19683 research outputs found
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2D convolutional stochastic configuration networks
No full textDeep stochastic configuration networks (DeepSCNs), as a kind of randomized learner model, have the capability to generate a learning representation quickly and efficiently. Based on DeepSCNs, convolutional stochastic configuration networks (ConSCNs) demonstrated superiority in spectroscopic data analytics by utilizing 1D convolutional and pooling operations. However, directly employing 1D ConSCNs in image data analytics could potentially lead to the loss of spatial information in images and poor generalization performance. This paper extends the original ConSCNs to a 2D version, termed 2DConSCNs, aiming at rapidly constructing randomized learners with 2D input shapes. Empirical results on eight benchmark datasets demonstrate the proposed 2DConSCNs outperform several existing randomized learner models and show good potential for image data analytics
Supporting healthy ageing for people with intellectual disabilities in group homes: Staff experiences
No full textBackground: This study explores the perceptions of supported accommodation staff and their managers of the support needs of residents ageing with intellectual disabilities, and their experiences of adjusting services for this group in the context of individualised funding. Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 staff working in Australian supported accommodation services. Findings: Four themes emerged. The first captured the staff’s limited understanding of ageing and the medicalisation of support needs. The second identified staff practices and adjustments to service provision to facilitate residents’ healthy ageing. The third described staff commitment to facilitating ageing residents to age in place, and the fourth identified staff challenges and opportunities in supporting ageing residents in the context of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Conclusions: Findings may inform the development of practice guidelines and training for supported accommodation staff, protocols for intersections between disability, aged care and health sectors, and adequate policy responses to support older residents’ healthy ageing
Pawsitive Influence - Visualise Your Thesis
No full textDeanna Tepper's Visualise Your Thesis Entry</p
Remaking chemsex event-networks in the age of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
No full textNo description supplied</p
High expression of oleoyl-ACP hydrolase underpins life-threatening respiratory viral diseases
No full textRespiratory infections cause significant morbidity and mortality, yet it is unclear why some individuals succumb to severe disease. In patients hospitalized with avian A(H7N9) influenza, we investigated early drivers underpinning fatal disease. Transcriptomics strongly linked oleoyl-acyl-carrier-protein (ACP) hydrolase (OLAH), an enzyme mediating fatty acid production, with fatal A(H7N9) early after hospital admission, persisting until death. Recovered patients had low OLAH expression throughout hospitalization. High OLAH levels were also detected in patients hospitalized with life-threatening seasonal influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) but not during mild disease. In olah-/- mice, lethal influenza infection led to survival and mild disease as well as reduced lung viral loads, tissue damage, infection-driven pulmonary cell infiltration, and inflammation. This was underpinned by differential lipid droplet dynamics as well as reduced viral replication and virus-induced inflammation in macrophages. Supplementation of oleic acid, the main product of OLAH, increased influenza replication in macrophages and their inflammatory potential. Our findings define how the expression of OLAH drives life-threatening viral disease.</p
MetaHD: A multivariate meta-analysis model for metabolomics data
No full textMotivation: Meta-analysis methods widely used for combining metabolomics data do not account for correlation between metabolites or missing values. Within- and between-study variability are also often overlooked. These can give results with inferior statistical properties, leading to misidentification of biomarkers. Results: We propose a multivariate meta-analysis model for high-dimensional metabolomics data (MetaHD), which accommodates the correlation between metabolites, within- and between-study variances, and missing values. MetaHD can be used for integrating and collectively analysing individual-level metabolomics data generated from multiple studies as well as for combining summary estimates. We show that MetaHD leads to lower root mean square error compared to the existing approaches. Furthermore, we demonstrate that MetaHD, which exploits the borrowing strength between metabolites, could be particularly useful in the presence of missing data compared with univariate meta-analysis methods, which can return biased estimates in the presence of data missing at random. </p
Pride in Prevention Evaluation Guide: A guide for evaluation to support primary prevention of family violence experienced by LGBTIQ communities
No full textThis guide builds on Pride in Prevention, which draws together existing research and policy frameworks and puts forward a conceptual model for understanding lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex and queer experiences of family violence, along with priority actions for primary prevention. Additional practice guides on messaging and partnerships outline additional principles, processes and practices required for effective primary prevention of family violence experienced by LGBTIQ communities.The Pride in Prevention Evaluation Guide builds further on this work, this time focusing attention on evaluation – valuing the work that is done, sharing successes and lessons learned, and growing primary prevention expertise and capacity together.It has been produced by the LGBTIQ Family Violence Prevention Project, a world-leading project led by Rainbow Health Australia and funded by Family Safety Victoria.It draws on expertise in evaluation from within and outside of the sectors engaged with primary prevention of family violence experienced by LGBTIQ communities. This includes the experience of evaluating the first phase of Rainbow Health Australia’s LGBTIQ Family Violence Prevention Project, which resulted in Pride in Prevention and the application of its conceptual model and priority actions by three Victorian partner organisations: Thorne Harbour Health, Zoe Belle Gender Collective, and Safe and Equal.</p
Allele-specific binding variants causing ChIP-seq peak height of histone modification are not enriched in expression QTL annotations
No full textBackground: Genome sequence variants affecting complex traits (quantitative trait loci, QTL) are enriched in functional regions of the genome, such as those marked by certain histone modifications. These variants are believed to influence gene expression. However, due to the linkage disequilibrium among nearby variants, pinpointing the precise location of QTL is challenging. We aimed to identify allele-specific binding (ASB) QTL (asbQTL) that cause variation in the level of histone modification, as measured by the height of peaks assayed by ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing). We identified DNA sequences that predict the difference between alleles in ChIP-seq peak height in H3K4me3 and H3K27ac histone modifications in the mammary glands of cows. Results: We used a gapped k-mer support vector machine, a novel best linear unbiased prediction model, and a multiple linear regression model that combines the other two approaches to predict variant impacts on peak height. For each method, a subset of 1000 sites with the highest magnitude of predicted ASB was considered as candidate asbQTL. The accuracy of this prediction was measured by the proportion where the predicted direction matched the observed direction. Prediction accuracy ranged between 0.59 and 0.74, suggesting that these 1000 sites are enriched for asbQTL. Using independent data, we investigated functional enrichment in the candidate asbQTL set and three control groups, including non-causal ASB sites, non-ASB variants under a peak, and SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) not under a peak. For H3K4me3, a higher proportion of the candidate asbQTL were confirmed as ASB when compared to the non-causal ASB sites (P 0.05). Conclusions: We identified putatively causal sites for asbQTL using the DNA sequence surrounding these sites. Our results suggest that many sites influencing histone modifications may not directly affect gene expression. However, it is important to acknowledge that distinguishing between putative causal ASB sites and other non-causal ASB sites in high linkage disequilibrium with the causal sites regarding their impact on gene expression may be challenging due to limitations in statistical power
Involving Young People With Lived and Living Experience of Suicide in Suicide Research A Delphi Study
No full textBackground: Research into youth suicide prevention rarely involves young people with lived and living experiences as collaborators. Key barriers include a lack of guidelines or frameworks to inform collaboration, appropriate ethical approval processes, perceived risk, and recruitment. Aim: To develop guidelines for involving young people with lived and living experiences in suicide research as collaborators. Method: A Delphi expert consensus study was conducted with two expert panels: a youth lived and living experiences panel and a traditionally qualified researcher panel. Items rated as essential or important using a five-point Likert scale by more than 80% of both panels were included in the guidelines. Results: Forty-nine experts completed two consensus rounds. The guidelines are organized as follows: (1) preparation, (2) supporting safety and well-being, (3) evaluating involvement, and (4) tips for young people. Limitations: Participants were from English-speaking, Western countries only. Conclusion: These world-first guidelines address the unique challenges and opportunities for involving young people with lived and living experiences in suicide research
Centering and flourishing: an online intervention study assessing the effects of a Christian contemplative practice on stress-reduction and human flourishing
No full textDespite widespread engagement in contemplative religious practices, comparatively little research has been conducted on their potential effects on well-being. Furthermore, few studies have focused on how an explicitly religious framing may impact the outcomes of such practices. In this online randomized controlled trial (N = 702), we tested the well-being effects of a contemplative prayer practice called Centering Prayer on self-identifying Christians. We compared 1) presenting the practice with an explicitly religious framing (experimental condition), 2) presenting the practice without an explicitly religious framing (active control), and 3) presenting simple instructions to reflect on the day, without any instructions regarding a meditation-like practice (passive control). After randomization into one of these three conditions, participants were asked to complete their assigned practice daily for 28 days. We hypothesized that the religious framing version of the practice would increase well-being over the active and passive control conditions. Well-being was assessed at three follow-up time points: one day, one week, and one month after the practice period. We found no group differences between the conditions on our primary outcome measure of well-being at one-week post-intervention. Each group increased in well-being from baseline to follow-up. We found significant group differences on acute measures of spiritual experience, the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ-30) and Daily Spiritual Experience Questionnaire (DSES). These results suggest that a religious framing may not enhance well-being effects but may alter spiritual outcomes related to contemplative practices