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Effect of hydralazine on angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm in apolipoprotein e-deficient mice

- Wang, Yutang, Sargisson, Owen, Nguyen, Dinh, Parker, Ketura, Pyke, Stephan, Alramahi, Ahmed, Thihlum, Liam, Fang, Yan, Wallace, Morgan, Berzins, Stuart, Oqueli, Ernesto, Magliano, Dianna, Golledge, Jonathan

Effect of selected environmental factors on the seed germination of the invasive species Polygala myrtifolia (Polygalaceae) in Australia

- Roberts, Natalie, Moloney, Katrina, Monie, Kristin, Florentine, Singarayer

  • Authors: Roberts, Natalie , Moloney, Katrina , Monie, Kristin , Florentine, Singarayer
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Australian Journal of Botany Vol. 71, no. 6 (2023), p. 286-295
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  • Description: Context. Polygala myrtifolia L. has become a significant environmental weed in Australia, where it has invaded coastal ecosystems in temperate regions and there is a high risk of extensive further spread. Knowledge of seed-germination behaviour is essential to understand the potential future impact of this species. Aims. We investigated the effects of selected environmental factors and dormancy on P. myrtifolia seed germination and emergence to improve management strategies. Methods. Seeds were exposed to light, temperature, pH, salinity, osmotic potential and burial depth treatments to assess germination responses, dormancy and viability. Key results. Non-dormant seeds readily germinated to high percentages (93.0–95.0%) under specific day–night temperatures of 25°C–15°C regardless of light conditions and across all soil pH (75.0–100.0%). Salinities were tolerated up to 100 mM NaCl (70.0% germination) before sharply declining. Germination reduced from 98.3% to 40.0% at osmotic potentials of

Effect of traumatic upper-limb injury on cognitive functions : a cross-sectional observational study

- Zhang, Xue, Tse, Tamara, Chen, Shao-Zhen, Qiu, Kai-Yi, Li, Xia, Zoghi, Maryam

  • Authors: Zhang, Xue , Tse, Tamara , Chen, Shao-Zhen , Qiu, Kai-Yi , Li, Xia , Zoghi, Maryam
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Hand Surgery and Rehabilitation Vol. 42, no. 5 (2023), p. 413-418
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  • Description: Objectives: There is growing evidence of cognitive impairment after traumatic peripheral lesions. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between cognitive function and traumatic upper-limb injury. We assessed difference in cognitive function between participants with and without upper-limb injury, and explored the association between cognitive function and certain variables in injured individuals: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), educational level, and occupation. We sought to identify the factors associated with cognitive function in injured subjects: time since injury, injury side, nerve injury, hand function, pain, and finger sensation. Material and methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted, with 2 groups: observational group (with traumatic upper-limb injury) and control group (uninjured). The 2 groups were matched for age, gender, BMI, educational level and occupation. Short-term memory and executive functions were assessed using the Rey Auditory and Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), respectively. Results: 104 participants with traumatic upper-limb injury and 104 uninjured control subjects were included. There was a significant inter-group difference only in RAVLT (p < 0.01; Cohen d, of 0.38). Regression analysis demonstrated an association of pain on VAS (beta =

Effects of a structured reflective interview on parental reflective functioning : a pilot randomised controlled trial

- Low, Yu, Lewis, Andrew, Serfaty, Irene

  • Authors: Low, Yu , Lewis, Andrew , Serfaty, Irene
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Child and Family Studies Vol. 32, no. 2 (2023), p. 516-529
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  • Description: The Parental Reflective Interview Procedure was developed as part of an initial assessment interview for an attachment-based intervention for child mental health conditions. This study was a pilot randomised controlled trial that utilised a parallel, single-blind trial design to evaluate the differences in the effects of the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure compared to a diagnostic interview on parental reflective functioning. The control group was administered a structured diagnostic interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents—Parent Version) and matched for time with clinician. The study sample were 25 parents of clinic-referred children who scored above the clinical cut-off score on the Child Behaviour Checklist. Parental reflective functioning was measured with the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire at baseline and repeated post-intervention, and then again at a two-week follow up. Results showed that the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure produced moderate improvements in parents’ understanding of their children’s mental states and maintenance in their reflections on intergenerational parent-child relationship patterns. The diagnostic interview showed decreases in both these dimensions. The findings suggest that the Parental Reflective Interview Procedure is a promising format for initial assessment when referral indicates difficulty in the parent-child relationship. The interview acts as a good orientation for parents to an intervention focused on parent-child relationship dynamics. Further work refining this interview, its coding and integration into a tailored feedback session is required. © 2023, The Author(s).

Effects of α-lactalbumin on strength, fatigue and psychological parameters: a randomised double-blind cross-over study

- Mackay-Phillips, Karen, Orssatto, Lucas, Polman, Remco, Van der Pols, Jolieke, Trajano, Gabriel

  • Authors: Mackay-Phillips, Karen , Orssatto, Lucas , Polman, Remco , Van der Pols, Jolieke , Trajano, Gabriel
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: European Journal of Applied Physiology Vol. 123, no. 2 (2023), p. 381-393
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  • Description: Purpose: The neurotransmitter serotonin has a strong effect on behaviour and motor control. Regarding motor control, serotonin contributes to the development of fatigue and is also involved in the ability of motor neurones to operate across a large range of forces (gain control). The consumption of tryptophan-rich supplements (such as
  • Description: Purpose: The neurotransmitter serotonin has a strong effect on behaviour and motor control. Regarding motor control, serotonin contributes to the development of fatigue and is also involved in the ability of motor neurones to operate across a large range of forces (gain control). The consumption of tryptophan-rich supplements (such as α-lactalbumin) is of interest because this amino acid is the only precursor for brain serotonin synthesis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of α-lactalbumin supplementation on neuromuscular performance. Methods: Using a randomised double-blind cross-over design, 16 healthy participants performed plantar flexor and handgrip maximal voluntary contractions, a 30-s submaximal handgrip contraction, and a plantar flexor fatigue protocol before and 90 min after consuming either 40 g of α-lactalbumin, an isonitrogenous beverage (Zein) or an isocaloric beverage (corn-starch). Sleepiness, mood, and cognition were assessed to evaluate any psychological effects. Results: α-Lactalbumin decreased force steadiness by 25% during the sustained submaximal handgrip contraction (p < 0.01) and induced greater fatigue (15% reduction in total torque–time integral, p = 0.01) during the fatigue protocol. These effects were not observed for the other control beverages. No effects were found for maximal or explosive strength, or psychological measurements. Conclusions: 40 g of α-lactalbumin increased handgrip force variability and reduced performance during fatiguing muscle contractions but did not influence brief maximal contractions or psychological parameters in healthy individuals. These findings support the hypothesis that the consumption of α-lactalbumin can increase motor neurone input–output gain and exacerbate central fatigue during sustained maximal exercise. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Efficacy of a digital mental health biopsychosocial transdiagnostic intervention with or without therapist assistance for adults with anxiety and depression : adaptive randomized controlled trial

- Andrews, Brooke, Klein, Britt, Nguyen, Huy, Corboy, Denise, McLaren, Suzanne, Watson, Shaun

  • Authors: Andrews, Brooke , Klein, Britt , Nguyen, Huy , Corboy, Denise , McLaren, Suzanne , Watson, Shaun
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Medical Internet Research Vol. 25, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Background: Digital mental health (DMH) interventions incorporating elements that adapt to the evolving needs of consumers have the potential to further our understanding of the optimal intensity of therapist assistance and inform stepped-care models. Objective: The primary objective was to compare the efficacy of a transdiagnostic biopsychosocial DMH program, with or without therapist assistance for adults with subthreshold symptoms or a diagnosis of anxiety or depression. Methods: In a randomized adaptive clinical trial design, all participants had access to the DMH program, with eligibility to have their program augmented with therapist assistance determined by program engagement or symptom severity. Participants who met stepped-care criteria were randomized to have their treatment program augmented with either low-intensity (10 min/week of video chat support for 7 weeks) or high-intensity (50 min/week of video chat support for 7 weeks) therapist assistance. A total of 103 participants (mean age 34.17, SD 10.50 years) were assessed before (week 0), during (weeks 3 and 6), and after the intervention (week 9) and at the 3-month follow-up (week 21). The effects of 3 treatment conditions (DMH program only, DMH program+low-intensity therapist assistance, and DMH program+high-intensity therapist assistance) on changes in the 2 primary outcomes of anxiety (7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale [GAD-7]) and depression (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]) were assessed using the Cohen d, reliable change index, and mixed-effects linear regression analyses. Results: There were no substantial differences in the outcome measures among intervention conditions. However, there were significant time effect changes in most outcomes over time. All 3 intervention conditions demonstrated strong and significant treatment effect changes in GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores, with absolute Cohen d values ranging from 0.82 to 1.79 (all P<.05). The mixed-effects models revealed that, in the Life Flex program–only condition at week 3, mean GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores significantly decreased from baseline by 3.54 and 4.38 (all P<.001), respectively. At weeks 6, 9, and 21, GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores significantly decreased from baseline by at least 6 and 7 points (all P<.001), respectively. Nonresponders at week 3 who were stepped up to therapist assistance increased program engagement and treatment response. At the postintervention time point and 3-month follow-up, 67% (44/65) and 69% (34/49) of the participants, respectively, no longer met diagnostic criteria for anxiety or depression. Conclusions: The findings highlight that early detection of low engagement and non–treatment response presents an opportunity to effectively intervene by incorporating an adaptive design. Although the study findings indicate that therapist assistance was no more effective than the DMH intervention program alone for reducing symptoms of anxiety or depression, the data highlight the potential influence of participant selection bias and participant preferences within stepped-care treatment models. ©Brooke Andrews, Britt Klein, Huy Van Nguyen, Denise Corboy, Suzanne McLaren, Shaun Watson.

Efficient future waste management : a learning-based approach with deep neural networks for smart system (LADS)

- Chauhan, Ritu, Shighra, Sahil, Madkhali, Hatim, Nguyen, Linh, Prasad, Mukesh

  • Authors: Chauhan, Ritu , Shighra, Sahil , Madkhali, Hatim , Nguyen, Linh , Prasad, Mukesh
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 7 (2023), p.
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  • Description: Waste segregation, management, transportation, and disposal must be carefully managed to reduce the danger to patients, the public, and risks to the environment’s health and safety. The previous method of monitoring trash in strategically placed garbage bins is a time-consuming and inefficient method that wastes time, human effort, and money, and is also incompatible with smart city needs. So, the goal is to reduce individual decision-making and increase the productivity of the waste categorization process. Using a convolutional neural network (CNN), the study sought to create an image classifier that recognizes items and classifies trash material. This paper provides an overview of trash monitoring methods, garbage disposal strategies, and the technology used in establishing a waste management system. Finally, an efficient system and waste disposal approach is provided that may be employed in the future to improve performance and cost effectiveness. One of the most significant barriers to efficient waste management can now be overcome with the aid of a deep learning technique. The proposed method outperformed the alternative AlexNet, VGG16, and ResNet34 methods. © 2023 by the authors.

Electricity theft detection for energy optimization using deep learning models

- Pamir, Javaid, Nadeem, Javed, Muhammad, Houran, Mohamad, Almasoud, Abdullah, Imran, Muhammad

  • Authors: Pamir , Javaid, Nadeem , Javed, Muhammad , Houran, Mohamad , Almasoud, Abdullah , Imran, Muhammad
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Energy Science and Engineering Vol. 11, no. 10 (2023), p. 3575-3596
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  • Description: The rapid increase in nontechnical loss (NTL) has become a principal concern for distribution system operators (DSOs) over the years. Electricity theft makes up a major part of NTL. It causes losses for the DSOs and also deteriorates the quality of electricity. The introduction of advanced metering infrastructure along with the upgradation of the traditional grids to the smart grids (SGs) has helped the electric utilities to collect the electricity consumption (EC) readings of consumers, which further empowers the machine learning (ML) algorithms to be exploited for efficient electricity theft detection (ETD). However, there are still some shortcomings, such as class imbalance, curse of dimensionality, and bypassing the automated tuning of hyperparameters in the existing ML-based theft classification schemes that limit their performances. Therefore, it is essential to develop a novel approach to deal with these problems and efficiently detect electricity theft in SGs. Using the salp swarm algorithm (SSA), gate convolutional autoencoder (GCAE), and cost-sensitive learning and long short-term memory (CSLSTM), an effective ETD model named SSA–GCAE–CSLSTM is proposed in this work. Furthermore, a hybrid GCAE model is developed via the combination of gated recurrent unit and convolutional autoencoder. The proposed model comprises five submodules: (1) data preparation, (2) data balancing, (3) dimensionality reduction, (4) hyperparameters' optimization, and (5) electricity theft classification. The real-time EC data provided by the state grid corporation of China are used for performance evaluations via extensive simulations. The proposed model is compared with two basic models, CSLSTM and GCAE–CSLSTM, along with seven benchmarks, support vector machine, decision tree, extra trees, random forest, adaptive boosting, extreme gradient boosting, and convolutional neural network. The results exhibit that SSA–GCAE–CSLSTM yields 99.45% precision, 95.93% F1 score, 92.25% accuracy, and 71.13% area under the receiver operating characteristic curve score, and surpasses the other models in terms of ETD. © 2023 The Authors. Energy Science & Engineering published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Emotional wellbeing as a matter of relationships and love : insights for social work from mental health peer mentor trainees, carers and practitioners

- Ross, Dyann, Couche, Mary, Connolly, John, Bennett, Bindi

  • Authors: Ross, Dyann , Couche, Mary , Connolly, John , Bennett, Bindi
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Social Work in Mental Health Vol. 21, no. 6 (2023), p. 634-655
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  • Description: The research gathered lived experience accounts of emotional wellbeing as a counter to the over-focus on illness and deficit language and approaches in mental health practice. The exploratory research study involved semi-interviews with mental health peer mentor trainees, carers and practitioners to explore their ideas about emotional wellbeing, what enabled it and what challenged their wellbeing. Emotional wellbeing was understood as a fluctuating continuum of capacities to engage in everyday activities, to self-care and to foster relationships with others. The absence of emotional wellbeing was linked to a reduced quality of relationships and ability to love. © 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Enacting more-than-human pedagogies in response to ecological precarity : an immanent praxiography

- Jukes, Scott

Enhancing ultimate bearing capacity prediction of cohesionless soils beneath shallow foundations with grey box and hybrid AI models

- Kiany, Katayoon, Baghbani, Abolfazl, Abuel-Naga, Hossam, Baghbani, Hasan, Arabani, Mahyar, Shalchian, Mohammad

  • Authors: Kiany, Katayoon , Baghbani, Abolfazl , Abuel-Naga, Hossam , Baghbani, Hasan , Arabani, Mahyar , Shalchian, Mohammad
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Algorithms Vol. 16, no. 10 (2023), p.
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  • Description: This study examines the potential of the soft computing technique, namely, multiple linear regression (MLR), genetic programming (GP), classification and regression trees (CART) and GA-ENN (genetic algorithm-emotional neuron network), to predict the ultimate bearing capacity (UBC) of cohesionless soils beneath shallow foundations. For the first time, two grey-box AI models, GP and CART, and one hybrid AI model, GA-ENN, were used in the literature to predict UBC. The inputs of the model are the width of footing (B), depth of footing (D), footing geometry (ratio of length to width, L/B), unit weight of sand (

Enriching research practices through knowledge about Indigenous research methodologies

- Bolton, Joanne, Remedios, Louisa, Andrews, Shawana

  • Authors: Bolton, Joanne , Remedios, Louisa , Andrews, Shawana
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Focus on health professional education Vol. 24, no. 2 (2023), p. 163-175
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  • Description: Learning about Indigenous research paradigms and methodologies offers insights and reflexive opportunities for those who seek to improve their research practice. This paper explores how research at the "interface" can enrich scholarly inquiry across the academy. Whilst a single paper cannot do justice to the sophistication and nuance of Indigenous methodologies, as an authorship team of one Indigenous and two non-Indigenous academics and through our established relationship and subsequent conversations, we present in this paper seven distilled methodological learnings that can enrich standard qualitative research practice. We predominantly explored the work of Indigenous scholars worldwide and, where relevant, have drawn on non-Indigenous scholars when there may be "interface" compatibilities. We also build off some of our previous work, such as Andrews (2020a, 2020b, 2021) and Bolton and Andrews.

Erdos properties of subsets of the Mahler set S

- Chalebgwa, Taboka, Morris, Sidney

  • Authors: Chalebgwa, Taboka , Morris, Sidney
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society Vol. 108, no. 3 (2023), p. 504-510
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  • Description: Erd.os proved that every real number is the sum of two Liouville numbers. A set W of complex numbers is said to have the Erd.os property if every real number is the sum of two members of W. Mahler divided the set of all transcendental numbers into three disjoint classes S, T and U such that, in particular, any two complex numbers which are algebraically dependent lie in the same class. The set of Liouville numbers is a proper subset of the set U and has Lebesgue measure zero. It is proved here, using a theorem of Weil on locally compact groups, that if m ∈ [0,∞), then there exist 2c dense subsets W of S each of Lebesgue measure m such that W has the Erd.os property and no two of these W are homeomorphic. It is also proved that there are 2c dense subsets W of S each of full Lebesgue measure, which have the Erd.os property. Finally, it is proved that there are 2c dense subsets W of S such that every complex number is the sum of two members of W and such that no two of these W are homeomorphic. © 2023 The Author(s).
  • Description: Erd.os proved that every real number is the sum of two Liouville numbers. A set W of complex numbers is said to have the Erd.os property if every real number is the sum of two members of W. Mahler divided the set of all transcendental numbers into three disjoint classes S, T and U such that, in particular, any two complex numbers which are algebraically dependent lie in the same class. The set of Liouville numbers is a proper subset of the set U and has Lebesgue measure zero. It is proved here, using a theorem of Weil on locally compact groups, that if m

Erds-liouville sets

- Chalebgwa, Taboka, Morris, Sidney

Ernabella Rules football : Australian Rules football at the Ernabella Mission, 1937-1974

- Beck, Adam

  • Authors: Beck, Adam
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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  • Description: The experience of sport for First Nations peoples on missions and government settlements in Australia, and on comparable missions in other settler colonial societies, has become a growing field of scholarly study. This thesis aims to build on insights from current sports historiography by examining the origins and significance of Australian Rules football to the people of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the far northwest of South Australia. In particular, it investigates their historical engagement with the game at the Ernabella mission (now known as Pukatja) during the years of its operation from 1937 to 1974. It traces the spread of the game from Ernabella to other nearby communities in the 1960s and investigates the conception that football originated in the town of Alice Springs during the Second World War and gradually spread outward into the hinterland where most Aboriginal people lived. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted on the APY Lands, this thesis draws on Anangu oral histories, and a careful examination of local historical materials and photographs held in the Ara Irititja Archive to produce detailed descriptions and portrayals of Australian football at the Ernabella mission from the perspectives of those who lived, worked and played the game at the mission. It argues that a focus on the agency of Anangu at Ernabella is crucial to understanding how the game of Australian football took off and became embedded in local society and culture.
  • Description: Doctor of Philosophy

Estimating the mean cutting force of conical picks using random forest with salp swarm algorithm

- Zhou, Jian, Dai, Yong, Tao, Ming, Khandelwal, Manoj, Zhao, Mingsheng, Li, Qiyue

  • Authors: Zhou, Jian , Dai, Yong , Tao, Ming , Khandelwal, Manoj , Zhao, Mingsheng , Li, Qiyue
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Results in Engineering Vol. 17, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Conical picks are widely used as cutting tools in shearers and roadheaders, and the mean cutting force (MCF) is one of the important parameters affecting conical pick performance. As MCF depends on a number of parameters and due to that the existing empirical and theoretical formulas and numerical modelling are not sufficient enough and reliable to predict MCF in a proficient manner. So, in this research, a novel intelligent model based on a random forest algorithm (RF) and a heuristic algorithm called the salp swarm algorithm (SSA) have been applied to determine the optimal hyper-parameters in RF, and root mean square error is used as a fitness function. A total of 188 data samples including 50 rock types and seven parameters (tensile strength of the rock

Estimation of precipitation fraction in the soil water of the Hillslope Vineyard using stable isotopes of water

- Kovač, Zoran, Krevh, Vedran, Filipović, Lana, Defterdarović, Jasmina, Balaž, Borna-Ivan, Filipović, Vilim

  • Authors: Kovač, Zoran , Krevh, Vedran , Filipović, Lana , Defterdarović, Jasmina , Balaž, Borna-Ivan , Filipović, Vilim
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Water (Switzerland) Vol. 15, no. 5 (2023), p.
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  • Description: This paper presents research related to the estimation of the precipitation fraction in the soil water of a sloped vineyard at the SUPREHILL Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) in Zagreb, Croatia. Numerous investigations have shown that exploration of hillslope soils can be very challenging due to the existence of heterogeneity and different soil properties, as well as due to anthropogenically induced processes, which can affect precipitation infiltration and soil water flow. Within this research, physicochemical soil properties, soil water content (SWC), and isotopic composition of soil water and precipitation (

Evaluation of rural general practice experiences for pre-vocational medical graduates

- McGrail, Matthew, Chhabra, Jasleen, Hays, Richard

  • Authors: McGrail, Matthew , Chhabra, Jasleen , Hays, Richard
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Rural and Remote Health Vol. 23, no. 1 (2023), p.
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  • Description: Introduction: Despite substantial investment in rural workforce support, sustaining the necessary recruitment and retention of general practitioners (GPs) in rural areas remains a challenge. Insufficient medical graduates are choosing a general/rural practice career. Medical training at postgraduate level, particularly for those ‘between’ undergraduate medical education and specialty training, remains strongly reliant on hospital experience in larger hospitals, potentially diverting interest away from general/rural practice. The Rural Junior Doctor Training Innovation Fund (RJDTIF) program offered junior hospital doctors (interns) an experience of 10 weeks in a rural general practice, aiming to increase their consideration of general/rural practice careers This study aimed to evaluate the educational and potential workforce impact of the RJDTIF program. Methods: Up to 110 places were established during 2019–2020 for Queensland’s interns to undertake an 8–12-week rotation (depending on individual hospital rosters) out of regional hospitals to work in a rural general practice. Participants were surveyed before and after the placement, although only 86 were invited due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive quantitative statistics were applied to the survey data. Four semistructured interviews were conducted to further explore the experiences post-placement, with audio-recordings transcribed verbatim. Semi-structured interview data were analysed using inductive, reflexive thematic analysis. Results: In total, 60 interns completed either survey, although only 25 were matched as completing both surveys. About half (48%) indicated they had preferenced the rural GP term and 48% indicated strong enthusiasm for the experience. General practice was indicated as the most likely career option for 50%, other general specialty 28% and subspecialty 22%. Likelihood to be working in a regional/rural location in 10 years was indicated as ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ for 40%, ‘unlikely’ for 24% and ‘unsure’ for 36%. The two most common reasons for preferencing a rural GP term were experiencing training in a primary care setting (50%) and gaining more clinical skills through increased patient exposure (22%). The overall impact on pursuing a primary care career was self-assessed as much more likely by 41%, but much less by 15%. Interest in a rural location was less influenced. Those rating the term poor or average had low pre-placement enthusiasm for the term. The qualitative analysis of interview data produced two themes: importance of the rural GP term for interns (hands-on learning, skills improvement, influence on future career choice and engagement with the local community), and potential improvements to rural intern GP rotations. Conclusion: Most participants reported a positive experience from their rural GP rotation, which was recognised as a sound learning experience at an important time with respect to choosing a specialty. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, this evidence supports the investment in programs that provide opportunities for junior doctors to experience rural general practice in these formative postgraduate years to stimulate interest in this much-needed career pathway. Focusing resources on those who have at least some interest and enthusiasm may improve its workforce impact © 2023, Rural and Remote Health.All Rights Reserved.

Evaluation of various support intensities of digital mental health treatment for reducing anxiety and depression in adults : protocol for a mixed methods, adaptive, randomized clinical trial

- Andrews, Brooke, Klein, Britt, McLaren, Suzanne, Watson, Shaun, Corboy, Denise

  • Authors: Andrews, Brooke , Klein, Britt , McLaren, Suzanne , Watson, Shaun , Corboy, Denise
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: JMIR Research Protocols Vol. 12, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Background: Anxiety and depression are leading causes of disease worldwide, requiring timely access to evidence-based treatment. Digital mental health (dMH) interventions increase accessibility to evidence-based psychological services delivered in a variety of web-based formats (eg, self-help and therapist-assisted interventions). Robust and rigorous studies of adaptive web-based intervention designs are scarce. No identified randomized clinical trial has investigated the efficacy of a 2-stage adaptive design, whereby the program-only condition or no support dMH treatment program is augmented by either low or high therapist assistance, if a participant does not improve or engage in the program-only condition. Objective: The primary objective is to assess whether low or high therapist-assisted support delivered via video chat is more effective in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms compared with a dMH program–only condition. The secondary objective is to evaluate the role of motivation; self-efficacy; and preferences in participant engagement, adherence, and clinical outcomes (anxiety and depression symptoms) among the 3 treatment conditions (program only, low-intensity therapist assistance, and high-intensity therapist assistance). A mixed methods analysis of factors affecting participant attrition, participant reasons for nonengagement and withdrawal, and therapist training and implementation of dMH interventions will be completed. Qualitative data regarding participant and therapist experiences and satisfaction with video chat assessment and treatment will also be analyzed. Methods: Australian adults (N=137) with symptoms or a diagnosis of anxiety or depression will be screened for eligibility and given access to the 8-module Life Flex dMH treatment program. On day 15, participants who meet the augmentation criteria will be stepped up via block randomization to receive therapist assistance delivered via video chat for either 10 minutes (low intensity) or 50 minutes (high intensity) per week. This adaptive trial will implement a mixed methods design, with outcomes assessed before the intervention (week 0), during the intervention (weeks 3 and 6), after the intervention (week 9), and at the 3-month follow-up (week 21). Results: The primary outcome measures are for anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7) and depression severity (Patient Health Questionnaire–9). Measures of working alliance, health status, health resources, preferences, self-efficacy, and motivation will be used for secondary outcomes. Qualitative methods will be used to explore participant and therapist experiences of video chat assessment and treatment, participant reasons for withdrawal and nonengagement, and therapist training and implementation experiences. Data collection commenced in November 2020 and was completed at the end of March 2022. Conclusions: This is the first mixed methods adaptive trial to explore the comparative efficacy of different intensity levels of self-help and a therapist-assisted dMH intervention program delivered via video chat for adults with anxiety or depression. Anticipated results may have implications for the implementation of dMH interventions. © Brooke Andrews, Britt Klein, Suzanne McLaren, Shaun Watson, Denise Corboy. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 28.04.2023.

Experienced teacher educators hunting assumptions to examine their pedagogy : an international collaborative study

- Brandenburg, Robyn, Garbett, Dawn, Ovens, Alan, Thomas, Lynn

  • Authors: Brandenburg, Robyn , Garbett, Dawn , Ovens, Alan , Thomas, Lynn
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Frontiers in Education Vol. 7, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: The research presented in this article focuses on an international collaboration conducted by four experienced teacher educators who used assumption identification and examination to advance pedagogical practice. It describes and examines how teacher educators deliberately undertook reflective practices to inform and enhance teaching. Four vignettes are described and analyzed—Practica woes and Modelling practice—and examined using the simple, complicated, and complex teaching framework. The key outcomes include the impact and role of assumption definition, identification, and examination as powerful reflective tools. Researching practice in teacher education is an effective way to advance pedagogical knowledge and practice and a disposition of inquiry is necessary to enhance knowledge at all stages of teacher educator experience. This international collaboration highlights the importance of problematizing teaching, continually inquiring into and interrogating practice and grasping the teachable moments. Copyright © 2023 Brandenburg, Garbett, Ovens and Thomas.