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Supporting men who support women with endometriosis ‘I enjoy it a lot when she enjoys it . . . ’
No full textIntroduction:Men partners to women-with-endometriosis face long-term challenges to their sex life. The man may perceive responsibility for the sexual pain and be tentative about initiating sexual contact. Relationship discord is also common. The limited studies on the male partner recommend further qualitative research to understand the impact. The aim of this study was to find the sexual impacts on the male partner when his female partner experiences dyspareunia due to endometriosis.Methods:Nine male partners, aged between 24 and 42 years, of women diagnosed with endometriosis participated in in-depth interviews which lasted approximately 90 min. The interviews were held by an experienced social worker and psychosexual therapist. Purposive sampling was used to recruit individuals who could provide data specific to their life setting and the research question.Results and conclusion:Sexual frequency is an early casualty as men (and women) attempt to avoid the pain of intercourse. Men reported their arousal (erection and ejaculation/orgasm) being adversely impacted due to an inability to be ‘present’ when their partner was experiencing sexual pain. Participants indicated not wanting to initiate any form of sexual activity due to a fear it might lead to dyspareunia. Lower levels of fear were reported where the focus shifted to non-penis-in-vagina sex. All men value good communication about sexual and relationship matters
Single-nucleus RNA sequencing reveals HBV-driven metabolic reprogramming and TIMP1-mediated fibrosis in human-liver-chimeric mice
No full textIntroduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a leading cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Despite advances in antiviral therapies, the mechanisms underlying HBV-induced metabolic reprogramming and liver fibrosis remain poorly understood. Methods: We employed single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) which is particularly suitable for hepatocytic sequencing to dissect the transcriptional landscape of HBV-infected and uninfected hepatocytes in humanized URG mice (Hu-URG). Results and Discussion: Chronic HBV infection was successfully established in Hu-URG mice, with progressive increases in serum HBV DNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg levels. snRNA-seq revealed distinct human hepatocyte clusters (clusters 9, 16, 23) characterizing elevated expression of metabolic genes (ALB, UGT2B17, CYP2A6) in HBV-infected cells, while HBV-uninfected cells exhibited upregulation of TIMP1 and pro-fibrotic pathways. Immunofluorescence and histological analyses confirmed that HBV-uninfected hepatocytes (HBsAg-) displayed higher TIMP1 expression and reduced albumin (hALB) levels, correlating with increased collagen deposition in HBV-hu-URG mice. Notably, this TIMP1+HBsAg-hALBlow phenotype was also observed in liver biopsies from chronic HBV patients, underscoring its clinical relevance. Our findings highlight HBV-driven metabolic adaptation and identify TIMP1 as a potential mediator of fibrosis in uninfected hepatocytes, offering novel insights into HBV pathogenesis and therapeutic targeting.</p
Policy Considerations for Elevating the Capacity of Australian Community Sport Clubs in Building Social Capital and Promoting Social Cohesion in Rural Settings
No full textInternational collaboration in advanced practice education — a catalyst for workforce sustainability and health system resilience October 20253(4):203-206 DOI: 10.12968/ijap.2025.0008 Melanie ClarksonJennie ScarvellSusan Nancarrow
No full textAustralia faces significant challenges in providing accessible, high-quality healthcare, particularly owing to workforce retention issues and the growing complexity of patient needs. This article provides a commentary on the collaboration between universities to develop a contemporary postgraduate programme for advanced practitioners in Australia. To support the development of advanced practitioner roles, the University of Canberra in Australia collaborated with Sheffield Hallam University in England to develop a sustainable programme tailored to Australia's diverse healthcare needs. This international collaboration involved an open exchange of knowledge and expertise. Unlike traditional, discipline-specific programmes, the new programme is inclusive of diverse healthcare professions and contexts, empowering them to provide advanced, evidence-based care
A cross-sectional study of how cancer nurses document the nursing processes using Digital Health Record (DHR)
No full textSTUDY AIM: The aim of the study is to explore how nurses document the nursing processes within a cancer care setting using digital health record (DHR).RESEARCH QUESTION: How do nurses document the nursing processes within a cancer care setting using DHR?STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study.METHODOLOGY: Twenty clinical care records were randomly selected from a large metropolitan hospital in a single medical oncology inpatient ward in Australia. The audit was conducted using the D-Catch instrument to assess the completeness and quality of nursing record using the five elements of the nursing process. Data analysis was conducted in IBM SPSS Statistics version 29.FINDINGS: The findings from the study showed evidence of high scores across all aspects of the nursing process, both in the completeness of record and an overall positive outcome for the quality of nursing documentation. However, documentation relating to assessment of patients' holistic care needs showed low to zero evidence of any documented record.IMPLICATIONS ON CARE: This study provided important insight into the documentation of the nursing processes within DHR. The concerns around limited documentation in capturing holistic care needs require attention. The application of D-Catch tool in assessing the nursing process remains useful, as shown in this study; however, its usability within a digital context needs further investigation.</p
University Rents Enabling Corporate Innovation:Mapping Academic Researcher Coding and Discursive Labour in the R Language Ecosystem
No full textThis article explores the role of unrecognised labour in corporate innovation systems via an analysis of researcher coding and discursive contributions to R, one of the largest statistical software ecosystems. Studies of online platforms typically focus on how platform affordances constrain participants’ actions, and profit from their labour. We innovate by connecting the labour performed inside digital platforms to the professional employment of participants. Our case study analyses 8,924 R package repositories on GitHub, examining commits and communications. Our quantitative findings show that researchers, alongside non-affiliated contributors, are the most frequent owners of R package repositories and their most active contributors. Researchers are more likely to hold official roles compared to the average, and to engage in collaborative problem-solving and support work during package development. This means there is, underneath the ‘recognised’ category of star researchers who transition between academia and industry and secure generous funding, an ‘unrecognised’ category of researchers who not only create and maintain key statistical infrastructure, but also provide support to industry employees, for no remuneration. Our qualitative findings show how this unrecognised labour affects practitioners. Finally, our analysis of the ideology and practice of free, libre and open source software (FLOSS) shows how this ideology and practice legitimate the use of ‘university rents’ by Big Tech. In conclusion, we argue that existing mechanisms are insufficient to ensure these digital commons’ sustainability: FLOSS needs broader systemic support
Exploring Determinants of Information Security Systems Adoption in Saudi Arabian SMEs: An Integrated Multitheoretical Model
No full textHigh cybersecurity risks and attacks cause information theft, unauthorized access to data and information, reputational damage, and financial loss in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This creates a need to adopt information security systems of SMEs through innovation and compliance with information security policies. This study seeks to develop an integrated research model assessing the adoption of InfoSec systems in SMEs based on three existing theories, namely the technology acceptance model (TAM), theory of reasoned action (TRA), and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). A thorough review of literature identified prior experience, enjoyment of new InfoSec technology, top management support, IT infrastructure, security training, legal-governmental regulations, and attitude as potential determinants of adoption of InfoSec systems. A self-developed and self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 418 employees, mid-level managers, and top-level managers working in SMEs operating in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study found that prior experience, top management support, IT infrastructure, security training, and legal-governmental regulations have a positive impact on attitude toward InfoSec systems, which in turn positively influences the adoption of InfoSec systems. Gender, education, and occupation significantly moderated the impact of some determinants on attitude and, consequently, adoption of InfoSec systems. Such an integrated framework offers actionable insights and recommendations, including enhancing information security awareness and compliance with information security policies, as well as increasing profitability within SMEs. The study findings make considerable theoretical contributions to the development of knowledge and deliver practical contributions towards the status of SMEs in Saudi Arabia
Qualia structures collapse for geometric shapes, but not faces, when spatial attention is withdrawn
No full textTop-down attentional amplification is often assumed to affect ‘what’ we see, that is, the contents of conscious experience. Previously, this claim has been examined by studies that manipulated attention and characterized conscious perception in binary categorical labels (e.g. seen versus unseen). However, these categorical judgments are not powerful enough to characterize the quality of conscious perception, or ‘how’ we see, or qualia, for short. To address this, we introduce a similarity rating paradigm to consciousness research that tries to characterize the attentional effects on the structure of the quality of experience, or qualia structures for short. Under the dual-task paradigm, participants rated the similarity of stimulus pairs in the periphery. We used three stimulus sets, the rotated letters ‘L’ and ‘T’ (N=14), rotated red/green bisected disks (N=14) or greyscale faces (N=13). The similarity ratings of all the pairs described the phenomenological relationships between the stimuli, and served as a proxy for the qualia structure of conscious experience of the stimuli; which we characterized with dimension reduction and an unsupervised optimal transport alignment technique. We found that alignment accuracy remained high for face qualia structures under both full and poor attention. Withdrawal of attention collapsed qualia structures for letters and disks. Extending previous dual-task approaches from binary categorizations to relational judgments, our approach establishes a novel pathway to elucidate qualia structures.</p
A remedy for epistemic pollution? Public and professional reactions to fact-checking with Wikipedia in Australian classrooms.
Get PDFAny attempt to increase the information literacy of citizens must incorporate the need to restore trust in our public institutions. To that end, we propose three principles for an effective information literacy strategy: non-partisanship, speed, and transparency. These principles were put into practice during an information literacy program trialled in four Canberra (Australian Capital Territory) primary schools in 2022. This program innovated in three respects: first, because of the age of the students, since information literacy is typically researched in high schools or universities; second, because we challenged conventional understandings of critical thinking by recommending that students “read laterally”; and third, because we used Wikipedia as a fact-checking resource - for the most part, Wikipedia’s auditable and distributed peer review neutralises misinformation. In this paper, we outline why the current crisis of trust in public institutions necessitates adopting such innovative approaches, and analyse the reactions we encountered when presenting our program in public and professional arenas. These reactions centered around the use of Wikipedia. Classroom teachers sometimes reacted adversely, though teacher-librarians were highly supportive, leading us to conclude that there is a need to reform teacher education. Finally, we review issues which still affect Wikipedia, such as manipulation attempts and systemic imbalances
Girls just wanna have funds and job stability in dementia research: A cross-sectional worldwide survey exploring gender differences in career motivations, satisfaction, perceived challenges and retention
Get PDFBackground As a leading cause of death worldwide, research into dementia-related diseases is crucial. Women represent two-thirds of people with dementia, yet women are underrepresented in dementia research leadership. To explore this, our gender-stratified study of dementia researchers investigated their motivations, role satisfaction, and perceived barriers to career progression and retention. Method Our global survey targeted early career dementia researchers (ECDRs) through social media and email lists. Multi-choice questions were used, often with an ?Other? write-in option. Descriptive statistics were compared using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests as appropriate. For gender comparisons, women and men were included, given the low sample size of other genders. Result Three-hundred-and-nine respondents included undergraduates to full professors: 68% women, 30% men, and 1% genderqueer, non-binary, or self-described. Half of respondents were considering leaving dementia research, particularly women (57% vs. 46% of men, p = 0.07) and ECDRs (40% of undergraduates, 61% postgraduates, 63% postdocs, 30% assistant professors, 21% full professors, p = 0.009). One in five women, but no men, reported their gender as one of the most significant barriers to their career progression. Job availability/security and work-life balance were also considered career barriers by more women than men (70% vs. 47%, p