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Human engagement providing evaluative and informative advice for interactive reinforcement learning

  • Authors: Bignold, Adam , Cruz, Francisco , Dazeley, Richard , Vamplew, Peter , Foale, Cameron
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Neural Computing and Applications Vol. 35, no. 25 (2023), p. 18215-18230
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  • Description: Interactive reinforcement learning proposes the use of externally sourced information in order to speed up the learning process. When interacting with a learner agent, humans may provide either evaluative or informative advice. Prior research has focused on the effect of human-sourced advice by including real-time feedback on the interactive reinforcement learning process, specifically aiming to improve the learning speed of the agent, while minimising the time demands on the human. This work focuses on answering which of two approaches, evaluative or informative, is the preferred instructional approach for humans. Moreover, this work presents an experimental setup for a human trial designed to compare the methods people use to deliver advice in terms of human engagement. The results obtained show that users giving informative advice to the learner agents provide more accurate advice, are willing to assist the learner agent for a longer time, and provide more advice per episode. Additionally, self-evaluation from participants using the informative approach has indicated that the agent’s ability to follow the advice is higher, and therefore, they feel their own advice to be of higher accuracy when compared to people providing evaluative advice. © 2022, The Author(s).

Human rights for or by the people? Securing economic, social and cultural rights in a post-war/post-conflict context

  • Authors: Fernando, Dinesha
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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  • Description: This grounded theory (GT) study explores the economic, social and cultural (ESC) conditions and associated rights in post-war Sri Lanka during the past 10 years (2009– 2019). Tamils have been left in a challenging position after the war in terms of how other citizens have been perceiving them and their uniqueness has been disputed in terms of their rights. The overall position of the Tamils in the country has changed in recent history, which is a unique situation not only for the Tamils but also for the whole country. The 30-year Sri Lankan civil war is an important example of transformations during resettlement and the transitions back to normalcy. For many years, the war produced serious loss of life, assets and property, and in addition to these losses, the majority of people were affected either directly or indirectly. It is probably without choice that over the past decades, the Sri Lankans have faced significant economic, social, and cultural rights (ESCR) challenges, especially in the north of the country. In the 10 years since the Sri Lankan Government brought an end to the devastating civil war, the country has seen improvements in the overall security and freedom of movement, infrastructure, investment, and growth; yet there remain many ESCR challenges. This thesis identifies the forces that have been acting for and against securing ESCR for minority Tamils in post-war Sri Lanka. Specifically, the thesis identifies the strategies to secure ESCR in a post-war situation when ESCR are absent or insecure. The grounded-up nature of this thesis explores capturing the ESCR-related post-war experiences, attributes and learnings rather than gathering facts and describing acts. The thesis was designed to address the research questions in a direct manner: (1) What are the forces acting for and against securing ESCR for minority Tamils in post-war Sri Lanka; and (2) What would be the most effective strategies for securing ESCR for minority Tamils in post-war Sri Lanka? This constructivist grounded theory study collected qualitative data through in-depth, one-on-one semi-structured interviews and observations. In an effort to chart and examine what individuals and communities do in the absence of secure ESCR, I uncovered surprising and interesting coping strategies adopted by communities in their efforts to secure ESCR. A significant aim of this study was to share the results/findings with regional policymakers, especially in the north of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, with the availability of funds, this study could be expanded to incorporate a larger context in the form of a book published to assist in improving the lives of war-affected victims’ in terms of future access, promotion, protection and enjoyment of ESCR.
  • Description: Doctor of Philosophy

Human strongyloidiasis : complexities and pathways forward

  • Authors: Buonfrate, Dora , Bradbury, Richard , Watts, Matthew , Bisoffi, Zeno
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Clinical Microbiology Reviews Vol. 36, no. 4 (2023), p.
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  • Description: Strongyloidiasis is a World Health Organization neglected tropical disease usually caused by Strongyloides stercoralis, a parasitic worm with a complex life cycle. Globally, 300-600 million people are infected through contact with fecally contaminated soil. An autoinfective component of the life cycle can lead to chronic infection that may be asymptomatic or cause long-term symptoms, including malnourishment in children. Low larval output can limit the sensitivity of detection in stool, with serology being effectivebut less sensitive in immunocompromise. Host immunosuppression can trigger catastrophic, fatal hyperinfection/dissemination, where large numbers of larvae pierce the bowel wall and disseminate throughout the organs. Stable disease is effectivelytreated by single-dose ivermectin, with disease in immunocompromised patients treated with multiple doses. Strategies for management include raising awareness, clarifying zoonotic potential, the development and use of effectivediagnostic tests for epidemiological studies and individual diagnosis, and the implementation of treatment programs with research into therapeutic alternatives and medication safety. © 2023 American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Hybridisation rates, population structure, and dispersal of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) and rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) in south-eastern Australia

  • Authors: Hill, Erin , Murphy, Nicholas , Li-Williams, Scarlett , Davies, Christopher , Forsyth, David , Comte, Sebastien , Rollins, Lee , Hogan, Fiona , Wedrowicz, Faye , Crittle, Troy , Thomas, Elaine , Woodford, Luke , Pacioni, Carlo
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Wildlife Research Vol. 50, no. 9 (2023), p. 669-687
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  • Description: Context. Introduced populations of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) and rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) are present across south-eastern Australia and are subject to local population control to alleviate their negative impacts. For management to be effective, identification of dispersal capability and management units is necessary. These species also readily hybridise, so additional investigation of hybridisation rates across their distributions is necessary to understand the interactions between the two species. Aims. Measure the hybridisation rate of sambar and rusa deer, assess broad-scale population structure present within both species and identify distinct management units for future population control, and measure the likely dispersal capability of both species. Methods. In total, 198 sambar deer, 189 rusa deer, and three suspected hybrid samples were collected across Victoria and New South Wales (NSW). After sequencing and filtering, 14 099 polymorphic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were retained for analysis. Hybridisation rates were assessed before the data were split by species to identify population structure, diversity indices, and dispersal distances. Key results. Across the entire dataset, 17 hybrids were detected. Broad-scale population structure was evident in sambar deer, but not among the sites where rusa deer were sampled. Analysis of dispersal ability showed that a majority of deer movement occurred within 20 km in both species, suggesting limited dispersal. Conclusions. Distinct management units of sambar deer can be identified from the dataset, allowing independent population control. Although broad-scale population structure was not evident in the rusa deer populations, dispersal limits identified suggest that rusa deer sites sampled in this study could be managed separately. Sambar × rusa deer hybrids are present in both Victoria and NSW and can be difficult to detect on the basis of morphology alone. Implications. Genetic analysis can identify broad-scale management units necessary for population control, and estimates of dispersal capability can assist in delineating management units where broad-scale population structure may not be apparent. The negative impacts associated with hybridisation require further investigation to determine whether removal of hybrids should be considered a priority management aim. © 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.

Hybridizing five neural-metaheuristic paradigms to predict the pillar stress in bord and pillar method

  • Authors: Zhou, Jian , Chen, Yuxin , Chen, Hui , Khandelwal, Manoj , Monjezi, Masoud , Peng, Kang
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 11, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Pillar stability is an important condition for safe work in room-and-pillar mines. The instability of pillars will lead to large-scale collapse hazards, and the accurate estimation of induced stresses at different positions in the pillar is helpful for pillar design and guaranteeing pillar stability. There are many modeling methods to design pillars and evaluate their stability, including empirical and numerical method. However, empirical methods are difficult to be applied to places other than the original environmental characteristics, and numerical methods often simplify the boundary conditions and material properties, which cannot guarantee the stability of the design. Currently, machine learning (ML) algorithms have been successfully applied to pillar stability assessment with higher accuracy. Thus, the study adopted a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) and five elements including the sparrow search algorithm (SSA), gray wolf optimizer (GWO), butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA), tunicate swarm algorithm (TSA), and multi-verse optimizer (MVO). Combining metaheuristic algorithms, five hybrid models were developed to predict the induced stress within the pillar. The weight and threshold of the BPNN model are optimized by metaheuristic algorithms, in which the mean absolute error (MAE) is utilized as the fitness function. A database containing 149 data samples was established, where the input variables were the angle of goafline (A), depth of the working coal seam (H), specific gravity (G), distance of the point from the center of the pillar (C), and distance of the point from goafline (D), and the output variable was the induced stress. Furthermore, the predictive performance of the proposed model is evaluated by five metrics, namely coefficient of determination (R2), root mean squared error (RMSE), variance accounted for (VAF), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The results showed that the five hybrid models developed have good prediction performance, especially the GWO-BPNN model performed the best (Training set: R2 = 0.9991, RMSE = 0.1535, VAF = 99.91, MAE = 0.0884, MAPE = 0.6107; Test set: R2 = 0.9983, RMSE = 0.1783, VAF = 99.83, MAE = 0.1230, MAPE = 0.9253). Copyright © 2023 Zhou, Chen, Chen, Khandelwal, Monjezi and Peng.

Hydro-climatic consequences on zooplankton diversity and abundance in perennial Vavuniya reservoir and seasonal Thandikulam reservoir in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

  • Authors: Kottage, Chamali , Patrick, Anton
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology Vol. 84, no. 1 (2023), p. 7-13
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  • Description: Background Zooplankton exhibit strong responses for minute changes in their habitat. Therefore, this study intended to investigate the impacts of hydro-climatic factors and related water quality variables on zooplankton abundance and diversity in the perennial Vavuniya reservoir (VR) and seasonal Thandikulam reservoir (TR), Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. Results Zooplankton diversity and abundance showed some peculiarities between seasonal and perennial reservoirs under varying hydro-climatic factors and water quality parameters during wet and dry seasons (July 2018–February 2019). There were 14 Rotifera, 4 Cladocera and 5 Copepod species in VR, and in TR, 12 Rotifera, 2 Cladocera and 5 Copepod species were identified. Although these reservoirs are located at proximity (2.48 km), the responses via zooplankton community structure toward environmental factors have been shown uniqueness to some extent. Significant negative correlation was observed for increasing  NO 3 -  ( p  = 0.044) and PO 4 3 -  ( p  = 0.010) concentrations with zooplankton diversity in perennial VR however, only PO 4 3 - concentration showed a significantly ( p  = 0.042) negative correlation in seasonal TR. Interestingly, total zooplankton abundance showed significant negative correlations with NO 3 - ( p  = 0.013) and PO 4 3 - ( p  = 0.038) in perennial VR however, insignificant negative correlation was observed in seasonal TR. Copepods make up the majority of total zooplankton abundance in both reservoirs and were significantly affected by increased atmospheric temperature. Cladocera abundance in VR was highly sensitive ( p  = 0.032 r  = 

Identifying complementary and alternative medicine recommendations for anxiety treatment and care : a systematic review and critical assessment of comprehensive clinical practice guidelines

  • Authors: Zhao, Fei-Yi , Kennedy, Gerard , Xu, Peijie , Conduit, Russell , Wang, Yan-Mei , Zhang, Wen-Jing , Wang, Hui-Ru , Yue, Li-Ping , Huang, Yu-Ling , Wang, Yin , Xu, Yan , Fu, Qiang-Qiang , Zheng, Zhen
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Frontiers in Psychiatry Vol. 14, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Background: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are used to guide decision-making, especially regarding complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies that are unfamiliar to orthodox healthcare providers. This systematic review aimed to critically review and summarise CAM recommendations associated with anxiety management included in the existing CPGs. Methods: Seven databases, websites of six international guidelines developing institutions, and the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health website were systematically searched. Their reporting and methodological quality were evaluated using the Reporting Items for practice Guidelines in Healthcare checklist and the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (2nd version) instrument, respectively. Results: Ten CPGs were included, with reporting rates between 51.4 and 88.6%. Seven of these were of moderate to high methodological quality. Seventeen CAM modalities were implicated, involving phytotherapeutics, mind–body practice, art therapy, and homeopathy. Applied relaxation was included in 70% CPGs, which varied in degree of support for its use in the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder. There were few recommendations for other therapies/products. Light therapy was not recommended for use in generalised anxiety disorder, and St John’s wort and mindfulness were not recommended for use in social anxiety disorder in individual guidelines. Recommendations for the applicability of other therapies/products for treating a specific anxiety disorder were commonly graded as “unclear, unambiguous, or uncertain”. No CAM recommendations were provided for separation anxiety disorder, specific phobia or selective mutism. Conclusion: Available guidelines are limited in providing logically explained graded CAM recommendations for anxiety treatment and care. A lack of high-quality evidence and multidisciplinary consultation during the guideline development are two major reasons. High quality and reliable clinical evidence and the engagement of a range of interdisciplinary stakeholders are needed for future CPG development and updating. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022373694, identifier CRD42022373694. Copyright © 2023 Zhao, Kennedy, Xu, Conduit, Wang, Zhang, Wang, Yue, Huang, Wang, Xu, Fu and Zheng.

Identifying complementary and alternative medicine recommendations for insomnia treatment and care : a systematic review and critical assessment of comprehensive clinical practice guidelines

  • Authors: Zhao, Fei-Yi. Y. , Xu, Peijie , Kennedy, Gerard , Conduit, Russell , Zhang, Wen-Jing , Wang, Yan-Mei , Fu, Qiang-Qiang , Zheng, Zhen
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 11, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Background: There is a need for evidence-informed guidance on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for insomnia because of its widespread utilization and a lack of guidance on the balance of benefits and harms. This systematic review aimed to identify and summarize the CAM recommendations associated with insomnia treatment and care from existing comprehensive clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). The quality of the eligible guidelines was appraised to assess the credibility of these recommendations. Methods: Formally published CPGs incorporating CAM recommendations for insomnia management were searched for in seven databases from their inception to January 2023. The NCCIH website and six websites of international guideline developing institutions were also retrieved. The methodological and reporting quality of each included guideline was appraised using the AGREE II instrument and RIGHT statement, respectively. Results: Seventeen eligible GCPs were included, and 14 were judged to be of moderate to high methodological and reporting quality. The reporting rate of eligible CPGs ranged from 42.9 to 97.1%. Twenty-two CAM modalities were implicated, involving nutritional or natural products, physical CAM, psychological CAM, homeopathy, aromatherapy, and mindful movements. Recommendations for these modalities were mostly unclear, unambiguous, uncertain, or conflicting. Logically explained graded recommendations supporting the CAM use in the treatment and/or care of insomnia were scarce, with bibliotherapy, Tai Chi, Yoga, and auriculotherapy positively recommended based on little and weak evidence. The only consensus was that four phytotherapeutics including valerian, chamomile, kava, and aromatherapy were not recommended for insomnia management because of risk profile and/or limited benefits. Conclusions: Existing guidelines are generally limited in providing clear, evidence-informed recommendations for the use of CAM therapies for insomnia management due to a lack of high-quality evidence and multidisciplinary consultation in CPG development. More well-designed studies to provide reliable clinical evidence are therefore urgently needed. Allowing the engagement of a range of interdisciplinary stakeholders in future updates of CPGs is also warranted. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=369155, identifier: CRD42022369155. Copyright © 2023 Zhao, Xu, Kennedy, Conduit, Zhang, Wang, Fu and Zheng.

Identifying factors affecting work-integrated learning opportunities in exercise science and exercise physiology

  • Authors: Buchan, Jena , Pitcher, Christian , Pascoe, Deborah , McGowan, Courtney , Clanchy, Kelly , Sealey, Rebecca
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning Vol. 24, no. 2 (2023), p. 241-259
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  • Description: Support from industry professionals is essential to meet the increasing demand for high-quality work-integrated learning (WIL) that forms a core component of university curriculum in various health professions. This qualitative study used an online survey to investigate the current landscape of exercise science and physiology WIL opportunities in Australia, building from a previous 2013 study. Factors were identified from 76 practicum supervisors that restrict and promote willingness to provide WIL opportunities, with recommendations made on how to better support and engage current and future supervisors. Fifteen factors were identified that influenced supervisor WIL engagement, with four factors reported as 'promote', six factors reported as 'restrict' and five factors identified as promoting and restricting. Using these findings, recommendations were made around five key issues related to supporting sustainable, engaging future WIL opportunities. An update was also provided on status of recommendations resulting from the 2013 research and remaining areas for action. © 2023 International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning. All rights reserved.

Identifying public healthcare priorities in virtual care for older adults : a participatory research study

  • Authors: Pu, Dai , Palmer, Victoria , Greenstock, Louise , Pigott, Cathie , Peeters, Anna , Sanci, Lena , Callisaya, Michele , Browning, Colette , Chapman, Wendy , Haines, Terry
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 20, no. 5 (2023), p.
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  • Description: There has been increasing adoption and implementation of virtual healthcare in recent years, especially with COVID-19 impacting the world. As a result, virtual care initiatives may not undergo stringent quality control processes to ensure that they are appropriate to their context and meet sector needs. The two objectives of this study were to identify virtual care initiatives for older adults currently in use in Victoria and virtual care challenges that could be prioritised for further investigation and scale-up and to understand why certain virtual care initiatives and challenges are prioritised over others for investigation and scale-up. Methods: This project used an Emerging Design approach. A survey of public health services in the state of Victoria in Australia was first carried out, followed by the co-production of research and healthcare priorities with key stakeholders in the areas of primary care, hospital care, consumer representation, research, and government. The survey was used to gather existing virtual care initiatives for older adults and any associated challenges. Co-production processes consisted of individual ratings of initiatives and group-based discussions to identify priority virtual care initiatives and challenges to be addressed for future scale-up. Stakeholders nominated their top three virtual initiatives following discussions. Results: Telehealth was nominated as the highest priority initiative type for scaling up, with virtual emergency department models of care nominated as the highest priority within this category. Remote monitoring was voted as a top priority for further investigations. The top virtual care challenge was data sharing across services and settings, and the user-friendliness of virtual care platforms was nominated as the top priority for further investigation. Conclusions: Stakeholders prioritised public health virtual care initiatives that are easy to adopt and address needs that are perceived to be more immediate (acute more so than chronic care). Virtual care initiatives that incorporate more technology and integrated elements are valued, but more information is needed to inform their potential scale-up. © 2023 by the authors.

Impact of traditional and embedded image denoising on CNN-based deep learning

  • Authors: Kaur, Roopdeep , Karmakar, Gour , Imran, Muhammad
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Applied sciences Vol. 13, no. 20 (2023), p.
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  • Description: In digital image processing, filtering noise is an important step for reconstructing a high-quality image for further processing such as object segmentation, object detection, and object recognition. Various image-denoising approaches, including median, Gaussian, and bilateral filters, are available in the literature. Since convolutional neural networks (CNN) are able to directly learn complex patterns and features from data, they have become a popular choice for image-denoising tasks. As a result of their ability to learn and adapt to various denoising scenarios, CNNs are powerful tools for image denoising. Some deep learning techniques such as CNN incorporate denoising strategies directly into the CNN model layers. A primary limitation of these methods is their necessity to resize images to a consistent size. This resizing can result in a loss of vital image details, which might compromise CNN’s effectiveness. Because of this issue, we utilize a traditional denoising method as a preliminary step for noise reduction before applying CNN. To our knowledge, a comparative performance study of CNN using traditional and embedded denoising against a baseline approach (without denoising) is yet to be performed. To analyze the impact of denoising on the CNN performance, in this paper, firstly, we filter the noise from the images using traditional means of denoising method before their use in the CNN model. Secondly, we embed a denoising layer in the CNN model. To validate the performance of image denoising, we performed extensive experiments for both traffic sign and object recognition datasets. To decide whether denoising will be adopted and to decide on the type of filter to be used, we also present an approach exploiting the peak-signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNRs) distribution of images. Both CNN accuracy and PSNRs distribution are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the denoising approaches. As expected, the results vary with the type of filter, impact, and dataset used in both traditional and embedded denoising approaches. However, traditional denoising shows better accuracy, while embedded denoising shows lower computational time for most of the cases. Overall, this comparative study gives insights into whether denoising will be adopted in various CNN-based image analyses, including autonomous driving, animal detection, and facial recognition.

Implementing a participatory model of place-based stewardship for inclusive wetland management : a community case study

  • Authors: Reeves, Jessica , Bonney, Patrick
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Frontiers in Water Vol. 5, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: The inclusion of local values and an appreciation for different ways of knowing are increasingly considered core principles in wetland management but can be difficult to achieve in practice. This Community Case Study describes the development and impacts of a participatory action research (PAR) project focused on the creation of a community-led stewardship and knowledge sharing in a rural coastal community in Victoria, Australia. The project, Living Bung Yarnda, was designed around four dimensions: vision, knowledge, narrative, and capacity—that align with key principles of PAR and guided the process of knowledge building and exchange. Working with a range of stakeholders, including environmentally-focussed community members, government agencies and Traditional Owners groups, we aimed to discover pathways for the inclusion of local knowledge, lived experience, and acts of care by community members in governance processes. The case description illustrates how embedded knowledge in this community is currently undervalued by management agencies but, if harnessed, can contribute to more holistic and equitable forms of wetland management. We conclude with reflections on the development of the project, emphasizing the role of academic researchers in fostering relationships between community and management authorities that is built on trust, humility and a willingness to find a common language. Copyright © 2023 Reeves and Bonney.

Implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the governance of biodiversity conservation

Improved model predictive torque control with reduced active prediction vectors for voltage source inverter driven induction motor drives

Improving soil stability with alum sludge : an ai-enabled approach for accurate prediction of california bearing ratio

  • Authors: Baghbani, Abolfazl , Nguyen, Minh , Alnedawi, Ali , Milne, Nick , Baumgartl, Thomas , Abuel-Naga, Hossam
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 8 (2023), p.
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  • Description: Alum sludge is a byproduct of water treatment plants, and its use as a soil stabilizer has gained increasing attention due to its economic and environmental benefits. Its application has been shown to improve the strength and stability of soil, making it suitable for various engineering applications. However, to go beyond just measuring the effects of alum sludge as a soil stabilizer, this study investigates the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) methods for predicting the California bearing ratio (CBR) of soils stabilized with alum sludge. Three AI methods, including two black box methods (artificial neural network and support vector machines) and one grey box method (genetic programming), were used to predict CBR, based on a database with nine input parameters. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of AI methods in predicting CBR with good accuracy (R2 values ranging from 0.94 to 0.99 and MAE values ranging from 0.30 to 0.51). Moreover, a novel approach, using genetic programming, produced an equation that accurately estimated CBR, incorporating seven inputs. The analysis of parameter sensitivity and importance, revealed that the number of hammer blows for compaction was the most important parameter, while the parameters for maximum dry density of soil and mixture were the least important. This study highlights the potential of AI methods as a useful tool for predicting the performance of alum sludge as a soil stabilizer. © 2023 by the authors.

In search of pragmatic soil moisture mapping at the field scale : a review

  • Authors: Weir, Peter , Dahlhaus, Peter
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Smart Agricultural Technology Vol. 6, no. (2023), p.
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  • Description: Soil moisture is a major limiting factor in most dryland agricultural production systems around the globe. In dryland agriculture the amount of water available to grow a crop is determined primarily by the in-season rainfall and the amount of water stored in the soil profile prior to seeding of the crop. Soil water content and water storage capacity are key parameters. Soil moisture data measurements are a compromise between the spatial scale of the investigated site, the required spatial resolution, and the depth of investigation of the applied method. A bibliographic search of the measurement of soil moisture content at field-scale was done, giving an overview of current practices available to determine the spatial variability within a field, and its applicability to farm management practices. Articles published between April 2013 and March 2023 were searched, retaining only the articles with horizontal resolution less than or equal to 100 m, minimum vertical support at a depth greater than or equal to 30 cm from the soil surface, a minimum of two vertical layer depths, and the topic of the document was associated with the measurement of soil moisture at field-scale. The results of this review highlight progress in the past decade but currently there is no one method that can achieve absolute continuous spatial soil moisture in 3D at the field level. Some areas of research show promise but is still some distance away from a reliable, timely, and accurate soil moisture mapping required for many extensive dryland farming systems. © 2023

In vitro and in silico analysis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stemness as prognostic markers of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

  • Authors: Sharma, Revati , Balta, Showan , Raza, Ali , Escalona, Ruth , Kannourakis, George , Prithviraj, Prashanth , Ahmed, Nuzhat
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Cancers Vol. 15, no. 9 (2023), p.
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  • Description: The process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) involves the phenotypic transformation of cells from epithelial to mesenchymal status. The cells exhibiting EMT contain features of cancer stem cells (CSC), and the dual processes are responsible for progressive cancers. Activation of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) is fundamental to the pathogenesis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and their role in promoting EMT and CSCs is crucial for ccRCC tumour cell survival, disease progression, and metastatic spread. In this study, we explored the status of HIF genes and their downstream targets, EMT and CSC markers, by immunohistochemistry on in-house accrued ccRCC biopsies and adjacent non-tumorous tissues from patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy. In combination, we comprehensively analysed the expression of HIF genes and its downstream EMT and CSC-associated targets relevant to ccRCC by using publicly available datasets, the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and the clinical proteome tumour analysis consortium (CPTAC). The aim was to search for novel biological prognostic markers that can stratify high-risk patients likely to experience metastatic disease. Using the above two approaches, we report the development of novel gene signatures that may help to identify patients at a high risk of developing metastatic and progressive disease. © 2023 by the authors.

Incontinence during and following hospitalisation : a prospective study of prevalence, incidence and association with clinical outcomes

  • Authors: Campbell, Jill , Hubbard, Ruth , Ostaszkiewicz, Joan , Green, Theresa , Coyer, Fiona , Mudge, Alison
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Age and Ageing Vol. 52, no. 9 (2023), p.
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  • Description: Background: Incontinence is common in hospitalised older adults but few studies report new incidence during or following hospitalisation. Objective: To describe prevalence and incidence of incontinence in older inpatients and associations with clinical outcomes. Design: Secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from consecutive consenting inpatients age 65 years and older on medical and surgical wards in four Australian public hospitals. Methods: Participants self-reported urinary and faecal incontinence 2 weeks prior to admission, at hospital discharge and 30 days after discharge as part of comprehensive assessment by a trained research assistant. Outcomes were length of stay, facility discharge, 30-day readmission and 6-month mortality. Results: Analysis included 970 participants (mean age 76.7 years, 48.9% female). Urinary and/or faecal incontinence was self-reported in 310/970 (32.0%, [95% confidence interval (CI) 29.0-35.0]) participants 2 weeks before admission, 201/834 (24.1% [95% CI 21.2-27.2]) at discharge and 193/776 (24.9% [95% CI 21.9-28.1]) 30 days after discharge. Continence patterns were dynamic within the peri-hospital period. Of participants without pre-hospital incontinence, 74/567 (13.1% [95% CI 10.4-16.1) reported incontinence at discharge and 85/537 (15.8% [95% CI 12.8-19.2]) reported incontinence at 30 days follow-up. Median hospital stay was longer in participants with pre-hospital incontinence (7 vs. 6 days, P = 0.02) even in adjusted analyses and pre-hospital incontinence was significantly associated with mortality in unadjusted but not adjusted analyses. Conclusion: Pre-hospital, hospital-acquired and new post-hospital incontinence are common in older inpatients. Better understanding of incontinence patterns may help target interventions to reduce this complication. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.

Individual-specific relationship between external training and match load and creatine-kinase response in youth national team soccer players

  • Authors: Schuth, Gabor , Szigeti, Gyorgy , Dobreff, Gergely , Pasic, Alija , Gabbett, Tim , Szilas, Adam , Pavlik, Gabor
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Sports Health Vol. 15, no. 5 (2023), p. 700-709
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  • Description: Background: Previous studies have examined the relationship between external load and creatine-kinase (CK) response at the team level. This study aimed to build individualized CK prediction models for elite youth national team soccer players. Hypothesis: The CK response of youth soccer players can be categorized as being sensitive to micromovements (MM), high-velocity (HV) parameters, or the combination of both, measured during training sessions and matches. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: A total of 25 U16-U17 youth national team soccer players were monitored during training sessions and matches using global positioning system (GPS) units. Individual CK values were measured every morning from whole blood. The data set consisted of 57 ± 17 individual datapoints per player. Individual prediction models were used to examine the relationship between external load and consecutive CK changes. Numerous models were built for each player using MM, HV parameters, or the combination of both. The performance of the models was described by the R2 and the root mean square error (RMSE, U/l for CK values). Results: The MM models were superior for 8 players (R2 = 0.68; RMSE = 113 U/l), followed by HV (8 players; R2 = 0.69; RMSE = 88 U/l) and the combined models (2 players; R2 = 0.64; RMSE = 141 U/l). For the remaining 7 players, the R2 of the models was <0.5. The recovery time between efforts was more important in the HV model. Conclusion: Players could be categorized on sensitivity to MM, HV movements, or the combination of both. Clinical Relevance: These findings can be used to individualize postmatch recovery strategies and to optimize weekly training periodization to maximize match performance. © 2022 The Author(s).

Individualism, collectivism, and well-being among a sample of emerging adults in the United States

  • Authors: Nezlek, John , Humphrey, Ashley
  • Date: 2023
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Emerging Adulthood Vol. 11, no. 2 (2023), p. 520-524
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  • Description: An increasing body of research suggests that emerging adults living in Western societies are becoming more individualistic and such increases in individualism are associated with reduced well-being. The present study examined relationships between well-being and individualism and collectivism among 1906 emerging adults in the US, aged 18–25. We measured individualism and collectivism distinguishing horizontal and vertical dimensions of these constructs, and we measured well-being in terms of depression, anxiety, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and neuroticism. Regression analyses found that individualism was negatively related to well-being, and these relationships varied somewhat between horizontal and vertical individualism. Horizontal collectivism was positively related to all measures of well-being, and vertical collectivism was positively related to three measures. These findings increase our understanding of the roles individualism and collectivism play in the psychological well-being of emerging adults, including the importance of distinguishing horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism. © 2021 Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood and SAGE Publishing.