University of the Sunshine Coast
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Sarcopenia in male patients with head and neck cancer receiving chemoradiotherapy: a longitudinal pilot study
No full textIntroduction:
Muscle wasting conditions such as sarcopenia may be highly prevalent in advanced head and neck cancer (HNC) patients (16–71%), with these prevalence rates substantially greater in those who have received chemo-radiotherapy (CRT). According to the updated European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People consensus statement, sarcopenia is defined as the age-related loss of muscle strength, muscle mass and physical performance. The high prevalence of sarcopenia in HNC patients is concerning as it has been associated with substantially increased risk of CRT toxicity, respiratory complications and early mortality. With the high prevalence of HNC and sarcopenia in India and the strong link between sarcopenia and poor HNC patient outcomes, it is important to screen for the presence of sarcopenia in Indian patients receiving CRT for HNC.
Methods:
This longitudinal pilot study aimed to routinely monitor 19 men receiving CRT for their HNC for a variety of sarcopenic-related outcomes over three time points during their 7 weeks of CRT. Participants were required to be male, with a minimum age of 30 years, with a Stage III, IVa or IVb diagnosis of HNC and be currently undergoing a 7 weeks course of CRT in an oncology department. Outcomes included probable sarcopenic diagnosis were estimated by the SARC-F, handgrip strength, skeletal muscle mass was estimated by bioelectrical impedance and physical performance was assessed by the Timed Up and Go. Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used to identify significant differences at the three time points with a p < 0.05.
Results:
The 19 participants in this trial at a mean age of 56.5 ± 10.2 years (range = 39–75 years), with most (n = 13, 68.4%) employed in laboring occupations. At baseline, 31.5% (n = 6) of the participants already had probable sarcopenia based on their total SARC-F score, with this increasing to 89.4% (n = 17) at the end of 7 weeks CRT. In addition, significant decreases in strength, skeletal muscle mass and Timed Up and Go performance were observed, with these declines significantly greater at 7 weeks than 3 weeks after commencing CRT.
Conclusions:
Patients with HNC undergoing 7 weeks of CRT showed clinically significant increases in the incidence of probable sarcopenia based on their total SARC-F score as well as clinically significant declines in handgrip strength, skeletal muscle mass and Timed Up and Go performance. Due to the relationship between sarcopenia and a host of adverse events related to CRT in HNC patients, these results suggest that oncologists and their allied health teams should routinely monitor these patients during CRT and provide the relevant exercise therapy and nutritional support to those patients in need
Who is to blame for crashes involving autonomous vehicles? Exploring blame attribution across the road transport system
No full textThe introduction of fully autonomous vehicles is approaching. This warrants a re-consideration of road crash liability, given drivers will have diminished control. This study, underpinned by attribution theory, investigated blame attribution to different road transport system actors following crashes involving manually driven, semi-autonomous and fully autonomous vehicles. It also examined whether outcome severity alters blame ratings. 396 participants attributed blame to five actors (vehicle driver/user, pedestrian, vehicle, manufacturer, government) in vehicle-pedestrian crash scenarios. Different and unique patterns of blame were found across actors, according to the three vehicle types. In crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles, vehicle users received low blame, while vehicle manufacturers and government were highly blamed. There was no difference in the level of blame attributed between high and low severity crashes in regard to vehicle type. However, the government received more blame in high severity crashes. The findings have implications for policy and legislation surrounding crash liability
Prevalence and Characteristics Associated with Chronic Noncancer Pain in Suicide Decedents: A National Study
No full textObjective: The aims were to estimate the prevalence of CNCP in suicide decedents, and compare sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of people who die by suicide (i) with and without a history of CNCP and (ii) among decedents with CNCP who are younger (< 65 years) and older (65 + years). Method: We examined all closed cases of intentional deaths in Australia in 2014, utilizing the National Coronial Information System. Results: We identified 2,590 closed cases of intentional deaths in Australia in 2014 in decedents over 18 years of age. CNCP was identified in 14.6% of cases. Decedents with CNCP were more likely to be older, have more mental health and physical health problems, and fewer relationship problems, and were more likely to die by poisoning from drugs, compared with decedents without CNCP. Comparisons of older and younger decedents with CNCP found that compared to younger (< 65 years) decedents with CNCP, older decedents (65 + years) were less likely to have mental health problems. Conclusions: This is the first national study to examine the characteristics of suicide deaths with a focus on people with CNCP. Primary care physicians should be aware of the increased risk for suicide in people living with CNCP, and it may be useful forclinicians to screen for CNCP among those presenting with suicidal behaviors
The identity theft response system
No full textIdentity theft continues to grow in prevalence and complexity. Despite this growth, little is known about the identity theft response system and how it assists victims to recover. This study examines the response system by analysing 211 identity theft cases reported to IDCARE, a national identity and cybercrime victim support service.
The study applies a sociotechnical systems methodology to establish the social, task and information processes of the Australian identity theft response system. The study also examines identity theft victims' response activities and needs over a 12 -month period.
The identity theft response system is almost entirely dependent on the victim to respond to and limit the harm caused by identity theft. Overall, the response system is disjointed and lacking in coordination
California Current seascape influences juvenile salmon foraging ecology at multiple scales
No full textJuvenile salmon Oncorhynchus spp. experience variable mortality rates during their first few months in the ocean, and high growth during this period is critical to minimize size-selective predation. Examining links between the physical environment and foraging ecology is important to understand mechanisms that drive growth. These mechanisms are complex and include interactions among the physical environment, forage availability, bioenergetics, and salmon foraging behavior. Our objectives were to explore how seascape features (biological and physical) influence juvenile Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha foraging at annual and feeding-event scales in the California Current Ecosystem. We demonstrate that forage abundance was the most influential determinant of mean salmon stomach fullness at the annual scale, while at the feeding-event scale, fullness increased with greater cumulative upwelling during the 10 d prior and at closer distances to thermal fronts. Upwelling promotes nutrient enrichment and productivity, while fronts concentrate organisms, likely resulting in available prey to salmon and increased stomach fullness. Salmon were also more likely to consume krill when there was high prior upwelling, and switched to non-krill invertebrates (i.e. amphipods, decapods, copepods) in weaker upwelling conditions. As salmon size increased from 72-250 mm, salmon were more likely to consume fish, equal amounts of krill, and fewer non-krill invertebrates. Broad seascape processes determined overall prey availability and fullness in a given year, while fine- and meso-scale processes influenced local accessibility of prey to individual salmon. Therefore, processes occurring at multiple scales will influence how marine organisms respond to changing environments
Stock structure of dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus) to inform stocking management
No full textDelineating stocks and quantifying population structure are critical for the management of exploited populations, but the stock structure of many species remains unclear. In New South Wales (NSW), Australia, a marine stock enhancement program for dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus) is developing, and knowledge of stock structure is required to inform enhancement strategies, as well as to support broader fisheries management. A combination of mitochondrial and microsatellite markers was used in this study to evaluate structuring among fish from eight estuaries, spanning the majority of the NSW coast. Pairwise comparisons of mitochondrial haplotypes revealed that seven of the eight estuaries were genetically homogeneous (St Georges Basin was distinct). Moreover, analysis of molecular variance showed that 97% of sequence diversity occurred within estuaries. The results from microsatellite markers were almost identical to those for mitochondrial DNA, with St George’s Basin having the only distinct genotype, and within estuary variation accounting for 99% of the genotype variation. Isolation by distance analysis showed that <5% of genetic variation was due to distance. These results indicate that dusky flathead forms a single stock across NSW, where mixing most likely occurs during early life phases and through limited adult migration. The outlying estuary, St Georges Basin, likely suffers from limited connectivity due to a constricted entrance, and it is possible that stocking may improve local genetic diversity
The Use of Technology by Gold Coast Legal Practitioners
No full textDigital technology is inexorably changing the landscape of law. From the adoption of sustaining technologies, which enhance the productivity and efficiency of the traditional law firm, to the creation of disruptive technologies, which fundamentally challenge the established forms of the legal profession, the digitalisation of the legal sphere opens up new spaces and structures of legal practice that challenge the form of traditional law firms. Existing literature on the digitalisation of law paints a narrative of technological resistance by traditional law firms, suggesting that BigLaw firms are defensive of the power and status that the current model affords them. However, in reality, the wealth and expanse of BigLaw firms allow them to freely invest in and create new technological innovations. Recent Australian research places BigLaw firms at the forefront of adopting digital technologies into the legal market, leaving behind small and medium-sized legal firms as the victims of digital disruption rather than as technological adopters or beneficiaries.
This article stands in contrast to the literature on traditional small and medium-sized firms, arguing that lawyers from such firms in Australia are not only embracing the use of technology but are also actively engaging in the digital transformation of legal practice. It presents qualitative findings from a 2018 study that involved open-ended interviews with nine lawyers from the Gold Coast, Australia on their use and adoption of digital technologies in their professional legal practice. Through unpacking these findings, this article demonstrates a new perspective of small and medium-sized traditional legal firms in which they do not resist law’s digital future but instead embrace it
Knowledge capabilities in supply chain networks: a taxonomy
No full textPurpose:
This paper aims to develop a conceptual taxonomy for building requisite knowledge capabilities for different supply chain network (SCN) types. Specifically, it examines knowledge capabilities required for three types of SCNs: efficient, collaborative and agile SCNs.
Design/methodology/approach:
This paper integrates two bodies of thought (i.e. knowledge management and organisational learning) and applies them to SCNs. An abductive research process is used to develop this conceptual taxonomy.
Findings:
The conceptual taxonomy details three archetypical knowledge capabilities – exploitation, exploration and ambidextrous. Those knowledge capabilities are required for efficient, collaborative and agile SCNs, respectively.
Research limitations/implications:
This paper is conceptual and theory-based. The next stages of the research seek to further strengthen the explanatory value of the taxonomy through empirical validation.
Practical implications:
The taxonomy developed in this paper provides a valuable and pragmatic tool for managerial decision-making in the context of SCNs. Specifically, it provides a roadmap for practitioners since the study develops an understanding of the relationship between knowledge capabilities and types of SCNs.
Originality/value:
This is one of the earliest studies that attempt to unearth requisite knowledge capabilities for different types of SCNs
Effects of GluN2A and GluN2B gain-of-function epilepsy mutations on synaptic currents mediated by diheteromeric and triheteromeric NMDA receptors
No full textMutations in synaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are associated with epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders. The effects of several such mutations have been investigated in recombinantly-expressed NMDARs under conditions of steady-state activation. Such experiments provide only limited insight into how mutations affect NMDAR-mediated excitatory synaptic currents (EPSCs). The present study aimed to characterize the effects of the GluN2AN615K, GluN2BN615I and GluN2BV618G gain-of-function mutations on EPSCs mediated by diheteromeric GluN1/2A and GluN1/2B receptors and triheteromeric GluN1/2A/2B receptors, as these are the most abundant synaptic NMDARs in vivo. Subunit composition was controlled by studying ‘artificial’ synapses formed between cultured neurons (which provide presynaptic terminals) and HEK293 cells that express the NMDAR subunits of interest plus the synapse-promoting molecule, neuroligin-1B. When incorporated into diheteromeric receptors, all three mutations ablated voltage-dependent Mg2+ block of EPSCs, as previously shown. In addition, we were surprised to find that increasing external Mg2+ from 0 to 1 mM strongly enhanced the magnitude of EPSCs mediated by mutant diheteromers. In contrast, triheteromeric receptors exhibited normal voltage-dependent Mg2+ block. The GluN2AN615K mutation also slowed the decay of GluN1/2A/2B- but not GluN1/2A-mediated EPSCs. The GluN2BN615I mutation enhanced the magnitude of both GluN1/2B- and GluN1/2A/2B-mediated EPSCs. The GluN2BV618G mutation enhanced the magnitude of both GluN1/2B- and GluN1/2A/2B-mediated EPSCs, although these effects were partly compensated by a faster EPSC decay rate. The mutations also diminished the potency of the anti-epileptic pore-blocker, memantine, thus explaining the lack of memantine efficacy in patients with GluN2BN615I or GluN2BV618G mutations. Given these effects, the three mutations would be expected to enhance the cation influx rate and thereby contribute to epilepsy phenotypes
Dynamic recrystallization of pure zinc during high strain-rate compression at ambient temperature
No full textDue to limited slip systems, forming of Zn-based alloys is typically conducted at elevated temperatures which consumes energy and may degrade mechanical properties. The present study aims to investigate feasibility for processing of Zn-based alloys at relatively low or even ambient temperatures by developing fundamental understanding that can be applied to control dynamic recrystallization during forming. An as-cast pure zinc was compressed to various strains at a strain rate of 0.5 s−1 under ambient temperature and the microstructures were studied by electron backscattered diffraction to gain insight into the microstructural evolution and dynamic recrystallization behaviours. Significantly, Zn remained intact up to very high true strains, above 161%, and the corresponding true stress-strain curve did not exhibit steady-state deformation behaviour. Extensive continuous and twin-induced dynamic recrystallization were revealed to effectively accommodate plastic strains and relieve local stress concentrations leading to this extraordinary plasticity. A strong dependence of basal slip and {101 ̅2} compression twinning on the grain orientation resulted in remnant coarse-grained domains in the otherwise heavily refined deformation microstructures. Strain partitioning at large strains is proposed to lead to continuous reductions in the true stress beyond the peak and bimodal texture in the final microstructure