75079 research outputs found
Sort by
"Provided a window on the world and lessened my feeling of isolation" : older adults' perceived COVID-19 impact and technology use in Australia during recurrent lockdowns
No full textBackground: An informed understanding of older adults’ perceptions of the impact (positive or negative) of recurrent COVID-19 long lockdowns is important for the development of targeted interventions and resources for future restrictions. This study aimed to understand self-reported impacts of COVID-19 recurrent restrictions on older adults and how technology has been used to mitigate these. Methods: A cross-sectional national study of 257 community-dwelling older Australians based in Victoria (mean age = 67.6Â years [SD = 7.2]; 20.6% male) completed an online or postal survey as part of a larger study examining the physical and mental health impacts of a second extended COVID-19 lockdown period. This secondary analysis reports on the findings from free-text responses to two open-ended questions included in that survey that asked participants to comment on the greatest impacts of the COVID-19 lockdowns (positive or negative) and the role of technology in supporting their wellbeing during this time. Responses were collected between July and September 2020. Data were analysed using content (COVID-19 impacts) and thematic (role of technology) analysis. Results: Respondents gave more negative responses (75.5%) than mixed (15.2%) and positive responses (6.2%) in reporting on the biggest impact of COVID-19 lockdowns. Inductive content analysis revealed two first-order main categories (Positive impacts and Negative impacts). Axial coding of main categories showed five second-order categories (Environmental, Physical Health, Social, Mental Health, and Personal) for both negative and positive main categories (totalling 10Â second-order categories). Overall, respondents highlighted social loss as the key negative experience (70%), with acute feelings of social isolation contributing to negative impacts on mental wellbeing. The most commonly reported positive impact reported (11%) was having more time for relationships, relaxation, and new hobbies. Technology was primarily used to sustain socialisation and provide access to essential resources, services, and goods, which respondents perceived to contribute to maintaining their wellbeing. Conclusions: Findings suggest a critical need for interventions that address the social loss experienced by older adults during COVID-19 recurrent lockdowns, particularly to alleviate the associated negative impact on mental wellbeing. Recognising the positive aspect of increased time for relationships and leisure activities indicates potential areas for resilience-building strategies. The pivotal role of technology in mitigating adverse effects highlights its significance in building social connections and supporting overall wellbeing during challenging times. These implications can guide future efforts to enhance older adults’ resilience, mental health, and holistic wellbeing in future public health crises
Prospective evaluation of parent and child outcomes following admission to a 'virtual' early parenting residential programme
No full textObjectives Australian early parenting residential services provide interventions for families experiencing complex early parenting issues. Many services have recently shifted to virtual care models but the clinical effectiveness of such programmes is currently unknown. This study sought to test outcomes of a 'virtual' early parenting residential programme and to compare these with those of an in-person programme. Design Prospective cohort study; self-report questionnaires on admission, at discharge and 6-week follow-up. Setting An early parenting residential unit in Sydney, Australia. Participants Consecutive series of parent-child dyads admitted to the unit virtually (n=56) or in person (n=44) between August 2021 and January 2022. Interventions Participants in both groups received a 4-night/5-day intervention programme involving access to 24-hour support from a multidisciplinary team of health professionals. The in-person programme was delivered at a residential unit; the virtual programme involved provision of support via video calls, phone calls, SMS and emails. Primary and secondary outcome measures Infant sleep, parenting self-efficacy (primary outcomes); parenting empathy, emotion, hostility, helplessness, mentalisation and stress (secondary outcomes). Results Parents who received the virtual programme reported improvements from admission to discharge, and from admission to 6-week follow-up, in a range of areas including parenting self-efficacy, empathy, mentalisation, hostility, helplessness, stress and infant sleep resistance (ps<0.05). At 6 weeks, they also reported improvements in emotion and understanding related to their child (p<0.05). In contrast to expectation, outcomes at discharge and 6 weeks were not superior in the in-person group. In fact, at 6 weeks, parents who attended the virtual residential group reported significantly lower levels of parenting hostility and parenting stress, and greater levels of parenting confidence compared with those in the in-person group (ps<0.05). Conclusions Virtual early parenting residential interventions may be effective in bringing positive changes for families, and there is no evidence to suggest that outcomes are inferior to those of in-person programmes
Plant diversity and functional identity drive grassland rhizobacterial community responses after 15 years of CO2 and nitrogen enrichment
No full textImproved understanding of bacterial community responses to multiple environmental filters over long time periods is a fundamental step to develop mechanistic explanations of plant–bacterial interactions as environmental change progresses. This is the first study to examine responses of grassland root-associated bacterial communities to 15 years of experimental manipulations of plant species richness, functional group and factorial enrichment of atmospheric CO2 (eCO2) and soil nitrogen (+N). Across the experiment, plant species richness was the strongest predictor of rhizobacterial community composition, followed by +N, with no observed effect of eCO2. Monocultures of C3 and C4 grasses and legumes all exhibited dissimilar rhizobacterial communities within and among those groups. Functional responses were also dependent on plant functional group, where N2-fixation genes, NO3−-reducing genes and P-solubilizing predicted gene abundances increased under resource-enriched conditions for grasses, but generally declined for legumes. In diverse plots with 16 plant species, the interaction of eCO2+N altered rhizobacterial composition, while +N increased the predicted abundance of nitrogenase-encoding genes, and eCO2+N increased the predicted abundance of bacterial P-solubilizing genes. Synthesis: Our findings suggest that rhizobacterial community structure and function will be affected by important global environmental change factors such as eCO2, but these responses are primarily contingent on plant species richness and the selective influence of different plant functional groups
Interparticle forces and their effects in particulate systems
No full textParticulate materials exhibit rich dynamic behaviour and have been studied extensively in the recent decades. Underpinning this behaviour are the interactions between particles, such as the contact forces and the long-range non-contact forces (e.g., van der Waals force, capillary force and electrostatic force). Understanding these interactions is the key to elucidating the particulate systems as well as designing and controlling the relevant processes. In this paper, we firstly review the recent advances in the basic interaction laws between particles obtained using numerical methods ranging from atomic to continuum scales. Then the effects of the friction and adhesion on particle packing, particle flow, mixing, fracture, and particle reinforcement in composites are discussed. Finally, we discuss the multidisciplinary work to be done in future
Management of polycystic ovary syndrome : the role of primary care
No full textThe 2023 international guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome introduces several key changes. The updated guideline emphasises holistic patient care that addresses the associated cardiometabolic risks and complications and psychosocial challenges
Prolonged drought moderates flood effects on soil nutrient pools across a rainfall gradient
No full textClimate change is manifesting through increased intensity and frequency of extreme events such as droughts and floods. Drought causes significant stress by limiting water availability, resulting in reduced plant growth and belowground carbon (C) inputs as well as plant nutrient uptake and microbial activity, thus impacting C and nutrient cycling. Severe floods can increase leaching of nutrients, which affect nutrient availability for plants and microorganisms potentially compounding drought-induced effects on C and nutrient cycles. However, few studies have assessed the interactions between drought and floods, constraining our ability to predict ecosystem-level effects of projected climate shifts toward fewer but larger rainfall events with longer dry spells between events. We conducted a study to assess how long-term drought moderates the effect of flooding on soil C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pools across a rainfall gradient in south-eastern Australia. We collected soil monoliths from field rainfall manipulation facilities with a 5–7 years history of simulated reduced rainfall at three sites representing a rainfall gradient (∼200–800 mm) and exposed them to a 1-in-100-year flood event under laboratory conditions. We assessed nutrients and C in soil and microbial pools before and after the flood and in flood-induced leachates. The results showed that flooding caused significantly greater losses of N in leachates, with greater effect sizes in the drought treatments compared to ambient rainfall. This response was particularly pronounced for nitrate (152 % increase on average), especially at the site with the highest mean annual precipitation (>25-fold increase). This suggest that drought may significantly reduce the capacity of ecosystems to retain N following flood events, particularly in mesic ecosystems where C and nutrient pools are greater
[In Press] Australian students', educators', and practitioners' experiences of modified field education standards during the covid-19 pandemic
No full textLong-standing concerns about the sustainability of social work field education requirements were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) implemented revised Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) during the pandemic as existing standards had become unworkable. The revised ASWEAS (during 2020 and 2021) allowed greater flexibility regarding how placements could be delivered, enabling students, educators, and practitioners to trial modified placements normally considered non-compliant. This article reports the findings of a national qualitative and quantitative survey that used Appreciative Inquiry to examine key stakeholders’ experiences of the modified field placements. The findings demonstrated strong support for the modifications. The findings are discussed in the context of international standards and hold implications for the future development of ASWEAS. IMPLICATIONS A trial of modified field placements under revised ASWEAS due to the COVID-19 pandemic represented a timely opportunity to conduct a nation-wide, empirical study to explore experiences of different field placement models. Emerging empirical evidence confirmed enduring field education problems, and highlighted experiences that could inform more flexible, sustainable field placements
[In Press] How carbon trading contributes to reduction in emission of greenhouse gases : a narrative literature review
No full textPurpose – This study aims to undertake a review of how carbon trading contributes to a reduction in emission of greenhouse gases (CHGs). Design/methodology/approach – A narrative literature review approach was adopted to identify and synthesise existing literature using the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Articles were limited to the past 10 years to obtain the most current literature. The various ways in which carbon trading leads to reductions in emissions were identified and discussed. Findings – The results showed that the main ways in which carbon trading contributes to reductions in emissions are through innovation in low-carbon technologies, restoration of ecosystems through offset money, development of renewable and clean energy and providing information on investment related to emissions. Practical implications – The value of this study is to contribute to the built environment’s climate change mitigation agenda by identifying the role of carbon trading. Originality/value – The output of this research identifies and contextualises the role carbon trading plays in the reduction of CHG emissions
Loop restricted existential rules and first-order rewritability for query answering
No full textIn ontology-based data access (OBDA), the classical database is enhanced with an ontology in the form of logical assertions generating new intensional knowledge. A powerful form of such logical assertions is the tuple-generating dependencies (TGDs), also called existential rules, where Horn rules are extended by allowing existential quantifiers to appear in the rule heads. In this paper, we introduce a new language called loop restricted (LR) TGDs (existential rules), which are TGDs with certain restrictions on the loops embedded in the underlying rule set. We study the complexity of this new language. We show that the conjunctive query answering (CQA) under the LR TGDs is decidable. In particular, we prove that this language satisfies the so-called bounded derivation-depth property (BDDP), which implies that the CQA is first-order rewritable, and its data complexity is in AC0. We also prove that the combined complexity of the CQA is 2-EXPTIME complete, while the language membership is PSPACE complete. Then we extend the LR TGDs language to the generalized loop restricted (GLR) TGDs language and prove that this class of TGDs still remains to be first-order rewritable and properly contains most of other first-order rewritable TGDs classes discovered in the literature so far
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in Australia : a retrospective real world cohort study
No full textObjectives: To review the outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) outside clinical trials. Study design: Retrospective observational study; review of patient records in fifteen Australian institutions. Setting, participants: All Australian adults with locally advanced or metastatic CSCC not amenable to curative surgery or radiotherapy treated with ICIs, 5 May 2017 – 23 May 2022, through a cemiplimab compassionate access scheme (Therapeutic Goods Administration Special Access Scheme) or who personally covered the cost of pembrolizumab prior to the start of the access scheme. Main outcome measures: Best overall response rate (ORR) according to standardised assessment criteria using the hierarchy: Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1), the modified World Health Organization clinical response criteria, and the Positron Emission Tomography Response Criteria (PERCIST 1.0); overall and progression-free survival. Results: A total of 286 people with advanced CSCC received ICI therapy during May 2017 – May 2022 (cemiplimab, 270; pembrolizumab, 16). Their median age was 75.2 years (range, 39.3–97.5 years) and 232 were men (81%); median follow-up time was 12.2 months (interquartile range, 5.5–20.5 months). Eighty-eight people (31%) were immunocompromised, 27 had autoimmune disease, and 59 of 277 (21%) had ECOG performance scores of 2 or 3. The ORR was 60% (166 of 278 evaluable patients): complete responses were recorded for 74 (27%) and partial responses for 92 patients (33%). Twelve-month overall survival was 78% (95% confidence interval [CI], 72–83%); progression-free survival was 65% (95% CI, 58–70%). Poorer ECOG performance status was associated with poorer overall survival (per unit: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 3.0; 95% CI, 2.0–4.3) and progression-free survival (aHR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.8–3.3), as was being immunocompromised (overall: aHR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1–3.0; progression-free: aHR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2–2.7). Fifty-five people (19%) reported immune-related adverse events of grade 2 or higher; there were no treatment-related deaths. Conclusion: In our retrospective study, the effectiveness and toxicity of ICI therapy were similar to those determined in clinical trials. Our findings suggest that ICIs could be effective and well tolerated by people with advanced CSCC who are ineligible for clinical trials