38869 research outputs found
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Emerging and re-emerging bacterial zoonoses in Nigeria: Current preventive measures and future approaches to intervention
No full textTaylor-Robinson, AW ORCiD: 0000-0001-7342-8348A characteristic of bacterial zoonoses, diseases caused by bacteria that can be transmitted to humans from animals, is a propensity to re-emerge. Several studies demonstrate their ongoing transmission in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. However, as local epidemiological data on bacterial zoonoses are inadequate the extent and impact of these infectious diseases is under-reported. Consequently, they are not a targeted priority of national public health policies. This limited recognition is despite indications of their possible roles in the widespread prevalence of non-malarial undifferentiated fever in Nigeria. While a number of animal reservoirs and arthropod vectors have been identified in the transmission routes of these diseases, an escalation of cases of undiagnosed febrile illness highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of other potential reservoirs, vectors and transmission cycles that may increase the local risk of infection with bacterial zoonoses. Animal health interventions have been proposed as a cost-effective strategy. Here, we present a broad overview of bacterial zoonotic infections of humans in Nigeria in the context of evolving epidemiological patterns. Further, we propose that facilitating the operation of a community-based One Health program is essential to providing the comprehensive epidemiological information that is required to improve prioritization of bacterial zoonoses. This would provide a driver for much needed investment in relevant public health interventions in Africa's most populous country
An exploration of the characteristics, structures and functions of Australian voluntary coastal conservation groups
No full textReid, J ORCiD: 0000-0002-1346-2023The place where the land meets the sea, has an iconic status in the Australian culture and way of life with more than 85% of the population living a maximum of one hour away from the sea. Coastal and marine biodiversity underpins human existence, health and prosperity, but is under increasing environmental challenge.This challenge is met formally through government investment in biodiversity conservation, however, the levels of funding are declining. Alongside funded action, civic participation in voluntary work has presented one solution to addressing ecological challenges. The Australian federal, state and local governments have called on citizens to voluntarily participate in natural resource management programs associated with conserving biodiversity.On the other hand, there is a downward trend in participation across all voluntary sectors. It is important that the recruitment, ongoing participation and actions of environmental volunteer groups are better understood so that their contribution can be sustained and enhanced. The purpose of this research was to improve our understanding of the efficacy and sustainability of voluntary coastal conservation groups (CCGs) and to contribute to academic knowledge using approaches that are able to support this understanding. It used a qualitative mixed methods research approach.
A review of the literature showed insufficient academic knowledge about the volunteer experience, and the operations and functions of present-day CCGs. One common approach outlined in the literature is the function’s approach to understanding the motivations, benefits and experience of volunteers in conservation work. This research investigated the functions of CCGs in the contemporary Australian volunteering context. It suggested modifications to these functions based on the findings in the data in the unique coastal context in this nation. However, understanding the functions of volunteers as individuals does not fully explain the ways in which CCGs operate to engage their
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volunteers. To support an approach through which to understand the way the organisation itself operated, this research used a community of practice framework. This model was shown in the data to support the understanding of the ways in which volunteers drew together in the context of coastal conservation to work as a community in this domain. This focus on the operations of the CCG supported greater understanding of the way in which the social community of volunteers interacted and engaged in conservation work.
The research findings were used to develop a CCG Functions Framework, specific to the coastal conservation volunteering context, which can be used by practitioners to further understand volunteers’ personal characteristics, reasons for volunteering, satisfaction and benefits attained from volunteering. This knowledge can be used to support the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The results of this research supported a CCG Communities of Practice Framework which was used to explain the operation of the CCGs and to make recommendations of community actions that are able to support and enhance the operations of CCGs and through this to improve conservation outcomes.
The unique contribution of this research is the combination of two models that result in simple tools that can be used to audit CCGs. The first is a tool that integrates the motivations, perceived benefits and sources of satisfaction as characteristics of volunteers in coastal conservation work. The second is a tool that can be used to audit the operations of the CCG as a community of practice to better understand ways in which to enhance their function
Are prolonged sitting and sleep restriction a dual curse for the modern workforce a randomised controlled trial protocol
No full textFerguson, SA ORCiD: 0000-0002-9682-7971; Gupta, CC ORCiD: 0000-0003-2436-3327; Lastella, AM ORCiD: 0000-0003-1793-3811; Sprajcer, MA ORCiD: 0000-0002-4966-871X; Vandelanotte, CL ORCiD: 0000-0002-4445-8094; Vincent, GE ORCiD: 0000-0002-7036-7823Prolonged sitting and inadequate sleep are a growing concern in society and are associated with impairments to cardiometabolic health and cognitive performance. However, the combined effect of prolonged sitting and inadequate sleep on measures of health and cognitive performance are unknown. In addition, the circadian disruption caused by shiftwork may further impact workers’ cardiometabolic health and cognitive performance. This protocol paper outlines the methodology for exploring the impact of simultaneous exposure to prolonged sitting, sleep restriction and circadian disruption on cardiometabolic and cognitive performance outcomes
The free achilles tendon is shorter, stiffer, has larger cross-sectional area and longer T2* relaxation time in trained middle-distance runners compared to healthy controls
No full textObst, SJ ORCiD: 0000-0003-4299-9628Tendon geometry and tissue properties are important determinants of tendon function and injury risk and are altered in response to ageing, disease, and physical activity levels. The purpose of this study was to compare free Achilles tendon geometry and mechanical properties between trained elite/sub-elite middle-distance runners and a healthy control group. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure free Achilles tendon volume, length, average cross-sectional area (CSA), regional CSA, moment arm, and T2* relaxation time at rest, while freehand three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) was used to quantify free Achilles tendon mechanical stiffness, Young’s modulus, and length normalised mechanical stiffness. The free Achilles tendon in trained runners was significantly shorter and the average and regional CSA (distal end) were significantly larger compared to the control group. Mechanical stiffness of the free Achilles tendon was also significantly higher in trained runners compared to controls, which was explained by the group differences in tendon CSA and length. T2* relaxation time was significantly longer in trained middle-distance runners when compared to healthy controls. There was no relationship between T2* relaxation time and Young’s modulus. The longer T2* relaxation time in trained runners may be indicative of accumulated damage, disorganised collagen, and increased water content in the free Achilles tendon. A short free Achilles tendon with large CSA and higher mechanical stiffness may enable trained runners to rapidly transfer high muscle forces and possibly reduce the risk of tendon damage from mechanical fatigue
Comparisons of the resilient moduli of asphalt mixes containing recycled materials through empirical and experimental methods
No full textMirzababaei, M ORCiD: 0000-0002-4801-8811; Tahmoorian, F ORCiD: 0000-0002-5158-2077The stiffness of asphalt mixes is a fundamental property that plays an important role in determining the performance of asphaltpavement under traffic loading. The resilient modulus (stiffness) of asphalt mixes can be either determined using laboratory experiments orpredicted through empirical methods based on asphalt components’properties. This paper characterized the effect of recycled materialsincluding recycled construction aggregate (RCA) and glass on the resilient modulus of asphalt mixes using both an empirical methodand a series of laboratory experiments. In addition, the resilient moduli obtained from different methods for different asphalt mixes werecompared, and the accuracy and reliability of different empirical methods were discussed accordingly. The outcomes indicated that in cases inwhich the value of resilient modulus cannot be obtained experimentally, empirical equations cannot well predict the actual resilient modulus.Furthermore, the addition of RCA and glass at a certain amount was shown to improve the resilient modulus of the asphalt mix. This may beattributed to the basic properties of RCA due to its smaller flakiness index and particle shape compared with virgin aggregates. These twoparameters significantly affected the final performance of asphalt mixes
The COVID-19 pandemic and the public health challenges in Bangladesh: A commentary
No full textHaque, MJ ORCiD: 0000-0001-9063-3060Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to highlight the current pandemic situation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Bangladesh, how the Government is managing this unprecedented condition and encountering
these increasing public health challenges.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a viewpoint of the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in Bangladesh.
Findings – As one of the most densely populated countries, Bangladesh is vulnerable to COVID-19. Currently, the infection of COVID-19 is spreading fast and started to capture all the parts of Bangladesh. The Government of Bangladesh has already taken several preventive measures to overcome the pandemic such as declaring hotspots of COVID-19 and setting lock downs, increasing mass awareness through social media and satellite TV channels. They are also encouraging private and community healthcare initiatives to increase hospital beds and COVID-19 treatment facilities. Besides, the Government has deployed defense force and additional health workers and increased public holidays to reduce the number of coronavirus infections. However, both the number of infected people and the death toll is rising, and there are growing challenges that the Government and public healthcare professions need to overcome.
Originality/value – This paper delivers information about the present developing situation of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, how the Government is handling and public health challenges that have raised. This paper can be
helpful for the policymakers and Government officials for effective public health interventions
Comparative non-targeted metabolomic analysis reveals insights into the mechanism of rice yellowing
No full textStrappe, P ORCiD: 0000-0003-0100-0558Yellowing of rice during storage is a highly concerned issue for managing rice quality whereas the yellowing mechanism is not clearly elucidated so far. Thus, the comparative untargeted metabolomic analysis was performed in this study. The results revealed that glycolysis pathway and tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) were significantly enhanced in yellowed rice, indicating the activated energy metabolism was trigged during the yellowing process. In addition, the increased aromatic compounds (4-hydroxycinnamic acid and benzoic acid) and their precursors (phenylalanine, tyrosine) suggested the activation of shikimate-phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in yellowed rice, which is an antioxidant defense related pathway. In particular, the pathways involved in the metabolism of glutamate and arginine also significantly altered in yellowed rice. Therefore, the enriched pathways of increased amino acids, sugars, sugar alcohols, and intermediates of the TCA cycle during yellowing process are proposed to be associated with the response of heat and dry induced by the yellowing process. © 2019 Elsevier Lt
A qualitative content analysis of retained surgical items: Learning from root cause analysis investigations
No full textThomas, MJ ORCiD: 0000-0002-5553-5825Objective: To describe incidents of retained surgical items, including their characteristics and the circumstances in which they occur. Design: A qualitative content analysis of root cause analysis investigation reports. Setting: Public health services in Victoria, Australia, 2010-2015. Participants: Incidents of retained surgical items as described by 31 root cause analysis investigation reports. Main Outcome Measure(s): The type of retained surgical item, the length of time between the item being retained and detected and qualitative descriptors of the contributing factors and the circumstances in which the retained surgical items occurred. Results: Surgical packs, drain tubes and vascular devices comprised 68% (21/31) of the retained surgical items. Nearly one-quarter of the retained surgical items were detected either immediately in the post-operative period or on the day of the procedure (7/31). However, about one-sixth (5/31) were only detected after 6 months, with the longest period being 18 months. Contributing factors included complex or multistage surgery; the use of packs not specific to the purpose of the surgery; and design features of the surgical items. Conclusion: Retained drains occurred in the post-operative phase where surgical counts are not applicable and clinician situational awareness may not be as great. Root cause analysis investigation reports can be a valuable means of characterizing infrequently occurring adverse events such as retained surgical items. They may detect incidents that are not detected by other data collections and can inform the design enhancements and development of technologies to reduce the impact of retained surgical items. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved
COVID-19 and malaria in sub-Saharan Africa: Holistic diagnostic approaches may promote effective clinical case management
No full textTaylor-Robinson, AW ORCiD: 0000-0001-7342-8348Since the start of 2020 the rapidly escalating number of deaths from confirmed cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 has become a major global public health concern. With the existing significant burden that malaria poses in sub-Saharan Africa, it is clear that in this low-income region the cumulative effects of SARS-CoV-2 and Plasmodium infections will devastate already fragile national economies. In turn, this will have a severely deleterious impact on under-resourced, overstretched and overwhelmed health care systems. The similarities in the clinical signs and symptoms of these two febrile diseases and the availability of very few COVID-19 molecular diagnostic centres might contribute significantly to the difficulties experienced in the sustainable management of these twin public health threats. Here, decentralization of validated rapid diagnostic kits for parallel testing of suspected cases of COVID-19 and malaria in health care centres is described. We argue that for both urban populations and underserved rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa the use of malaria and COVID-19 rapid tests as a dual holistic diagnostic approach in patient care settings may promote more effective control and facilitate appropriate treatment of each disease
Extending literacy skills with picture books we love
No full textVanderburg, MA ORCiD: 0000-0003-3769-0394As pre-service teachers, Janita and Brigid wanted to find ways to share picture books they enjoy with their students while developing literacy skills through read-alouds and extended activities. With the help of their university lecturer, Michelle, they developed the following activities that were successful to encourage a love of reading as well as improve reading and writing skills