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Investigational drugs for the treatment of dysmenorrhea
No full textIntroduction: Dysmenorrhea is the most common cause of gynecological pain among women that has considerable impact on quality of life and psychosocial wellbeing. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and hormonal therapies are most commonly used to treat dysmenorrhea. However, given these drugs are often associated with bothersome side effects and are less effective when there is an underlying cause contributing to dysmenorrhea (e.g. endometriosis), a patient-centered approach to managing dysmenorrhea is important. Various new drugs are currently being investigated for the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. Areas covered: This review provides an updated overview on new therapeutic targets and investigational drugs for the treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. The authors describe the clinical development and implications of these drugs. Expert opinion: Among the investigative drugs discussed in this review, anti-inflammatories show the most promising results for the treatment of dysmenorrhea. However, given some trials have considerable methodological limitations, many drugs cannot be currently recommended. Research focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in menstruation and its associated symptoms will be important to identify new therapeutic targets for dysmenorrhea. Further robust clinical trials are required to better understand the efficacy and safety of investigational drugs for treating primary and secondary dysmenorrhea
Application of augmented reality for crime scene investigation training and education
No full textThe role of the crime scene investigator is complex, and investigators need to be able to conduct multiple frequently performed tasks. Appropriate training and education are critical to impart the crime scene investigator with the necessary capabilities. For a range of reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for multi-disciplinary capabilities, training and education requirements have evolved in recent times to be more flexible and accessible. The skills of a crime scene investigator can be broadly categorised into two types of fundamental skills: decision-making and psychomotor skills. Both these skills need to be taught and assessed within training and education programs. The most common approach to impart these skills is by incorporating a crime scene simulation facility; however, not everyone has access to these facilities. Furthermore, crime scene staff often undertake refresher courses and are required to complete proficiency assessments. Conducting these activities in a dedicated crime scene simulation facility is time consuming and costly. Virtual tools have been developed in recent years to address this, but these tools only assess decision-making skills and not psychomotor skills. This paper argues that the implementation of augmented reality (AR) technology should be considered in crime scene investigator training and university education, because it can provide significant advantages when paired with conventional methods of training and education. When appropriately managed, AR can provide an avenue of training where both decision-making and psychomotor skills can be addressed simultaneously, while providing a more flexible and accessible approach. The implementation of AR has the potential to significantly improve the standards of teaching, resulting in better equipped crime scene investigators. The paper will explore how AR has the potential to improve accessibility of training, increase safety, enhance the student experience, enhance collaboration and feedback through connectivity and potentially reduce cost. This paper will also provide an insight into what would need to be considered before implementing AR technology into crime scene investigation training and education alongside current approaches. It is argued that the inclusion of AR into the current training and education arsenal provides significant benefits that are worthy of exploration
[In Press] The transmission of Spanish as a heritage language in Australia : a preliminary retrospective overview of individual maintenance factors in adult speakers
No full textAlthough the terms 'heritage speakers' and 'heritage languages' are relatively new, the phenomena themselves date back to the beginning of migration. In many situations heritage languages do not survive these changes, but in others they are maintained successfully. This research explores the individual factors that promote the maintenance of Spanish as a heritage language in Australia. To achieve this, we preselected the most relevant individual factors found in the literature, that were then included in a questionnaire that reflected the research questions of this study and was distributed online. Participants in this study were 27 adult Australian heritage speakers who were either born in Australia or have lived in Australia since childhood. The results suggest / indicate that the preselected individual factors: the feeling of identification with the heritage language, the motivation to speak the heritage language, and the prestige that is given to Spanish by both the parents and the heritage speakers correlate statistically with the maintenance of Spanish as a heritage language
Unraveling the associations between unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and mental health in the general adult Chinese population : a cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: This study examined the cumulative risk of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and the associations between overall lifestyle and common mental disorders (CMDs), insomnia, stress, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and functional impairment. Additionally, the treatment preferences for managing CMDs and insomnia were examined. Methods: A survey was conducted on 1487 Chinese Hong Kong adults, assessing their lifestyle behaviors (i.e., diet and nutrition, substance use, physical activity, stress management, restorative sleep, social support, and environmental exposures), mental health-related outcomes, and treatment preferences via a vignette. Results: The findings revealed significant additive relationships between the number of ‘worse’ lifestyle domains and the risk of all outcomes. A healthier overall lifestyle was significantly associated with reduced risks of all outcomes (AORs = 0.88 to 0.93). Having healthier practices in diet and nutrition, substance use, stress management, restorative sleep, and social support domains were significantly associated with lower risks of all outcomes (AORs = 0.93 to 0.98), except that substance use was not significantly associated with stress. Physical activity was inversely associated with only depressive symptoms (AOR = 0.98), anxiety symptoms (AOR = 0.99), and stress (AOR = 0.99). Environmental exposures were not significantly associated with functional impairment but with all other outcomes (AORs = 0.98 to 0.99). Besides, lifestyle interventions (55 %) were significantly more preferred for managing CMDs and insomnia relative to psychotherapy (35.4 %) and pharmacotherapy (9.6 %). Conclusions: Our findings underscore the importance of considering lifestyle factors when managing CMDs, insomnia, stress, HRQOL, and functional impairment, with a particular emphasis on adopting a multicomponent treatment approach
Pulse jitter and single-pulse variability in millisecond pulsars
No full textUnderstanding the jitter noise resulting from single-pulse phase and shape variations is important for the detection of gravitational waves using pulsar timing arrays. We present measurements of the jitter noise and single-pulse variability of 12 millisecond pulsars that are part of the International Pulsar Timing Array sample using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. We find that the levels of jitter noise can vary dramatically among pulsars. A moderate correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.57 between jitter noise and pulse width is detected. To mitigate jitter noise, we perform matrix template matching using all four Stokes parameters. Our results reveal a reduction in jitter noise ranging from 6.7% to 39.6%. By performing longitude-resolved fluctuation spectrum analysis, we identify periodic intensity modulations in 10 pulsars. In PSR J0030+0451, we detect single pulses with energies more than 10 times the average pulse energy, suggesting the presence of giant pulses. We also observe a periodic mode-changing phenomenon in PSR J0030+0451. We examine the achievable timing precision by selecting a subset of pulses with a specific range of peak intensity, but no significant improvement in timing precision is achievable
[In press] 'Teaching up' at school and home : young people's contemporary gender perspectives
No full textThis paper explores young people’s understandings of gender and investigates their gender-based experiences in high schools in Australia. The discussion is based on qualitative research including focus groups and interviews with 47 recent high school leavers from diverse linguistic, socioeconomic, religious, ethnic, gender and sexuality backgrounds, who attended a broad range of high school types in New South Wales (NSW). We found that young people are critically engaging in gender issues and are often challenging binary gender and associated inequitable practices in schools and beyond. They are taking a leading role in educating adults about gender—that is, they are ‘teaching up’, as young people conceptualised it, to their families and teachers about gender, gender-related issues and doing gender differently in contemporary times. Their views on gender are often in contrast to those institutional views that currently prevail in NSW schools, which often still reflect stereotypes that perpetuate gender inequalities
[In Press] Sense of coherence moderates job demand-resources and impact on burnout among nurses and midwives in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic : a cross-sectional survey
No full textAim: This study aimed to test the propositions using the job demands-resources (JD-R) model for main/moderation/mediation effects of a sense of coherence and practice environment support on mental well-being (anxiety, depression and burnout) outcomes in nurses and midwives in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional quantitative survey. Data Sources: The study was a cross-sectional design using self-report questionnaires reported as per the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Guidelines. Following human research ethics approval (2020.ETH.00121) participants were recruited to take part in an online anonymous survey using self-report instruments to test the JD-R model in Australia. Results: 156 participant nurses and midwives experienced anxiety, depression and emotional burnout during COVID-19. While a considerable proportion of participants indicated high levels of emotional exhaustion, their responses showed low levels of depersonalization (detached response to other people) and high levels of personal accomplishment (high levels of work performance and competence). A sense of coherence was a significant protective factor for mental health well-being for the participants, which is to say, high levels of sense of coherence were predictive of lower levels of anxiety, depression and burnout in this study sample. Conclusion: It is evident that both nursing and midwifery professions require psychosocial support to preserve their health both in the short and long term. Ensuring individualized tailored support will require a layered response within organizations aimed at individual self-care and collegial peer support. Patient or Public Contribution: There was no patient or public contribution in this study, as the focus was on nurses and midwives
Exploring the cognitive processes of both Arabic and English-speaking patients when completing the brief pain inventory : a qualitative study
No full textBackground: Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) is one of the most commonly used self-initiated questionnaire for people with chronic pain. Although the questionnaire has been translated into multiple different languages and tested for its inter-tester reliability, no study has currently explored the differences in interpretation of this questionnaire between non-English speakers as compared to English-speakers. Purpose: Using the Arabic-language group as the comparator, this study explored the interpretation of the English and Arabic language Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) among participants living with chronic neuromusculoskeletal pain from Arabic- and English-speaking backgrounds. Methods: This qualitative study utilises the Think Aloud method to explore the differences in the interpretation of the BPI between two language groups. Consecutive consenting adults attending a tertiary pain clinic for management of a chronic neuromusculoskeletal pain condition and self-identifying with a native English-speaking (n = 15) or Arabic-speaking (n = 15) background were included. Structured interviews using the think-aloud method were conducted, audio-recorded and analysed using coding and thematic analysis. Results: Interpretation errors across three or more questions were recorded for all Arabic-speaking participants and two English-speaking participants. Three themes characterised appraisals of pain and interpretation of the BPI across the two cohorts: 1) pain constancy vs. variability, 2) the ability-disability spectrum and 3) variance in expression of pain. Conclusion: Cross-cultural differences in the appraisal of pain influenced participants' interpretation of the BPI. The cultural influences on conceptualisation of pain need to be considered when using the BPI across different cultures
A Research Agenda for Religious Tourism
No full textIncisive and interdisciplinary, this Research Agenda broaches topics that have been under-researched within religious tourism, including: place attachment and marketing; memory and modification of sacred landscapes for tourism needs; the darker sides of religious tourism; multi-stakeholder governance; mission-trips; and allied forms of tourism
Using biopolymers as anti-washout admixtures under water concreting
No full textIn this study, we investigate the use of natural additives (biopolymers) resistant to scouring. To this end, three natural substances, Kathira, sodium alginate, and guar gum, have been utilized as additives resistant to scouring, and we examine their mechanical performance, resistance to scouring, and the properties of fresh concrete including slump test, setting time, and ultimately shrinkage test. For this purpose, a total of 12 cylindrical specimens with dimensions of 15 by 30 cm were prepared for 28-day compressive strength test, and 12 cylindrical specimens with dimensions of 15 by 30 cm were prepared for 28-day indirect tensile strength test. Additionally, 12 concrete beams with dimensions of 10 by 10 by 35 cm were fabricated for a 28-day flexural strength test. All laboratory specimens were submerged in lime-saturated water for hydration for a period of 28 days for maintenance and preservation. The results indicate that all three biopolymers improve resistance to scouring, and, two substances enhance compressive, tensile, and flexural strength. Furthermore, all of them lead to a reduction in concrete shrinkage