparts. Conventional synthesis strategies easily induce product contamination and/or size limitations, which largely narrow their applications. In recent years, laser ablation in liquid (LAL) and laser fragmentation in liquid (LFL) as "green"and scalable colloid synthesis methodologies have attracted extensive enthusiasm in the production of ultrapure crystalline NPs, while they also show promising potential for the production of A-NPs. Yet, the amorphization in such methods still lacks sufficient rules …

Prevention Of Dementia Using Mobile Phone Applications (Prodemos): Protocol For An International Randomised Controlled Trial, Esmé Eggink, Melanie Hafdi, Marieke P. Hoevenaar-Blom, Manshu Song, Sandrine Andrieu, Linda E. Barnes, Cindy Birck, Rachael L. Brooks, Nicola Coley, Elizabeth Ford, Jean Georges, Abraham Van Der Groep, Willem A. Van Gool, Ron Handels, Haifeng Hou, Dong Li, Hongmei Liu, Jihui Lyu, Harm Van Marwijk, Mark Van Der Meijden, Yixuan Niu, Shanu Sadhwani, Wenzhi Wang, Youxin Wang, Anders Wimo, Xiaoyan Ye, Yueyi Yu, Qiang Zeng, Wei Wang, Carol Brayne, Eric P. Moll Van Charante, Edo Richard

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction Profiles of high risk for future dementia are well understood and are likely to concern mostly those in low-income and middle-income countries and people at greater disadvantage in high-income countries. Approximately 30%-40% of dementia cases have been estimated to be attributed to modifiable risk factors, including hypertension, smoking and sedentary lifestyle. Tailored interventions targeting these risk factors can potentially prevent or delay the onset of dementia. Mobile health (mHealth) improves accessibility of such prevention strategies in hard-to-reach populations while at the same time tailoring such approaches. In the current study, we will investigate the effectiveness and implementation of a …

Exploring The Relationship Between Microdosing, Personality And Emotional Insight: A Prospective Study, Hannah M. Dressler, Stephen J. Bright, Vince Polito

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Backround and aims: Having entered the recent public and research zeitgeist, microdosing involves consuming sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs, allegedly to enhance performance, creativity, and wellbeing. The results of research to date have been mixed. Whereas most studies have reported positive impacts of microdosing, some microdosers have also reported adverse effects. In addition, research to date has revealed inconsistent patterns of change in personality traits. This prospective study explored the relationship between microdosing, personality change, and emotional awareness. Methods: Measures of personality and alexithymia were collected at two time points. 76 microdosers participated at baseline. Invitations to a follow-up survey …

Fifteen Years Of The Australian Imaging, Biomarkers And Lifestyle (Aibl) Study: Progress And Observations From 2,359 Older Adults Spanning The Spectrum From Cognitive Normality To Alzheimer's Disease, Christopher Fowler, Stephanie R. Rainey-Smith, Sabine Bird, Julia Bomke, Pierrick Bourgeat, Belinda M. Brown, Samantha C. Burnham, Ashley I. Bush, Carolyn Chadunow, Steven Collins, James Doecke, Vincent Doré, Kathryn A. Ellis, Lis Evered, Amir Fazlollahi, Jurgen Fripp, Samantha L. Gardener, Simon Gibson, Robert Grenfell, Elise Harrison, Richard Head, Liang Jin, Adrian Kamer, Fiona Lamb, Nicola T. Lautenschlager, Simon M. Laws, Qiao-Xin Li, Lucy Lim, Yen Ying Lim, Andrea Louey, S. Lance Macaulay, Lucy Mackintosh, Ralph N. Martins, Paul Maruff, Colin L. Masters, Simon Mcbride, Lidija Milicica, Madeline Peretti, Kelly Pertile, Tenielle Porter, Morgan Radler, Alan Rembach, Joanne Robertson, Mark Rodrigues, Christopher C. Rowe, Rebecca Rumble, Olivier Salvado, Greg Savage, Brendan Silbert, Magdalene Soh, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Kevin Taddei, Tania Taddei, Christine Thai, Brett Trounson, Regan Tyrrell, Michael Vacher, Shiji Varghese, Victor L. Villemagne, Michael Weinborn, Michael Woodward, Ying Xia, David Ames, Aibl Investigators

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) Study commenced in 2006 as a prospective study of 1,112 individuals (768 cognitively normal (CN), 133 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 211 with Alzheimer's disease dementia (AD)) as an 'Inception cohort' who underwent detailed ssessments every 18 months. Over the past decade, an additional 1247 subjects have been added as an 'Enrichment cohort' (as of 10 April 2019). Objective: Here we provide an overview of these Inception and Enrichment cohorts of more than 8,500 person-years of investigation. Methods: Participants underwent reassessment every 18 months including comprehensive cognitive testing, neuroimaging (magnetic resonance …

Causal Inference Between Chronic Periodontitis And Chronic Kidney Disease: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Analysis In A European Population, Jie Yang, Tianyi Chen, Yahong Zhu, Mingxia Bai, Xingang Li

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Previous epidemiological studies have shown significant associations between chronic periodontitis (CP) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the causal relationship remains uncertain. Aiming to examine the causal relationship between these two diseases, we conducted a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with multiple MR methods. Methods: For the casual effect of CP on CKD, we selected seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) specific to CP as genetic instrumental variables from the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the GLIDE Consortium. The summary statistics of complementary kidney function measures, i.e., estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), were derived from …

Evolution, Ecology, And Zoonotic Transmission Of Betacoronaviruses: A Review, Herbert F. Jelinek, Mira Mousa, Eman Alefishat, Wael Osman, Ian Spence, Dengpan Bu, Samuel F. Feng, Jason Byrd, Paola A. Magni, Shafi Sahibzada, Guan K. Tay, Habiba S. Alsafar

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Coronavirus infections have been a part of the animal kingdom for millennia. The difference emerging in the twenty-first century is that a greater number of novel coronaviruses are being discovered primarily due to more advanced technology and that a greater number can be transmitted to humans, either directly or via an intermediate host. This has a range of effects from annual infections that are mild to full-blown pandemics. This review compares the zoonotic potential and relationship between MERS, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. The role of bats as possible host species and possible intermediate hosts including pangolins, civets, mink, birds, and other …

Aquatic Ecosystems Of The Anthropocene: Limnology And Microbial Ecology Of Mine Pit Lakes, Melanie L. Blanchette, Mark A. Lund

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Mine pit lakes (‘pit lakes’) are new aquatic ecosystems of the Anthropocene. Potentially hundreds of meters deep, these lakes are prominent in the landscape and in the public consciousness. However, the ecology of pit lakes is underrepresented in the literature. The broad goal of this research was to determine the environmental drivers of pelagic microbe assemblages in Australian coal pit lakes. The overall experimental design was four lakes sampled three times, top and bottom, in 2019. Instrument chains were installed in lakes and measurements of in situ water quality and water samples for metals, metalloids, nutrients and microbe assemblage were …

Rgb-D Data-Based Action Recognition: A Review, Muhammad Bilal Shaikh, Douglas Chai

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Classification of human actions is an ongoing research problem in computer vision. This review is aimed to scope current literature on data fusion and action recognition techniques and to identify gaps and future research direction. Success in producing cost-effective and portable vision-based sensors has dramatically increased the number and size of datasets. The increase in the number of action recognition datasets intersects with advances in deep learning architectures and computational support, both of which offer significant research opportunities. Naturally, each action-data modality—such as RGB, depth, skeleton, and infrared (IR)—has distinct characteristics; therefore, it is important to exploit the value of …

Validity And Test-Retest Reliability Of The Jumpo App For Jump Performance Measurement, Amilton Vieira, Anthony J. Blazevich, Alexandre Souza Da Costa, James J. Tufano, Martim Bottaro

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(7): 677-686, 2021. The vertical jump test is one of the simplest and most prevalent physical tests used in practice and research. This study investigated the validity and reliability of a new mobile application (Jumpo) for measuring jump performance on Android devices. University-aged students (n = 10; 20 ± 3 years; 176 ± 6 cm; 68 ± 9 kg) reported to the laboratory on three occasions (2-7 days apart): to be familiarized with the jump performance measurements and then for test-retest reliability assessments. Participants performed countermovement jumps (CMJ), squat jumps (SJ), and right and left …

Corrosion Behavior And Characteristics Of Passive Films Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Produced Ti-6al-4v In Dynamic Hank’S Solution, Liang-Yu Chen, Hong-Yue Zhang, Chuanbo Zheng, Hong-Yu Yang, Peng Qin, Cuihua Zhao, Sheng Lu, Shun-Xing Liang, Linjiang Chai, Lai-Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The corrosion behavior of laser powder bed fusion produced (L-PBF-produced) titanium alloys involving flowing body fluid is still unclear. Therefore, this work investigates in vitro corrosion behavior and the characteristics of passive films formed on L-PBF-produced Ti–6Al–4V in both static and dynamic Hank’s solutions. Electrochemical measurements, immersion tests, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were conducted. In comparison to the L-PBF-produced Ti–6Al–4V in static Hank’s solution, the samples showed lower charge transfer resistance and higher passivation current density (anodic current density as well) in dynamic Hank’s solution. Meanwhile, a more apparent deposition of apatite and hydroxyapatite is found on …

Glycosylation Of Igg Associates With Hypertension And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Comorbidity In The Chinese Muslim Ethnic Minorities And The Han Chinese, Xiaoni Meng, Manshu Song, Marija Vilaj, Jerko Štambuk, Mamatyusupu Dolikun, Jie Zhang, Di Liu, Hao Wang, Xiaoyu Zhang, Jinxia Zhang, Weijie Cao, Ana Momčilović, Irena Trbojević-Akmačić, Xingang Li, Deqiang Zheng, Lijuan Wu, Xiuhua Guo, Youxin Wang, Gordan Lauc, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objectives: Hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus comorbidity (HDC) is common, which confers a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than the presence of either condition alone. Describing the underlying glycomic changes of immunoglobulin G (IgG) that predispose individuals to HDC may help develop novel protective immune-targeted and anti-inflammatory therapies. Therefore, we investigated glycosylation changes of IgG associated with HDC. Methods: The IgG N-glycan profiles of 883 plasma samples from the three northwestern Chinese Muslim ethnic minorities and the Han Chinese were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography instrument. Results: We found that 12 and six IgG N-glycan traits showed significant associations …

Exploring The Key Challenges Facing Company Secretaries In A Two-Tier Board Context, Stefan Peij, Pieter-Jan Bezemer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: This study aims to examine the core challenges facing company secretaries in a two-tier board context. This study focuses on the key factors contributing to these challenges and how company secretaries can effectively address them.

Design/methodology/approach: An analysis of the narratives provided by 291 Dutch company secretaries in response to a series of open-ended questionnaire questions led to insights into the key challenges company secretaries face in their day-to-day work.

Findings: Company secretaries perceive a myriad of factors contributing to pressures on their time, the need to work for multiple organizational bodies and the processing of information. They believe …

Estimating The Magnitude And Risk Associated With Heat Exposure Among Ghanaian Mining Workers, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Eddie Van Etten, Kwasi Frimpong, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Many occupational settings located outdoors in direct sun, such as open cut mining, pose a health, safety, and productivity risk to workers because of their increased exposure to heat. This issue is exacerbated by climate change effects, the physical nature of the work, the requirement to work extended shifts and the need to wear protective clothing which restricts evaporative cooling. Though Ghana has a rapidly expanding mining sector with a large workforce, there appears to be no study that has assessed the magnitude and risk of heat exposure on mining workers and its potential impact on this workforce. Questionnaires and …

Fire In Semi-Arid Shrublands And Woodlands: Spatial And Temporal Patterns In An Australian Landscape, Eddie Van Etten, Robert A. Davis, Tim S. Doherty

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Semi-arid landscapes are of interest to fire ecologists because they are generally located in the climatic transition zone between arid lands (where fires tend to be rare due to lack of fuel, but are enhanced following large rainfall episodes) and more mesic regions (where fire activity tends to be enhanced following severe rainfall deficits). Here we report on the characteristics of the contemporary fire regimes operating in a semi-arid region of inland south-western Australia with rainfall averaging around 300 mm per annum. To characterize fire regimes, we analyzed a geodatabase of fire scars (1960–2018) to derive fire preferences for each …

Breaking The Silence: Insights Into The Lived Experiences Of Wa Aboriginal/Lgbtiq+ People: Community Summary Report 2021, Braden Hill, Bep Uink, Jenny Dodd, Dameyon Bonson, Anne-Marie Eades, Sian Bennett

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The ‘Breaking the Silence’ research project is one of the first to focus on the unique experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ people living in Western Australia. Research focusing on the intersection of Indigeneity and gender/sexual diversity is severely lacking in Australia. This is the first survey to comprehensively capture the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ Western Australians. Previously, major research pertaining to LGBTIQ+ Australians rarely just focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander same sex attracted or gender variant individuals (Bonson, 2017; Dudgeon, et. al., 2017; Growing Up Queer, 2014; Hill, et. al., 2021; …

Overview Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status, 2020, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status (the Overview) aims to provide a comprehensive outline of the most recent indicators of the health and current health status of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The initial sections of the Overview provide information about the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, social determinants, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and measures of population health status including births, mortality and hospitalisation...

Summary Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status - Selected Topics 2020, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Summary of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status - selected topics 2020 is a useful source of the most recent national information for health workers and those studying in the field. It provides general information regarding the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the following topics:

• social and cultural determinants
• births and deaths
• hospitalisations
• chronic conditions (including CVD, cancer, diabetes and kidney health)
• sexually transmitted infections
• environmental health
• social and emotional wellbeing
• alcohol and other drug use.

The Summary is based on the Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status 2020 and …

Non-Traditional Systemic Risk Contagion Within The Chinese Banking Industry, Tonmoy Choudhury, Simone Scagnelli, Jaime L.P. Yong, Zhaoyong Zhang Prof

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Systemic risk contagion is a key issue in the banking sector in maintaining financial system stability. This study is among the first few to use three different distance-to-risk measures to empirically assess the domestic interbank linkages and systemic contagion risk of the Chinese banking industry, by using bivariate dynamic conditional correlation GARCH model on data collected from eight prominent Chinese banks for the period 2006–2018. The results show a relatively high correlation among almost all the banks, suggesting an interconnectedness among the banks. We found evidence that the banking system is exposed to significant domestic contagion risks arising from systemic …

Change In Mental Health, Physical Health, And Social Relationships During Highly Restrictive Lockdown In The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence From Australia, Shane Rogers, Travis Miles Cruickshank

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

A novel coronavirus first reported in Wuhan City in China in 2019 (COVID-19) developed into a global pandemic throughout 2020. Many countries around the world implemented strict social distancing policies to curb the spread of the virus. In this study we aimed to examine potential change in mental/physical health and social relationships during a highly restrictive COVID-19 lockdown period in Australia during April 2020.

Methods

Our survey (n = 1, 599) included questions about concerns, social behaviour, perceived change in relationship quality, social media use, frequency of exercise, physical health, and mental health during COVID-19 lockdown (April, 2020). …

Class Distribution-Aware Adaptive Margins And Cluster Embedding For Classification Of Fruit And Vegetables At Supermarket Self-Checkouts, Khurram Hameed, Douglas Chai, Alexander Rassau

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The complex task of vision based fruit and vegetables classification at a supermarket self-checkout poses significant challenges. These challenges include the highly variable physical features of fruit and vegetables i.e. colour, texture shape and size which are dependent upon ripeness and storage conditions in a supermarket as well as general product variation. Supermarket environments are also significantly variable with respect to lighting conditions. Attempting to build an exhaustive dataset to capture all these variations, for example a dataset of a fruit consisting of all possible colour variations, is nearly impossible. Moreover, some fruit and vegetable classes have significant similar physical …

Summary Of Sexual Health Links With Chronic Disease In Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Males, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This Summary is based on the Review of sexual health issues linked with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males (the ‘Review’) published by the Australian Indigenous HealthBulletin in 2021. It provides information about the male sexual health conditions of erectile dysfunction (ED) and low testosterone, and their links to chronic disease, specifically cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It outlines:

• the causes and symptoms of ED and low testosterone
• how common ED and low testosterone are among the Australian male population (there are limited data available about Aboriginal and …

Review Of The Analysis Of 234th In Small Volume (2–4 L) Seawater Samples: Improvements And Recommendations, Samantha J. Clevenger, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson, Jessica Drysdale, Steven Pike, Viena Puigcorbé, Ken O. Buesseler

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The short-lived radionuclide 234Th is widely used to study particle scavenging and transport from the upper ocean to deeper waters. This manuscript optimizes, reviews and validates the collection, processing and analyses of total 234Th in seawater and suggests areas of further improvements. The standard 234Th protocol method consists of scavenging 234Th from seawater via a MnO2 precipitate, beta counting, and using chemical recoveries determined by adding 230Th. The revised protocol decreases sample volumes to 2 L, shortens wait times between steps, and simplifies the chemical recovery process, expanding the ability to more rapidly and safely apply the 234Th method.

A Cross Sectional Survey Of International Horse-Racing Authorities On Injury Data Collection And Reporting Practices For Professional Jockeys, Siobhán O'Connor, Peta L. Hitchens, Charlotte Bolwell, Rachel Annan, Adrian Mcgoldrick, Lauren V. Fortington

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Jockey injuries are common in professional horse-racing and can result in life-threatening or career-ending outcomes. Robust injury data are essential to understand the circumstances of injury occurrence and ultimately identify prevention opportunities. This study aimed to identify jockey injury surveillance practices of international horse-racing authorities (HRAs) and the specific data items collected and reported by each HRA. A cross-sectional survey of representatives (e.g. Chief Medical Officer) from international HRAs was conducted. An online and paper questionnaire was designed comprised of 32 questions. Questions considered the barriers and facilitators to data collection within each HRA, and where available, what data were …

Individual-Based Modelling Of Cyanobacteria Blooms: Physical And Physiological Processes, Mohammad H. Ranjbar, David P. Hamilton, Amir Etemad-Shahidi, Fernanda Helfer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Lakes and reservoirs throughout the world are increasingly adversely affected by cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs). The development and spatiotemporal distributions of blooms are governed by complex physical mixing and transport processes that interact with physiological processes affecting the growth and loss of bloom-forming species. Individual-based models (IBMs) can provide a valuable tool for exploring and integrating some of these processes. Here we contend that the advantages of IBMs have not been fully exploited. The main reasons for the lack of progress in mainstreaming IBMs in numerical modelling are their complexity and high computational demand. In this review, we identify …

Utility And Limitations Of Hepascore And Transient Elastography To Detect Advanced Hepatic Fibrosis In Hfe Hemochromatosis, Sim Y. Ong, Tiffany Khoo, Amanda J. Nicoll, Lyle Gurrin, Thomas Worland, Puraskar Pateria, Louise E. Ramm, Adam Testro, Gregory J. Anderson, Richard Skoien, Lawrie W. Powell, Grant A. Ramm, John K. Olynyk, Martin B. Delatycki

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 Index (Fib4) have been validated against liver biopsy for detecting advanced hepatic fibrosis in HFE hemochromatosis. We determined the diagnostic utility for advanced hepatic fibrosis of Hepascore and transient elastography compared with APRI and Fib4 in 134 newly diagnosed HFE hemochromatosis subjects with serum ferritin levels > 300 µg/L using area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) analysis and APRI- ( > 0.44) or Fib4- ( > 1.1) cut-offs for AHF, or a combination of both. Compared with APRI, Hepascore demonstrated an AUROC for advanced fibrosis of 0.69 (95% CI 0.56–0.83; sensitivity = 69%, specificity …

Vaginal Microbial Profiling In A Preterm Birth High-Risk Cohort Using Shallow Shotgun Metagenomics, Alishum Ali, Claus T. Christophersen, Jeffrey A. Keelan

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Preterm birth (PTB) is a significant health problem globally, with an estimate of 15 million cases annually. Approximately 10% of neonates born early will die prematurely, while a subset will develop severe life-long morbidities. Unfortunately, preterm birth's syndromic nature has evaded prevention strategies, and it continues to impose a high burden on healthcare systems and families. The role of vaginal bacteria in triggering biomolecular causes of PTB has been recognised for years. However, translating this knowledge to practical diagnostic and therapeutic strategies has remained elusive. New techniques in high-throughput sequencing have improved our understanding of the nature and role of …

Help-Seeking For Mental Health Problems Among Older Adults With Chronic Disease: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behaviour, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Natalie Strobel, Paul Masterman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: Despite high risk for mental health problems, older adults with chronic diseases underutilise mental health services. This study applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understand mental health help-seeking intentions among this population and identified factors which influence help-seeking intentions.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study with a non-clinical sample of 108 older adults aged 65 years or over, living with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and/or type 2 diabetes. TPB variables (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control), intentions to seek help, and additional factors (past help-seeking behaviour, quality of life, and physical health) were assessed using standardised …

The Prospective Applicability Of The Strengths-Based Approach To Managing And Developing Employees In Small Businesses, Chamila Kumudunee Wijekuruppu, Alan Coetzer, Pattanee Susomrith

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: The strength-based approach is promulgated as a management practice that improves individual productivity and performance. This study's purpose is to explore the prospective applicability of the strengths-based approach to managing and developing employees in small businesses. The study focuses on four domains of practice: selection, training, performance evaluation and task assignment.

Design/methodology/approach: The study employed semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to obtain data. The units of analysis were managers and employees of small businesses. Eleven managers and 19 employees were interviewed. Data analysis involved thematic analysis with the NVivo 12 software program.

Findings: First, the small businesses used a strengths-based approach …