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Blockchain application to financial market clearing and settlement systemsNipun
No full textBlockchain technology has emerged as a transformative force in the financial industry, offering the potential to streamline and enhance financial markets’ clearing and settlement processes. This paper explores the application of blockchain technology in these critical areas. We examine traditional clearing and settlement procedures, the challenges they pose, and how blockchain can address these issues. Through case studies and technical insights, we illustrate the benefits and limitations of implementing blockchain solutions. This paper utilizes the PRISMA method to survey papers related to blockchain-based clearing and settlement systems, while using Science Direct to identify papers that have been published in this area. These papers were reviewed to identify themes that relate to extending blockchain development for clearing and settlement system in financial markets. As a result, this paper also shows how the Layer One X (L1X) blockchain can be applied to develop financial markets clearing and settlement systems
Decreased diastolic hydraulic forces incrementally associate with survival beyond conventional measures of diastolic dysfunction
No full textDecreased hydraulic forces during diastole contribute to reduced left ventricular (LV) filling and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. However, their association with diastolic function and patient outcomes are unknown. The aim of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to determine the mechanistic association between diastolic hydraulic forces, estimated by echocardiography as the atrioventricular area difference (AVAD), and both diastolic function and survival. Patients (n = 5176, median [interquartile range] 5.5 [5.0–6.1] years follow-up, 1213 events) were selected from the National Echo Database Australia (NEDA) based on the presence of relevant transthoracic echocardiographic measures, LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50%, heart rate 50–100 beats/minute, the absence of moderate or severe valvular disease, and no prior prosthetic valve surgery. NEDA contains echocardiographic and linked national death index mortality outcome data from 1985 to 2019. AVAD was calculated as the cross-sectional area difference between the LV and left atrium. LV diastolic dysfunction was graded according to 2016 guidelines. AVAD was weakly associated with E/e’, left atrial volume index, and LVEF (multivariable global R2 = 0.15, p \u3c 0.001), and not associated with e’ and peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity. Decreased AVAD was independently associated with poorer survival, and demonstrated improved model discrimination after adjustment for diastolic function grading (C-statistic [95% confidence interval] 0.644 [0.629–0.660] vs 0.606 [0.592–0.621], p \u3c 0.001) and E/e’ (0.649 [0.635–0.664] vs 0.634 [0.618–0.649], p \u3c 0.001), respectively. Therefore, decreased hydraulic forces, estimated by AVAD, are weakly associated with diastolic dysfunction and demonstrate an incremental prognostic association with survival beyond conventional measures used to grade diastolic dysfunction
Testing the association between shoulder pain prevalence and occupational, physical activity, and mental health factors in two generations of Australian adults
No full textBackground: Shoulder pain is common among the adult population, but it appears to reduce in prevalence around retirement age. Associations between shoulder pain and work-place exposures, physical activity, or mental health status are unclear and may change with age. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-reported shoulder pain in Australian adults across two generations and test the association with occupational factors, physical activity, and mental health.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study we used data from a longitudinal Australian pregnancy cohort (the Raine Study). We analysed data from the children (Gen2) at the 22-year follow-up (N = 1128) and parents (Gen1) at the 26-year follow-up (N = 1098). Data were collected on self-reported shoulder pain, occupational factors (employment status and work description), physical activity, and mental health at the respective follow-ups. Prevalence rates were provided as percentages with 95% confidence intervals. Univariate analysis for group comparisons included chi squared for categorical comparisons. The association of predictor variables and shoulder pain was assessed using logistical regression.
Results: In Gen1 31.4% of adults aged 40-80 reported the presence of shoulder pain in the last month, with no significant difference between females and males. Gen1 participants younger than 65 reported more shoulder pain (OR[95%CI] = 1.80 [1.04-3.09]). Gen2 females (14.7%) reported shoulder pain in either shoulder more frequently than males (7.7%) and bilateral shoulder pain (8.0%) more frequently than males (1.9%). Gen1 had increased odds of reporting shoulder pain if their work was physical or heavy manual compared to sedentary (OR [95% CI] = 1.659 [1.185-2.323]) and when categorised with depression (OR [95% CI] = 1.940 [1.386-2.715]) or anxiety (OR [95% CI] = 1.977 [1.368-2.857]). Gen2 participants with depression (OR [95% CI] = 2.356 [1.620-3.427]) or anxiety (OR [95% CI] = 2.003 [1.359-2.952]) reported more shoulder pain.
Conclusion: Overall, shoulder pain was more prevalent in young females than males and was more prevalent in those under the age of 65. Cross-sectional associations were established between some occupational factors in older adults and depression in all adults, and shoulder pain
Prevalence of COVID-19 fear and its association with quality of life and network structure among Chinese mental health professionals after ending China\u27s dynamic zero-COVID policy: A national survey
No full textBackground: China recorded a massive COVID-19 pandemic wave after ending its Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy on January 8, 2023. As a result, mental health professionals (MHPs) experienced negative mental health consequences, including an increased level of fear related to COVID-19. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 fear among MHPs following the end of the Policy, and its association with quality of life (QoL) from a network analysis perspective.
Methods: A cross-sectional national study was conducted across China. The correlates of COVID-19 fear were examined using both univariate and multivariate analyses. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and QoL. Central symptoms were identified using network analysis through the “Expected Influence” of the network model while specific symptoms directly correlated with QoL were identified through the “flow function.”
Results: A total of 10,647 Chinese MHPs were included. The overall prevalence of COVID-19 fear (FCV-19S total score ≥ 16) was 60.8% (95% CI = 59.9–61.8%). The binary logistic regression analysis found that MHPs with fear of COVID-19 were more likely to be married (OR = 1.198; p \u3c 0.001) and having COVID-19 infection (OR = 1.235; p = 0.005) and quarantine experience (OR = 1.189; p \u3c 0.001). Having better economic status (good vs. poor: OR = 0.479; p \u3c 0.001; fair vs. poor: OR = 0.646; p \u3c 0.001) and health status (good vs. poor: OR = 0.410; p \u3c 0.001; fair vs. poor: OR = 0.617; p \u3c 0.001) were significantly associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 fear. The ANCOVA showed that MHPs with fear of COVID-19 had lower QoL [F = 228.0, p \u3c 0.001]. “Palpitation when thinking about COVID-19” was the most central symptom in the COVID-19 fear network model, while “Uncomfortable thinking about COVID-19” had the strongest negative association with QoL (average edge weight = −0.048).
Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of COVID-19 fear among Chinese MHPs following the end of China’s Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy. Developing effective prevention and intervention measures that target the central symptoms as well as symptoms correlated with QoL in our network structure would be important to address COVID-19 fear and improve QoL
The COVID-19 pandemic: Bereavement experiences between hospital and home deaths in palliative care
No full textBackground: Australian COVID-19 public health measures reduced opportunities for people to communicate with healthcare professionals and be present at the death of family members/friends. Aim. To understand if pandemic-specific challenges and public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted end-of-life and bereavement experiences differently if the death, supported by palliative care, occurred in a hospital or at home.
Design: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by bereaved adults during 2020−2022. Analyses compared home and in-patient palliative care deaths and bereavement outcomes. Additional analyses compared health communication outcomes for those identified as persons responsible or next of kin.
Setting/participants: Of 744 bereaved people; 69% (n = 514) had a death in hospital and 31% (n = 220) at home.
Results: The COVID-19 public health measures influenced people’s decision to die at home. Compared to hospital deaths, the home death group had higher levels of grief severity and grief-related functional impairment. Only 37% of bereaved people received information about bereavement and support services. 38% of participants who were at least 12 months postdeath scored at a level suggestive of possible prolonged grief disorder. Levels of depression and anxiety between the two groups were not significantly different.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for health services to recognize bereavement as fundamental to palliative and health care and provide pre- and post death grief and bereavement care to ensure supports are available particularly for those managing end-of-life at home, and that such supports are in place prior to as well as at the time of the death
Ontological foundations of urban health policy ideas: The case of planning Sydney’s Western Parkland City
No full textThis case study examines the ontological backgrounds of urban health policy ideas in planning the Western Parkland City, a large-scale regional development project in Sydney, Australia. Using an empirical approach, the study identifies seven key urban health policy ideas and analyses the nature of these ideas using urban health ontological frameworks. The dominant ontological paradigms appear as the medical-industrial and urban health science paradigms with strong alignment with the sustainable urban development and healthy urban planning research traditions. Additionally, the dominant ideas adopt a view of systems that is complicated more than complex, favour change driven by structure rather than agency, and involve perspectives that transcend across multiple scales. These findings highlight the importance of recognising the influence of paradigms in shaping policies and the need for transdisciplinary approach to policymaking
The relationship between pulmonary artery pressure and mortality in type 2 diabetes: A Fremantle diabetes study phase II and National Echocardiographic Database of Australia data linkage study
No full textAn elevated estimated right ventricular systolic pressure (eRVSP) identified on echocardiography is present in one-third of individuals with type 2 diabetes, but its prognostic significance is unknown. To assess the relationship between eRVSP and mortality, prospective data from 1732 participants in the Fremantle Diabetes Study Phase II were linked with the National Echocardiographic Database of Australia. Of this cohort, 416 (mean age 70.6 years, 47.4% males) had an eRVSP measured and 381 (91.4%) had previously confirmed type 2 diabetes. Receiver- operating characteristic analysis of the relationship between eRVSP and all-cause mortality was conducted. Survival analyses were performed for participants with type 2 diabetes diagnosed before first measured eRVSP (n = 349). Cox regression identified clinical and echocardiographic associates of all-cause mortality. There were 141 deaths (40.4%) during 2348 person-years (mean ± SD 6.7 ± 4.0 years) of follow-up. In unadjusted Kaplan–Meier analysis, mortality rose with higher eRVSP (log-rank test, p \u3c 0.001). In unadjusted pairwise comparisons, eRVSP \u3e30 to 35, \u3e35 to 40, and \u3e40 mmHg had significantly increased mortality compared with eRVSP ≤ 30 mmHg (p = 0.025, p = 0.001, p \u3c 0.001, respectively). There were 50 deaths in 173 individuals (29.1%) with eRVSP ≤ 30 mmHg, and 91 in 177 (51.4%) with eRVSP \u3e 30 mmHg (log-rank test, p \u3c 0.001). In adjusted models including age, Aboriginal descent, Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 3 and left heart disease, eRVSP \u3e 30 mmHg predicted a two-fold higher all-cause mortality versus ≤ 30 mmHg. An eRVSP \u3e 30 mmHg predicts increased all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes. Where available, eRVSP could inform type 2 diabetes outcome models
Teacher induction in Australia: Historical context and current challenges
No full textIn Australia, the recognition of the importance of induction for beginning teachers has been present for over three decades. In 2016, the first set of guidelines was introduced to implement beginning teacher induction: Graduate to proficient: Australian Guidelines for teacher induction into the profession. However, reports of variations and inconsistencies in beginning teacher induction were widespread before the release of the guidelines. This article examines the historical context that led to the release of national guidelines and looks at recent research regarding beginning teacher induction to ascertain whether there have been any significant changes in the conduct of induction in the five years since the release of the guidelines, 2016-2020. Through a case study of beginning teacher induction, this article illustrates the extent to which the guidelines are being implemented, the experiences of the teachers undergoing beginning teacher induction in schools, and the ensuing policy implications. The findings indicate that a lack of policydriven, mandatory guidelines and oversight by regulators and school systems has led to little change in the implementation of induction, specifically in New South Wales (NSW) schools
The Development of the Mini-neurosurgical Assessment Tool for Nurses
Get PDFA neurological assessment is performed on a patient to determine their neurological function and to establish a differential diagnosis should deficits be identified. Not all patients require the same neurological assessment, and a comprehensive assessment can be very time-consuming and lead to patient fatigue. However, the ability to identify and manage neurological decline and emergencies is singularly the most important skill required for the care of neurosurgical patients by their nurses. Consequently, neurosurgery nurses remain forever vigilant for neurological changes, assessing and recording their observations over time and at the bedside. Neurosurgery patients would benefit from a neurological assessment tool that goes beyond an assessment of consciousness via the Glasgow Coma Scale or stroke scales (such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), which primarily focus on anterior brain circulation. Instead, the neurosurgical patient requires a whole-brain assessment to appropriately measure common salient neurosurgical sequela at the bedside. This thesis presents a multiphase mixed-methods approach for the development of an abbreviated neurological assessment tool for the conscious neurosurgical patient and provides appropriate clinical pathways for nursing management. The Mini-Neurosurgical Assessment tool has been developed as an ancillary neurological assessment tool to the Glasgow Coma Scale. A review of international neurological assessment tools and expert feedback drawn from four states of Australia was used to establish the tool’s validity via a Knowledge-to-Action Framework
To Broaden the Scope of Reason: Relational Ontology and its Significant for the Catholic University
No full textThis thesis proposes a new ontological foundation to the activities of teaching and research particularly as they are undertaken within the context of the Catholic university. We begin by way of an examination of the metaphysical implications of the basic doctrines of the Catholic-Christian faith, namely the fact of creation ex nihilo, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ the Logos, and the revelation of God’s Trinitarian nature as love. The resultant ontology or logic of being presented is characterised best by the concept of relation. This relational ontology, then, is contrasted with alternative ontologies of modernity which, though often hidden or implicit and thus largely unexamined, remain no less operative and, it is argued, skew one’s perception of reality, effecting a reduction in both what is considered to be worthy of reasoned inquiry, and one’s understanding of the nature of reality as such. What becomes evident is that the relational ontology argued for offers a more grand and capacious paradigm most adequate to reality as such, and which can account not only for the breadth of subjective human experience but also the objective ‘facts’ of nature as understood by modern science.
In contrast to the operative technological ontologies of modernity, characterised by mechanism, radical individualism, and an externalising of all relations, the relational ontology and coinciding metaphysics of gift recognises that all that exists is given as gift from a loving Creator-God, who Himself is an eternal communion of love. Created entities then, being given their existence at each moment are perpetually in relation, both to the God who creates and to the rest of the creation. This logic of being broadens the scope of what is considered reasonable and allows for a more throughgoing examination of reality.
What we seek to bring to light in the study which follows is firstly how the unexamined ontological framework of modern and postmodern cultures is insufficient in its accounting for what is real, in and of itself; and, that only an ontology which accounts for the elevated status iv of relations alongside substance can provide an adequate foundation from which to carry out the investigations into the real that are the business of the university proper