Digital Commons Network^™

Sedentary Behaviour, Physical Activity, And Their Associations With Health Outcomes At The Time Of Diagnosis In People With Inoperable Lung Cancer, Shu Ning Ch’Ng, Joanne A. Mcveigh, David Manners, Terry Boyle, Carolyn J. Peddle-Mcintyre, Rajesh Thomas, Jeanie Leong, Samantha Bowyer, Kirsten Mooney, Leon Straker, Daniel A. Galvão, Vinicius Cavalheri

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study aimed to examine sedentary behaviour (SB), physical activity (PA) and their associations with health-related measures at the time of diagnosis in people with inoperable lung cancer. People newly diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer were invited to participate in the study and asked to wear an accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Variables analysed included time spent in SB, light intensity PA (LIPA) and moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA). Daily steps were also recorded. Data on symptoms, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), hand grip force, comorbidities and lung function were collected. Of the 120 patients referred to the study, 89 (74 …

“Machine-Dependent”: The Lived Experiences Of Patients Receiving Hemodialysis In Pakistan, Haseeba Shouket, Eyal Gringart, Dierdre Drake, Ulrich Steinwandel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis in Pakistan. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 24 patients and six healthcare professionals, each participated in a semi-structured interview. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyze interviews’ data. Two superordinate themes, “The experience of hemodialysis” and “The conceptualizations of hemodialysis” as well as six sub-themes were identified. The experience of hemodialysis was related to, the implications of HD procedure on everyday life, social, cognitive, emotional, financial, and occupational influences. While all participants recognized the importance of hemodialysis for their survival, their conceptualizations of the treatment varied. …

Educators’ Perspectives About Teaching And Supporting Students With Learning Difficulties In Reading, Tanya Serry, Pam Snow, Lorraine Hammond, Emina Mclean, Jane Mccormack

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We explored the perspectives of school-based educators located in Victoria, Australia, regarding their support of students who have reading difficulties. An anonymous survey was completed by 523 participants, including educators, educational leaders and Student Support Services staff. Results revealed multiple areas of concern related to their capacity to work on reading intervention with these students. Although participants reported that students with reading difficulties were present in most classes, confidence to work effectively with these students was mixed. They described feeling poorly prepared by preservice programs and indicated that insufficient time and mentorship prevented them from serving these students optimally. As …

Pre-Season Body Composition Has Minimal Influence On In-Season Match Availability, And Match Performance In Female Australian Football League (Aflw) Players, Callum J. Mccaskie, Marc Sim, Robert U. Newton, Jarryd Heasman, Brent Rogalski, Nicolas H. Hart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study examined the relationship between pre-season body composition, in-season match performance, and match availability in female players competing in the Australian Football League Women's (AFLW) competition. With the outlawing of body composition assessments as part of pre-draft player evaluations in the AFLW, this study seeks to examine whether this is justified. Twenty-two (n = 22) players had body composition assessed with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the beginning of the 2021 AFLW pre-season (whole-body and regional fat mass and lean soft-tissue mass [LSTM]). In-season match availability and match performance data (Coaches Score [CS], Champion Data Player Rank, average disposals, disposal …

Stt Kadesi’S Disrupting The Teaching And Learning Process During Covid-19, Muner Daliman, Hana Suparti, Jonathan D. James, Eudia Anggelia Ika Agustin, Hengky Wijaya

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In this paper we report on a pilot study of the teaching and learning at Sekolah Tinggi Teologi KADESI (STTK), a tertiary theological institution in Yogyakarta, during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Our methods for collecting data were to survey the 40 students and conduct one-to-one interviews with the 10 lecturers at STTK. The analysis of data drew on two theoretical constructs: Donald Schön’s reflection-in-action and the notion of empowerment in an educational context. We found challenges and difficulties to do with the logistics of teaching and the barriers to communication between instructors and students. And on the positive side, …

Needs And Views On Healthy Lifestyles For The Prevention Of Dementia And The Potential Role For Mobile Health (Mhealth) Interventions In China: A Qualitative Study, Jinxia Zhang, Esmé Eggink, Xiaoyu Zhang, Xingming Li, Bin Jiang, Hongmei Liu, Siqi Ge, Wei Zhang, Jihui Lyu, Yixuan Niu, Yueyi Yu, Haifeng Hou, Xizhu Xu, Xiaoyan Ye, Wenzhi Wang, Ruben Terlou, Edo Richard, Wei Wang, Youxin Wang, Eric P. Moll Van Charante, Song Manshu, Prodemos Consortium

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives:

Over the coming decades, China is expected to face the largest worldwide increase in dementia incidence. Mobile health (mHealth) may improve the accessibility of dementia prevention strategies, targeting lifestyle-related risk factors. Our aim is to explore the needs and views of Chinese older adults regarding healthy lifestyles to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and dementia through mHealth, supporting the Prevention of Dementia using Mobile Phone Applications (PRODEMOS) study.

Design:

Qualitative semi-structured interview study, using thematic analysis.

Setting:

Primary and secondary care in Beijing and Tai’an, China.

Participants:

Older adults aged 55 and over without dementia with an increased dementia risk, …

Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels Of Fatty Acid–Binding Protein 3 Are Associated With Likelihood Of Amyloidopathy In Cognitively Healthy Individuals, Kunal Dhiman, Victor L. Villemagne, Christopher Fowler, Pierrick Bourgeat, Qiao-Xin Li, Steven Collins, Christopher C. Rowe, Colin L. Masters, David Ames, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Ralph N. Martins, Veer Gupta

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Fatty acid–binding protein 3 (FABP3) is a biomarker of neuronal membrane disruption, associated with lipid dyshomeostasis—a notable Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathophysiological change. We assessed the association of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) FABP3 levels with brain amyloidosis and the likelihood/risk of developing amyloidopathy in cognitively healthy individuals. Methods: FABP3 levels were measured in CSF samples of cognitively healthy participants, > 60 years of age (n = 142), from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers & Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL). Results: FABP3 levels were positively associated with baseline brain amyloid beta (Aβ) load as measured by standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR, standardized β …

Exploring Scientists’ Perceptions Of Citizen Science For Public Engagement With Science, Stephanie A. Collins, Miriam Sullivan, Heather J. Bray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is often assumed that citizen science is inherently participatory in nature. However, citizen science projects exist along a continuum from data contribution to full co-creation. We invited 19 biologists to explore their conceptions of citizen science. Almost all participants defined citizen science as involving non-scientists in data collection. This definition acted as a barrier for scientists who did not see how citizen science could suit their research objectives. While interviewees perceived many societal and experiential benefits of contributory citizen science, deliberate design is needed to realise the full potential of citizen science for public engagement

Gut Microbiota Diversity And Composition In Predicting Immunotherapy Response And Immunotherapy-Related Colitis In Melanoma Patients: A Systematic Review, Oliver Oey, Yu-Yang Liu, Angela F. Sunjaya, Daniel M. Simadibrata, Muhammad A. Khattak, Elin Gray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Gut microbiome (GM) composition and diversity have recently been studied as a biomarker of response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICB) and of ICB-related colitis. Aim: To conduct a systematic review on the role of GM composition and diversity in predicting response and colitis in patients with melanoma treated with ICB. Methods: The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO: CRD42021228018. From a total of 300 studies, nine studies met inclusion criteria. Two studies were phase I clinical trials, while the remainder were prospective observational studies. All but one study has moderate risk of bias. In addition, we conducted a …

Designing And Using Innovative Learning Spaces: What Teachers Have To Say, Julia E. Morris, Wesley Imms

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is no universal definition of what constitutes an innovative learning environment, because each school is unique. Plans to Pedagogy, developed by the University of Melbourne’s Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) team, is exploring issues schools identify as they transition to and use innovative learning environments. Embedded in a range of schools across Australia and New Zealand, each school is assigned an academic who works with them to co-design a project targeting the school’s identified spatial challenge. This paper overviews the eight current Plans to Pedagogy projects to give a sense of the issues faced by teachers in terms …

Validation Of The Multi-Dimensional Student Perceptions Of School Questionnaire (Mspsq): Early Findings And Next Steps, Mary-Anne Macdonald, Eyal Gringart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Research in Indigenous and non-Indigenous education in Australia over the last two decades has begun to turn towards quantitative methods of understanding various factors affecting student outcomes. The current article presents a new measurement instrument, the Multi-Dimensional Student Perceptions of School Questionnaire (MSPSQ), validated with a moderate-sized sample of secondary students in Western Australia (Indigenous: n = 244; non-Indigenous: n = 258; not stated: n = 34). The MSPSQ aimed to measure student perceptions of select experiences within the family, community and school which may factor in school engagement and beliefs regarding normative education behaviour and likely outcomes. Exploratory factor …

Contracts Formed By Software: An Approach From The Law Of Mistake, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

A ‘Contracting Problem’ arises when software is used to autonomously enter into contracts without human input. Questions arise as to how and whether there can be an expression of an objective intention to be legally bound. This article considers three leading solutions to the Contracting Problem. The ‘Mere Tools Theory’, which views software as ‘mere tools’ of communication, is too harsh as it binds users to any software malfunction. The Agency Approach, which treats software as Electronic Agents, capable of contracting on behalf of their users, is untenable as it ascribes unrealistic characteristics to software. The article submits that the …

Shifting Strategies: The Politics Of Radical Change In Provincial Development Policy In China, John A. Donaldson, Xiaotao Yang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Why do provincial governments change policy, even when those policies have proven successful? This paper explores a debate regarding the determinants of provincial policy choice and the degree of discretion provinces are permitted in this area. It does so by scrutinizing the shift in Guizhou's development policy from a poverty reduction orientation to a wholehearted pursuit of economic growth, urbanization and industrialization. In contrast to those who argue that central experience, prospects for promotion or local conditions are key factors explaining policy choice, the paper concludes that Guizhou's shift in policy had more to do with the backgrounds and experiences …

Learning Before Testing: A Selective Nonparametric Test For Conditional Moment Restrictions, Jia Li, Zhipeng Liao, Wenyu Zhou

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper develops a new test for conditional moment restrictions via nonparametric series regression, with approximating series terms selected by Lasso. Machine-learning the main features of the unknown conditional expectation function beforehand enables the test to seek power in a targeted fashion. The data-driven selection, however, also tends to distort the test’s size nontrivially, because it restricts the (growing-dimensional) score vector in the series regression on a random polytope, and hence, effectively alters the score’s asymptotic normality. A novel critical value is proposed to account for this truncation effect. We establish the size and local power properties of the proposed …

Uniform Nonparametric Inference For Spatially Dependent Panel Data: The Xtnpsreg Command, Jia Li, Zhipeng Liao, Wenyu Zhou

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this article, we introduce a command, xtnpsreg, that implements a uniform nonparametric inference procedure for possibly unbalanced panel datasets with general forms of spatio-temporal dependence. We demonstrate how to apply this command in several use cases, including (i) the nonparametric estimation of conditional mean function and its marginal response; (ii) the construction of uniform confidence bands for these nonparametric functional parameters; (iii) specification tests for parametric model restrictions; and (iv) the estimation and uniform inference for functional coefficients in semi-nonparametric models.

Mechanism Design By Observant And Informed Planners, Shurojit Chatterji, Arunava Sen

Research Collection School Of Economics

We study the mechanism design problem where the planner can observe ex-post the first-ranked alternatives or peaks of voter preferences. We contrast this with the design problem where the planner has ex-ante information regarding the peaks of voter preferences.

Forecasting Equity Index Volatility By Measuring The Linkage Among Component Stocks, Yue Qiu, Tian Xie, Jun Yu, Qiankun Zhou

Research Collection School Of Economics

The linkage among the realized volatilities of component stocks is important when modeling and forecasting the relevant index volatility. In this article, the linkage is measured via an extended Common Correlated Effects (CCEs) approach under a panel heterogeneous autoregression model where unobserved common factors in errors are assumed. Consistency of the CCE estimator is obtained. The common factors are extracted using the principal component analysis. Empirical studies show that realized volatility models exploiting the linkage effects lead to significantly better out-of-sample forecast performance, for example, an up to 32% increase in the pseudo R2. We also conduct various forecasting exercises …

When Diaspora Politics Meet Global Ambitions: Diaspora Institutions Amid China's Geopolitical Transformations, Jiaqi M. Liu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Through a case study of China, one of the largest emigration states and a rising global power, this article probes how a homeland state envisions diaspora politics amid geopolitical transformations. Drawing on historical, policy, and interview data, I argue that China's changing positioning toward Chinese emigrants, triggered by the state's geopolitical vicissitudes, has reshaped and repurposed diaspora institutions. I find that since the 2010s, China's diaspora policies have shifted away from soliciting diasporic support for domestic economic growth and national unification and toward liaising externally with migrants to expand Chinese soft power abroad. In consequence, diaspora institutions with more extensive …

Augmented Reality In Retail And Its Impact On Sales, Yong Chin Tan, Sandeep R. Chandukala, Srinivas K. Reddy

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The rise of Augmented Reality (AR) technology presents marketers with promising opportunities to engage customers and transform their brand experience. While firms are keen to invest in AR, research documenting its tangible impact in real-world contexts is sparse. In this article, the authors outline four broad uses of the technology in retail settings. Next, they focus specifically on the use of AR to facilitate product evaluation prior to purchase, and empirically investigate its impact on sales in online retail. Using data obtained from an international cosmetics retailer, they find that AR usage on the retailer’s mobile app is associated with …

What Does Homophily Do? A Review Of The Consequences Of Homophily, Gokhan Ertug, Julia Brennecke, Balaza Kovacs, Tengjian Zou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Understanding the consequences of homophily, which is among the most widely observed social phenomena, is important, with implications for management theory and practice. Therefore, we review management research on the consequences of homophily. As the consequences of homophily have been studied at the individual, dyad, team, organizational, and macro levels, we structure our review accordingly. We highlight findings that are consistent and contradictory, as well as those that point to boundary conditions or moderators. In conducting our review, we also derive implications for management research from insights gained by research in other disciplines on this topic. We raise specific issues …

Charitable Organizations In Singapore: From Clan Based To State Facilitated Endeavors, Hang Wu Tang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore, with a five million population, has a vibrant charitable sector with over 2000 registered charities attracting approximately USD$2.18 billion in annual donations. How did Singapore’s charitable sector achieve its current level when it has been, in the past, segregated along mainly religious, race and clan-based communities? This paper explores this question by piecing together the current ecosystem, regulatory and tax infrastructure which facilitates the charitable sector in Singapore. Central to the development of the charitable sector has been the Singapore government’s role of being a gatekeeper, regulator and enabler of charities. In analysing the government’s role in the charitable …

Jue Insight: Migration, Transportation Infrastructure, And The Spatial Transmission Of Covid-19 In China, Bingjing Li, Lin Ma

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper evaluates the impacts of migration flows and transportation infrastructure on the spatial transmission of COVID-19 in China. Prefectures with larger bilateral migration flows and shorter travel distances with Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, experienced a wider spread of COVID-19. In addition, richer prefectures with higher incomes were better able to contain the virus at the early stages of community transmission. Using a spatial general equilibrium model, we show that around 28% of the infections outside Hubei province can be explained by the rapid development in transportation infrastructure and the liberalization of migration restrictions in the recent decade.

How Policy Innovation Labs Communicate Using Twitter, Kei Schmidt

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This report consists of an analysis of the interactions and information shared between Policy Innovation Labs (PILs) and their stakeholders over the social media platform Twitter during the summer of 2020. The focus is on how the PILs use Twitter as a tool for stakeholder engagement and the information that is being shared in these interactions. To accomplish this, Twitter data for 42 US-based PILs was downloaded using NodeXL and coded using NVivo according to both method of message delivery and message content. The results show that there is two-way communication that occurred during the collection period, though PILs employed …

Development And Utilization Of Geodatabase: Predicting Biodiversity In Equatorial Guinea, Africa, Nicholas Treusch

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

After declaring independence in 1968 and discovering oil reserves in 1995, Equatorial Guinea has arisen as one of the wealthier countries in Africa but unfortunately has become one of the most volatile countries as well, with the numerous military coups and disproportionate distribution of wealth. This nation also houses some of the most diverse wildlife on earth, with several endangered species of mammals, as well as reptilian and bird species that are unique only to Equatorial Guinea. With increased bushmeat demand increasing in the last two decades, illegal hunting activities have increased as well, even in national parks. Because of …

Characterizing Drought Adaptations, Phenotypic Plasticity, And Fixed Gene Expression Patterns Within Quercus, James K. Rauschendorfer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation was written on topics related to the genus Quercus with a primary focus on Quercus ellipsoidalis (northern pin oak) and Quercus rubra (northern red oak). Within this dissertation are chapters related to the setup of experimental common gardens within the Ford and Kellogg experimental forest, a literature review describing drought adaptations of Quercus sect. Lobatae (red oak group), identification of transcription factors within the Q. robur (English oak) and Q. rubra genomes, a study comparing leaf trait phenotypic plasticity of Q. ellipsoidalis and Q. rubra, and an RNA-seq experiment studying ecological speciation between Q. ellipsoidalis and Q. …

Killing The Cat? A Review Of Curiosity At Work, Filip Lievens, Spencer H. Harrison, Patrick Mussel, Jordan A. Litman

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper focuses on the emergent importance of curiosity at work for individuals and organizations by reviewing management research on curiosity at work. We start by leveraging prior reviews on early and contemporary foundations of the curiosity construct in the larger psychological literature, with a focus on definitional clarity, dimensionality, and differences with other constructs in its nomological network. Next, we review different streams of management research on curiosity at work (i.e., broad generative and nongenerative effects, curiosity as a catalyst for personal action, curiosity as a catalyst for interpersonal action, curiosity as a catalyst for leadership, curiosity as an …

Managing Stochastic Bucket Brigades On Discrete Work Stations, Peng Wang, Kai Pan, Zhenzhen Yan, Yun Fong Lim

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Bucket brigades are notably used to coordinate workers in production systems. We study a J-station, I-worker bucket brigade system. The time duration for each worker to serve a job at a station is exponentially distributed with a rate that depends on the station's expected work content and the worker's work speed. Our goal is to maximize the system's productivity or to minimize its inter-completion time variability. We analytically derive the throughput and the coefficient of variation (CV) of the inter-completion time. We study the system under two cases. (i) If the work speeds depend only on the workers, the throughput …

Capacity Management In Agricultural Commodity Processing, Onur Boyabatli, Jason (Quang) Dang Nguyen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This chapter examines the capacity investment decisions of an agricultural processing firm that produces a commodity output and a byproduct using a commodity input. We model the firm’s problem as a finite-horizon stochastic dynamic program where the firm makes one-time input processing capacity and output storage capacity investment decisions—in addition to periodic processing and inventory decisions—when facing uncertainty in both input and output spot prices as well as output yield. We characterize the optimal capacity investment portfolio in closed form. Using a model calibration based on the palm industry, we compare the performance of the optimal investment policy against capacity …

Schedule Reliability In Liner Shipping Timetable Design: A Convex Programming Approach, Abraham Zhang, Zhichao Zheng, Chung-Piaw Teo

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Container liner shipping is the primary mode of moving manufactured products across continents. Partly due to inherent uncertainties at sea and ports, the liner shipping industry has long had a notorious reputation of schedule delays and unreliable on-time performance. This paper formulates a new approach to incorporate schedule reliability targets in liner shipping timetable design, to balance bunker consumption, time taken for the voyage, and schedule delays. We first model a surrogate problem using a copositive program through a moment decomposition approach and solve it as a convex semidefinite programming relaxation. We next incorporate schedule reliability targets implicitly by exploiting …

Conditional Relationship Between Distress Risk And Stock Returns, Su Hee Yun, Jung Min Kim

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: Previous research on the relationship between a firm’s distress risk and future stock returns produces inconsistent results. This study attempts to explain the conflicting results of earlier studies by showing that systematic distress risk leads to positive rewards, while unsystematic distress risk leads to low stock returns. In addition, this study intends to elucidate the factors of systematic distress risk and unsystematic distress risk, respectively. In this way, this study informs the rational investor what kind of distress risk they should take. Design/methodology/approach: This study considers two distress-predictor sets to show a possibility between distress risk and stock returns …