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Exercise and inflammation in female survivors of breast cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis with secondary mediation analysis on body composition
Get PDFPurpose: Inflammation plays a key role in breast cancer recurrence and mortality by promoting tumor progression. Exercise significantly reduces pro-inflammatory markers such as IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP, potentially reducing mortality risk. However, it is yet to be determined whether exercise-induced changes in body composition can modulate inflammatory biomarker responses in the breast cancer setting. Methods: We conducted a secondary mediation analysis based on the findings from our previously published systematic review with meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trials examining the effects of exercise on IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, and CRP and body composition and anthropometry measures such as lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM), body weight and body mass index (BMI) were included. Random-effect meta-regression models were undertaken. Results: Sixteen studies were included in the secondary analysis (n = 752). Increases in LM were significantly associated with reductions in IL-6 (p = 0.03) and there was a trend toward decreases in IL-8 (p = 0.05). In addition, there were non-significant trends suggesting that reductions in FM may be associated with decreases in IL-6 (p = 0.08) and TNF-α (p = 0.06), and that decreases in BMI may be linked to changes in IL-8 (p = 0.06). Conclusions: Changes in body composition following exercise were not consistently associated with inflammatory biomarker responses in breast cancer survivors with only LM significantly associated with IL-6 while a trend in LM and FM existed for some other inflammatory markers. Although these findings do not provide conclusive evidence, they highlight a possible role of exercise-induced body composition changes in mediating inflammation. Further research is needed to clarify whether targeted exercise interventions that improve body composition can contribute to reducing inflammation and, ultimately, impact breast cancer progression, recurrence, and mortality
Improving diet quality of people living with obesity by building effective dietetic service delivery using technology in a primary health care setting: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Get PDFBackground: Almost a third of Australian adults are living with obesity, yet most cannot access medical nutrition therapy from dietitians, that is, the health professionals trained in dietary weight management services. Across the health system, primary care doctors readily identify people who may benefit from weight management services, but there are limited referral options in the community. Dietitians are trained to provide evidence-informed dietary treatment of overweight and obesity but are underutilized and underresourced. The chat2 (Connecting Health and Technology 2) trial will test combining new technologies for dietary assessment with behavior change techniques to improve outcomes for people living with obesity. Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a 1-year digital dietary intervention, with standard care on body weight reduction and improved diet quality, in adults living with obesity delivered by dietitians in a primary care setting. Methods: This randomized controlled trial will compare a 1-year, digitally tailored, feedback dietary intervention with a control group in 430 adults living with obesity (BMI≥30 to ≤45 kg/m2). Participants will be recruited by letters sent to individuals randomly selected from the electoral roll and supplemented by hospital site posters, newsletters, and unaddressed mailbox delivery postcards sent to residential street points. The primary outcome is change in body weight, measured face-to-face at a baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. A 4-day, image-based dietary assessment tool (mobile Food Record) will be used to measure diet quality score. Secondary outcomes include diet quality score; dual-energy absorptiometry body composition; and total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, glycated hemoglobin, and fasting glucose levels. The intervention group will receive 8 video counseling sessions with a trained dietitian delivered over 12 months to support dietary behavior change and relapse prevention. The trial is unblinded. Both groups will receive feedback on their clinical chemistry and dual-energy absorptiometry scans at each time point. Results: Participant recruitment commenced in July 2023 and ended in August 2024. Data analysis will commence in 2025, with the anticipated publication of results in 2026. Conclusions: If found to be effective, the results of this randomized controlled trial will support the delivery of effective, evidence-based weight management advice using new technologies. Improving community access to high-quality dietetic services will ensure more effective use of the dietetic workforce to improve outcomes for people living with obesity
Skilled migrants\u27 experiences of othering, alterity and language policing
Get PDFThe Australian Permanent Migration Program and related settlement services have been critical to Australia\u27s success as a stable, democratic and culturally diverse nation. However, emerging research has revealed that this success may come with a high price for as many as one in four skilled migrants who find themselves employed beneath their level of education, expertise and experience, which we define as underemployment. We designed a study that sought to understand the settlement experiences of 36 Asia-Pacific-skilled migrants working as managers. Incorporating Spivak\u27s concepts of subalternity, othering and alterity as a theoretical framework, our analysis uncovered how migrant identity intersected with the linguistic prejudice and othering that arose in migrants\u27 everyday interactions with coworkers and employers. We found that the skilled migrants experienced linguistic prejudice and discrimination despite their high levels of English language proficiency
Smart and sustainable regeneration of fouled desalination membranes using artificial intelligence
Get PDFDuring the desalination process, scaling, fouling, and degradation are associated issues that lead to a drop in the separation performance of membranes. Membrane regeneration emerges as a critical technology in which upcycling and downcycling can offer a promising avenue for promoting sustainable membrane lifecycle management. Multiple research papers and reviews have critically analyzed the regeneration of membranes, which explains the end-of-cycle assessment and cost analysis of membrane recycling. However, challenges associated with the conventional and innovative regeneration processes are not yet analyzed. The potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on membrane regeneration is not explained in the literature. This review paper aims to explore the synergistic relationship between AI and membrane regeneration, elucidating the principles, challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends in this rapidly evolving field. By examining the role of AI techniques in enhancing the understanding, monitoring, and control of regeneration membrane processes, as well as their applications in optimizing regeneration strategies and addressing end-of-life considerations, this paper seeks to provide insights into the transformative potential of AI in reshaping the landscape of membrane regeneration
Specialisation in the primary education community
Get PDFAustralian students’ results in international assessments have led to considerable attention on teacher quality and, more specifically, on how well pre-service teachers (PSTs) are being prepared to teach. Acting on one of the recommendations in the Action Now, Classroom Ready Teachers Report (TEMAG, 2014), the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership updated Accreditation Standards and Procedures for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs to include primary specialisation into ITE courses (AITSL, 2017). The Australian Government’s Next Steps report (2022) also identified the need to obtain data on the specialisation of ITE graduates to assist with issues of supply and demand. Our study was designed to increase knowledge of primary PSTs’ perceptions of the primary specialisation program and explore reasons informing PSTs’ specialisation choice. Data for this research project were gathered from PSTs undertaking ITE in a primary teaching course at an Australian University. A mixed methods approach, involving a questionnaire and small follow-up research focus group, was undertaken late in 2022. The data identify the perceptions of primary PSTs relating to their specialisation choices and the dominant factors that impact on these choices
The moderating effect of dietary patterns on the association of depression and anxiety with cognitive function
Get PDFBackground and aims: Investigating modifiable risk factors, such as diet, is crucial in understanding their effects on the relationship between Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD)-related cognitive decline and related conditions. This study assesses whether dietary patterns moderate the relationship between symptoms of depression, anxiety, and cognitive function in older adults. Given that biological and psychosocial differences between sexes may influence dietary behaviours, mental health symptoms, and cognitive outcomes, conducting sex-stratified analyses will allow for identification of differential associations. Method: Cross-sectional data from cognitively unimpaired older adults (n = 1174, age ≥60 years) from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study were included. Participants completed the Cancer Council of Victoria food frequency questionnaire, provided depression and anxiety symptom data, and underwent neuropsychological testing. Composite scores for six cognitive domains were generated from individual test scores (episodic recall, recognition, executive function, language, attention processing, and the AIBL Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC)). Dietary pattern scores were calculated for the Mediterranean diet (MeDi), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), and Western diet. Moderation analysis explored interactions between dietary patterns, depression, anxiety, and cognitive performance. Results: The MeDi was found to moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and attention processing in males, where low to moderate MeDi adherence was linked to poorer attention with higher depressive symptoms. The Western diet moderated the relationship between anxiety and the AIBL PACC score in males, with high adherence to the Western diet associated with worse PACC performance in those with greater anxiety. No significant moderating effects were observed in females for the MeDi and Western diet, or in either sex for the DASH diet on the association of depression and anxiety with cognitive function. Conclusion: These findings also emphasise the importance of sex-specific approaches in research on symptoms of depression and anxiety, cognitive health, and diet. Our results highlight the need for further investigation into sex-specific pathways using longitudinal study designs and randomised controlled trials to establish causal relationships
Trust and FinTech: A review and research agenda
Get PDFThe primary objective of this paper is to formulate a detailed research agenda focussed on trust in the context of FinTech. To achieve this objective, conceptualisations of trust and related constructs are reviewed, and a detailed model of trust is developed. The domain of FinTech is then introduced and is taken to include current and emerging innovations in financial services incorporating aspects of big data and AI, as well as open and decentralised finance and crypto assets. Typologies of FinTech services are also explored. Arguments concerning the importance of trust in financial services are then reviewed, along with prior studies of trust in the context of financial services. Nascent research into trust and FinTech is emerging, but many important questions remain, such as (a) to what degree are traditional definitions and conceptualisations of trust germane to aspects of FinTech and what adaptations or additional factors may be beneficial? (b) from both the trustor’s and trustee’s perspective, what are the relevant objects of dependence that form the focus of the trust relationship in the context of FinTech? (c) are views on the importance of trust consistent across elements of the FinTech domain including big data and AI and open, decentralised, and crypto finance? (d) how best to measure and evaluate levels of trust in FinTech? (e) what are the antecedents and consequences of trust in FinTech and other related questions? Thus, a comprehensive and nuanced exposition of trust and its impact in relation to the gamut of activities encompassed under the FinTech moniker would add significantly to collective understanding
The clock is ticking: (Dis)orientations to ageing and end-of-life care in advanced capitalism and care directives
Get PDFThis article engages Italian migrant experiences and enactments of futurity to problematize neoliberal anticipatory approaches to ageing and care. Stepping beyond the focus on atomized and agentic individuals and a singular imagined future defined by notions of advancement and progress, sistemazione (home, future, and security) offers ways of building alternative and relational futures within times and spaces of shared precarity. We draw on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with Italian migrant families living in Adelaide, and a critical analysis of objects as “orienting devices,” to consider how a family heirloom, a 26-face handmade Italian clock made from the physical remnants of World War II, offers new ways of imagining care within spaces of ruin
Investigating potential benefits of aerobic vs resistance exercise in improving mental health symptoms in women living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. A randomised trial
No full textThis study explores the effects of exercise, particularly High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Resistance training, on psychological symptoms among women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The intervention programme included structured exercise sessions three times weekly for eight weeks, with participants performing supervised HIIT and resistance training tailored to individual fitness levels. Results indicate gains in muscle mass, muscle strength and reductions in fat mass for participants in the intervention groups. Additionally, participants shared their experience with increased confidence, shifted goals from weight loss to strength gain, and reported improved mental and physical well-being. The implications of this thesis include the opportunity for increased awareness about PCOS management beyond traditional methods like oral contraceptives. Furthermore, the findings advocate for integrating exercise physiology into care plans for PCOS management
M3T
No full textFor embodied agents, such as robots, tracking objects in their surroundings through visual observation is essential — a task, referred to as Visual Object Tracking (VOT). For instance, during a rearrangement task, a robot may need to track objects, as part of the scene change understanding process, to accurately restore them to their original states. Classic Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) datasets typically focus on tracking moving, single-class object instances in a video from a fixed viewpoint, limiting their applicability to embodied AI tasks. In embodied AI tasks, objects belong to multiple classes, are often static, and are observed from continuously changing viewpoints, as the camera is mounted on a moving robotic agent. This ego-centric perspective in M3T dataset introduces unique challenges, such as frequent attention shifts; large camera motions, causing frequent object disappearances; and object manipulations, leading to occlusions, rapid changes in object scale, pose, or appearance. The proposed M3T dataset is specifically designed for the 2D scene understanding stage of embodied AI tasks. M3T expands the scope of traditional MOT datasets to accommodate the complexities of ego-centric visual exploration and static, multi-class object tracking in dynamic environments