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Domestic Violence, Behavior Change Programs, Positive and Negative Outcomes:A Scoping Review
No full textObjective: Despite considerable investments, the effectiveness of domestic violence (DV) interventions varies, with shelters for battered women acknowledged for their success and programs targeting abusers considered less effective. A feminist philosophy that views DV as an expression of men’s attempt to uphold gender dominance through control and coercion underlies most DV initiatives. While hundreds of battered women historically have contributed their experience to this viewpoint, that of their abusers mostly remains unsolicited. This is a crucial knowledge gap, with abusers best able to contribute insight into their motivations and help design effective interventions. This scoping review explores the involvement of perpetrators in DV research and behavior change programs. Method: The databases CINAHL, Medline, APA PsycInfo, SCOPUS, and Web of Science were searched for male offender, domestic violence, behavior change, and positive and negative outcome and their synonyms. Studies were included if they (a) targeted a population of adult partner-violent males within a heterosexual relationship; (b) examined proximal variables, such as attitudes and well-being; and (c) involved behavior change programs. Results: Out of 52 studies identified between 1987 and 2023, making up less than 0.2% of all DV research, findings were mixed. Nomothetic studies failed to conclusively determine the causes of domestic violence or propose significant intervention strategies. Conversely, idiographic studies highlighted the complexity of individual relationship issues contributing to violence, suggesting the value of incorporating perpetrators’ perspectives in prevention efforts. Conclusions: The review proposes a two-step approach refocusing research on DV perpetrators’ views to bridge the knowledge gap and enhance intervention strategies.</p
Angus goes to the mattresses, majority don’t like Adam
No full textYour Correspondent in Canberra: It was quite the day in the election campaign. Adam Bandt addressed a sparse-looking crowd at the National Press Club while Angus Taylor tore strips off Treasurer Jim Chalmers who cried ‘Uncle’ and asked Angus to ‘stop confusing me with your facts’. Chalmers’ charm and his obedient Lefties’ support all run out of steam at the supermarket checkout
The CPO-inverse and its partial orders
No full textThis paper introduces the core projection operator inverse and its characterizations. Using this concept, we define the P-core partial order and D-core partial order, along with their properties. The P-core order is proven to be of minus-type, while the D-core order differs as a non-minus-type. We investigate connections between these orders and related ones like minus, star, and sharp partial orders for P-core, and minus and diamond partial orders for D-core. Furthermore, we present the P-core matrix, which intriguingly commutes with its core projection operator inverse. This work enhances our understanding of these concepts and their relationships.</p
Changes in Mental State for Help-Seekers of Lifeline Australia’s Online Chat Service:Lexical Analysis Approach
No full textBackground: Mental health challenges are escalating globally, with increasing numbers of individuals accessing crisis helplines through various modalities. Despite this growing demand, there is limited understanding of how crisis helplines benefit help-seekers over the course of a conversation. Affective computing has the potential to transform this area of research, yet it remains relatively unexplored, partly due to the scarcity of available helpline data. Objective: This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using lexical analysis to track dynamic changes in the mental state of help-seekers during online chat conversations with a crisis helpline. Methods: Lexical analysis was conducted on 6618 deidentified online chat transcripts collected by Lifeline Australia between April and June 2023 using the validated Empath lexical categories of Positive Emotion, Negative Emotion, Suffering, and Optimism. Furthermore, 2 context-specific categories, Distress and Suicidality, were also developed and analyzed to reflect crisis support language. Correlation analyses evaluated the relationships between the 6 lexical categories. One-way ANOVAs assessed changes in each lexical category across 3 conversation phases (beginning, middle, and end). Trend analyses using regression modeling examined the direction and strength of changes in lexical categories across 9 overlapping conversation windows (20% size and 50% step overlap). Results: Significant changes were observed across conversation phases. The context-specific categories showed the strongest improvements from the beginning to end phase of conversation, with a large reduction in Distress (d=0.79) and a moderate reduction in Suicidality (d=0.49). The most frequently occurring terms representing Distress were “hard,” “bad,” and “down,” and for Suicidality were “suicide,” “stop,” and “hurt.” The negatively framed Empath categories also significantly reduced, with moderate effect sizes for Suffering (d=0.49) and Negative Emotion (d=0.39). There were also significant but small reductions in the positively framed Empath categories of Positive Emotion (d=0.15) and Optimism (d=0.07) from the beginning to end phase of conversation. Correlation coefficients indicated the lexical categories captured related but distinct constructs (r=.34 to r=0.82). Trend analyses revealed a consistent downward trajectory across most lexical categories. Distress showed the steepest decline (slope=−0.15, R 2=0.97), followed by Suffering (slope=−0.11, R 2=0.96), Negative Emotion (slope=−0.10, R 2=0.69), and Suicidality (slope=−0.06, R 2=0.88). Positive Emotion showed a slight negative trend (slope=−0.04, R 2=0.54), while Optimism remained relatively stable across the conversation windows (slope=0.01, R 2=0.13). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of using lexical analysis to represent and monitor mental state changes during online crisis support interactions. The findings highlight the potential for integrating affective computing into crisis helplines to enhance service delivery and outcome measurement. Future research should focus on validating these findings and exploring how lexical analysis can be applied to improve real-time support to those in crisis.</p
High-sensitivity BK virus detection system using viewRNA in situ hybridization
No full textObjective: To establish a reliable molecular diagnostic system for precise identification of BK virus (BKV)-associated pathologies. Methods: We designed a set of in-situ hybridization (ISH) probes targeting two conserved sequences within the large T antigen region of BKV, exhibiting highly specificity from JC virus and SV40 homologs. By integrating the branched DNA signal amplification technology with these probes, we developed a novel ViewRNA-ISH detection system. Results: The optimized BKV-LT ViewRNA-ISH system demonstrated enhanced diagnostic specificity and sensitivity compared to conventional immunohistochemical methods in both cellular models and clinical specimens. Validation using 29 clinical samples and 3 subcutaneous planted tumor samples revealed 93.75 % (30/32) concordance with IHC findings, with 2 previously IHC-negative renal biopsies showing positive signals through ViewRNA-ISH detection. Conclusions: Our BKV-LT ViewRNA-ISH system enables dual-mode (fluorescent/ chemical) detection of BKV nucleic acids, providing superior diagnostic performance for BKV-associated pathologies with potential clinical utility in renal allograft monitoring.</p
From creation to growth: examining agile and business planning for sustained ventures
No full textPurpose – Agile start-up and business planning methodologies are often considered mutually exclusive, with the former traditionally applied during venture creation and the latter encouraged to raise venture capital. However, the methodologies employed by entrepreneurs beyond the venture creation stage remain unclear. This study aims to explore the methodologies used by entrepreneurs who have sustained their ventures for at least five years, identifying their implications for venture performance and sustainability.Design/methodology/approach – This research employed a survey methodology, collecting data from entrepreneurs in Australia with at least five years of venture experience. The analysis identified three distinct groups: (1) “super agile,” relying exclusively on agile start-up methodology; (2) “hybridised,” combining agilestart-up and business planning, and (3) “average” entrepreneurs aspiring to use both methodologies but failing toimplement them effectively.Findings – “Super agile” entrepreneurs reported the highest adaptability and innovation but faced challenges in scalability and investor relations. “Hybridised” entrepreneurs reported achieving the most balanced venture performance, leveraging the adaptability of agile start-ups with the structure of business planning. In contrast,“average” entrepreneurs reported lower venture performance outcomes due to inconsistent implementation of both methodologies.Practical implications – The findings offer insights into the advantages and disadvantages of these methodologies in sustaining ventures and improving performance. The study provides actionable recommendations for entrepreneurs, tertiary education providers and policymakers to support the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems that enhance post-creation venture success (e.g. educating current and aspiring entrepreneurs about agile start-up and business planning to assist in post-venture creation management, finding a balance between the two methodologies if ventures have been already operational; developing tertiary or government training programs to assist entrepreneurs and provide ongoing training).Originality/value – This study uniquely examines the application of agile start-up and business planning methodologies beyond the venture creation stage, contributing to the limited research on sustaining ventures over time. It highlights practical approaches that entrepreneurs can adopt to optimise venture outcomes indynamic business environments
Concerns regarding interpretation in systematic review of exercise and endothelial glycocalyx
No full textDesigning Authentic Customer-Chatbot Interactions: A Necessary Condition Analysis of Emotional Intelligence and Anthropomorphic Features in Human-Computer Interaction
No full textThis study offers a novel framework of perceived authenticity (PA) in chatbot-mediated service interactions by drawing on insights from Mind Perception Theory, Theory of Mind, the Authenticity Model of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Uncanny Valley Theory. The model integrates emotional and anthropomorphic cues by including perceived humanness, empathy, warmth, and humor. Survey data from 396 participants were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicate that empathy exerts the strongest influence on perceived authenticity, followed by perceived humanness and warmth, while humor plays a complementary role. PA significantly enhances trust, rapport, and satisfaction but has limited effect on frustration. Necessary Condition Analysis identifies minimum thresholds of key predictors needed to achieve high PA. Moderation analysis reveals that empathy and humanness are more effective for male-presenting chatbots, while humor enhances authenticity for female-presenting ones. The findings offer significant theoretical and practical implications in the domain of human -chatbot interaction
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/
Empirically Transformed Energy Patterns:A novel approach for capturing fNIRS signal dynamics in pain assessment
No full textThe accurate assessment of pain in clinical settings is challenging due to its subjective nature. In this study, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygenation. Leveraging the AI4Pain Grand Challenge dataset, we aimed to classify pain levels into No Pain (NP), Low Pain (LP), and High Pain (HP) categories using both binary (NP vs. HP) and multiclass (NP vs. LP vs. HP) approaches. This involved collecting a comprehensive dataset of fNIRS data from 65 subjects, with recordings from 24 channels. We proposed novel Empirically Transformed Energy Patterns to extract meaningful bio-information related to pain conditions. An optimised Ensemble Classifier, evaluated using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation, was employed to classify pain levels. Our results demonstrated that this approach outperformed traditional classifiers, achieving 91.41% accuracy in the binary task and 68.20% accuracy in the multiclass task, with high sensitivity and specificity. This study highlights the effectiveness of using optimised machine learning models with fNIRS data for precise pain level classification, which holds significant potential for improving pain management in clinical settings.</p