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Perturbative ensemble density functional theory applied to charge transfer excitations
No full textCharge transfer (CT) excitation energies are known to be challenging for standard time-dependent (TD) density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Perturbative ensemble DFT (pEDFT) was suggested as an easy-to-implelemt, low-cost alternative to TDDFT, because it is an in principle exact theory for calculating excitation energies that produces useful valence excitation energies. Here, we examine analytically and numerically (based on the benzene-tetracyanoethylene complex) how well pEDFT performs in the CT limit. We find that pEDFT is qualitatively correct in that it follows the Mulliken limit while being only weakly dependent on the underlying density functional approximation. We observe, however, that quantitatively pEDFT is not as accurate as TDDFT. We attribute this to the emergence of a new type of self-interaction-like term that adversely affects the computation.Full Tex
Are ICU Bedspaces Based in Evidence, and Do They Support Patient Sleep? A Narrative Review
No full textObjective: This narrative review summarizes some of the evidence guiding current intensive care unit (ICU) design, focussing on environmental factors impacting on sleep, and compares available evidence and recommendations to current ICU designs and builds. Background: The importance of sleep for recovery after illness is well known. However, hospitalized patients frequently experience poor and disrupted sleep. This is especially true for patients admitted to the ICU. There are many factors negatively impacting on ICU patients’ ability to sleep. Some relate to their illness or pre-existing sleep problems; others relate to patient care activities. While the ICU bedspace may facilitate 24h care, there is growing awareness of the detrimental impact the bedspace environment (especially suboptimal lighting and excessive sound/noise) has on sleep quality, and important questions raised regarding how this may impact on recovery and health outcomes. Multiple guidelines and recommendations exist to guide ICU bedspace design. However, questions have been raised whether contemporary ICUs are evidence-based, and whether the available evidence is effectively translated into the built ICU. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted, exploring the evidence supporting current ICU bedspace design and the impact of ICU design and environmental factors on patient sleep. Results and conclusion: This review summarizes the impact of the ICU bedspace environment on patient outcomes and describes features of the ICU bedspace design that may not adhere to best evidence and contribute to poor sleep. Suggestions on how ICU bedspaces can be improved to optimize sleep are provided.No Full Tex
Requiring an Interpreter Influences Stroke Care and Outcomes for People With Aphasia During Inpatient Rehabilitation
No full textBACKGROUND: Communicative ability after stroke influences patient outcomes. Limited research has explored the impact of aphasia when it intersects with cultural or linguistic differences on receiving stroke care and patient outcomes. We investigated associations between requiring an interpreter and the provision of evidence-based stroke care and outcomes for people with aphasia in the inpatient rehabilitation setting. METHODS: Retrospective patient-level data from people with aphasia were aggregated from the Australian Stroke Foundation National Stroke Audit-Rehabilitation Services (2016-2020). Multivariable regression models compared adherence to processes of care (eg, home assessment complete, type of aphasia management) and in-hospital outcomes (eg, length of stay, discharge destination) by the requirement of an interpreter. Outcome models were adjusted for sex, stroke type, hospital size, year, and stroke severity factors. RESULTS: Among 3160 people with aphasia (median age, 76 years; 56% male), 208 (7%) required an interpreter (median age, 77 years; 52% male). The interpreter group had a more severe disability on admission, reflected by reduced cognitive (6% versus 12%, P=0.009) and motor Functional Independence Measure scores (6% versus 12%, P=0.010). The interpreter group were less likely to have phonological and semantic interventions for their aphasia (odds ratio, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.40-0.80]) compared with people not requiring an interpreter. They more often had a carer (68% versus 48%, P<0.001) and were more likely to be discharged home with supports (odds ratio, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.08-2.04]). The interpreter group had longer lengths of stay (median 31 versus 26 days, P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Some processes of care and outcomes differed in inpatient rehabilitation for people with poststroke aphasia who required an interpreter compared with those who did not. Equitable access to therapy is imperative and greater support for cultural/linguistic minorities during rehabilitation is indicated.No Full Tex
The Struggle for Water Justice in NSW
No full textIn its preliminary statements the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW) (ALRA) affirms historical Aboriginal ownership and occupation of land and water and acknowledges the significance and importance of both to Aboriginal people of NSW. It also acknowledges the fact that the amount of land and water set aside for Aboriginal people had progressively declined before the ALRA was enacted. However, the legislation does not include specific water rights provisions.1 This is not surprising given that at the time the ALRA was introduced rights to water were attached to land and were only transferrable with the sale of land titles.No Full Tex
Spontaneous splenic rupture associated with Q fever and portal hypertension: A case report
No full textSpontaneous splenic rupture (SSR) is an exceptionally rare and life-threatening condition, with its pathophysiology remaining poorly understood. This report describes the first documented case of SSR in a patient with Q fever infection and underlying liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension. The patient was a man in his late 30 s who presented with severe abdominal pain, vomiting and hypovolemic shock who required emergency splenectomy due to unstable splenic hemorrhage. Post-operatively, a diagnosis of Q fever was confirmed through serological testing. To date, there has only been six cases describing splenic rupture precipitated by Q fever, and none in the context of concurrent portal hypertension. Conversely, portal hypertension is an independent risk factor for splenic complications including splenomegaly and hypersplenism. This case underlines the critical need to consider rare etiologies, offers valuable insights into the pathogenesis of SSR, and emphasizes the importance of early recognition and multidisciplinary management. Moreover, a proposed algorithm for the diagnosis and management of SSR has been included for clinicians who face similar complex presentations.Full Tex
A client–server based recognition system: Non-contact single/multiple emotional and behavioral state assessment methods
No full textBackground and Objectives: : In the current global health landscape, there is an increasing demand for rapid and accurate assessment of mental states. Traditional assessment methods typically rely on face-to-face interactions, which are not only time-consuming but also highly subjective. Addressing this issue, this study aims to develop a client–server-based, non-contact multimodal emotion and behavior recognition system to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of mental state assessments. Methods: This study designed and implemented a multimodal assessment system integrating voice, text, facial expressions, and body movements. Utilizing a client–server architecture, the system optimizes diagnostic efficiency and decision-making accuracy through an intuitive visual interface. The system's effectiveness was validated and tested in actual hospital settings. Results: The system demonstrated exceptional performance in multimodal emotion and behavior recognition, achieving a voice recognition accuracy of 92.01%, facial expression recognition accuracy of 91.3%, and an overall multimodal assessment accuracy of 77.9%. Moreover, it reached a behavior analysis accuracy of 94.5%. Conclusions: The multimodal assessment system developed in this study significantly enhances the accuracy and efficiency of mental state assessments, meeting the needs of clinicians for precise and rapid diagnostics in real-world settings.No Full Tex
Enhancing Place Attachment Through Developing Public Open Places: A Cross-Cultural Study in Gold Coast, Australia
No full textUrban studies research has increasingly focused on placemaking and place attachment in public open places. While several studies have explored how immigrants interact with these places, this study investigates how cultural differences affect immigrants’ place attachment, providing a deeper understanding of inclusive urban design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 students from India, Iran, China, and Australia, in Southport, a preferred neighborhood for immigrants on the Gold Coast, Australia. NVivo software was used to analyze the data and extract themes. The findings highlighted that, despite universal factors such as natural environments and social opportunities, cultural factors are crucial in shaping individuals’ experiences.Full Tex
Avoiding commercial kit-based DNA isolation and purification steps: a rapid method for Cryptosporidium oocyst detection
No full textCurrent routine diagnostic tests for Cryptosporidium oocysts in water are performed in centralised laboratories using the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) approved USEPA Method 1623.1. This method uses fluorescent microscopy, which suffers from artefacts and false positive responses from contaminating oocyst-size particles. Additionally, existing molecular detection methods based on real-time PCR (qPCR) require purified nucleic acid, primarily relying on laborious, time-consuming, and expensive centralised laboratory-based DNA isolation procedures using commercial kits. Both the microscopy and PCR-based molecular techniques are not suitable for rapid detection due to the nature of the experiment and instrumentation. This study reports a rapid and simple method that eliminates the need for multi-step DNA isolation and purification procedures. The method involves the direct heat lysis of magnetically isolated Cryptosporidium oocysts from water samples, followed by a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)-based detection. The analytical performance of this assay reveals a LOD of 0.17 copies per μL of genomic DNA (gDNA) with a dynamic range from 1.05 × 104 copies per μL to 1.05 copies per μL. We simulated the matrix effect by putting mud into tap water and spiked oocysts to demonstrate the practical applicability of the assay. The designed LAMP detected as low as 5 and 10 oocysts per 10 mL of tap water without and with simulated matrices, respectively. The ultrasensitive nature of this assay can be attributed to its acceleration due to targeting an intron-less gene. We propose that this simple and rapid method can be extended to detect various types of pathogens.Full Tex
The material practices and social dimensions of community care among people who use, produce, and supply image and performance enhancing drugs
No full textBackground: People who use image and performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs) face intersecting challenges, including legal constraints, stigma, and inadequate healthcare support, which perpetuate health risks. Peer-led harm reduction practices emerge as vital alternatives, fostering trust, sharing ethnopharmacological knowledge, and addressing gaps left by formal systems. This study explored how care and connoisseurship are enacted within IPED communities, emphasizing peer roles in navigating risks, enhancing safety, and reshaping care practices through collective expertise. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with four men explored IPED manufacture, supply, and harm reduction practices. Using a Science and Technology Studies-informed case approach, analysis foregrounded relational and socio-material dynamics, challenging deficit-based narratives and offering insights into how community care is enacted through peer-led harm reduction and what this could mean for policy development. Results: People who use IPEDs transition from consumption to production and supply as a response to inadequate mainstream healthcare and systemic barriers. Participants highlighted tensions with socio-legal and medical frameworks, navigating these barriers through collective connoisseurship. By fostering relational practices of community care, they ensured quality, safety, and informed use, challenging traditional harm discourses and emphasizing the social and material interplay shaping safer-use strategies. Conclusions: The community collectively demonstrate a commitment to community-driven care, contrasting sharply with their experiences of formal healthcare. Our analysis directs more careful consideration to the potential for rethinking health interventions to align with community-led approaches that emphasize autonomy, peer support, and relational care.Full Tex
When the curriculum demands personalisation: adaptive professionalism, pre-packaged plans and the teaching of phonics and spelling
No full textThis paper reports on one teacher’s adoption and adaption of pre-packaged teaching plans when teaching early years literacy. We hone in on Ms Jordan’s (pseudonym) work as an adaptive professional who personalises curriculum enactment for her highly diverse student cohort through continual changes to resource selection, pedagogy and assessment. Qualitative case study data consist of transcripts made during Ms Jordan’s interviews with the researchers, as they discuss the Australian Curriculum: English and how to meet the instructional needs of the diverse student cohort. Vaughn et al.’s (Vaughn et al., Educational Researcher 51:186–196, 2022) Adaptive Teaching Inventory (ATI) provides the analytical lens to make visible the adaptations Ms Jordan enacted during the planning for and teaching of phonic and spelling knowledge, including the assessment of students’ learning. The findings are that the pre-packaged teaching plans provided guidance and a selection of resources to support planning, but it is the teacher’s adaptive professionalism that guides decisions pertaining to resource selection, pedagogical practice and orientations to assessment to provide students with personalised learning experiences aligned to the Australian Curriculum: English. Ms Jordan, as the adaptive professional, is held responsible for deep levels of knowledge of students’ needs and knowledge of students’ backgrounds, alongside more contemporary beliefs about planning for teaching and adapting teaching within the moments of lessons (Vaughn et al., Educational Researcher 51:186–196, 2022).Full Tex