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The effect of social media on stock market: Evidence from Twitter
No full textSun, L ORCiD: 0000-0001-8270-3321In this study, we investigate the sentiment of social media to predict stock market performance. In particular, we test the relationship between the twitter activity, number of tweets and followers, and the stock return, volume, and volatility of top 82 companies listed on ASX. We obtain a data set of number of tweets and followers from each company’s twitter account at end of the fiscal year 2019. Our results indicate that stock return is positively associated with the number of organizations' twitter followers, suggesting firms with high returns are likely to have significant number of followers. Moreover, stock trading volume is positively (negatively) associated with the number of organizations' tweets (twitter followers). These findings suggest that firms with high liquidity tend to have significant flow of tweets information rather than many followers with few tweets. However, we find no evidence suggesting that twitter followers and tweets are associated with stock volatility. This study will assist regulators in understanding to what extent the information on major social media platforms can help investors in their investment decision-making
A stepped wedge trial of efficacy and scalability of a virtual clinical pharmacy service (VCPS) in rural and remote NSW health facilities
No full textDoran, CM ORCiD: 0000-0002-9009-4906Background: Medication errors are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Clinical pharmacy services provided in hospital can reduce medication errors and medication related harm. However, few rural or remote hospitals in Australia have a clinical pharmacy service. This study will evaluate a virtual clinical pharmacy service (VCPS) provided via telehealth to eight rural and remote hospitals in NSW, Australia. Methods: A stepped wedge cluster randomised trial design will use routinely collected data from patients' electronic medical records (n = 2080) to evaluate the VCPS at eight facilities. The sequence of steps is randomised, allowing for control of potential confounding temporal trends. Primary outcomes are number of medication reconciliations completed on admission and discharge. Secondary outcomes are length of stay, falls and 28 day readmissions. A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) will be conducted. The CEA will answer the question of whether the VCPS is more cost-effective compared to treatment as usual; the CBA will consider the rate of return on investing in the VCPS. A patient experience measure (n = 500) and medication adherence questionnaire (n = 100 pre and post) will also be used to identify patient responses to the virtual service. Focus groups will investigate implementation from hospital staff perspectives at each site. Analyses of routine data will comprise generalised linear mixed models. Descriptive statistical analysis will summarise patient experience responses. Differences in medication adherence will be compared using linear regression models. Thematic analysis of focus groups will identify barriers and facilitators to VCPS implementation. Discussion: We aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of virtual pharmacy interventions for rural populations, and inform best practice for using virtual healthcare to improve access to pharmacy services. It is widely recognised that clinical pharmacists are best placed to reduce medication errors. However, pharmacy services are limited in rural and remote hospitals. This project will provide evidence about ways in which the benefits of hospital pharmacists can be maximised utilising telehealth technology. If successful, this project can provide a model for pharmacy delivery in rural and remote locations. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR)-ACTRN12619001757101 Prospectively registered on 11 December 2019. Record available from: https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=378878&isReview=true © 2020 The Author(s)
Does the FDI flow into Arab region influenced by the global financial crisis?
No full textAziz, OG ORCiD: 0000-0001-7140-4174This study provides an overall view of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows for the Arab region during the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008. There a little attention has given to the FDI flows in Arab region as the main focus was on the countries where the GFC started. The objective of this study is to compare and analyses the global FDI inflows with Arab region during the GFC. It attempts to answer the question whether the FDI flow into Arab region was impacted immediately by the GFC? It provides a case analysis of FDI inflows in the Arab countries to test what is the reduction in these inflows? Are FDI inflows hold due to the assumption of that the region is considered as preferable distention to FDI? The study gives better understanding to the share of each individual Arab country over the period. It also introduces a case analysis of FDI inflow for Arab countries then compare it with other global regions
Assessment of mobile health apps using built-in smartphone sensors for diagnosis and treatment: Systematic survey of apps listed in international curated health app libraries
No full textVandelanotte, CL ORCiD: 0000-0002-4445-8094Background: More than a million health and well-being apps are available from the Apple and Google app stores. Some apps use built-in mobile phone sensors to generate health data. Clinicians and patients can find information regarding safe and effective mobile health (mHealth) apps in third party-curated mHealth app libraries. Objective: These independent Web-based repositories guide app selection from trusted lists, but do they offer apps using ubiquitous, low-cost smartphone sensors to improve health? This study aimed to identify the types of built-in mobile phone sensors used in apps listed on curated health app libraries, the range of health conditions these apps address, and the cross-platform availability of the apps. Methods: This systematic survey reviewed three such repositories (National Health Service Apps Library, AppScript, and MyHealthApps), assessing the availability of apps using built-in mobile phone sensors for the diagnosis or treatment of health conditions. Results: A total of 18 such apps were identified and included in this survey, representing 1.1% (8/699) to 3% (2/76) of all apps offered by the respective libraries examined. About one-third (7/18, 39%) of the identified apps offered cross-platform Apple and Android versions, with a further 50% (9/18) only dedicated to Apple and 11% (2/18) to Android. About one-fourth (4/18, 22%) of the identified apps offered dedicated diagnostic functions, with a majority featuring therapeutic (9/18, 50%) or combined functionality (5/18, 28%). Cameras, touch screens, and microphones were the most frequently used built-in sensors. Health concerns addressed by these apps included respiratory, dermatological, neurological, and anxiety conditions. Conclusions: Diligent mHealth app library curation, medical device regulation constraints, and cross-platform differences in mobile phone sensor architectures may all contribute to the observed limited availability of mHealth apps using built-in phone sensors in curated mHealth app libraries. However, more efforts are needed to increase the number of such apps on curated lists, as they offer easily accessible low-cost options to assist people in managing clinical conditions
Development of design methodology for mortarless masonry system: Case study: A resettlement housing colony
No full textAs the conventional masonry construction is labour and time intensive, it faces challenges from new generation materials and construction techniques. Mortarless masonry system (MMS) is considered as an alternative to conventional masonry as it minimises skilled labour requirement and improves the construction productivity. Despite these advantages, the uptake of the MMS system is hindered by the lack of guidelines in the masonry design standards. Therefore, in this paper, an attempt has been made to extensively review the literature and develop simple design guidelines for the MMS. Primarily the methodologies have been developed to design MMS against axial compression, out-of-plane flexure and in-plane shear actions. The developed guidelines have been applied to the structural design of a conceptual MMS detached house for war affected community resettlement housing scheme in Sri Lanka. The developed design procedures reveal that the MMS can be used for loadbearing actions; however, it requires strengthening for out-of-plane flexure and in-plane shear actions against the cyclonic and seismic actions
A cross-sectional survey of nursing students' patient safety knowledge
No full textReid-Searl, KA ORCiD: 0000-0001-5808-9296Background: Knowledge provides a foundation for safe and effective nursing practice. However, most previous studies have focused on exploring nursing students' self-reported perceptions of, or confidence in, their level of patient safety knowledge, rather than examining their actual levels of knowledge. Objective: The overarching objective of this study was to examine final year nursing students' levels of knowledge about key patient safety concepts. Design: A cross-sectional design was used for this study. Data collection was undertaken during 2018 using a web-based patient safety quiz with 45 multiple choice questions informed by the Patient Safety Competency Framework for Nursing Students. A Modified Angoff approach was used to establish a pass mark or ‘cut score’ for the quiz. Setting and participants: Nursing students enrolled in the final year of a pre-registration nursing program in Australia or New Zealand were invited to participate in the study. Results: In total, 2011 final year nursing students from 23 educational institutions completed the quiz. Mean quiz scores were 29.35/45 or 65.23% (SD 5.63). Participants achieved highest scores in the domains of person-centred care and therapeutic communication, and lowest scores for infection prevention and control and medication safety. Based on the pass mark of 67.3% determined by the Modified Angoff procedure, 44.7% of students (n = 899) demonstrated passing performance on the quiz. For eight of the institutions, less than half of their students achieved a passing mark. Conclusions: Given the pivotal role that nurses play in maintaining patient safety, the results from this quiz raise important questions about the preparation of nursing students for safe and effective clinical practice. The institutional results also suggest the need for increased curricula attention to patient safety. © 2020 Elsevier Lt
Are first-trimester ultrasound features prior to 11 weeks' gestation and maternal factors able to predict maternal hypertensive disorders?
No full textQuinton, AE ORCiD: 0000-0001-6585-7468OBJECTIVES: Maternal hypertensive disorders (MHD) including pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and pre-eclampsia (PET) are estimated to occur in 7-10% of pregnancies world-wide and have significant short- and long-term implications for both mother and fetus. This study aimed to determine (i) if conventional and novel early first trimester ultrasound measures are associated with MHD; and (ii) if these ultrasound measures plus maternal characteristics and biochemistry improve the prediction of this adverse pregnancy outcome. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study including ultrasound measurements recorded at 5+1 to 11 weeks' gestation: mean sac diameter (MSD), yolk sac diameter, crown-rump length, fetal heart rate (FHR), trophoblast thickness, trophoblast volume (TV) and mean uterine artery pulsatility index. Maternal biochemistry considered in analysis included beta human chorionic gonadotropin, pregnancy - associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), placental growth factor (PIGF) and maternal serum alpha fetoprotein. Regression models were fitted for each ultrasound parameter and multiples of the median (MoM) calculated. All measures were compared between cohorts that had a normotensive outcome or subsequently developed MHD. Logistic regression analysis was used to create a prediction model for MHD based on maternal characteristics, ultrasound measurements recorded at 5+1 to 11 weeks' gestation, and maternal biochemistry taken at 10-14 weeks. RESULTS: The maternal weight of women who developed hypertension was significantly greater compared to normotensive women (p<0.0001). Mean MoM values for TV (p = 0.006), PAPP-A (p=0.031) and PlGF (p = 0.044) were all significantly decreased in pregnancies with mothers who subsequently developed hypertension. The proposed logistic regression model includes maternal weight, height, TV, FHR and PIGF resulting in an area under the receiver operator curve 0.80 (95%CI 0.75-0.86). CONCLUSION: The combination of maternal weight and height, TV, FHR and PIGF appears of good predictive value for the development of MHD later in pregnancy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
An epigenetic clock for human skeletal muscle
No full textDoering, TM ORCiD: 0000-0002-6427-1067Background Ageing is associated with DNA methylation changes in all human tissues, and epigenetic markers can estimate chronological age based on DNA methylation patterns across tissues. However, the construction of the original pan-tissue epigenetic clock did not include skeletal muscle samples and hence exhibited a strong deviation between DNA methylation and chronological age in this tissue.
Methods To address this, we developed a more accurate, muscle-specific epigenetic clock based on the genome-wide DNA methylation data of 682 skeletal muscle samples from 12 independent datasets (18–89 years old, 22% women, 99% Caucasian), all generated with Illumina HumanMethylation (HM) arrays (HM27, HM450, or HMEPIC). We also took advantage of the large number of samples to conduct an epigenome-wide association study of age-associated DNA methylation patterns in skeletal muscle.
Results The newly developed clock uses 200 cytosine-phosphate–guanine dinucleotides to estimate chronological age in skeletal muscle, 16 of which are in common with the 353 cytosine-phosphate–guanine dinucleotides of the pan-tissue clock.The muscle clock outperformed the pan-tissue clock, with a median error of only 4.6 years across datasets (vs. 13.1 years for the pan-tissue clock, P < 0.0001) and an average correlation of ρ = 0.62 between actual and predicted age across datasets (vs.ρ = 0.51 for the pan-tissue clock). Lastly, we identified 180 differentially methylated regions with age in skeletal muscle at a false discovery rate < 0.005. However, gene set enrichment analysis did not reveal any enrichment for gene ontologies.
Conclusions We have developed a muscle-specific epigenetic clock that predicts age with better accuracy than the pantissue clock. We implemented the muscle clock in an R package called Muscle Epigenetic Age Test available on BIOCONDUCTOR to estimate epigenetic age in skeletal muscle samples. This clock may prove valuable in assessing the impact of environmental factors, such as exercise and diet, on muscle-specific biological ageing processes
Effect of probiotics and synbiotics on selected anthropometric and biochemical measures in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textKhalesi Taharoom, SS ORCiD: 0000-0002-8208-2518This study aimed to systematically review randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to clarify the effects of pro-/synbiotic supplementation on anthropometric and biochemical measurements in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched through September 2018. Eight RCTs (nine treatment arms) were included. Pro-/synbiotic supplementation significantly reduced fasting blood sugar (−2.52 mg/dl, 95% confidence interval (CI): −4.10 to −0.95), insulin (−2.27 µIU/mL, 95% CI: −3.40 to −1.14), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance index (−0.69, 95% CI: −0.98 to −0.40), C-reactive protein (−1.69 Hedges’, 95% CI: −3.00 to −0.38), and total testosterone (−0.12 ng/mL, 95% CI: −0.17 to −0.08) in women with PCOS. However, changes in the mean difference of weight and body mass index did not reach a statistically significant level. The findings suggest that pro-/synbiotic supplementation may improve glucose homeostasis parameters, hormonal, and inflammatory indices in women with PCOS. © 2019, Springer Nature Limited
Uterine artery pulsatility index assessment at <11 weeks' gestation: A prospective study
No full textQuinton, AE ORCiD: 0000-0001-6585-7468Objective: Mean uterine artery pulsatility index (meanUAPI)
is commonly measured at 11–13+6 weeks to predict adverse
pregnancy outcomes including hypertensive disorders and
small-for-gestational age. The aims of this study were to establish a population-specific reference range for meanUAPI
at <11 weeks, to determine if an abnormal meanUAPI at <11
weeks was associated with adverse pregnancy outcome,
and to assess changes in meanUAPI between <11 weeks and
11–13+6 weeks. Methods: A prospective cohort was examined at <11 weeks and at 11–13+6 weeks to develop reference ranges for meanUAPI. Based on these regression models, meanUAPI Z-scores were compared between outcome
groups using a two-sample t test. Longitudinal changes in
the meanUAPI between <11 and 11–13+6 weeks were assessed by two-way mixed ANOVA. Results: Prior to 11 weeks,
there was no significant difference in meanUAPI between
normal (n = 622) and adverse (n = 80) outcomes (mean [95%
CI]: 2.62 [2.57–2.67] and 2.67 [2.50–2.84], respectively; p =
0.807). At 11–13+6 weeks, meanUAPI was significantly higher
in the adverse (n = 66) compared with the normal (n = 535)
outcome group (mean [95% CI]: 1.87 [1.70–2.03] and 1.67
[1.63–1.72], respectively; p = 0.040). There was a statistically
significant decrease (p < 0.0001) in meanUAPI between the
two time points. Conclusion: MeanUAPI measured at <11
weeks’ gestation does not appear to be a useful marker for
the prediction of placental-related adverse pregnancy outcomes, supporting an argument for the prediction of risk at
11–13+6 weeks’ gestation. s, there was no significant difference in meanUAPI between normal (n