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How to accurately measure attention to video advertising
No full textAttention has been proposed as a replacement for ratings to better measure advertising exposure quality. Attention measurement suppliers, who are key stakeholders in this proposed shift, have primarily used eye tracking to assess how people pay attention to ads. However, other literature-supported physiological measures may be beneficial or superior for measuring attention to advertising (e.g. heart rate, skin conductance). This research used a lab-based experiment that manipulated attention levels to video ads (i.e. high vs low) to test the accuracy of a range of potentially scalable physiological attention measures. Eight physiological measures were collected and compared to electroencephalogram (EEG), a 'gold standard' but non-scalable direct measure of attention, and a survey-based self-reported attention measure. The results suggest that eye tracking measures have problems discriminating high attention from low attention. Heart rate proved best at this discrimination task and has the advantage of being able to measure attention to sound as well as visuals
Trends in cardiometabolic conditions and pregnancy outcomes: a retrospective cohort study in South-Eastern Melbourne
No full textObjectives To examine trends in preconception and pregnancy cardiometabolic risk factors and conditions, pregnancy and birth complications, obstetric interventions, and the impact of COVID-19, and to forecast future disease burden. Design A multi-centre retrospective cohort study. Setting A large hospital network with three maternity hospitals serving ethnically diverse populations in Melbourne, Australia. Participants Pregnant women who gave birth between 2016 and 2022. Outcome measures Trends in cardiometabolic conditions, birth complications and obstetric interventions. Results Over 7 years, 63 232 women were included, of whom 40% were nulliparous, and 60.9% were born overseas from 167 countries. From 2016–2022, maternal age (30.2–31.3 years), obesity (21.0%–26.2%), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (15.9%–28.1%) and caesarean delivery (28.5%–37.6%) increased, while average gestational weight gain, premature births and special care admissions declined from 12.6–11.6 kg, 6.3%–4.9% and 24.2%–14.1%, respectively; and was statistically significant (p<0.05). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy remained stable, fluctuating slightly (6.5% in 2016, 7.6% in 2020, 6.9% in 2022). During the COVID-19 lockdown period, the odds of GDM and induced birth increased by 8.0%, whereas the odds of caesarean section decreased by 5.0%. GDM is forecast to reach 43.0% by 2028. Conclusions Prepregnancy and pregnancy cardiometabolic risk factors and conditions, pregnancy and birth complications, and obstetric interventions increased markedly over 7 years. Despite this, offspring complications, including special care admissions, stillbirths and prematurity, decreased, while pregnancy complications peaked during COVID-19. GDM is forecasted to increase to 43.0% by 2028, posing an unsustainable health and economic burden that necessitates urgent public health initiatives.Yitayeh Belsti, Kirsten R Palmer, Lisa J Moran, Daniel L Rolnik, Rebecca Goldstein, Aya Mousa, Joanne Enticott, Helena J Teed
Alba protein-mediated gene and protein regulation in protozoan parasites
No full textThe success of protozoan parasites relies heavily on regulation of gene and protein expression to facilitate their persistence in harsh and often changing environments. These parasites display biology that is highly divergent from model eukaryotes, unfortunately leaving our understanding of these parasites’ critical regulatory mechanisms incomplete. Alba proteins, a highly diverse group of DNA/RNA-binding proteins, are found across all domains of life and it has become increasingly apparent that these proteins play key regulatory roles in many protozoan parasite species including Plasmodium, Leishmania, Toxoplasma, and Trypanosoma. This review focusses on a subset of clinically relevant protozoan parasites and highlights the key biological processes known to have Alba protein involvement in these organisms including parasite development, survival, and virulence. In order to gain greater insight into these proteins, we also undertook a bioinformatic exploration of their protein sequences, leading us to identify previously unreported C-terminal Alba domain motifs and propose annotations for several currently unannotated protozoan Alba-like proteins. This collation of information allows us to observe common themes in Alba protein function across this group of parasites while also identifying areas of opportunity for further study.Meghan E. Zadow, Christopher A. MacRaild, Darren J. Creek, Danny W. Wilso
Immunogenicity and safety study of a single dose of SpikoGen® vaccine as a heterologous or homologous intramuscular booster following a primary course of mRNA, adenoviral vector or recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine in ambulatory adults
No full textBackground: SpikoGen® is a subunit recombinant Wuhan spike protein produced in insect cells and formulated with Advax-CpG55.2™ adjuvant. It is approved for adult and pediatric use in the Middle East. This study tested the safety and immunogenicity of SpikoGen® as a 3rd, 4th or 5th dose booster following a primary immunisation course of mRNA, adenovirus or SpikoGen® vaccine.
Methods: The trial recruited participants who had received a previous doses of COVID-19 vaccine more than 3 months prior. Each received a single intramuscular booster dose of SpikoGen® vaccine. Spike and nuclear protein antibody levels were measured at 1 and 3 months post-booster, together with collection of data on SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections and symptoms of long COVID.
Results: One-month post-booster, anti-spike IgG, sVNT, and pVNT levels were increased in all groups and there was ∼4-fold neutralizing antibodies against the heterologous Omicron BA.2 and BA.4/5 strains. The SpikoGen®-prime group had the highest levels of anti-spike IgG3, consistent with the Advax-CpG adjuvant driving IgG3 induction. There was no effect of age on the vaccine response. The booster dose was well tolerated with no vaccine-associated serious adverse events. Nine participants (9/74, 12.2 %) had a breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection between 2 weeks and 3 months post-booster. No long COVID was observed after breakthrough infections. Breakthrough infection was negatively correlated with baseline anti-nuclear protein IgG seropositivity.
Conclusion: A single SpikoGen® booster was well tolerated and stimulated cross- antibody responses against Omicron variants, regardless of the primary vaccine course received. With SARS-CoV-2 variants continuing to evolve, ongoing research is needed into optimum booster strategies
Negative interest rates and shadow banking
No full textWe examine the effects of negative interest rate policy (NIRP) on the scale of shadow banking. Utilising a Triple Differences (TD) model and a cross-country dataset of 676 non-bank financial intermediaries from 28 OECD countries over the period 2011-2017, we observe a reduction in the size of shadow banking entities. Moreover, the impact of NIRP is heterogeneous based on country- and entity-specific characteristics such as inflation, entity size, and specialisation. Larger entities in moderate to high inflation environments tend to experience more significant size contractions. Our findings remain robust across various tests
Look at me! Foot health education for the Aboriginal Health Workforce
No full textPodiatrists are, in rural and remote areas, 'visiting specialists', ensuring weeks, and at times months, between visits. One unique way of addressing this time gap is to upskill Aboriginal Health Workers and Health Practitioners, as the local workforce, in foot health, how to undertake foot assessments and conduct screening
Alternative formulation for designing circular supply chains: a case study of sustainable lead-acid battery production
No full textThis study introduces an alternative formulation that integrates forward and reverse supply chains with an emphasis on material circulation for enhanced sustainability. The model incorporates the bill of materials in both manufacturing and recycling processes and is validated through a case study of a lead-acid battery manufacturer. By including bill of materials, the model provides a comprehensive view of all materials involved and their transformation processes. This ensures accurate tracking of material flows and optimizes the reusability of components. Computational experiments are designed to compare the performance of three different approaches which are non-circular, sequential, and integrated. The results demonstrate that the integrated approach requires lower amounts of virgin materials, leading to a 19% savings in procurement costs for the forward supply chain. Although the required investments in the reverse supply chain partially offset these savings, the total cost of circular supply chain is still 6.67% smaller than that of the non-circular approach. This investment can be considered as a cost-effective corporate social responsibility strategy that enhances supply chain sustainability. The model provides a valuable management tool for industries to evaluate the potential of transitioning to circular supply chains
Relative reliability of muscle Function measured with electronic handgrip dynamometry and sccelerometry
No full textSexual abuse in childhood: pregnancy, birth and postnatal care considerations
No full textThis document is a South Australian Perinatal Practice Guideline focused on providing healthcare guidance for supporting individuals who have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA) during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. It aims to ensure trauma-informed, respectful maternity care, acknowledging the unique challenges these survivors may face when navigating perinatal healthcare.The guideline covers key considerations such as identifying survivors, providing sensitive and appropriate care during antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods, and supporting mental health and well-being. It highlights the importance of continuity of care, informed consent, culturally appropriate care, and minimising triggers that may cause distress. The document also includes recommendations for clinicians, referral pathways, and support services, reinforcing a holistic and supportive approach to maternity care for survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Policy, regulation and pedagogy: a brief history of supervisor development and training in Australia and the United Kingdom
No full textHigh quality supervision is a key determinant of the quality of a research student’s experience, their likelihood of success, and their time to completion. Several decades of research and commentary suggests that supervision is not always high quality and one regularly suggested solution to the problem is that professional development or training for research degree supervisors should be provided by institutions and that, in some cases, undertaking it should be compulsory for supervisors themselves. Using a four-fold typology of supervisor development, this article traces the way in which supervisor development and training has emerged in Australia and the UK since the 1980s, examining the way in which the interplay between professional ideology and expertise, changes in the external environment for practice, and technological development, has shaped both its history and its current shape. Generally, individual academic initiatives emerged first, followed by institutional initiatives and then, as a result of developments in IT, networking and social media capabilities, web-based initiatives, but there was (and continues to be) overlap and synergy across this area of academic practice