19683 research outputs found
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“Blessed are those who thirst and hunger for righteousness”: Alexei Navalny’s Christian witness is a spiritual beacon for the West
No full textNo description supplied.</p
Determinants of rural practice among a cohort of dental professionals in Australia
No full textBACKGROUND: Most research on tracking practice locations of health students has focused on medical students, particularly the factors influencing their choice to work in rural and remote areas. However, there is limited research on how rural origin and training in regional or rural settings affect the employment destinations of dental and oral health graduates. This paper explores the practice locations of dentistry and oral health therapy (OHT) graduates from rural backgrounds compared to those from metropolitan areas in Australia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The target population was dental and OHT graduates from La Trobe University's Rural Health School (Australia) who completed their studies between 2009 and 2023. The graduates' primary place of practice was sourced from the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) data. The 2019 Modified Monash Model (MMM) was used to categorise the students' original place of residence by rurality and practice locations. Multivariable analyses were conducted to explore the association between home and practice locations while controlling for the effect of socio-demographic characteristics collected from students at enrolment. RESULTS: Data were available for 819 graduates matched to the AHPRA register. Of these, 541 (66.1%) were dentists, and 278 (33.9%) were OHTs. The majority were female (56.7% dentists and 81.7% OHTs), 11.3% (dentists) and 21.6% (OHTs) of the graduates originated from rural and remote areas, 16.6% (dentists) and 18% (OHTs) from regional areas, and 72.1% (dentists) and 60.4% (OHTs) from metropolitan areas. Multinomial logistic regression analyses for dentists and OHTs identified that , having a regional background, or having a rural or remote background were the most significant predictors for regional, rural/remote practice over metropolitan areas. CONCLUSION: Regional background is the strongest predictor for graduate dentists and OHTs practicing in Australia's regional or rural and remote locations. Similarly, students from rural and remote locations were highly likely to practice in rural/ remote locations. Increasing the recruitment of students with rural backgrounds may positively impact graduates' decisions to practice in rural areas.</p
Cervicocephalic force steadiness and force sense in people with and without neck pain
No full textBackground: Proprioceptive and motor control impairments have been identified in people with neck pain, but there is limited data regarding deficits and reliability of cervical force steadiness and force sense. Objectives: To evaluate between-group differences and test-retest reliability of cervical force steadiness and force sense in people with and without neck pain. Design: Cross-sectional comparative study. Method: Fourteen people with chronic neck pain (CNP) and 15 healthy participants of comparable age range completed a force-matching protocol of randomised isometric contractions for cervical flexion, extension, rotation (left and right), and lateral flexion (left and right) at intensities of 10% and 25% of their maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Twenty-four participants completed a second session 4–7 days later to evaluate reliability. Force was converted to coefficient of variation (COV) to measure force steadiness, and absolute error (AE), constant error (CE), and variable error (VE) for force sense. Results: CNP participants demonstrated worse total VE at 10% MVC (mean difference 36.96%, p < .001). Reliability of force sense varied between poor to good, with best reliability shown for CE (ICC estimates 0.21–0.88). Force steadiness was significantly worse in the CNP population for 10% MVC (mean difference 42.26%, p < .001) and 25% MVC (mean difference 23.97%, p < .001), and reliability was moderate-good for all contractions (ICC estimates 0.53–0.87) except two. Conclusions: People with CNP demonstrated impairments in force steadiness and force sense, particularly at 10% MVC intensity contractions. Reliability was varied for force sense and most contractions demonstrated moderate-good reliability for force steadiness.</p
Creating Song Magic: Curating
No full textThis podcast was produced by Belinda Densley as part of her PhD programme at La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University.</p
Applying Deep Learning Methods for Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
No full textA thesis submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Chronic stroke survivors with upper limb spasticity: linking experience to the ICF
No full textPurpose: To identify the impact of upper limb spasticity on stroke survivors by linking their shared experience to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).Methods: Ten community dwelling adults with a chronic stroke and spasticity, who had completed an upper limb rehabilitation trial participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using content analysis and linked to the ICF Comprehensive Core Set for stroke using standard linking rules.Results: Four hundred and thirty-nine meaningful concepts eligible for linking were identified. The majority (n = 178) linked to Body Function, n = 137 to Activities and Participation, n = 115 to Environmental Factors, and n = 9 to Body Structures. Sixty-two of the 130 Comprehensive Core Set categories were used; an additional eight were required to fully represent experience. Stroke survivors with upper limb spasticity use words and discuss topics concentrated around mental functions, functions of the joints and bones, muscles and movements, carrying, moving and handling objects, support and relationships with immediate family and health professionals, products and technology, and health services.Conclusions: Half of the Comprehensive Core Set categories for stroke were relevant, but to adequately capture experience an additional eight were needed. The ICF category profile may be unique to our participants or may suggest further research is needed to determine if additions to core set categories are required.</p
Birds, Mammals, and Insects as Pollinators of Banksia Species With Divergent Floral Traits: A Comparative Study in a Biodiversity Hotspot
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.This thesis was a recipient of the Nancy Millis Award for theses of exceptional merit.</p
On Nonparametric Estimation of Covariograms
No full textAbstract: The paper overviews and investigates several nonparametric methods of estimating covariograms. It provides a unified approach and notation to compare the main approaches used in applied research. The primary focus is on methods that utilise the actual values of observations, rather than their ranks. We concentrate on such desirable properties of covariograms as bias, positive-definiteness and behaviour at large distances. The paper discusses several theoretical properties and demonstrates some surprising drawbacks of well-known estimators. Numerical studies provide a comparison of representatives from different methods using various metrics. The results provide important insight and guidance for practitioners who use estimated covariograms in various applications, including kriging, monitoring network optimisation, cross-validation, and other related tasks. </p
Fractional dimension of some exceptional sets in continued fractions
No full textIn this paper, we calculate the Hausdorff dimension of some exceptional sets that emerge from specific constraints imposed on the partial quotients of continued fractions.</p
White Flat Oval refuse site- preliminary results
No full textThis paper was included in the 13th issue of Excavations, Surveys and Heritage Management in Victoria and was presented at the annual Victorian Archaeology Colloquium held at La Trobe University on 2 February 2024.</p