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CEREI : an open-source tool for cost-effective renewable energy investments
No full textThis paper presents the development of a tool that aims to help stakeholders make informed decisions to invest in renewable energy and understand the impact of different tariffs on the economic viability of renewable energy investments. This includes evaluating the costs and benefits, and assessing the impacts of different tariff structures on the economic feasibility of those options. Furthermore, the tool can help in identifying the potential risks and challenges associated with renewable energy integration projects, such as market and network charges fluctuations. Therefore, this tool provides various evaluations to inform users about their energy consumption in relation to sport market energy prices, network tariffs, and retailer charges. It enables the assessment of a site's economic operation over specific timeframes, calculates potential energy savings from on-site renewable sources, and determines economic indicators based on life-cycle cost analysis. The tool has been designed and validated with data from the Australian energy market, focusing on investment decisions for renewable energy projects in Victoria state. It adheres to the Australian Energy Market Regulations and incorporates feed-in tariff rates particular to the Victorian energy market and its regulatory framework. © 2024 The Author(s
A systematic review of effective interventions and strategies to support the transition of older adults from driving to driving retirement/cessation
Get PDFBackground and Objectives: In most western countries, older adults depend on private cars for transportation and do not proactively plan for driving cessation. The objective of this review was to examine current research studies outlining effective interventions and strategies to assist older adults during their transition from driver to driving retirement or cessation. Research Design and Methods: A search was completed across 9 databases using key words and MeSH terms for drivers, cessation of driving, and older adult drivers. Eligibility screening of 9,807 titles and abstracts, followed by a detailed screening of 206 papers, was completed using the Covidence platform. Twelve papers were selected for full-text screen and data extraction, comprising 3 papers with evidence-based intervention programs and 9 papers with evidence-informed strategies. Results: Three papers met the research criteria of a controlled study for programs that support and facilitate driving cessation for older adults. Nine additional studies were exploratory or descriptive, which outlined strategies that could support older drivers, their families, and/or healthcare professionals during this transition. Driving retirement programs/toolkits are also presented. Discussion and Implications: The driver retirement programs had promising results, but there were methodological weaknesses within the studies. Strategies extracted contributed to 6 themes: Reluctance and avoidance of the topic, multiple stakeholder involvement is important, taking proactive approach is critical, refocus the process away from assessment to proactive planning, collaborative approach to enable “ownership” of the decision is needed, and engage in planning alternative transportation should be the end result. Meeting the transportation needs of older adults will be essential to support aging in place, out-of-home mobility, and participation, particularly in developed countries where there is such a high dependency on private motor vehicles. © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America
Prevalence and factors influencing post-operative complications following tooth extraction : a narrative review
Get PDFBackground. Complications from dental extractions may result in multiple post-operative visits and adversely affect the patient's life. Preventing complications may decrease post-operative morbidity for the individual as well as lower societal costs, such as lost time from work and healthcare costs. Objectives. This narrative review aims to assess the prevalence and factors influencing post-operative complications following tooth extraction, helping clinicians minimise the risk. Data Sources. Cross-sectional studies. Study Eligibility and Participants. Patients undergoing dental extractions. Our exclusion criteria included in vitro studies, animal studies, terminally ill patients, and tooth loss not due to dental extraction. Literature was collected from "PubMed"and "Web of Science"through search criteria based on the "PICO"framework. Twenty articles were used to formulate a prevalence table, and 156 articles were included for the factors influencing complications. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods. This narrative review was reported using the SANRA (a scale for the quality assessment of narrative review articles) checklist. Due to the scope of our narrative review and its associated objectives, the quality of cross-sectional studies (AXIS) will be conducted from the studies outlining the prevalence. Results. Alveolar osteitis appears to be the most prevalent post-operative complication following tooth extraction. Predisposing factors can be significant in their ability to alter the risk of postoperative complications, and clinicians should provide patient-centred care to mitigate this risk. Limitations. Due to the breadth of context, a systematic review was not feasible, as it may have introduced heterogeneity. Conclusion. This narrative review has highlighted an array of factors which can influence the prevalence of post-operative complications. Future research would benefit from individually reporting post-operative complications, reducing the heterogeneity in definitions of the complications, and including greater detail on the predisposing factors studied. © 2024 Peter Dignam et al
Four-week inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system in spontaneously hypertensive rats results in persistently lower blood pressure with reduced kidney renin and changes in expression of relevant gene networks
No full textAims: Prevention of human hypertension is an important challenge and has been achieved in experimental models. Brief treatment with renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors permanently reduces the genetic hypertension of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). The kidney is involved in this fascinating phenomenon, but relevant changes in gene expression are unknown. Methods and results: In SHR, we studied the effect of treatment between 10 and 14 weeks of age with the angiotensin receptor blocker, losartan, or the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, perindopril [with controls for non-specific effects of lowering blood pressure (BP)], on differential RNA expression, DNA methylation, and renin immunolabelling in the kidney at 20 weeks of age. RNA sequencing revealed a six-fold increase in renin gene (Ren) expression during losartan treatment (P < 0.0001). Six weeks after losartan, arterial pressure remained lower (P = 0.006), yet kidney Ren showed reduced expression by 23% after losartan (P = 0.03) and by 43% after perindopril (P = 1.4 × 10-6) associated with increased DNA methylation (P = 0.04). Immunolabelling confirmed reduced cortical renin after earlier RAS blockade (P = 0.002). RNA sequencing identified differential expression of mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs with evidence of networking and co-regulation. These included 13 candidate genes (Grhl1, Ammecr1l, Hs6st1, Nfil3, Fam221a, Lmo4, Adamts1, Cish, Hif3a, Bcl6, Rad54l2, Adap1, Dok4), the miRNA miR-145-3p, and the lncRNA AC115371. Gene ontogeny analyses revealed that these networks were enriched with genes relevant to BP, RAS, and the kidneys. Conclusion: Early RAS inhibition in SHR resets genetic pathways and networks resulting in a legacy of reduced Ren expression and BP persisting for a minimum of 6 weeks. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology
“Do our diversities count?” Collaborative reflections on dwelling in academe’s intersectional shadowlands
No full textThe promotion of equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives has become routine within Anglophone universities in the Global North. However, critical race scholars have demonstrated that these well-intentioned policies are often formulated in ways that transact empty performatives, where discussions of racism are deemed too challenging. Moreover, the dynamics of social class are often missing from university diversity regimes. Using autoethnography as methodology, we suggest that the practices of “border crossings” of intersectional academics can help track the multidirectional impacts of institutional diversity and inclusion discourses within Australian universities. As class and race intermix, we operate in a metaphorical “shadowland”; our border criss-crossings and places of dwelling highlight the blurriness of privileged and marginalised identities, with some minoritised statuses seemingly too visible while others are obscured. Despite this, and albeit brought into being through largely unrewarded emotional labour, our emphasis is on demonstrating how intersectional subjects’ dialoguing in academe is a form of quiet resistance, offering hope for creating new becomings. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Conjugation-based approach to the ε-subdifferential of convex suprema
Get PDFWe provide new characterizations of th
Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) visualization and pattern matching imputation in remote patient monitoring
Get PDFRemote Patient Monitoring (RPM), which leverages the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and autonomous systems, has grown in popularity recently. In RPM, the IoMT sense a patient's biophysical data and transmits it in real time while the autonomous system processes the data for clinical notifications and storage. However, RPM deployments face two diverse challenges: how to present continuous data so that healthcare professionals can quickly interpret data streams and how to manage a great deal of missing data that occurs in RPM. Several studies suggested techniques for imputing missing data in static databases, which are unsuitable for RPM. A method for constantly streaming healthcare data to medical experts involves summarizing vital signs information into a numerical score, such as the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), which may be visually displayed to highlight MEWS patterns over a certain period. However, a MEWS chart is simplistic and more sophisticated ways to present data visually for straightforward interpretation are needed. This research proposes a solution for the visualization and missing data challenges by identifying patterns in the RPM data. First, a pattern-matching technique is proposed to address the missing data by considering the correlation and variability of the vital signs, resulting in a comparable correct match rate. Second, we transform the observed raw physiological vital signs data into concepts we call trust, frequency, trend, and slope parameters for visualization and automated alerts. The proposed approach can better support clinical decision-making than the MEWS. Comprehensive visualization approaches and missing data solutions can improve the quality and dependability of patient risk assessments. © 2023 IEEE
This bloke who helps me with my tractor, he’s been the best psychologist : the experience of seeking mental health support in rural Australia
Get PDFMental illness is difficult to discuss among men due to notions of remaining tough, being a man, and societal expectations. In rural communities this is particularly evident which is further exacerbated by poor health care access. The aim of this study is to understand the lived experiences of men and their significant others when seeking mental health support in rural areas. A qualitative study was conducted using purposeful sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews in rural or regional areas of Australia. Open-ended questions were asked but more questions were developed from the responses given. Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. Four key themes emerged. These encompassed triggers and help-seeking caused by stressors such as work, family, and poor physical health, with support seeking from professional or informal supports. The second theme included challenges securing professional support appointments, while the third was centered on access to medication and travel time. Finally, the final theme encompassed relationships being impacted by poor mental health or created insights into the need to seek help. The experiences explored throughout this study highlight that as men are impacted, so too are married or romantic partners and children; however, they are the catalyst for help-seeking. The study further highlights even when men are psychologically prepared to seek help, it may be difficult to do so. Improving access goes beyond mere medical professionals in rural areas and must focus on supporting families and loved ones to support men. © The Author(s) 2024
Waterbird and migratory shorebird monitoring in the Gippsland Lakes
Get PDFThe Gippsland Lakes is 1 of 12 wetland systems in Victoria listed under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, with waterbird abundance and species diversity being major contributing factors toward the nomination (Criteria 5 and 6). Waterbird monitoring in the Gippsland Lakes region has been running since the 1980s. The key programs are BirdLife Australia’s Beach-nesting Birds program and Australian Shorebird Monitoring Program, the Gippsland Lakes Important Bird Area monitoring program and the Latham’s Snipe Project. Overall, these programs have revealed variable patterns in abundances across species, with some appearing to decline and others likely to be moving out of the Gippsland Lakes system in wet years. Apparent population decreases may reflect changes in foraging habitat suitability but gaps in survey coverage mean that some birds are almost certainly being missed during monitoring. Investment to support a comprehensive assessment of all data sources to determine the specific nature of apparent species’ trends is urgently required
Data-driven algorithm based on the scaled boundary finite element method and deep learning for the identification of multiple cracks in massive structures
No full textStructural defect identification is a vital aspect of structural health monitoring used to assess the safety of engineering structures. However, quantitatively determining the dimensions of structural defects is often difficult. Therefore, this study presents an innovative data-driven algorithm that combines the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM) and a deep learning framework based on a dilated causal convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify crack-like defects in large-scale structures. The SBFEM is used to simulate different crack-like defects. Mesh generation is significantly simplified by a simple procedure that requires only changing the scale centre at the crack tip and the positions of the nodes at the crack opening. This minimises remeshing and enables simple generation of sufficient data to train the neural network. In addition, an absorbing boundary model based on Rayleigh damping is used to avoid computing the entire model when simulating wave propagation in massive structures. To ensure that sequential data remain ordered and to obtain a large receptive field without increasing the complexity of the neural network, a dilated causal CNN is employed in the deep learning framework. Therefore, more historical information is captured, and the complex mapping relationship between the echo signal and the crack information is efficiently learnt. The proposed model can accurately identify the number, location, and depth of cracks in massive structures. Moreover, it is robust to noise, which is demonstrated via numerical examples. Therefore, the proposed algorithm provides valuable insight into the detection and diagnosis of structural defects, which can ultimately improve the safety of engineering structures. © 2023 Elsevier Lt