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Postprandial plasma glucose with a fasting time of 4–7.9 h is positively associated with cancer mortality in US adults
No full textAims: This study investigated the association of postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) with cancer mortality using a general cohort of US adults. Materials and Methods: This cohort study included 14,860 US adults who attended the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 1994, with mortality being followed up until December 31, 2019. The explanatory variable was the level of plasma glucose, including PPG with a fasting time of 0–3.9 h (PPG0–3.9h) and 4–7.9 h (PPG4–7.9h), plasma glucose with a fasting tim
Machine learning accelerated prediction of 3D granular flows in hoppers
No full textGranular materials are crucial components in a broad variety of industrial and natural processes. However, despite their widespread importance, predicting their complex flow behaviour under different conditions remains extremely challenging. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is the primary computational technique used to simulate granular flows, and while it can produce highly accurate predictions, it is also inherently computationally expensive. We look to overcome this computational bottleneck through the use of a neural network surrogate model for 3D granular flow simulation, and consider the industrially important use case of flow in grain hoppers. We investigate our model performance across a range of different time scales, quantifying its accuracy and generalizability to different hopper geometries. The use of deep learning techniques for the prediction of granular flow dynamics offers an excellent opportunity for providing step change increases in computational efficiency for industrial decision-making and potential application in real-time decision making in diverse manufacturing settings. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
The use of extended reality technologies in sport perceptual-cognitive skill research : a systematic scoping review
Get PDFBackground Extended Reality (XR) technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and 360°VR are growing rapidly in the scientific literature and sporting practice. These have been used for a range of skills, particularly perceptual-cognitive skills. However, to our knowledge, there is no systematic scoping review on this topic identifying the current state of play of the research area by characteristics such as study type, technology type, or sport investigated, and such a review would help guide the future direction of this area. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review the extent of XR technology in sport for assessing and training athletes’ and officials’ perceptual-cognitive skills. Methods Electronic databases (SCOPUS, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO) were searched for relevant articles up until January 2024. Studies were included if they used XR technologies to assess or develop sport-specific, higher order perceptual-cognitive skills. Results 57 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review, of which 67% were published from 2020. Most studies conducted quantitative research designs, with 66% of studies adopting a cross-sectional assessment approach and 28% conducting an intervention to assess performance improvements. Decision-making was the most prevalent skill investigated, across 60% of studies. The most common technology was head mounted display (51%) presenting animated environments and the most common sports investigated were football and handball (32% and 19% of studies, respectively). Conclusions This review highlights a significant growth in the research exploring XR technologies in sport for perceptual-cognitive skill development and understanding, with most studies published in the last 4 years. Prominent technology types (e.g. animated HMD), perceptual-cognitive skills (e.g. decision making), study designs (e.g. quantitative assessment), and sports (e.g. football) are identified and discussed along with practical implications and future research. Key Points Extended reality technologies for sports perceptual-cognitive skills is an emerging field, marked by key trends in the types of technology used and the perceptual-cognitive skills being studied. Decision-making is the most commonly studied perceptual-cognitive skill, and these technologies report to have high representativeness and engagement when being used. More research is required to explore the effectiveness of this technology through intervention study designs, and further understand how it can be used and the perceptual-cognitive processes through qualitative research designs
Australian and New Zealand living guideline cholesterol-lowering therapy for people with chronic kidney disease (CARI Guidelines) : reducing the evidence-practice gap
Get PDFAim: People with chronic kidney disease experience high rates of cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol-lowering therapy is a mainstay in the management but there is uncertainty in the treatment effects on patient-important outcomes, such as fatigue and rhabdomyolysis. Here, we summarise the updated CARI Australian and New Zealand Living Guidelines on cholesterol-lowering therapy in chronic kidney disease. Methods: We updated a Cochrane review and monitored newly published studies weekly to inform guideline development according to international standards. The Working Group included expertise from nephrology, cardiology, Indigenous Health, guideline development and people with lived experience of chronic kidney disease. Results: The guideline recommends people with chronic kidney disease (eGF
Factors associated with psychological distress, fear, and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand : a cross-sectional study
Get PDFIntroduction: Despite being initially perceived as a local infectious disease, COVID-19 has emerged as one of the most perilous global health threats, significantly impacting the psychological well-being of individuals worldwide. Objective: This cross-sectional descriptive study investigates the psychological distress, fear, and coping mechanisms among Thai people residing in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This online cross-sectional survey targeted Thai individuals during the first and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants aged 18 and above who provided consent self-reported their responses to the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Data collection occurred between November 2020 and January 2021 across four regions of Thailand. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses explored associations between contextual factors and the variables of interest. Results: Out of 498 survey respondents, with an average age of 43.07 (SD = 13.69) years, 81.9% were female, and 61.6% self-identified as healthcare workers, with 47.59% identified as frontline healthcare workers. Findings revealed that 46% of participants experienced moderate-to-very high levels of psychological distress, 14.3% reported high levels of fear of COVID-19, and 35.1% exhibited low resilient coping. Factors such as changes in employment status or financial situations, comorbidities, contact with known or suspected COVID-19 cases, recent healthcare utilization for COVID-19-related stress, and elevated fear of COVID-19 were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Conversely, being nurses and perceived better mental health status were linked to more effective coping strategies. Conclusion: These results emphasize the critical importance of government interventions to safeguard the psychological well-being of healthcare workers and the broader Thai population. Urgent measures to bolster resilience among these groups during and after the pandemic are imperative. © The Author(s) 2024
The effects of mechanical harvest of submerged aquatic vegetation on non-target planktonic and macroinvertebrate communities in a shallow Australian urban lake
No full textWhilst shallow urban lakes often show phytoplankton blooms due to heavy loads of nutrient inputs, occasionally they will evidence an alternative massive growth of aquatic plants. These species of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) can interfere with valued community recreational activities such as boating, rowing, swimming, and fishing, therefore mechanical harvesting has traditionally been used as a control measure. This occurs in Lake Wendouree, a small flat-bottomed urban shallow lake in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. However, the impact of mechanical harvesting on the ecology of non-target biological communities is poorly studied in southern hemisphere lakes, particularly in Australia. Therefore, a before and after control-impact experimental design was used to assess the impact of Low, Medium, and High intensity harvest regimes on phytoplankton, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrate communities across all four seasons in Lake Wendouree. Variables measured included: plankton and macroinvertebrate abundance, diversity, and evenness. Further factors affecting those communities resulting from mechanical harvesting were analysed temporally such as immediately after, 1 day after, 7 days after, 28 days after harvest, and seasonally over the study period. Seven major groups of phytoplankton (Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, Charophyta, Chrysophyta, Euglenophyta and Dinophyta), four major groups of zooplankton (Cladocera, Rotifera, Copepoda and Ostracoda), and nine major groups of macroinvertebrates (including Crustacea, Insecta, Gastropoda, and Nematoda) were identified in Lake Wendouree. Cyanophyta occurred during all seasons and was generally inversely correlated with Charophyta. Phytoplankton were strongly correlated with water temperature, pH and DO (dissolved Oxygen). Zooplankton correlated with pH and DO, while macroinvertebrates mostly correlated with water temperature. Harvest was important in the control of excessive growth of SAV. However, this study found that harvesting regimes were non-detrimental for all non-target communities. Seasonal and harvesting effects exerted the greatest influence during autumn. Despite the impacts on plankton and macroinvertebrate communities by mechanical harvesting, recovery was observed by 4 weeks following harvest disturbance. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis would be predictable for phytoplankton and macroinvertebrate than zooplankton. The taxa most vulnerable to removal with harvested SAV materials were macroinvertebrates. While some fish were removed in harvested material, removal of the most highly targeted recreational fishery species did not appear to be pronounced. Amphipods were the most abundant macroinvertebrate removed from the lake in harvested SAV material. However, other studies have shown that Amphipods are not significant components of fish in Australian freshwater environments. Further study of fish diets in Lake Wendouree is required to better understand the links between SAV harvest and fish feeding, condition, and growth. SAV harvest in Lake Wendouree exerts effects on non-target plankton and macroinvertebrate communities but these effects appear to be short-lived and not have a longer-term detrimental effect on invertebrate communities in the lake. Indirect effects on fish in the lake would therefore seem to be minimized.Doctor of Philosoph
A hybrid PWM technique for SMES integrated solar pv based grid-tied transformerless inverters
No full textThis paper introduces a hybrid pulse width modulation (PWM) technique to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of a grid-feeding superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)-based transformerless H6 inverter system. The system is designed to interface solar photovoltaic (PV) power with a low to medium-voltage grid. The presented hybrid PWM technique aims to suppress the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the output voltage of the H6 transformerless inverter. A new carrier signal and a new modulating signal based on fundamental sinusoidal and triangle waves are utilized to model the hybrid PWM technique. The proposed hybrid PWM technique is more efficient and has lower leakage current during energy conversion than traditional bipolar PWM, unipolar PWM, and numerous other well-known PWM techniques. The total system is simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS environments to verify the feasibility of the proposed PWM strategy. A 1 kW laboratory-scale prototype based on an H6 transformerless inverter was also built and tested with the proposed PWM technique to prove the effectiveness of the whole system. © 2002-2011 IEEE
Pain management for sedated and ventilated patients in australian intensive care settings: current situation and ways to optimise intervention implementation
Get PDFBackground: In intensive care units (ICUs), sedated and ventilated patients frequently encounter pain, which is sometimes undermanaged. The impact of pain management on patient outcomes is profound for it culminates in prolonged length of hospital stay which warrants advanced life support measures. The thesis reports on the current pain management situation of adult sedated and ventilated patients in Australian ICUs. The thesis also delineates the contexts conducive to the successful implementation of pain management interventions and the underlying mechanisms activated in given circumstances, using a theory-driven approach. Aims: The aims of this thesis were threefold: (1) to explore the clinical practices, training, governance, knowledge and attitudes of nurses caring for adult sedated and ventilated patients in ICUs; (2) to seek the program theories that describe how, why and under what circumstances the implementation of pain management interventions in ICUs can be enhanced; and (3) to suggest recommendations for the purpose of optimising the implementation of such interventions in ICUs, towards improving intervention buy-in and sustainability over time. Methods: The thesis was informed by sequential research involving three phases. In Phase 1, a cross-sectional survey with free-text responses was used to collate quantitative and qualitative ddata from intensive care nurses around demographics, clinical practices, governance, knowledge and attitudes using instruments developed from published guidelines (Devlin et al., 2018) and adopted from the literature(Ferrell,2022; Guttormson et al., 2010). Quantitative data were analysed non- parametrically, while narrative responses were analysed thematically. The Consensus-based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS) and the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines were followed. Instrument used to Phase 2 constituted a rapid realist review conducted in a five-step iterative process to develop the project scope/research questions, collate and appraise literature, synthesise evidence and interpret information from data sources to generate and refine the initial program theories about implementation of pain management interventions. The review was informed by the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Syntheses: Evolving Standards (RAMESES) publication standards for realist synthesis. Initial searches were undertaken in three electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINHAL and OVID. The review was supplemented with key articles from a bibliographic search of identified articles. The first 200 hits from Google Scholar were screened. Phase 3 comprised a realist evaluation employing realist interviews to refine and test 12 initial program theories obtained from Phase 2. A purposively selected sample of 14 nurses with variant roles were interviewed over a period of six months. Data from Phases 2 and 3 were analysed using an integrated approach of Context (C), Mechanism (M), Outcome (O) categorisation coding, CMO configurations connecting and pattern matching. This phase was governed by the RAMESES publication standards for realist evaluation. Results: In Phase 1, a total of 108 nurses took part in the survey; 92 completed surveys were analysed. Half of the participants used analgesia to complete nursing tasks irrespective of the comfort needs (n = 49, 53.3%) and administered more opioid analgesia when vital signs changed (n = 48, 52.1%). The first-line pharmacologic agent to treat pain was subject to the doctor’s preference (n = 63, 68.5%). Participants administered non-opioid medications first, and then opioids (n = 42, 45.7%), and they provided sedatives when patients were agitated (n = 50, 54.3%). There was no statistically significant difference in participants’ knowledge although those from major tertiary hospitals had a slightly higher knowledge mean rank. Lack of training, paucity of pain management interventions, patient acuity, funding and casual employment were acknowledged barriers. Two overarching themes emerged from the qualitative data: pain assessment, where is it? and the priorities of critical illness. The pain management of sedated and ventilated patients diverged from best practice evidence and required increasing efforts to use best practice interventions. Priorities related to critical illness had implications for decision-making and focus of care. Results from Phases 2 and 3 identified mechanisms such as empowerment, recognition, confidence, awareness and ethical and professional obligations. These mechanisms are activated in the contexts in which pain management interventions are perceived as beneficial, precise, comprehensive, easy to understand and fit for purpose; nurses are willing to accept change and update knowledge; and organisations proactively change infrastructure, provide resources, mitigate barriers, develop shared mental models, update evidence and institute quality assurance. These mechanisms are also triggered in contexts in which intensive care team leaders nurture the development of nurses’ professional identity and facilitate their access to learning, autonomy and self-determination. Adherence to pain management is swayed by the intrinsic merits of the intervention and a positive impact on outcomes. Conclusion: The results delineated the current pain management situation, the contexts affecting the implementation of pain management interventions and the mechanisms activated under given contexts. This thesis recommends that actions be taken at the micro, meso and macro levels to improve implementation buy-in.Doctor of Philosoph
The Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale (BSAS) : factor structure, longitudinal measurement invariance, and temporal stability across a two-year interval
Get PDFThe Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale (BSAS; Andreassen et al., 2015) is a theory driven self-rating questionnaire for assessing shopping addiction. The current study employed Confirmatory Factor Analysis to examine its factor structure, and its longitudinal measurement invariance among adult participants (N = 276) aged 18 to 62 years (mean = 31.86 years; SD = 9.94 years) over a two-year period, with assessments conducted at three time points. Overall, there was support for full measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar, and error variance invariance). Additionally, there was support for temporal stability and equivalency for the BSAS total mean scores across the three time points. The psychometric and practical implications of the findings are discussed. © The Author(s) 2024
