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Romantic love and sexual frequency:Challenging beliefs
Get PDFCommon conceptions of romantic love suggest that romantic love is associated with increased sexual activity with more frequent sex in the earlier stages of a romantic relationship. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated individual-level factors and sexual frequency using a validated measure of romantic love. This study tested a number of hypotheses about the factors associated with sexual frequency among 720 sexually active young adults experiencing romantic love from the Romantic Love Survey 2022. We hypothesized that relationship duration, the intensity of romantic love and obsessive thinking about a loved one, commitment, and hypomanic-like features would be associated with sexual frequency. Using hierarchical linear regression, controlling for known covariates, we found no significant associations between any of our variables of interest and the sexual frequency and our entire model of 14 well-reasoned predictors explained only 4.06% of the variation in sexual frequency. The findings are surprising and highlight how little is currently known about sexual activity and sexual desire among individuals experiencing romantic love.</p
Understanding Contextual Determinants of Likely Online Advocacy by Millennial Donors
Get PDFIncreasing online advocacy by donors has important implications for nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Through a lens of self-disclosure theory, this current research combines data across three quantitative cross-sectional surveys of millennial Australian donors who donate blood, time, and/or money to better understand how NPOs can encourage existing donors to engage in greater online advocacy. Findings demonstrate (a) the importance of social norms and psychological involvement in online advocacy decisions, (b) that “firm-generated” marketing effectiveness can vary by the content provided by NPOs, and (c) that not all donation types are equal when encouraging donors to be advocates. The work contributes by broadening the scope of existing models of online brand advocacy to a donation context by examining “firm-generated user-shared” content and millennials’ social media use for prosocial behaviors.</p
Health status and heat preparation at a UCI World Tour multistage cycling race
No full textOBJECTIVES: To assess health status and heat preparation of cyclists at the 2019 Tour Down Under and determine the alignment of heat mitigation strategies with current recommendations.DESIGN: Cohort study.METHODS: Twenty-three (17 % participation rate) male World Tour cyclists from five teams and 10 countries completed a pre-competition questionnaire evaluating exertional heat illness (EHI) history, pre-race health status, and heat mitigation and recovery strategies use. Associations between arrival days pre-competition, years as professional, nationality, team, history of EHI symptoms and diagnosis on heat mitigation and recovery strategy utilisation were assessed.RESULTS: 65 % of cyclists reported previously experiencing one or more EHI symptom (cramping: 48 %) and 22 % a diagnosis of heat stroke. In the 10 days preceding the race, 26 % experienced one or more illness symptoms. 65 % trained in the heat (acclimatisation 8-25 days; acclimation: 3-7 days), which was associated with team (P = 0.047, ϕ c = 0.61), nationality (P = 0.009, ϕ c = 0.86) and EHI symptoms history (P = 0.058, ϕ = 0.43). All cyclists had a hydration plan, with links to team (0.5-1.0 L·h -1, P = 0.043, ϕ c = 0.68) and EHI symptom history (1.0-1.5 L·h -1, P = 0.048, ϕ = 0.476). Most had pre-cooling (87 %) and mid-cooling (83 %) strategies, most commonly cold beverages (75 %) and neck collars (78 %), respectively. All cyclists planned on using at least one recovery strategy (massage: 87 %). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate good alignment with current recommendations for competing in the heat, particularly for hydration, cooling and recovery strategies. Whilst the proportion of cyclists engaging in heat acclimation/acclimatisation is encouraging, greater awareness on adapting and implementing heat training is required.</p
Examining the Acceptability of Helminth Education Packages "Magic Glasses Lower Mekong" and "Magic Glasses Opisthorchiasis" and Their Impact on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Schoolchildren in the Lower Mekong Basin:Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Get PDFBackground: Helminths are a major global health issue, impacting health, educational, and socioeconomic outcomes. Infections, often starting in childhood, are linked to anemia, malnutrition, cognitive deficit, and in chronic cases of Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), cholangiocarcinoma. The main control strategy for helminth infection is mass drug administration; however, this does not prevent reinfection. As such, prevention strategies are needed. The “Magic Glasses” is a school-based cartoon health education package that has demonstrated success in improving knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surrounding soil-transmitted helminths (STH) in China and the Philippines. This study is designed to assess the acceptability and impact of the 2 new versions of the Magic Glasses targeting STH and OV designed for the Lower Mekong audience in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), and Thailand. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the acceptability of the “Magic Glasses Lower Mekong” and “Magic Glasses Opisthorchiasis” education packages among schoolchildren in the Lower Mekong Basin, and the impact of these education packages on students’ KAP surrounding STH and OV, respectively. Methods: Schoolchildren will be recruited into a cluster randomized controlled trial with intervention and control arms in rural schools in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand. Schoolchildren’s initial acceptability of the intervention will be evaluated using an adapted questionnaire. Sustained acceptability will be assessed at 9-month follow-up through focus group discussions with students and interviews with teachers. Impact will be evaluated by KAP questionnaires on STH and OV. KAP questionnaires will be administered to children at baseline and at follow-up. Indirect impact on parents' KAP of OV and STH will be assessed through focus group discussions at follow-up. Results: The trial is in progress in Lao PDR and Thailand and is expected to commence in Cambodia in January 2024. The results of the study are expected to be available 18 months from the start of recruitment. We hypothesize that participants enrolled in the intervention arm of the study will have higher KAP scores for STH and OV, compared with the participants in the control arm at follow-up. We expect that students will have initial and sustained acceptability of these intervention packages. Conclusions: This trial will examine the acceptability of the “Magic Glasses Opisthorchiasis” and “Magic Glasses Lower Mekong” interventions and provide evidence on the effectiveness of the “Magic Glasses” on KAP related to OV and STH among schoolchildren in the Lower Mekong Basin. Study results will provide insight on acceptability and impact indicators and inform a scaling up protocol for the “Magic Glasses” education packages in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand.</p
An intersectional feminist analysis of compulsory income management in Australia
Get PDFGlobally, women experience poverty at disproportionate rates to men, with the situation being worse for Indigenous women and women of colour. Social security systems are one avenue for income redistribution that can alleviate poverty. However, such systems are themselves embedded within and produced by unequal social relations, meaning they can also serve to perpetuate and exacerbate social inequalities. This is exemplified under neoliberal welfare reforms, which have disproportionate negative impacts for women across the world (e.g. increased poverty and stigma, reduced health/wellbeing, and more). Again, this is particularly the case for Indigenous women and women of colour. In this article, we offer an intersectional feminist analysis of an intensive form of neoliberal welfare conditionality, Australia’s ‘compulsory income management’ program (CIM). CIM quarantines social security incomes onto cashless bank cards to restrict expenditure to ‘approved’ items. Drawing on interviews and surveys with 170 individuals who have personally experienced CIM, we show that it has myriad negative impacts that are especially borne by (Indigenous) women. These are not, we argue, unintended policy impacts, but are instead symptomatic of the gendered and racialised violence that is woven into patriarchal capitalism more broadly. Thus, the experience of CIM holds lessons for welfare states internationally.</p
The rate, causes and predictors of ambulance call outs to residential aged care in the Australian Capital Territory:A retrospective observational cohort study
No full textOlder people in residential aged care are susceptible to acute illness or injury which may necessitate an ambulance call out, assessment/treatment by a paramedic and transfer to a hospital emergency department. Understanding the case mix of residential aged care ambulance attendances is important for prevention strategies and for planning services. A retrospective observational closed cohort study was designed to investigate the characteristics of emergency ambulance call outs to 15 residential aged care sites in the Australian Capital Territory over a 12-month period. Data were collected from the local ambulance service and the aged care sites. Case load data were analysed to determine rates, clinical characteristics, ambulance attendance outcomes and the temporal distribution of call outs. A Poisson regression model was developed to investigate demographic, morbidity and medication-related risk factors associated with the number of ambulance call outs per resident. Annual ambulance call out costs were estimated. There were 1,275 residents, with 396 (31.1%) requiring at least one ambulance call out over 12 months. Of 669 ambulance attendances, the majority (87.0%) were transported to emergency departments. Trauma (23.9%), pain (16.9%) and infections (9.4%) were the most common primary assessments by the ambulance attendees. Cases/day were similar throughout the year and on weekdays compared to weekends/public holidays. The main predictors of ambulance call out were multi-morbidity, taking regular anticholinergic medicines, being male and younger age. Estimated costs of ambulance call outs/year were 40,375/residential aged care site. The most frequent primary assessments (trauma, pain, infections) may constitute priorities for developing prevention strategies and for treatment initiatives within residential aged care. Strategies to reduce anticholinergic medication prescribing may also be a potential intervention to decrease ambulance call outs and hospital emergency department demand. The ambulance usage data from this study may be useful to compare with future datasets to measure the impact of the introduction of new services.</p
Digital Racism and Antiracism Toward Asian and Muslim Communities During the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Australian Experience
No full textAustralia witnessed a substantial degree of racism toward Asian and Muslim communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, much of which was shared and amplified on social media. However, while a growing body of national and international literature has illuminated the problem of racism during significant crisis events, limited studies have addressed how these narratives are both produced and resisted in online spaces. In this paper, I present the findings of a Thematic Content Analysis of how Asian and Muslim communities were constructed on Twitter/X during Australia's 2020–2021 lockdowns. Drawing on the literature surrounding Networked Counterpublics—and analyzed through a Systemic Racism lens—findings illuminate how publics used Twitter/X as a space to both legitimize and contest racist narratives relating to the pandemic, further demonstrating the power of social media as a vehicle for the amplification and resistance of racism during a significant global crisis
Eight novel diagnostic markers differentiate lineages of the highly invasive myrtle rust pathogen Austropuccinia psidii
No full textAustropuccinia psidii is the causal agent of myrtle rust in over 480 species within the family Myrtaceae. Lineages of A. psidii are structured by their hosts in the native range, and some have success in infecting newly encountered hosts. For example, the pandemic biotype has spread beyond South America, and proliferation of other lineages is an additional risk to biodiversity and industries. Efforts to manage A. psidii incursions, including lineage differentiation, relies on variable microsatellite markers. Testing these markers is time-consuming, complex, and requires reference material that is not always readily available. We designed a novel diagnostic approach targeting eight selectively chosen loci including the fungal mating-type HD (homeodomain) transcription factor locus. The HD locus (bW1/2-HD1 and bE1/2-HD2) is highly polymorphic, facilitating clear biological predictions about its inheritance from founding populations. To be considered as potentially derived from the same lineage, all four HD alleles must be identical. If all four HD alleles are identical six additional markers can further differentiate lineage identity. Our lineage diagnostics relies on PCR amplification of eight loci in different genotypes of A. psidii followed by amplicon sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and comparative analysis. The lineage-specific assay was validated on four isolates with existing genomes, uncharacterized isolates, and directly from infected leaf material. We reconstructed alleles from amplicons and confirmed their sequence identity relative to their reference. Genealogies of alleles confirmed the variations at the loci among lineages/isolates. Our study establishes a robust diagnostic tool for differentiating known lineages of A. psidii based on biological predictions and available nucleotide sequences. This tool is suited to detecting the origin of new pathogen incursions
Design and Performance Analysis of a Parallel Mechanism Based Virtual Biomechanical Shoulder Robot Model
No full textThe human shoulder complex provides an extensive spectrum of motion to the human upper arm, facilitating the accomplishment of the active daily life tasks. The in-silico musculoskeletal models presented in the literature can be used to study the associated kinematic parameters with the human shoulder. These models aid in the designing and control of rehabilitation robots. These models are sometimes oversimplified thus compromising their usage. This paper presents a Virtual 6-4 Parallel Biomechanical Shoulder Robot Model (VBSRM) as a musculoskeletal model. The kinematic model of the proposed VBSRM is developed. Performance metric such as condition number is identified to study the workspace of the VBSRM. A singularity analysis of the robot’s Jacobian matrix was carried out to avoid a possible singular design. In order to obtain the maximum workspace and optimal design of the VBSRM, design optimization was carried out using genetic algorithm. This proposed optimal design can be used in the shoulder functioning evaluations
Sustainable technologies and organizational performance in an emerging country SMEs
No full textSystematic reviews have investigated and assessed the impact of technology on firm's performance, yet sustainable technology adoption (STA) in SMEs remains a largely neglected topic of research. There is consequently, justification to enhance our understanding about factors that affect STA and how they impact SMEs’ performance. Drawing on TRA and TPB, the main purpose of this study is to develop and test a theoretical model examining the attitudes driving adoption of sustainable technology and the impact on the economic, social and environmental performance of Malaysian SMEs. The data were collected using the survey method comprising 297 answers given by Malaysian SMEs, which are analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique. The major findings indicate that affective attitudes, altruism, government support, and government subsidies significantly influence the adoption of sustainable technology. The findings have strategic and profound implications for sustainable technology in the growing Malaysia's growing SME sector. The government should devise and implement policies, regulations, and support infrastructure for SMEs in implementing their sustainable technology adoption program. The outcomes of this research have important ramifications for designing appropriate strategies for addressing the challenges posed by rapid changes occurring in contemporary Malaysian society. The results of this research is unique because it reinforces the claim that affective attitude, altruism, government support, and government subsidies significantly influence the adoption of sustainable technology. Outcomes of this research contribute to a better theoretical explanation of the antecedents of adopting sustainable technology in Malaysia's emerging market economy. The integrated model devised and tested here provides useful insights into the adoption of sustainable technology in the Malaysian SME sector where such a finding is scant.</p