50716 research outputs found
Sort by
Crossing the Line:A critical systematic review of escalation crossover offending in online child sexual exploitation
Get PDFIn this systematic review, we provide a summary of the current knowledge and understanding of escalation crossover offenders who transition from online to subsequent contact child sexual offenses. A systematic search of 14 databases was conducted to identify literature relevant to escalation crossover offenders. Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings reveal different profiles of escalation crossover from child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) offending, online solicitation (OS) offending, and commercial offending. Risk factors and characteristics of CSEM escalation crossover offenders included age, prior criminal history, sexual inclination toward children, cognitive distortions, severity, extremity, and frequency of CSEM engagement, communicating or attempting to communicate with children, and networking with other CSEM offenders. Risk factors and characteristics of OS escalation crossover offenders included race, age, marital/relationship status, employment status, education level, sexual inclination toward children, cognitive distortions, psychiatric disorders, and prior criminal history. Risk factors and characteristics of commercial escalation crossover offenders included race, age, employment status, marital/relationship status, and denying a history of contact offending. Behavioral themes were also identified for OS and commercial escalation crossover offenders. Findings and future directions are discussed in relation to practical, policy, and research implications.</p
From the Strawberry to the Snowflake to Nuclear Democracy
No full textIndigenous research frameworks, such as heart-led practicesfrom the Anishinaabe and Ojibwe perspectives, demonstrate how theorycan be derived from the place and purpose of a real, non-human, entityor event. This article develops theory for democracy out of snow – bothin terms of how it manifests and what happens when it falls over wherepeople live. From this snow-led intervention into democratic theorycomes the argument that democratic moments, like elections, mini-publics, snow and protests, should be critically engaged for the ways inwhich they can generate sporadic events and for how they can relax orharden every-day social, political, economic, and legal structures whichcan lead to democratic possibilities. When snow falls to earth, especiallyin large volume, it temporarily presents itself to people who must inter-act with it and these people can, by consequence, become temporarilydemocratized by relation
Evaluating regional and temporal variations in quality indicators for opioid initiation and pharmacist medication reviews in Ontario:A population-based repeated cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: Quality indicators (QIs) are measures used to evaluate quality of services but are often underused in pharmacy practice. This study examines trends in 2 established QIs in community pharmacy. Methods: We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study in Ontario using administrative data collected between 2013 and 2023. We measured 2 QIs designed for pharmacy practice annually: (1) percentage of newly dispensed opioid prescriptions exceeding 50 morphine milligram equivalents (MME), and (2) percentage of eligible patients receiving pharmacist medication reviews within 7 days of hospital discharge. Regional differences were summarized using variance calculations, while temporal trends were analyzed using Mann-Kendall tests. Results: The opioid indicator demonstrated a consistent decline in the percentage of newly dispensed opioid prescriptions exceeding 50 MME across Ontario, with an absolute reduction of 10.5% from 2013 (25.6%) to 2023 (15.1%). High-dose opioid initiation ranged from 12.8% (Central) to 16.7% (West) in 2023 (range 3.9%, variance 2.3%). Significant time trends were found for all regions, with the largest reductions observed in urban regions. For the medication review indicator, provincial trends declined by 7.6%, from 16.7% in 2013 to 9.1% in 2017, followed by a modest recovery to 12.5% by 2023. Regionally, rates of medication reviews varied, with rural areas maintaining higher uptake rates compared with urban centres. Rates ranged from 7.8% (Toronto) to 16.2% (North) in 2023 (range 8.4%, variance 10.0%). A significant time trend was found only in Eastern Ontario. Conclusion: Significant declines in high-dose opioid initiation but inconsistent uptake of reviews across regions indicate opportunities for improvement in pharmacy practice.</p
Targeting Metabolic Syndrome with a Pre-Conception True-Couples-Based Lifestyle Intervention:A Pre-Post Mixed-Methods Evaluation
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: Metabolic syndrome (Mets) risk is influenced by both parents’ preconception lifestyle, yet most interventions target individuals rather than couples. True couples-based interventions that engage both partners equally remain rare. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and adherence of a 10-week lifestyle intervention delivered to heterosexual couples in the preconception period. Methods: This was a pre-post mixed-methods study involving eight nulliparous, cohabiting couples (N = 16 participants) planning a pregnancy within three years. Couples received tailored dietary and physical activity advice via remote sessions. Qualitative data were collected through post-intervention dyadic interviews and thematically analysed to explore participants’ experiences and perspectives on feasibility and adherence. Quantitative data on anthropometry, dietary intake (serves from five food groups), and sedentary behaviour were descriptively analysed. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess changes in paired outcomes. Results: qualitative findings highlighted shared motivation, mutual accountability, cultural barriers, and the practicality of the intervention structure. All couples completed the intervention (100% retention). Among participants who required change, improvements were observed in all eight individuals for body mass index and in five out of seven individuals for waist-to-hip ratio. Statistically significant improvements were found in BMI (p = 0.027) and grain intake (p = 0.002), while other dietary and anthropometric changes were not significant. Dietary improvements were noted in 43 out of 80 observations across vegetables, fruits, grains, protein, and dairy intake. Sedentary hours were reduced in 12 of 16 participants, though increases in physical activity intensity were limited. Conclusions: A true-couples-based lifestyle intervention is feasible and acceptable in the preconception period. The approach shows potential for improving diet and reducing sedentary behaviour. Future research with a larger sample and longer duration is recommended to assess long-term effectiveness and broader applicability.</p
Help‑Seeking for Sexual Difficulties Among Australian Men: Analysis of the Ten to Men Longitudinal Study
No full textSexual difficulties are common among Australian men, affecting over half the population regardless of age or sexual identity. It can have significant impacts on physical health, mental well-being, and quality of life if left untreated. The present study aimed to examine sexual difficulty trends, sources of seeking help, and factors associated with sexual help-seeking behavior among a cohort of Australian men. Four waves of data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health (Ten to Men) were used in the analysis. We included men aged 18 years and above who had engaged in vaginal, oral, or anal sex, leading to a total sample size of 12,737 (wave 1), 8,933 (wave 2), 6,991 (wave 3), and 5,804 (wave 4) men. Logistic regression was undertaken to identify factors associated with sexual help-seeking behavior. Across the four waves, there was a significant rise in the prevalence of men experiencing at least one form of sexual difficulty, increasing from 54.1% (95% CI 52.7, 62.5) in 2013/14 to 64.7% (95% CI 62.8, 66.7) in 2022. The increase in prevalence of sexual difficulties was more pronounced among men from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds which increased from 42.8% (95% CI 38.1, 47.5) in 2013/14 to 61.5% (95% CI 55.6, 67.1) in 2022. Around 17.6% of men sought assistance for their sexual health concerns in 2022, with no significant change over the study period. Number of sexual difficulties, age, sexual identity, relationship status, conformity to masculine norms, depression, and number of financial hardships were factors significantly associated with sexual health-seeking behavior. Despite the burden of sexual difficulties increasing among Australian men, few have sought assistance, suggesting a significant level of unmet sexual health need. This underscores the necessity of evaluating current services and considering co-designed sexual health initiatives, informed by an intersectional approach, to enhance accessibility, engagement, and responsiveness to the distinct sexual health needs and preferences of men from a range of communities
How remuneration committees incentivise executive compensation in Australia
No full textAlthough Australian regulators recommend that remuneration committees (RC) comprise directors who are independent, we argue that independence is not sufficient to avoid agency problems and counter managerial power. We evaluate a range of RC characteristics associated with executive compensation packages. We show that when independent directors, an independent chair or other firms’ CEOs sit on the RC, excess pay is likely to be lower. Furthermore, pay-performance sensitivity is higher when there are more senior directors on the RC. However, when directors are busy or the RC is diverse, executives are more likely to be overpaid. Overpayment and lower pay-performance sensitivity are also associated with the RC being influenced by the CEO, such as when the CEO sits on the RC or has appointed a high proportion of directors. Our results indicate that RC independence alone is insufficient for effective executive remuneration and we recommend appointing senior, experienced and less busy directors to increase RC effectiveness
Looking forward to it! Exploring the role of temporal landmarks and anticipation for well-being in constrained extended service encounters
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this research is to examine the role of anticipation as a source of well-being in extended service contexts involving constraints on one’s agency (e.g. aged care). In these service contexts, consumers have limited ownership over their time usage and foci of anticipation, which affects their well-being. Design/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews (n = 35) were conducted with members of the aged care ecosystem (residents, family and staff). Two separate aged care service models were investigated as they typically reflect different levels of agency/constraint: retirement villages and residential aged care facilities. Findings: Results indicate that the subjective passage of time is influenced by one’s foci of anticipation. Having regular foci of anticipation both at a micro- and macro-level can generate well-being benefits for recipients. The importance of restabilization and building positive curves to counteract potential negative implications was identified. Originality/value: This research is the first service study to investigate the concept of anticipation and subjective time perception as key components of one’s well-being in extended service encounters. We propose a novel conceptual model that combines micro- and macro-level foci into an iterative package to mitigate the after-effects of anticipation. We also demonstrate how Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) (good health for well-being) can be addressed through service research.</p
Endogenous analgesia, assessed via conditioned pain modulation, is not different in people with hip osteoarthritis compared to controls:a cross-sectional study
Get PDFBackground: In people with knee osteoarthritis, measures of pain sensitivity have been demonstrated to relate to both pain severity and treatment outcomes, dependent on the type of pain sensitivity being tested. Objective: Quantify if differences in the pressure pain thresholds (PPT) or conditioned pain modulation (CPM) effect exist between people with hip osteoarthritis and age-matched controls without hip osteoarthritis. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study across two geographic locations. PPTs at a local (hip) and remote (elbow) site were collected via a manual algometer. CPM was quantified using PPTs immediately prior to, and during ice water immersion of the hand contralateral to the tested hip. We performed two linear mixed models (hip and elbow) to evaluate between-group (case vs control) differences in PPT over time. Significance was accepted with p < 0.05. Results: We included 71 participants: 32 with hip osteoarthritis (75 % female sex), and 39 without hip osteoarthritis (82 % female sex). Osteoarthritis participants had significantly lower baseline hip PPTs than control participants (p = 0.038). Hip PPTs significantly increased over time following the conditioning stimulus (p < 0.001). However, we did not detect a significant interaction effect for PPTs between group and time (p = 0.308). There were no significant differences detected in elbow PPT between hip osteoarthritis and control participants (p = 0.114). Elbow PPTs significantly increased over time following the conditioning stimulus (p < 0.001). However, we did not detect a significant interaction for PPTs between group and time (p = 0.606). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that people with hip osteoarthritis have local, but not widespread, increases in mechanical sensitivity. Further there were no group differences in CPM.</p
Does chronic ankle instability involve independent factors? A factor analysis on the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool in infantry soldiers
No full textObjective: The Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) has been widely used to evaluate ankle perceived instability. The aim of this study was to determine whether infantry soldiers with and without previous ankle sprain reported different factors within the CAIT, and whether these factors are associated with physical performance. Design: Cross-sectional study. Settings: Military base. Participants: Seven-hundred and nineteen male infantry soldiers aged 18–21, completed the CAIT, previous sprains questionnaire and were assessed for anthropometric and functional abilities (proprioception, dynamic balance and agility). Main outcome measures: Factor analysis was performed on CAIT items, with Eigenvalue set to 1.5. Pearson correlations were performed between the factors extracted and the anthropometrics and functional abilities measurements, and independent T-tests were used to analyze associations between the factors and previous ankle sprains. Results: Three factors were extracted: functional stability (factor 1), ankle rolling (factor 2) and functional performance (factor 3). Significant differences were found in participants’ self-rating on factors 1 and 2, between soldiers with and without previous sprain (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 for factors 1–2, respectively). Correlations with anthropometric and functional abilities were weak. Conclusions: CAIT items can be clustered into three factors of perceived instability, providing military clinicians with valuable insights for targeted interventions.</p
Exploring the Impact of Construction 4.0 on Industrial Relations:A Comprehensive Thematic Synthesis of Workforce Transformation in the Digital Era of Construction
No full textThe rise of Construction 4.0—driven by digitalisation, automation, and data-intensive technologies—is radically reshaping the construction industry. While its technological innovations are widely acknowledged, their implications for industrial relations remain underexplored. In this study, we conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) of 91 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2024, aiming to synthesise emerging knowledge on how Construction 4.0 is transforming workforce dynamics, employment models, and labour relations. Using NVivo software and an inductive thematic approach, we identify seven key themes: workforce transformation, the attraction of new generations and women, skill requirements and workforce development, supply chain and logistics optimisation, digital twin technology in project management, the emergence of new business models, and safety and risk assessment. Our findings highlight both opportunities—such as improved collaboration, skill diversification, and enhanced productivity—and challenges, including job displacement, digital ethics, and widening disparities between developed and developing countries. Recent studies from 2023 and 2024 underscore routine-biased changes in workforce structure, evolving project management practices through digital twins, and critical skill shortages within the sector. Furthermore, contemporary policy shifts and increasing labour tensions in some regions reveal deeper socio-economic implications of digital construction. This review contributes to a more holistic understanding of how technological innovation intersects with social systems in the built environment. The insights presented offer valuable guidance for policymakers, educators, and industry leaders seeking to navigate the evolving landscape of Construction 4.0.</p