19683 research outputs found
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‘Nothing about us without us’. Including Lived Experiences of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Policy and Service Design
No full textThe rights of people with disabilities to be included in the design of policy and services are asserted in international treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability and increasingly reflected in disability policies across the world. Approaches to facilitating the inclusion of lived experiences and the perspectives of people with disabilities include consultative, advisory or governance bodies, as well as co-design of projects, advocacy work of Disabled Person’s Organisations and self-advocacy groups. The success of these various approaches depends on their power to influence policy and services, the way they operate and the methods they use to support the participation of people with disabilities. This chapter reviews evidence about different approaches to tapping into the expertise people with disabilities have from their lived experiences of disability, and considers the types of practices most effective for working together with people with disabilities and some of the unresolved issues that support workers, managers and policy makers must grapple with to further the rights of people so that there is ‘nothing about us without us’.</p
Supporting People with Complex and Challenging Behaviour
No full textChallenging behaviours are relatively common for adults with intellectual disabilities. The presence of these behaviours can cause harm to the person and others, negatively impacting quality of life. Evidence demonstrates that for some people with intellectual disabilities, receiving high-quality services is sufficient to reduce or prevent challenging behaviours. For others, specialist intervention may be required. This chapter considers the different types and reasons for challenging behaviour and the importance of quality service delivery. Examples are provided throughout to demonstrate the discussed evidence-informed principles in practice. Behavioural and psychodynamic interventions are considered for people with challenging behaviours who require specialist interventions. The chapter closes with a framework of the practices that must be in place to ensure the quality of life of adults with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviours in the context of accommodation supports.</p
Healthy Lifestyles and Primary Healthcare
No full textGood health is important to everyone. Optimal health is central to being able to enjoy the best possible quality of life. No one can fully engage with, participate in, and contribute to their communities while in discomfort, pain, or distress in physical, oral, or mental health. For people with intellectual disabilities, however, sub-optimal health frequently occurs because of a combination of factors relating to their specific disabilities and external factors, such as where they live, who supports them, and challenges faced in accessing health systems.This chapter provides an overview of the implications of poor health and why poor health is often experienced by people with intellectual disabilities. It then focuses on the role of disability support services and individual support staff in contributing to their optimal health through the support provided to individuals and in interactions with health systems. In this chapter, health is discussed in terms of physical, oral, and mental health because of the strong connections between them.</p
The multifunctional roles of the extracellular matrix in the sessile life of the zygnematophyte Penium margaritaceum: stick, glide and cluster
No full textAdhesion and consequent adoption of a sessile habit is a common feature of many green algae and was likely a key mechanism in terrestrialization by an ancient zygnematophyte (i.e., the Zygnematophyceae, the group of algae ancestral to land plants). Penium margaritaceum is a unicellular zygnematophyte that exhibits a multistep adhesion mechanism, which leads to the establishment of the sessile habit. Based on microscopic and immunological data, a dense aggregate of fibrils containing arabinogalactan-protein (AGP)-like components covers the cell surface and is responsible for initial adhesion. The AGP-like fibrils are 20 μm in diameter and possess chemical profiles similar to land plant AGPs. The fibrils attach to the inner cell wall layers and are very likely connected to the plasma membrane as glycophosphatidylinositol (GPI) lipid-anchored proteins, as they are susceptible to phospholipase C treatment. The presence of GPI-anchored AGPs in Penium is further supported by the identification of putative Penium homologs of land plant AGP genes responsible for GPI-anchor synthesis. After adhesion, cells secrete a complex heteropolysaccharide-containing extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) that facilitates gliding motility and the formation of cell aggregates. Fucoidan-like polymers, major components of brown algal CWs, are a major constituent of both the EPS and the adhesive layer of the CW and their role in the adhesion process is still to be examined.</p
Leading program curriculum reform: reflections on challenges and successes
No full textMajor curriculum review and redesign at the higher education level demand transformative academic leadership and significant time commitment. However, the traditional university culture characterised by change aversion, complex bureaucratic processes, and a research dominated academic workload allocation and promotion system poses significant obstacles to teaching quality enhancement. This article presents the critical reflections of a Program Director (academic middle leader) at an Australian university on the challenges and successes experienced while leading a major accounting curriculum reform project. Conducted between October 2019 and May 2021, this project encountered constant disruptions due to the Global Covid-19 pandemic, organisational restructuring, the new external professional accreditation requirements. Academic middle leader’s insights on the positive impacts and obstacles of major curriculum reform at the whole of a program level within a constantly evolving institutional environment provide valuable perspectives for both business education practice and policy reforms. The reflection has policy implications for university management to reassess strategic priorities with more balanced support for teaching and research in practice.</p
Glycosyl transferase GT2 genes mediate the biosynthesis of an unusual (1,3;1,4)‐β‐glucan exopolysaccharide in the bacterium Sarcina ventriculi
No full textLinear, unbranched (1,3;1,4)-β-glucans (mixed-linkage glucans or MLGs) are commonly found in the cell walls of grasses, but have also been detected in basal land plants, algae, fungi and bacteria. Here we show that two family GT2 glycosyltransferases from the Gram-positive bacterium Sarcina ventriculi are capable of synthesizing MLGs. Immunotransmission electron microscopy demonstrates that MLG is secreted as an exopolysaccharide, where it may play a role in organizing individual cells into packets that are characteristic of Sarcina species. Heterologous expression of these two genes shows that they are capable of producing MLGs in planta, including an MLG that is chemically identical to the MLG secreted from S. ventriculi cells but which has regularly spaced (1,3)-β-linkages in a structure not reported previously for MLGs. The tandemly arranged, paralogous pair of genes are designated SvBmlgs1 and SvBmlgs2. The data indicate that MLG synthases have evolved different enzymic mechanisms for the incorporation of (1,3)-β- and (1,4)-β-glucosyl residues into a single polysaccharide chain. Amino acid variants associated with the evolutionary switch from (1,4)-β-glucan (cellulose) to MLG synthesis have been identified in the active site regions of the enzymes. The presence of MLG synthesis in bacteria could prove valuable for large-scale production of MLG for medical, food and beverage applications.</p
Entering the Goddess’s Womb: How a Rainforest Valley Became a Tibetan Sacred Site
No full textThis essay is one of a collection of essays in "South Asian Goddesses and the Natural Environment", the last of a trilogy on the Devi or iconic female by Australian scholars and their collaborators, interrogates the paradoxes of worshipping the feminine divine and yet ignoring the natural environment ...https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781803276717#:~:text=South Asian Goddesses and the Natural Environment is a multidisciplinary,Hindu, Buddhist and tribal cultures</p
Determination of Protein-Ligand Binding Affinities by Thermal Shift Assay
No full textQuantification of protein–ligand interactions is crucial for understanding the protein’s biological function and for drug discovery. In this study, we employed three distinct approaches for determination of protein–ligand binding affinities by a thermal shift assay using a single ligand concentration. We present the results of the comparison of the performance of the conventional curve fitting (CF) method and two newly introduced methods - assuming zero heat capacity change across small temperature ranges (ZHC) and utilizing the unfolding equilibrium constant (UEC); the latter has the advantage of reducing calculations by obtaining the unfolding equilibrium constant directly from the experimental data. Our results highlight superior performance of the ZHC and UEC methods over the conventional CF method in estimating the binding affinity, irrespective of the ligand concentration. In addition, we evaluated how the new methods can be applied to high-throughput screening for potential binders, when the enthalpy (ΔHL) and molar heat capacity change (ΔCPL) of ligand binding are unknown. Our results suggest that, in this scenario, using the −300 cal K–1 mol–1 assumption for ΔCpL and either −5 kcal mol–1 or the average enthalpy efficiency-based estimation for ΔHL(T) can still provide reasonable estimates of the binding affinity. Incorporating the new methods into the workflow for screening of small drug-like molecules, typically conducted using single-concentration libraries, could greatly simplify and streamline the drug discovery process.</p
The efficacy of exercise therapy for rotator cuff related shoulder pain according to the FITT principle: a systematic review with meta-analyses
No full textOBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of exercise interventions with differing frequency, intensity, type, and time (FITT) on shoulder pain and disability in people with rotator cuff–related shoulder pain (RCRSP). DESIGN: Intervention systematic review with meta-analyses. LITERATURE SEARCH: Electronic searches were conducted up to May 2023. STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of exercise interventions differing in prescription according to the FITT principle, in people with RCRSP. DATA SYNTHESIS: Separate meta-analyses comparing exercise type (specific versus nonspecific exercise) and intensity (high versus low) were conducted. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) was used to evaluate the certainty of evidence. RESULTS: Twenty-two RCTs (n = 1281) were included. There was moderate-certainty evidence that motor control exercise programs, when compared to nonspecific exercise programs, significantly reduced disability in the short (SMD: −0.29; 95% CI: −0.51, −0.07; n = 323; 7 RCTs) and medium terms (SMD: −0.33; 95% CI: −0.57, −0.09; n = 286; 5 RCTs), but not pain in the short term (SMD: −0.19; 95% CI: −0.41, 0.03; n = 323; 7 RCTs). Uncertainties remained regarding other exercise types (eccentric and scapula-focused exercise programs) versus nonspecific exercise programs, and exercise intensity due to low- to very low–certainty evidence. No trials were identified that compared different frequencies or times. CONCLUSION: For adults with RCRSP, motor control exercise programs were probably slightly superior to nonspecific exercise programs. However, it is unclear if the effects were due to motor control exercise or to other program characteristics such as progression and tailoring. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(8):499-512. Epub 7 June 2024. doi:10.2519/jospt.2024.12453</p
PainterAR: A Self-Painting AR Interface for Mobile Devices
No full textPainting is a complex and creative process that involves the use of various drawing skills to create artworks. The concept of training artificial intelligence models to imitate this process is referred to as neural painting. To enable ordinary people to engage in the process of painting, we propose PainterAR, a novel interface that renders any paintings stroke-by-stroke in an immersive and realistic augmented reality (AR) environment. PainterAR is composed of two components: the neural painting model and the AR interface. Regarding the neural painting model, unlike previous models, we introduce the Kullback–Leibler divergence to replace the original Wasserstein distance existed in the baseline paint transformer model, which solves an important problem of encountering different scales of strokes (big or small) during painting. We then design an interactive AR interface, which allows users to upload an image and display the creation process of the neural painting model on the virtual drawing board. Experiments demonstrate that the paintings generated by our improved neural painting model are more realistic and vivid than previous neural painting models. The user study demonstrates that users prefer to control the painting process interactively in our AR environment.</p