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Application of virtual reality to assess thermal, visual perception, and users' adaptive behaviors for sedentary activities
No full textVR technology has shown to effectively explore the psychological and physiological effects of the built environment on users. This study investigates multisensory integration using VR technology, focusing on same-modal and cross-modal effects during sedentary activities. A survey-based approach was employed to collect data from participants within a controlled climate setting. A virtual replica of Monash Makerspace was developed to assess its thermal, visual impact, and behavioral responses. The results revealed significant differences in the same modal effects, however, no significant differences in cross-modal effects were observed regarding the influence of visual stimuli on thermal sensations, preferences, and comfort. Conversely, cross-modal effects of thermal conditions on visual perceptions demonstrated significant differences in visual sensation and comfort, except for visual preferences. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in physiological responses between IVEs and among thermal conditions. The findings indicate that warm yellow lights are only suitable and comfortable for users during cool temperatures. In contrast, cool white light was most preferred and comfortable across conditions for users. A small number of participants preferred the lighting in between the two visual scenarios evaluated. The insight can inform the design of new buildings and retrofitting of existing ones to accommodate user comfort, particularly given that Australian buildings maintain indoor thermal conditions between 18ºC to 30ºC across seasons. Nevertheless, the study has some limitations, including that participants were exposed to these visual scenarios and thermal conditions for a short duration, which does not represent the long-term adaptation effects. Also, the study was conducted using students within the age bracket of 18-40 years, limiting the generalizability of the findings to younger or older groups
Bi-allelic variants in MRPL49 cause variable clinical presentations, including sensorineural hearing loss, leukodystrophy, and ovarian insufficiency
No full textCombined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency (COXPD) is a rare multisystem disorder that is clinically and genetically heterogeneous. Genome sequencing identified bi-allelic MRPL49 variants in individuals from nine unrelated families with presentations ranging from Perrault syndrome (primary ovarian insufficiency and sensorineural hearing loss) to severe childhood onset of leukodystrophy, learning disability, microcephaly, and retinal dystrophy. Complexome profiling of fibroblasts from affected individuals revealed reduced levels of the small mitochondrial ribosomal subunits and a more pronounced reduction of the large mitochondrial ribosomal subunits. There was no evidence of altered mitoribosomal assembly. The reductions in levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) enzyme complexes I and IV are consistent with a form of COXPD associated with bi-allelic MRPL49 variants, expanding the understanding of how disruption of the mitochondrial ribosomal large subunit results in multisystem phenotypes
Pilot Data for a New Headphone-Based Assessment of Absolute Localization in the Assessment of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)
No full textBackground/Objectives: Localization deficit is often said to be a symptom of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). However, no clinically viable assessment of localization ability has been developed to date. The current study presents pilot data for a new assessment of absolute auditory localization using headphones. Methods: Speech phrases encoded with non-individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTF) using real-time digital processing were presented to two cohorts of participants with normal hearing. Variations in the simulated environment (anechoic and reverberant) and signal to noise ratio (SNR) were made to assess each of these factors' influences on localization performance. Experiment 1 assessed 30 young adults aged 21-33 years old and Experiment 2 assessed 28 young adults aged 21-29 years old. All participants had hearing thresholds better than 20 dB HL. Results: Participants performed the localization task with a moderate degree of accuracy (Experiment 1: Mean RMS error = 25.9°; Experiment 2: Mean RMS error 27.2°). Front-back errors (FBEs) were evident, contributing to an average RMS error that was notably elevated when compared to similar free-field tasks. There was no statistically significant influence from the simulated environment or SNR on performance. Conclusions: An exploration of test viability in the pediatric and APD-positive populations is warranted alongside further correction for FBEs; however, the potential for future clinical implementation of this measure of absolute auditory localization is encouraging
Estimating cancer incidence attributable to physical inactivity in the United States
No full textBackground: Previous estimates of the number of cancers attributable to physical inactivity in the United States have typically focused on only three malignancies (colon, endometrial, and postmenopausal breast cancer). Contemporary epidemiologic evidence suggests that physical inactivity could contribute to up to 15 types of cancer, and a dose–response effect has been demonstrated for 13 of these. This study estimated the number of cancers diagnosed in the United States in 2015 due to physical inactivity for these 13 sites. Methods: Data from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey were used to estimate physical activity prevalence and, with the assumption of a 10-year latency period, 2015 cancer incidence data from the National Program of Cancer Registries and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Incidence US Cancer Statistics Public Use Database. Results: The potential impact fraction was estimated to be 4.1%, which meant that 30,951 of 761,625 incident cancers at the 13 sites could have been prevented in the United States in 2015 if adults had increased physical activity by one category in 2005 (approximately 7.5 additional metabolic equivalent task hours per week [MET-h/week]). Theoretically, 85,415 of 761,625 incident cancers at the 13 sites (population attributable fraction, 11.2%) could have been prevented if all adults had achieved the highest level of physical activity (>30 MET-h/week). Conclusions: When estimates are based on updated epidemiologic evidence regarding physical inactivity and cancer risk, substantially more cancers are attributable to physical inactivity than previously reported. A greater focus on physical activity promotion is warranted for cancer control in the United States
High-resolution cryo-EM using a common LaB6 120-keV electron microscope equipped with a sub–200-keV direct electron detector
No full textHigh-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) requires costly 200- to 300-keV cryo-transmission electron microscopes (cryo-TEMs) with field emission gun (FEG) sources, stable columns, constant-powered lenses, autoloader, and direct electron detectors (DED). Recent advances in 100-keV imaging with the emergence of sub-200-keV optimized DED technology promises the development of more affordable cryo-TEMs. So far, 100-keV imaging has required microscopes with FEG sources. We here explored whether a standard 120-keV TEMs with thermionic lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) source can be upgraded with a sub-200-keV DED for high-resolution cryo-EM. Using this imaging configuration, we successfully obtained a 2.65 Å reconstruction for apoferritin, 4.33 Å for 64-kDa hemoglobin, and 4.4 Å for an asymmetric 153kDa membrane protein GPCR. All results were achieved using standard automated data collection with SerialEM, demonstrating the feasibility to collect large cryo-EM datasets with a side-entry cryo-holder. These results showcase a widely accessible solution to obtaining interpretable cryo-EM structures at low cost and contribute to the "democratization" of cryo-EM
A novel tobacco forecasting model by multiple sociodemographic strata in Australia
No full textBackground: Australia is one of several countries aiming to achieve a commercial tobacco endgame, with a current target of ≤5% daily smoking prevalence by 2030. Like other jurisdictions, the Australian target ignores large variations in smoking across sociodemographic groups and risks perpetuating current smoking-related inequities. To help mitigate this risk, we calculated future smoking rates under business-as-usual for multiple sociodemographic categories and compared them to the endgame target. Methods: We used a simulated annealing optimization approach to estimate historic daily smoking rates in Australia by six dimensions of sex, age, remoteness, index of relative socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage, and Indigenous status, using multiple datasets from 2001 to 2022–23. We applied logistic regression to the modelled outputs to forecast cohort smoking rates for 30 years. Results: At the population level, daily smoking is expected to reach 7.8% by 2030 under business-as-usual. Of the 15 strata combinations of remoteness and socioeconomic status in the model, only two met the ≤5% target by 2030, with smoking prevalence remaining highest (34.6% in 2030) for people living in the most disadvantaged (remote, SES1) areas. Conclusions: Our modelling suggests that if equity is not at the forefront of Australian tobacco policy, ongoing smoking disparities are likely to continue even if the endgame goal is achieved. Our approach offers a crucial baseline for assessing the impact of tobacco control interventions by different sociodemographic dimensions and presents a methodological framework that could be adapted for analysing smoking-related inequities in other jurisdictions. This framework should also be extended, incorporating uncertainty into modelled estimates
Estimating and projecting the population living with dementia at the local area scale in Australia
No full textAs Australia’s population ages, the number of people living with dementia will grow considerably. Understanding local changes in the number of people living with dementia will facilitate suitable planning, costing, and service delivery for health and aged care services. To inform this task, this study presents estimates and projections from 2021 to 2036 of Australians living with dementia at the state and territory level, and at the finer regional SA3 level. Estimates and projections were prepared for 3 scenarios: where dementia prevalence rates by age, sex, and SA3 area (1) remain fixed (Constant Prevalence), (2) decrease exponentially by 1% per year (Decreasing Prevalence), or (3) increase exponentially by 1% per year (Increasing Prevalence). Regardless of the dementia prevalence scenario, there is projected to be strong growth of the number of people living with dementia between 2021 and 36 due to large growth in the older population. Even in the best-case, Decreasing Prevalence scenario, the number of persons living with dementia is projected to increase from 388,441 in 2021 to approximately 554,000 by 2036—a 42.8% rise. This increase is regionally heterogeneous, albeit correlated with numerical ageing. In all scenarios, by 2036, many SA3 areas will have fewer than 20 working-age persons for each person living with dementia, presenting challenges for the provision of dementia care. These results highlight the need for urgent local level policy and planning decisions to support dementia prevention, diagnosis, and prepare healthcare systems to support the care and quality of life of persons living with dementia
Facilitating climate change action across built environment life stages – perspectives from built environment professionals
No full textBuilt environments are not implementing the scale of action needed to adequately address climate change – zero net emissions by 2050 to limit warming to 1.5 °C. This paper aims to provide a comparative and integrated understanding of how different sectors experience barriers and facilitators of climate change action (mitigation and adaptation) across built environment life stages: from ‘change initiation’, through to ‘renewal/recovery and decommission.’ In-depth interviews were conducted with 111 Australian built environment professionals working across five professional sectors including: urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and sustainability. The interviews provide detailed insights into professional practice. The greatest barriers to climate change action identified across all sectors were at the ‘costing and approvals’ stage where economic savings/profit were prioritised over climate change initiatives. Architects and urban designers identified greatest opportunity for action in the final life stages. For professionals from other sectors, greatest opportunity was identified in the ‘change initiation’ stage. The most frequently identified barrier to climate change action across professionals from all sectors was perceived lack of influence. Results indicate that to achieve the required climate change action, an integrated approach to tackling climate change across built environment life stages and professional sectors is needed. Building the agency and capacity of built environment professionals to facilitate climate change action is critical. Sixteen priorities for climate action across built environment life stages are identified. These include embedding required climate actions into regulation across life stages. The paper provides new insights to progress climate action in cities
Health and well-being of government school leaders across urban and rural regions in Australia: evidence from 2011 to 2020
No full textAlthough rural school leaders’ health and well-being are shaped by the characteristics of the school community and its geographic setting, the research literature on principals’ work-related health and well-being in these settings is limited. This chapter utilises a decade-long national survey of 12,689 Australian school leaders to scrutinise the mental health and well-being of those in urban to remote settings. Results reveal pronounced challenges in rural and remote environments, such as isolation and teacher shortages, which escalate with increasing geographical remoteness. We identify heightened stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms in non-urban leaders, particularly in very remote areas. Various work-related factors contributed to mental health outcomes in these specific locales, offering a basis for targeted intervention strategies. The chapter underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of the psychosocial work environments of school leaders and holds significant implications for policy and practice aimed at supporting the mental health of school leaders across diverse geographic settings
Adaptive functioning in children and young adults with monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders
No full textAIM: To examine the adaptive behaviour profiles of children with monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) to determine whether syndrome-specific or transdiagnostic approaches provide a better understanding of the adaptive behavioural phenotypes of these NDDs. METHOD: This cross-sectional study included parents and caregivers of 243 (48% female) individuals (age range = 1-25 years; mean = 8 years 10 months, SD = 5 years 8 months) with genetically confirmed monogenic NDDs (CDK13, DYRK1A, FOXP2, KAT6A, KANSL1, SETBP1, BRPF1, and DDX3X). Parents and caregivers completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition to assess communication, daily living, socialization, and motor skills. RESULTS: Linear regression models comparing mean adaptive behaviours between monogenic NDDs, adjusting for the presence of intellectual disability, revealed few group differences. Children with variants in BRPF1 or KANSL1 had better adaptive behaviour skills compared to children with variants in CDK13, DDX3X, DYRK1A, and KAT6A, although group differences varied across domains. A latent profile analysis showed compelling evidence for a five-profile model. These profiles were homogeneous, with similar delays across the subdomain scores in each profile. Additionally, each monogenic NDD was represented in each profile, with a few exceptions. INTERPRETATION: Transdiagnostic approaches to understand adaptive behaviour in monogenic NDDs provide a better understanding of individual strengths and challenges, enabling more targeted support