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The role of unbalanced segmental duplication in sex chromosome evolution in Australian ridge-tailed goannas
No full textVaranids are known for conserved sex chromosomes, but there are differences in the size of the W chromosome but not in morphology among species representing varying stages of sex chromosome evolution. We tested for homology of the ZW sex chromosome system with size differences in varanids among four species from two lineages in Australia, the Odatria and the Gouldii. We found that while DNA sequences of the sex chromosomes are conserved in the species we tested, we also identified a homologous region on an enlarged autosomal microchromosome that shares sequences with the W chromosome in some isolated populations of V. acanthurus and V. citrinus from the Odatria lineage. The enlarged microchromosome was unpaired in all individuals tested and is likely an unbalanced segmental duplication translocated between chromosome 1, the W, and another microchromosome. This suggests an ancient balanced duplication homologous to the W and the terminal region of the long arm of chromosome 1. The most parsimonious explanation is that the duplicated region likely originated on chromosome 1. We hypothesised in our reconstruction that genes and related DNA sequences associated with the sex-linkage group have likely originated on an autosome. Subsequently, the sequences may have undergone duplication and translocation to the W chromosome, followed by the accumulation of lineage specific repeat elements and amplifications on the W at different rates in various lineages. Lastly, these sequences are likely to have undergone duplication and translocation to another autosomal microchromosome. Given the role of segmental duplications and translocations as important evolutionary drivers of speciation in other taxa, together with the rapid speciation that has occurred in Australian varanids, our findings provide broader insight into the evolutionary pathway leading to rapid chromosomal and genic divergence of species.</p
Minimal Data Elements for Surveillance and Reporting Of Musculoskeletal Injuries in the MILitary (ROMMIL) International Consensus Statement
No full textIntroduction A systematic approach to collecting and reporting injury data in military settings is necessary to maximize the impact of musculoskeletal injury-related research. An international consensus on recommended core data set of elements to capture and report is necessary. The purpose was to summarize the process and results from an international consensus study to establish recommended common minimum data elements for surveillance and Reporting Of Musculoskeletal injuries in the MILitary (ROMMIL).Methods A ten-step hybrid consensus process was performed. Knowledge users were embedded in the process for co-creation of pertinent questions, data elements, and voting. Evidence synthesis included a scoping review on the barriers and facilitators to implementing injury prevention programs, followed by a knowledge user survey. A sequential three round Delphi study refined and validated the final elements in the recommendation checklist. Consensus recommendations were presented to an international audience of stakeholders. Participants voted on each statement with 0 representing no importance, 5 somewhat important, and 10 maximum importance.Results The consensus recommendation includes one data principle of keeping continuous data continuous and 33 minimum data elements. Data elements include demographics, lifestyle, service branch, musculoskeletal/surgical history, exposure, and injury characteristics. The data principle endorsed by knowledge users recommends that continuous variables (e.g. age, weight, exposure) remain continuous and not categorized into groups. Dissenting viewpoints are detailed to provide fair and balanced consensus recommendations.Conclusions The ROMMIL checklist could be leveraged by clinicians, researchers and knowledge users working in miliary settings when comparing and harmonizing data across studies, service branches, and countries. The ROMMIL checklist will support improved data synthesis to better inform evidence-based practice in military medicine, and the ability to generate more useful prognostic models to quantify injury risk
Hearing the bones of language:review of David Musgrave's Mishearing
No full textIn the essays that bookend the poetry, David Musgrave outlines the experiment that produced this collection of “misheard” poems: a mishearing that is broader than, say, the mondegreen phenomenon, because it seeks to accommodate voice, the “sonic distinctiveness” . He tests this out through a practice of both homophonic and heterophonic “translation”, in a project that builds on and adds to the corpus of knowledge in the field
State-building, nationalism, and education in Myanmar:a comparative study of two eras
Get PDFThis article critically examines the role of education in state-building and nationalism in Myanmar by comparing the military socialist regime (1962–1988) with the National League for Democracy (NLD) government (2016–2021). While the NLD positioned its educational reforms as progressive and inclusive, this study argues that the underlying logic of education policy in both eras remained fundamentally similar. Using a comparative framework, the paper analyses policies across two eras related to education management, language of instruction, history curricula, and recognition of ethnic minority education. The article shows that both the socialist regime and NLD leveraged education to centralise control and promote Burman nationalism, often at the expense of ethnic diversity and minority inclusion. Despite differences in political ideology and rhetoric, both governments used education as a means of indoctrination and cultural assimilation, revealing the persistent limits of educational reform in contexts marked by internal conflict and competing nationalisms.<br/
NeuroSafeDrive:An Intelligent System Using fNIRS for Driver Distraction Recognition
No full textDriver distraction remains a critical factor in road accidents, necessitating intelligent systems for real-time detection. This study introduces a novel fNIRS-based method to to classify varying levels of driver distraction across diverse simulated scenarios, including cognitive, visual–manual, and auditory sources of inattention. Unlike previous work, we evaluated multiple neurophysiological metrics—including oxygenated, deoxygenated, and combined haemoglobin—to identify the most reliable biomarker for distraction detection. Neurophysiological data were collected, and three multi-class classifiers (SVM, KNN, decision tree) were applied across different fNIRS metrics. Our results show that oxygenated haemoglobin outperforms other signals in distinguishing distracted from non-distracted states, while the combined signal performs best in differentiating distraction from baseline. The proposed SVM model achieved ≈ 77.9% accuracy in detecting distracted and relaxed driving states based on brain oxygen levels. Our findings also show that increased distraction correlates with elevated activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and premotor cortex, whereas driving without distraction exhibits lower neurovascular engagement. This study contributes to affective computing and intelligent transportation systems and could support the development of future driver distraction monitoring systems for safer and more adaptive vehicle control.</p
Participatory democracy and participatory research
No full textWhile normative theories of participatory democracy and practical experiences of participatory research share a common democratic commitment, the two fields have emerged and to date exist in isolation from each other. This article bridges this divide and asks what participatory democracy and participatory research can learn from one another. It argues that participatory democracy can learn how to realize its own democratic ideals within its research practice and participatory research can deepen its normative commitment by connecting its practices to a larger participatory vision. The article illustrates this by engaging with three examples in which participatory democracy researchers conduct participatory research projects. It finally reflects critically on how the shared participatory commitments of both fields can be realized within the neoliberal university embedded in competitive market economies
Integration of a multidimensional framework to measure the social impact of an information technology intervention from a human centered approach
No full textCurrent literature on the social impact of Information Technology (IT) is predominantly from an organizational perspective, aimed at improving IT use in workplace settings, which often fails to capture the overall experience of using IT through lived experiences. A systematic review was conducted to identify the existing frameworks that attempted to measure the social impact of IT. The inclusion criteria were (a) studies that conceptualized the social impact of IT and (b) studies with frameworks that measure the social impact of IT. Four theoretical and methodological approaches were chosen for critical analysis. While these frameworks offer rich insight into social impact assessment, each has its limitations and, thus, is not comprehensive enough to cover the phenomena holistically. Hence, this paper proposes a broad framework to measure the social impact of IT through integrating multiple approaches. Practical implications include guiding policymakers and practitioners in formulating bottom-up IT-related policies and interventions
Online misinformation in Australia:Adults' experiences, abilities and responses
No full textThe rapid uptake of social media, which Australians now use more than any other type of media, presents many opportunities for accessing information, but also presents the highly significant challenge of misinformation. The sheer volume of information online can be overwhelming and very difficult to navigate. As a result, bad actors seek to undermine democratic processes and target individuals. This has been widely recognised as a global problem. However, Australians lack the confidence and ability to verify misinformation.This report is based on analysis of four linked datasets and finds that the vast majority of adult Australians want to be able to identify misinformation and are trying to do so. It also finds that many adult Australians overestimate their ability to verify information online. The research findings illustrate the need for media literacy initiatives. These might include videos that show people how to fact check online or how to identify high-quality news sources, quizzes or games that help people develop their digital media knowledge and skills, explainers that show how platform business models operate and how this relates to the spread of misinformation, or in-person media production training that can help people think critically, and accurately represent people, places and ideas
The Validity and Engagement of the OSTRC-H2 Questionnaire as a Surveillance Tool to Detect Health Problems in a High-Performance Australian Youth Diving Cohort:An Observational Study
No full textBackground and Aims: The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) questionnaire on health problems was developed to monitor self-reported health problems and their severity in junior and elite sporting populations but has yet to be validated in a youth diving cohort. This study aimed to assess the validity and degree of athlete engagement with the OSTRC-H2 questionnaire among youth Australian divers over 10 weeks and also report on their health problems via medical attention records. Methods: Thirty-seven youth Australian divers completed the OSTRC-H2 every Sunday for 10 consecutive weeks and also continued to report all medical attention health problems to their health professional during this period. Results: Engagement showed that the mean response rate was 72.3%, with a high variation among athletes (SD = 27.0%, range = 10.0%–100.0%). When accounting for missing reports, agreement with medical attention records indicated 93.8% for illness (±10.4), 82.4% for injury (±24.9), and 74.4% for training status (±25.1). Notably, the OSTRC-H2 recorded more illnesses (n = 7, 16 reports) than medical attention records (n = 4, 5 reports). During the 10-week surveillance period, 97 medical attention records were created, documenting 25 injuries and 4 illnesses. Conclusion: The OSTRC-H2 demonstrated a moderate to high response rate and good agreement (excluding missing reports) as a surveillance tool. It effectively identifies health problems in this cohort, particularly illness, and may assist to minimize severity and reduce time-loss health problems, positively impacting training and competition performance for youth Australian high-performance divers.</p