19683 research outputs found
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The Effect of Political Connections on Loan Quality and Performance Management of Commercial Banks - Evidence from Bangladesh
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia. </p
Understanding the lived experiences of circumstantially childless women aged 60-75 in Sydney, Australia
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Deciphering the connection: Autism and sleep quality in adults explained
No full textExplores the complexities of autism sleep research, including by OTARC researchers, providing a summary of why it can be so hard for autistic adults to have a good night’s sleep. The blog will also step you through what evidence-based supports are available.</p
Oxygen consumption rate of flatworms under the influence of wake- and sleep-promoting neurotransmitters
No full textFlatworms are among the best studied animal models for regeneration; however, they also represent an emerging opportunity to investigate other biological processes as well. For instance, flatworms are nocturnal and sleep during the day, a state that is regulated by sleep/wake history and the action of the sleep-promoting neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (or GABA). Sleep is widespread across the animal kingdom, where it serves many nonexclusive functions. Notably, sleep saves energy by reducing metabolic rate and by not doing something more energetically taxing. Whether the conservation of energy is apparent in sleeping flatworms is unclear. We measured the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) of flatworms dosed with either (1) GABA (n = 29) which makes flatworms inactive or (2) dopamine (n = 20) which stimulates flatworms to move, or (3) day and night neurotransmitter-free controls (n = 28 and 27, respectively). While OCR did not differ between the day and night, flatworms treated with GABA used less oxygen than those treated with dopamine, and less than the day-time control. Thus, GABA affected flatworm physiology, ostensibly by enforcing energy-conserving sleep. Evidence that dopamine increased metabolism was less strong. This work broadens our understanding of flatworm physiology and expands the phylogenetic applicability of energy conservation as a function of sleep.</p
A comprehensive exploration of human communal media interaction and its evolving impact on psychological health across demographics and time
No full textThis work presents a comprehensive literature review and real-world survey analysis examining the intricate relationship between communal media and psychological concerns within human–computer interaction (HCI). By systematically categorizing research from 1995 to 2023, we observe a significant increase in studies, reflecting the growing recognition of communal media’s impact on psychological well-being. Our review delves into various HCI aspects, including demographic effects, emotional sentiment analysis, online social networking, and communal media use intensity. A real-world survey focusing on TikTok users reveals diverse user perspectives on safety, privacy, and the platform’s impact on creativity and mental health. The data highlights a demographic predominance of young adults aged 16–24, with creativity, leisure, and content discovery being primary engagement motivators. Positive impacts such as creative inspiration and distraction from worries are contrasted with concerns over privacy invasion, harm to underaged users, and addiction. Correlation analysis underscores the complex interplay between user experiences and perceptions. Future research should prioritize enhancing privacy and safety measures, educational campaigns, and in-depth studies on the long-term psychological impacts of TikTok usage. Additionally, exploring platform modifications and conducting longitudinal and cross-platform studies will help create a safer and more engaging social media environment. This work contributes significantly to the expanding HCI body of knowledge, providing a robust foundation for future research to inform policies and interventions promoting positive psychological outcomes in the digital age.</p
U.S. Election Analysis 2024: Media, Voters and the Campaign
No full textFeaturing 88 contributions from leading scholars, this publication captures the immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2024 U.S. presidential election from the cutting edge of media and politics research.Published 10 days after the election, contributions are short and accessible for a wide range of audiences. As with our previous reports, authors provide authoritative analysis of the campaign, including research findings or new theoretical insights; to bring readers original ways of understanding the election.https://www.electionanalysis.ws/us/ (direct link to pdf download)</p
Social axioms and psychological toll: A study of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses across 35 cultures during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the psychological well-being of individuals worldwide. Previous research has indicated that values and beliefs, particularly social axioms, are associated with psychological responses during crises. However, most of the studies have focused on specific regions; the impact of social axioms on a global scale remains unclear. We conducted a multinational study comprising stratified samples of 18,171 participants from 35 cultures. Using multilevel modeling, we examined the associations between social axioms, personal worry, normative concerns, trust, and individuals' psychological responses to the pandemic. The results showed that greater personal worry and normative concerns predicted more negative psychological responses. Furthermore, the study also identified significant buffering effects at the societal level, as cultures with higher overall levels of fate control, religiosity, or reward for application exhibited weaker associations between personal worry and negative responses. Our findings reveal the influence of social axioms on psychological responses during the pandemic, with varying effects across cultures. The buffering effects of fate control, religiosity, and reward for application underscore the importance of considering cultural differences and individual variability when examining the impact of social axioms on psychological outcomes.</p
Cepharanthine inhibits African swine fever virus replication by suppressing AKT-associated pathways through disrupting Hsp90-Cdc37 complex
No full textAfrican swine fever (ASF) represents one of the most economically important viral infectious diseases in the swine industry worldwide. Presently, there is an absence of commercially available therapeutic drugs and safe vaccines. Cepharanthine (CEP), one of the naturally occurring bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, has been approved as a drug to treat various diseases such as leukopenia, bronchial asthma, and snake bites for 70 years in Japan. Most recently, CEP was reported to inhibit ASFV replication by suppressing endosomal/lysosomal function although the specific molecular mechanisms were not elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that ASFV infection promotes co-chaperone Cdc37 expression and its binding to Hsp90, leading to increased AKT phosphorylation to benefit viral replication. Notably, CEP disrupts the Hsp90-Cdc37 complex, subsequently decreasing p-AKT and inhibiting ASFV replication. Furthermore, our investigation reveals that enhanced AKT phosphorylation amplifies glycolysis, resulting in increased lactate production, while it upregulates the NF-κB signaling pathway, resulting in increased expression of IL-1β and other inflammatory cytokines. Elevated lactate enhances ASFV replication, and IL-1β acts synergistically on the proviral effect of lactate. CEP reduces ASFV replication by disrupting the formation of the Hsp90-Cdc37 complex and suppressing its downstream AKT/glycolysis axis and AKT/NF-κB pathway, leading to reduced lactate and IL-1β production. Our findings suggest that CEP could serve as a promising ASFV inhibitor, and the Hsp90-Cdc37 complex and glycolysis represent novel antiviral targets against ASFV infections, offering novel avenues for further exploration in antiviral therapeutic strategies. As the in vivo environment is largely complicated from ex vivo PAMs, anti-ASFV efficacy evaluation of CEP in pigs is the most imperative work in the future.</p
Private practice dietetics: A scoping review of the literature
No full textAim: Private practice is one of the most rapidly growing, but under-researched employment sectors for graduate dietitians in Australia, limiting evidence-based workforce development. This scoping review examines existing international literature to gain an understanding of the current private practice workforce size, distribution, demography and workforce development considerations, including competencies, supply and demand, remuneration and professional development activities. Methods: The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, EMCARE, PsycInfo (Ovid) and grey literature were systematically searched in August 2023 using key search terms to identify studies for inclusion. Articles were included if they related to private practice dietetics and described an aspect of workforce. Original research, government and organisational reports, statements of practice and websites providing governmental or organisational statistics were included. A directed content analysis and qualitative constant comparison technique were used to deductively map intelligence sources against a workforce development framework. A gap analysis was also conducted to provide a focus for future workforce development research. Results: A total of 72 peer-reviewed and grey literature sources were included, with 65% of the studies being Australian-based publications. Private practice dietetics research interest has increased in the last decade. Despite a breadth of published sources, this review found little published data on workforce size, distribution, demography, supply, demand, continued professional development and remuneration, indicating a significant gap in the evidence base. Existing literature focuses on workforce challenges and barriers, the work of private practice dietitians, with limited exploration of competency requirements for graduate private practitioners. Conclusions: The literature on the private practice dietetics workforce is lacking worldwide, which constrains evidenced-based workforce development initiatives. Workforce development research across all workforce aspects is warranted to address current evidence gaps.</p
Naming droughts: Historical perspectives on the scientific coining of “the Tinderbox Drought”
No full textMost droughts go unnamed. At the time they are happening, they are generally referred to simply as “the drought.” After the fact, they are typically designated by a year or run of years rather than by a name: 1927–29, for instance. But in recent decades, proper names have increasingly been bestowed on droughts in southeast Australia in an informal although widely accepted practice. Examples include the Federation Drought, the World War II Drought, the Millennium Drought and, most recently, the Tinderbox Drought. This paper positions the practice of naming droughts within a longer history of naming weather extremes. It examines the implications of the naming practice for the investigation of droughts as complex objects of interdisciplinary knowledge that call for analysis from across the sciences, social sciences and humanities. And it considers the qualities and meanings attributed to the drought of 2017-19 by the name “Tinderbox.” Using the word “tinderbox” to describe environmental conditions has been criticised for naturalizing landscape flammability and so effacing human agency. But in fact the name “Tinderbox Drought” potentially enacts a semantic reversal that allows human-caused climate change to be reassociated discursively with recent and future drought events.</p