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Genital herpes is on the rise. Here’s what to know about this common infection
No full textThe World Health Organization (WHO) recently released new estimates suggesting around 846 million people aged between 15 and 49 live with a genital herpes infection. That’s equivalent to one in every five people from that age group. At least one person each second (42 million people annually) contracts a new genital herpes infection. So what is genital herpes, and are cases on the rise? Here’s what to know about this common infection
Whistleblowing in family firms: power and justice dynamics
Get PDFWe explore how power and justice dynamics influence whistleblowing behaviour in family firms, focusing on the under-explored construct of connection power. Power and justice are two important, interrelated forces strongly affecting moral behaviour. We hypothesise a moderated moderation model and use a 2 × 2x2 between-subject experiment with 331 participants to test our conceptual model. We find that the family relation (i.e., connection power) of the wrongdoer changes what we know about the relationship between the legitimate power of the observer and whistleblowing likelihood, and that, in some instances, observers with high legitimate power are even less likely to blow the whistle than those with low legitimate power. Our exploration further reveals that, although the family relation of the wrongdoer discourages would-be whistleblowers, even those with legitimate power, organisational justice consistently increases the likelihood of whistleblowing in every case
Modelling Time-Varying Volatility Spillovers Across Crises: Evidence from Major Commodity Futures and the Us Stock Market
Get PDFWe model time-varying volatility spillovers amongst nine major commodity futures and the US S&P 500 index from 1990 to 2022. Spillover indices are constructed by combining the TVP-VAR-SV[1] model with the DY-spillover index. We analyze the fluctuating dynamics of the extent and directionality of the volatility transmissions across various crises ranging from the Asian Financial crisis, the Global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic-induced crisis. Our findings show that SPX is the largest net transmitter of volatility information, transmitting predominantly to crude oil, heating oil and gold futures, with spillovers exacerbating during crises. Gold futures receive heightened volatility transmissions during crises, alluding to the 'flight to quality' characteristic displayed by investors. Unlike other energy futures, natural gas futures do not interact significantly with SPX. They also do not have any significant within-sector transmissions with crude and heating oil futures. We posit that natural gas futures could be a viable asset for risk diversification. The pandemic-induced crisis and the consequent supply chain disruptions uniquely heightened volatility transmissions from lumber to natural gas futures, unseen in previous crises. Our findings are essential for discerning levels of interconnectedness, which is crucial for effective risk diversification strategies. [1] Time-Varying Parameter- Vector Auto regression model with Stochastic Volatilit
The role of lower limb exoskeletons in rehabilitation: a scoping review: a scoping review
Get PDFObjectivesThis review provides an overview of exoskeleton use in rehabilitation. The review maps the health conditions, exoskeleton design, activities, and outcome measures used.MethodsA search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus databases was completed on 12th September 2024. Data items charted from studies included health conditions, exoskeleton characteristics, activities completed with the exoskeletons and outcome measures.ResultsA total of 7028 records were identified, with 139 studies included. The predominant health conditions using exoskeletons in rehabilitation were stroke and spinal cord injury. The most common activities undertaken were indoor overground walking, balance, and transfers. However, only 4% of studies utilised exoskeletons at home or in community settings. A range of outcome measures were used, with the 10-metre walk test being the most commonly used for the assessment of walking velocity, the 6-minute walk test for walking distance or capacity and the Berg balance scale for balance.ConclusionsExoskeletons were used for rehabilitation across various conditions, notably neurological and, less extensively, musculoskeletal conditions. Functional activities such as walking were most common, with most studies assessing on indoor walking. Exoskeletons still need to show their ability to assist individuals walking at home and/or in community environments and handling complex walking tasks. Therefore, it is important that future research focuses on complex walking tasks within the home and community environments, which will inform future exoskeleton utilisation, design and development
It's time to review surrogacy laws
No full textParents unable to have children naturally or via fertility programs could be the big winners of a high-level, legal review of Australia’s surrogacy law
Psychosocial Well-Being and Healthy Eating in Cardiac Rehabilitation: A National Survey of Cardiac Rehabilitation Practitioners Self-Reported Practices
No full textBackground:Psychosocial well-being and nutritional counselling are important components of cardiac rehabilitation endorsed by national and international guidelines. However, both areas can be complex for cardiac rehabilitation practitioners to navigate. This study aimed to examine whether practitioners have implemented standardised program content for psychosocial well-being and healthy eating and explore attitudes to these components.Method:Cardiac rehabilitation practitioners were recruited to complete a 32-item cross-sectional survey via convenience sampling. The survey was developed by a team of researchers and practitioners to assess practices, practitioner approaches, and any barriers to implementation. Quantitative results were explored using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were coded and classified.Results:Participants (n=98) represented approximately 89 (22%) cardiac rehabilitation services across Australia. Results suggested that most participants were familiar with standardised program content (92.3%). However, there were inconsistencies about the implementation. For example, although 93.9% of practitioners stated that their programs routinely screen for psychosocial well-being, only 47.2% repeat screening at program completion. On healthy eating, 99% of practitioners report providing healthy dietary advice—however, just over half offered individualised consultations with an expert professional such as an Accredited Practising Dietitian. Practitioners considered psychosocial well-being and healthy eating important components of the program.Conclusions:Practitioners reaffirm the importance of psychosocial well-being and nutritional counselling in cardiac rehabilitation programs. However, practitioners inconsistently assess psychosocial well-being at cardiac rehabilitation completion, and individualised dietary counselling by experts is uncommon
Exploring retinal biomarkers in a laser-induced model of choroidal neovascularization: implications for age-related macular degeneration
No full textAdult cyber abuse: Two intersecting studies examining intrapersonal characteristics and prediction of victimisation and perpetration
Get PDFResearch on cyberbullying has predominantly concentrated on youthful populations, with scant attention to online abuse of adults. This paper reports two allied studies comprising a systematic review of recent aggregated research to derive 13 primary predictors of cyberabuse that inform an online survey of self-identified adult victims and perpetrators (n = 264). Cyberabuse victimisation is associated with potential for depression and self-harm behaviours, while perpetration appears associated with lower empathy and self-control, and narcissistic traits. The overlap of victimisation and perpetration is linked to anger and greater engagement in risky online and antisocial behaviours. Importantly, cyberbullying perpetration is the strongest predictor of victimisation and vice versa, suggesting a complex bidirectional relationship. Investigating intra-individual predictors and the overlap of victimisation and perpetration in the online space renders guidance for regulatory interventions governing digital platforms and risk reduction programmes
Taking A Rights-Based Approach to Meat Subsidies to Address the Dual Challenges of Food Insecurity and Climate Change: A Comparative Analysis of the US, EU, and UK Agri-food Policies
No full textMeat production has devastating environmental impacts. It contributes to not only greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, but also natural resources depletion, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and other environmental problems, which together pose a serious threat to agricultural sustainability and food security. Despite these negative impacts, global meat consumption is on the rise, with many governments having implemented meat subsidies and thereby facilitating this trend. For example, the United States (US) channels a staggering 50.5 billion) annually to the livestock sector, whilst the United Kingdom (UK) dedicates around £1.5 billion ($2 billion)—about half of its agricultural subsidies—to the same sector. This Article examines meat subsidies from a human rights perspective. It argues that meat subsidies are unsustainable for the planet and human well-being and, therefore, require structural reform. However, the Article does not call for a vegan future, as all individuals have the right to choose their dietary preferences. Instead, it proposes a rights-based approach to subsidies to address the dual challenges of food insecurity and climate change. This Article is divided into five parts. The introduction describes the complex interplay between meat subsidies, climate and environmental impacts of meat production, and food insecurity. Part I examines state obligations to uphold the right to food under international and national laws. It also discusses the four key elements of this right, specifically availability, accessibility, adequacy, and sustainability. Parts II and III review subsidy schemes in the US, EU, and UK that directly and indirectly support meat production and argue that while these subsidies have addressed some concerns associated with the first three key elements of the right to food, they have also introduced more serious problems within these elements. The greatest concern, however, is that meat subsidies perpetuate unsustainable agricultural practices and consumption patterns that severely undermine the fourth key element of the right to food: sustainability. Parts IV and V investigate a rights-based approach to subsidies and conclude that governments should consider adopting this approach to improve sustainability for both the planet and human well-being.<br/
