18624 research outputs found
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Nanofluids for enhancing the heat transfer coefficient
No full textNanofluids represent a promising frontier in materials science and engineering, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance heat transfer efficiency, mechanical properties, and biomedical applications. Nanofluids, which are suspensions of nanomaterials in base fluids, have garnered significant interest due to their unique properties and potential applications across various fields. This chapter overview of recent advancements, preparation methods, stability evaluation, stability enhancement and current applications for nanofluids. Continued research and innovation in nanotechnology will play a crucial role in unlocking the full potential of nanofluids across diverse fields, paving the way for more efficient and sustainable technological advancements in the future. © 2025, IGI Global Scientific Publishing. All rights reserved
Crosstalk between genomic variants and DNA methylation in FLT3 mutant acute myeloid leukemia
Full text linkAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of blood cancer with diverse genetic variations and DNA methylation alterations. By studying the interaction of gene mutations, expression, and DNA methylation, we aimed to gain valuable insights into the processes that lead to block differentiation in AML. We analyzed TCGA-LAML data (173 samples) with RNA sequencing and DNA methylation arrays, comparing FLT3 mutant (48) and wild-type (125) cases. We conducted differential gene expression analysis using cBioPortal, identified DNA methylation differences with ChAMP tool, and correlated them with gene expression changes. Gene set enrichment analysis (g:Profiler) revealed significant biological processes and pathways. ShinyGo and GeneCards were used to find potential transcription factors and their binding sites among significant genes. We found significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) negatively correlated with their most significant methylation probes (Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.49, P-value <0.001) between FLT3 mutant and wild-type groups. Moreover, our exploration of 450 k CpG sites uncovered a global hypo-methylated status in 168 DEGs. Notably, these methylation changes were enriched in the promoter regions of Homebox superfamily gene, which are crucial in transcriptional-regulating pathways in blood cancer. Furthermore, in FLT3 mutant AML patient samples, we observed overexpress of WT1, a transcription factor known to bind homeobox gene family. This finding suggests a potential mechanism by which WT1 recruits TET2 to demethylate specific genomic regions. Integrating gene expression and DNA methylation analyses shed light on the impact of FLT3 mutations on cancer cell development and differentiation, supporting a two-hit model in AML. This research advances understanding of AML and fosters targeted therapeutic strategy development. © 2024 The Author(s)
Association of cardiovascular disease risk factors with estimated dietary salt consumption in Bangladeshi adults : a nationally representative cross-sectional study
Full text linkThis population-based, nationally representative cross-sectional study assessed the daily salt consumption status and its associated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors using weighted data from the STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk factor surveillance conducted in 2018 in Bangladesh. It included a non-institutionalized adults’ population of 6189 men and women aged 18–69 years. Their daily salt consumption was estimated using the spot urine sodium concentration following the Tanaka equation and reported according to the standard nomenclature proposed by the World Hypertension League and partner organizations involved in dietary salt reduction. Out of a total of 6189 participants, 2.4% consumed the recommended amount of salt (<5 g/day), 67.8% consumed a high amount of salt
STS cybersecurity and resilience frameworks for crisis management in higher education and research sector
No full textThis thesis examines the cybersecurity challenges and resilience strategies adopted by the Higher Education and Research Sector (HERS) in Australia during the recent major crisis. Specifically, the term “recent major crisis” refers to the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly disrupted higher education institutions and exposed critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Despite numerous studies identifying cybersecurity challenges in times of crisis, empirical investigations into these challenges and the resilience strategies used to mitigate them remain limited, particularly in the Australian context. It has been reported that HERS has worst attacked by these cybersecurity challenges in Australia especially after the recent major crisis. This research addresses this gap using an interpretive qualitative approach, with data collected through semi-structured interviews with cybersecurity experts and senior management from Australian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) active during the crisis. The qualitative data were analysed using the thematic analysis technique with the SQR NVivo software. A Sociotechnical System (STS) theory approach has been applied. To identify and classify emerging cybersecurity challenges, proposing an extended STS cybersecurity framework. This framework comprises five organisational subsystems—social, technical, political, economic, and environmental—each representing key dimensions of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. For instance, the social subsystem highlights issues arising from human errors and structural weaknesses, while the technical subsystem focuses on faults in hardware, software, and work processes. The political subsystem identifies challenges due to policy and regulatory shortcomings; the economic subsystem explores issues stemming from insufficient national and global legal frameworks, and the environmental subsystem addresses challenges linked to internal and external environmental changes. This framework expands on existing literature by incorporating overlooked factors and emphasising the interdependencies between these subsystems. The study also proposes a resilience framework, integrating organisational learning loops, to explore strategies that HERS has adopted to mitigate the identified cybersecurity challenges across three crisis phases: before, during, and after. The Organisational Learning (OL) framework also maps resilience strategies to single-loop, double-loop, and triple-loop learning. In the resilience framework, before-crisis phase, strategies include crisis management planning and fostering a culture of readiness. The during-crisis phase focuses on absorbing disruptions (single-loop learning), adapting to changes (double-loop learning), and transforming to a stable state (triple-loop learning). The after-crisis phase emphasises monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. A few examples of resilience strategies identified include implementing cybersecurity awareness programs, redefining roles, adopting risk management tools, forging partnerships with external security organisations, introducing policies, and adopting and reconfiguring technologies. These strategies aim to strengthen organisational resilience, address cybersecurity challenges amidst the recent major crisis, and prepare for future disruptions. The thesis has both theoretical and practical contributions, that are useful both for theoretical scholars and practitioners in HERS. This study contributes to the literature on IS by addressing critical gaps in understanding cybersecurity challenges and organisational resilience strategies during major crises. Focusing exclusively on HERS in Australia, it provides an empirical investigation into real-world incidents, identifying and classifying cybersecurity challenges using an extended STS cybersecurity model. The model introduces five organisational subsystems highlighting their interdependencies and offering a comprehensive framework for understanding these challenges. Additionally, the study proposes a resilience framework based on three crisis phases and an organisational learning loop framework to illustrate how HERS prepare for, respond to, and recover from crises. By linking resilience strategies to single-, double-, and triple-loop learning, the study offers novel insights into how HERS adapt and transform during crises, advancing both theoretical and practical knowledge in the fields of cybersecurity and resilience. Practically, this research provides actionable insights for HERS and other sectors to effectively address cybersecurity challenges and implement resilience strategies during crises. The classification of cybersecurity challenges and the identification of resilience strategies serve as a guide for key stakeholders, including cybersecurity departments, strategic managers, and consultants. For instance, the study helps organisations classify cybersecurity challenges by organisational subsystems, enabling targeted interventions to address specific vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the resilience framework supports strategic managers in prioritising resources and managerial efforts to effectively mitigate emerging cybersecurity challenges. Cybersecurity consultants benefit from the cybersecurity STS framework as a tool to navigate cybersecurity challenges during organisational changes, while the resilience framework guides the adoption of strategies to manage unforeseen crises. Ultimately, the research enhances organisational preparedness and resilience, equipping stakeholders to tackle cybersecurity issues more efficiently and effectively.Doctor of Philosoph
Effects of mobile electromagnetic exposure on brain oscillations and cortical excitability : scoping review
No full textWith the widespread adoption of smartphones, concerns about increased exposure to non-ionizing radiofrequency have emerged. This scoping review examines the effects of mobile phone exposure on neural oscillations and cortical excitability, focusing on both motor and non-motor regions of the cerebral cortex. A scoping review identified seventy-eight studies that involved healthy individuals and employed electroencephalography and only two studies that investigated transcranial magnetic stimulation as primary technical tools. The findings suggest that mobile phone exposure may affect brain oscillations and cortical excitability. However, inconsistencies in experimental methods across studies make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Additionally, research on fifth-generation technology, particularly mmWave exposure from next-generation mobile networks, remains limited and needs further exploration. These gaps highlight the need for more in-depth studies on how mobile phone exposure impacts brain function. © 2025 by the authors
Effects of burial depth, watering regime and soil amendments on the establishment of four arid zone species
No full textDirect seeding of restorative plants is a difficult task in arid environments due, in part, to the low moisture levels inherent to these areas. This barrier to restoration has stimulated a number of methods to help combat this issue, including the burial of seeds just below the soil surface, the addition of fertiliser and the use of other suitable low-cost soil amendments aimed at improving germination and survival. This study examines the effects of burial depth and application of soil amendments on seedling emergence under different watering regimes on four semi-arid zone species. The soil amendments used were hydrogel (EarthCare Water Crystals), fertiliser (Osmocote), and a commercial soil microbial inoculant (Bactivate5). It was found that, while heavier seeded species were able to emerge from deeper below the soil surface, all seeds in the study preferred to emerge from shallow burial depths of around 6–10 mm. Soil amendments were shown to have minimal effect on emergence rates, regardless of the watering regime, while the watering regime was found to have the largest impact. Seedlings under a low watering regime (30% water holding capacity) were found to have the lowest emergence rate, while a moderate watering regime (55% water holding capacity) produced the highest emergence across most species. Results obtained from this study suggest that shallow burial of seeds 6–10 mm below the soil surface, as opposed to surface placement or deeper burial, may enhance emergence for the species tested. Although the soil amendments did not improve plant species emergence, amendment application may still be beneficial for developing seedlings by enhancing seedling resilience to adverse growing conditions such as moisture stress or extreme temperatures. © 2025 The Author(s). Ecological Management & Restoration published by Ecological Society of Australia and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
Coaches’ attitudes of sport science professions in community-level Australian football
No full textSport science is a popular area for university study and a sought-after field for employment. Employment opportunities in elite sport are few, thus a surplus of sport science university graduates seek employment often in community-level sport exists. Community sports coaches can be a gateway to the employment of sport science professionals, however coaches’ attitudes toward the use and value of sport science, and how this may translate to employment opportunities, is not well understood. This study reports the attitudes of ten community-level Australian football coaches, obtaining an in-depth understanding of their perceptions of a sport scientist's role, their value of the sport science field, current use of sport scientists within their club, sport scientist training and qualifications, and the feasibility of employing a sport scientist. Inductive semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted via an online platform using an open-ended interview schedule developed from a detailed literature review, determining key foci for inclusion. Coaches viewed the role of a sport scientist in community-level football to be broad, acknowledging that sport scientists can perform specialist roles. Coaches highly valued the profession overall and frequently used and endorsed the use of sport scientists in their sport. However, a commonly occurring theme was that sport science was not seen as particularly cost-effective at a community-level. This theme stemmed from the overarching perceived financial barrier coaches reported as limiting their ability to employ or effectively utilise a sport scientist in their club. The findings highlight key limitations to the employment of sport scientists in community-level sports. © The Author(s) 2025
Sport students experiences of their first year at a post-92 english university : an exploration through the U-curve theory of adjustment
No full textExtending the work of Hibbs et al. (2024), this study qualitatively captured the academic and social experiences of 13 first-year undergraduate sports students through the U-Curve Theory of Adjustment (Risquez et al., 2008). There was evidence supporting each phase of the theory but some differences from the original framework also surfaced. Although participants had made new friendships within programme cohorts and wider university populations and built the necessary confidence and independence to engage with the academic demands of their studies, experiences were unique and did not always fit with the proposed timelines. Implications, limitations and future research avenues are discussed. © 202
Exploring the transition : determinants influencing Australian second-level nurses’ progression to Bachelor of Nursing programs
No full textThis study aims to reveal the relevant demographic and educational determinants in predicting a transition from being a second level to a Registered Nurse. The transition from a second to a first-level regulated nurse represents a significant professional and educational milestone in the nursing career pathway. Research on determinants predicting which students will attempt this transition is scant. Retrospective Cohort Study using Secondary Data Analysis A large cohort of 2023 graduates of the Diploma of Nursing contained in the Australian Student Outcome Survey is analysed in this study with respect to their post-study outcomes. Weighted logistic regression is employed to estimate predictive margins for several covariates. Our study reveals several demographic and educational determinants that show substantial association with enrolment in bachelor-level nursing courses. In assessing the significance of predictors for enrollment in higher education, the following factors were identified in descending order of importance: reason for study, student age, institution type where the Diploma qualification was obtained, remoteness of study location, prior experience in the health sector, Indigeneity origin, English language status and gender. The present study demonstrates that the transition from a second level to a first-level regulated nurse is not random and that several factors contribute to this transition. Academics and policymakers may find this information useful when framing policy that has an impact on the nursing workforce. •Second-level nurse grads from dual TAFE/Uni sectors are more likely to enrol in Bachelor of Nursing•Younger second-level nurse grads are more likely to enrol in Bachelor of Nursing•Second-level nurse grads with prior health work experience are less likely to enrol in Bachelor of Nursing program
Large-scale and long-term wildlife research and monitoring using camera traps : a continental synthesis
No full textCamera traps are widely used in wildlife research and monitoring, so it is imperative to understand their strengths, limitations, and potential for increasing impact. We investigated a decade of use of wildlife cameras (2012–2022) with a case study on Australian terrestrial vertebrates using a multifaceted approach. We (i) synthesised information from a literature review; (ii) conducted an online questionnaire of 132 professionals; (iii) hosted an in-person workshop of 28 leading experts representing academia, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and government; and (iv) mapped camera trap usage based on all sources. We predicted that the last decade would have shown: (i) exponentially increasing sampling effort, a continuation of camera usage trends up to 2012; (ii) analytics to have shifted from naive presence/absence and capture rates towards hierarchical modelling that accounts for imperfect detection, thereby improving the quality of outputs and inferences on occupancy, abundance, and density; and (iii) broader research scales in terms of multi-species, multi-site and multi-year studies. However, the results showed that the sampling effort has reached a plateau, with publication rates increasing only modestly. Users reported reaching a saturation point in terms of images that could be processed by humans and time for complex analyses and academic writing. There were strong taxonomic and geographic biases towards medium–large mammals (>500 g) in forests along Australia's southeastern coastlines, reflecting proximity to major cities. Regarding analytical choices, bias-prone indices still accounted for ~50% of outputs and this was consistent across user groups. Multi-species, multi-site and multiple-year studies were rare, largely driven by hesitancy around collaboration and data sharing. There is no widely used repository for wildlife camera images and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is the dominant repository for sharing tabular occurrence records. However, the ALA is presence-only and thus is unsuitable for creating detection histories with absences, inhibiting hierarchical modelling. Workshop discussions identified a pressing need for collaboration to enhance the efficiency, quality and scale of research and management outcomes, leading to the proposal of a Wildlife Observatory of Australia (WildObs). To encourage data standards and sharing, WildObs should (i) promote a metadata collection app; (ii) create a tagged image repository to facilitate artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) computer vision research in this space; (iii) address the image identification bottleneck via the use of AI/ML-powered image-processing platforms; (iv) create data commons for detection histories that are suitable for hierarchical modelling; and (v) provide capacity building and tools for hierarchical modelling. Our review highlights that while Australia's investments in monitoring biodiversity with cameras position it to be a global leader in this context, realising that potential requires a paradigm shift towards best practices for collecting, curating, sharing and analysing ‘Big Data’. Our findings and framework have broad applicability outside Australia to enhance camera usage to meet conservation and management objectives ranging from local to global scales. This review articulates a country/continental observatory approach that is also suitable for international collaborative wildlife research networks. © 2025 The Author(s). Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 30 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Heather Neilly” is provided in this record*