A survey dataset to evaluate the changes in mobility and transportation due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa, United States
- Barbieri, Diego, Lou, Baowen, Passavanti, Marco, Hui, Cang, Lam, Louisa
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Data in Brief Vol. 33, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
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- Description: COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted the global community. To curb the viral transmission, travel restrictions have been enforced across the world. The dataset documents the mobility disruptions and the modal shifts that have occurred as a consequence of the restrictive measures implemented in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. An online questionnaire was distributed during the period from the 11st to the 31st of May 2020, with a total of 9 394 respondents. The first part of the survey has characterized the frequency of use of all transport modes before and during the enforcement of the restrictions, while the second part of the survey has dealt with perceived risks of contracting COVID-19 from different transport modes and perceived effectiveness of travel mitigation measures. Overall, the dataset (stored in a repository publicly available) can be conveniently used to quantify and understand the modal shifts and people's cognitive behavior towards travel due to COVID-19. The collected responses can be further analysed by considering other demographic and socioeconomic covariates. © 2020 The Author(s). *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record*
- Authors: Barbieri, Diego , Lou, Baowen , Passavanti, Marco , Hui, Cang , Lam, Louisa
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Data in Brief Vol. 33, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted the global community. To curb the viral transmission, travel restrictions have been enforced across the world. The dataset documents the mobility disruptions and the modal shifts that have occurred as a consequence of the restrictive measures implemented in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the United States. An online questionnaire was distributed during the period from the 11st to the 31st of May 2020, with a total of 9 394 respondents. The first part of the survey has characterized the frequency of use of all transport modes before and during the enforcement of the restrictions, while the second part of the survey has dealt with perceived risks of contracting COVID-19 from different transport modes and perceived effectiveness of travel mitigation measures. Overall, the dataset (stored in a repository publicly available) can be conveniently used to quantify and understand the modal shifts and people's cognitive behavior towards travel due to COVID-19. The collected responses can be further analysed by considering other demographic and socioeconomic covariates. © 2020 The Author(s). *Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Louisa Lam” is provided in this record*
Aberrant pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A expression in breast cancers prognosticates clinical outcomes
- Prithviraj, Prashanth, Anaka, Matthew, Thompson, Erik, Sharma, Revati, Walkiewicz, Marzena, Tutuka, Candani, Behren, Andreas, Kannourakis, George, Jayachandran, Aparna
- Authors: Prithviraj, Prashanth , Anaka, Matthew , Thompson, Erik , Sharma, Revati , Walkiewicz, Marzena , Tutuka, Candani , Behren, Andreas , Kannourakis, George , Jayachandran, Aparna
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
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- Description: Elevated levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various malignancies, including breast cancers. Breast cancer is one of the most frequent carcinomas and is the second most common cancer type detected in women of child-bearing age. Throughout pregnancy PAPP-A is produced and secreted by the placental syncytiotrophoblast cells; co-incidentally pregnancy-associated breast cancers often have an aggressive clinical course. The components of the PAPP-A/IGF axis was assessed in a panel of breast cancer cell lines. Using neutralising antibodies the impact of PAPP-A/IGF axis on cell motility was evaluated. PAPP-A was expressed in four of the twelve breast cancer cell lines tested. Blocking PAPP-A and IGFBP4 with neutralising antibodies significantly decreased motiliy of MDA-MB-231 cells. Upregulation of PAPP-A expression in breast tumours resulted in a trend towards worse overall survival. Notably, PAPP-A expression also positively correlated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers. In conclusion, these results indicate that PAPP-A plays an important role in breast cancer progression and it may be a promising therapeutic target in breast cancer. © 2020, The Author(s).
- Authors: Prithviraj, Prashanth , Anaka, Matthew , Thompson, Erik , Sharma, Revati , Walkiewicz, Marzena , Tutuka, Candani , Behren, Andreas , Kannourakis, George , Jayachandran, Aparna
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
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- Description: Elevated levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various malignancies, including breast cancers. Breast cancer is one of the most frequent carcinomas and is the second most common cancer type detected in women of child-bearing age. Throughout pregnancy PAPP-A is produced and secreted by the placental syncytiotrophoblast cells; co-incidentally pregnancy-associated breast cancers often have an aggressive clinical course. The components of the PAPP-A/IGF axis was assessed in a panel of breast cancer cell lines. Using neutralising antibodies the impact of PAPP-A/IGF axis on cell motility was evaluated. PAPP-A was expressed in four of the twelve breast cancer cell lines tested. Blocking PAPP-A and IGFBP4 with neutralising antibodies significantly decreased motiliy of MDA-MB-231 cells. Upregulation of PAPP-A expression in breast tumours resulted in a trend towards worse overall survival. Notably, PAPP-A expression also positively correlated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers. In conclusion, these results indicate that PAPP-A plays an important role in breast cancer progression and it may be a promising therapeutic target in breast cancer. © 2020, The Author(s).
Anxiety and Depression After a Cardiac Event: Prevalence and Predictors
- Murphy, Barbara, Le Grande, Michael, Alvarenga, Marlies, Worcester, Marian, Jackson, Alun
- Authors: Murphy, Barbara , Le Grande, Michael , Alvarenga, Marlies , Worcester, Marian , Jackson, Alun
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 10, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
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- Description: Introduction: Patients who are anxious or depressed after an acute cardiac event are at increased risk of a subsequent event and premature death. It is therefore important to identify these patients early in order to initiate supportive or even preventive measures. In the present study, we report on the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first 12 months after an acute cardiac event, and the patient characteristics predictive of increased anxiety and depression risk in early and late convalescence. Methods: We recruited a sample of 911 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and/or unstable angina (UA), and/or undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS). Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) close to the time of their event, and again during early (2–4 months post-event) and late (6–12 months post-event) convalescence. Using HADS-A and HADS-D cut-offs of 8+, prevalence rates for anxiety, depression, and comorbid anxiety and depression were determined for each timepoint. Chi-square tests and odds ratios were used to identify baseline patient characteristics associated with increased anxiety and depression risk over 12 months. Results: Anxiety rates were 43, 28, and 27% at the time of the event, early, and late convalescence. Depression rates were 22, 17, and 15%, respectively. Factors consistently associated with increased anxiety and depression risk were history of depression, financial strain, poor self-rated health, low socioeconomic status, younger age (<55 years), and smoking. Obesity, diabetes, and social isolation (living alone or being unpartnered) were identified as important albeit less significant risk factors. Neither sex nor event type were predictive of anxiety or depression. Conclusion: This large patient sample provided the opportunity to identify rates of anxiety and depression during the 12 months after a cardiac event and key patient characteristics for increased risk. These risk factors are easily identifiable at the time of the event, and could be used to guide the targeting of support programs for patients at risk. © Copyright © 2020 Murphy, Le Grande, Alvarenga, Worcester and Jackson.
- Authors: Murphy, Barbara , Le Grande, Michael , Alvarenga, Marlies , Worcester, Marian , Jackson, Alun
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 10, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Introduction: Patients who are anxious or depressed after an acute cardiac event are at increased risk of a subsequent event and premature death. It is therefore important to identify these patients early in order to initiate supportive or even preventive measures. In the present study, we report on the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first 12 months after an acute cardiac event, and the patient characteristics predictive of increased anxiety and depression risk in early and late convalescence. Methods: We recruited a sample of 911 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and/or unstable angina (UA), and/or undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS). Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) close to the time of their event, and again during early (2–4 months post-event) and late (6–12 months post-event) convalescence. Using HADS-A and HADS-D cut-offs of 8+, prevalence rates for anxiety, depression, and comorbid anxiety and depression were determined for each timepoint. Chi-square tests and odds ratios were used to identify baseline patient characteristics associated with increased anxiety and depression risk over 12 months. Results: Anxiety rates were 43, 28, and 27% at the time of the event, early, and late convalescence. Depression rates were 22, 17, and 15%, respectively. Factors consistently associated with increased anxiety and depression risk were history of depression, financial strain, poor self-rated health, low socioeconomic status, younger age (<55 years), and smoking. Obesity, diabetes, and social isolation (living alone or being unpartnered) were identified as important albeit less significant risk factors. Neither sex nor event type were predictive of anxiety or depression. Conclusion: This large patient sample provided the opportunity to identify rates of anxiety and depression during the 12 months after a cardiac event and key patient characteristics for increased risk. These risk factors are easily identifiable at the time of the event, and could be used to guide the targeting of support programs for patients at risk. © Copyright © 2020 Murphy, Le Grande, Alvarenga, Worcester and Jackson.
Burden and preparedness amongst informal caregivers of adults with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
- Lieshout, Kirsten, Oates, Joanne, Baker, Anne, Unsworth, Carolyn, Cameron, Ian, Schmidt, Julia, Lannin, Natasha
- Authors: Lieshout, Kirsten , Oates, Joanne , Baker, Anne , Unsworth, Carolyn , Cameron, Ian , Schmidt, Julia , Lannin, Natasha
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 17, no. 17 (2020), p. 1-12
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- Description: This study examined the patterns of informal (unpaid) caregiving provided to people after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), explore the self-reported burden and preparedness for the caregiving role, and identify factors predictive of caregiver burden and preparedness. A cross-sectional cohort design was used. Informal caregivers completed the Demand and Difficulty subscales of the Caregiving Burden Scale; and the Mutuality, Preparedness, and Global Strain subscales of the Family Care Inventory. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to examine the relationships between caregiver and care recipient variables and preparedness for caregiving. Twenty-nine informal caregivers who reported data on themselves and people with a moderate to severe TBI were recruited (referred to as a dyad). Most caregivers were female (n = 21, 72%), lived with the care recipient (n = 20, 69%), and reported high levels of burden on both scales. While most caregivers (n = 21, 72%) felt “pretty well” or “very well” prepared for caregiving, they were least prepared to get help or information from the health system, and to deal with the stress of caregiving. No significant relationships or predictors for caregiver burden or preparedness were identified. While caregivers reported the provision of care as both highly difficult and demanding, further research is required to better understand the reasons for the variability in caregiver experience, and ultimately how to best prepare caregivers for this long-term role. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Description: Data collection for this project was supported by the NSW Lifetime Care and Support Scheme (now iCare Foundation). N.A.L. is supported by a Future Leader Fellowship (Award ID 102055) from the National Heart Foundation of Australia.
- Authors: Lieshout, Kirsten , Oates, Joanne , Baker, Anne , Unsworth, Carolyn , Cameron, Ian , Schmidt, Julia , Lannin, Natasha
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 17, no. 17 (2020), p. 1-12
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study examined the patterns of informal (unpaid) caregiving provided to people after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), explore the self-reported burden and preparedness for the caregiving role, and identify factors predictive of caregiver burden and preparedness. A cross-sectional cohort design was used. Informal caregivers completed the Demand and Difficulty subscales of the Caregiving Burden Scale; and the Mutuality, Preparedness, and Global Strain subscales of the Family Care Inventory. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to examine the relationships between caregiver and care recipient variables and preparedness for caregiving. Twenty-nine informal caregivers who reported data on themselves and people with a moderate to severe TBI were recruited (referred to as a dyad). Most caregivers were female (n = 21, 72%), lived with the care recipient (n = 20, 69%), and reported high levels of burden on both scales. While most caregivers (n = 21, 72%) felt “pretty well” or “very well” prepared for caregiving, they were least prepared to get help or information from the health system, and to deal with the stress of caregiving. No significant relationships or predictors for caregiver burden or preparedness were identified. While caregivers reported the provision of care as both highly difficult and demanding, further research is required to better understand the reasons for the variability in caregiver experience, and ultimately how to best prepare caregivers for this long-term role. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Description: Data collection for this project was supported by the NSW Lifetime Care and Support Scheme (now iCare Foundation). N.A.L. is supported by a Future Leader Fellowship (Award ID 102055) from the National Heart Foundation of Australia.
Clusterwise support vector linear regression
- Joki, Kaisa, Bagirov, Adil, Karmitsa, Napsu, Mäkelä, Marko, Taheri, Sona
- Authors: Joki, Kaisa , Bagirov, Adil , Karmitsa, Napsu , Mäkelä, Marko , Taheri, Sona
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Operational Research Vol. 287, no. 1 (2020), p. 19-35
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In clusterwise linear regression (CLR), the aim is to simultaneously partition data into a given number of clusters and to find regression coefficients for each cluster. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to model and solve the CLR problem. The main idea is to utilize the support vector machine (SVM) approach to model the CLR problem by using the SVM for regression to approximate each cluster. This new formulation of the CLR problem is represented as an unconstrained nonsmooth optimization problem, where we minimize a difference of two convex (DC) functions. To solve this problem, a method based on the combination of the incremental algorithm and the double bundle method for DC optimization is designed. Numerical experiments are performed to validate the reliability of the new formulation for CLR and the efficiency of the proposed method. The results show that the SVM approach is suitable for solving CLR problems, especially, when there are outliers in data. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
- Description: Funding details: Academy of Finland, 289500, 294002, 319274 Funding details: Turun Yliopisto Funding details: Australian Research Council, ARC, (Project no. DP190100580 ).
Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modelling of the factor structure of the depression anxiety and stress scales-21
- Gomez, Rapson, Stavropoulos, Vasileios, Griffiths, Mark
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Griffiths, Mark
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Plos One Vol. 15, no. 6 (Jun 2020), p. 16
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) involves a simple structure first-order three-factor oblique model, with factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. Recently, concerns have been raised over the value of using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for studying the factor structure of scales in general. However, such concerns can be circumvented using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Consequently, the present study used CFA and ESEM with target rotation to examine the factor structure of the DASS-21 among an adult community. It compared first-order CFA, ESEM with target rotation, bi-factor CFA (BCFA), and bi-factor BESEM with target rotation models with group/specific factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. A total of 738 adults (males = 374, and females = 364; M = 25.29 years; SD = 7.61 years) completed the DASS-21. While all models examined showed good global fit values, one or more of the group/specific factors in the BCFA, ESEM with target rotation and BESEM with target rotation models were poorly defined. As the first-order CFA model was most parsimonious, with well-defined factors that were also supported in terms of their reliabilities and validities, this model was selected as the preferred DASS-21 model. The implications of the findings for use and revision of the DASS-21 are discussed.
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Griffiths, Mark
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Plos One Vol. 15, no. 6 (Jun 2020), p. 16
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) involves a simple structure first-order three-factor oblique model, with factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. Recently, concerns have been raised over the value of using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for studying the factor structure of scales in general. However, such concerns can be circumvented using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Consequently, the present study used CFA and ESEM with target rotation to examine the factor structure of the DASS-21 among an adult community. It compared first-order CFA, ESEM with target rotation, bi-factor CFA (BCFA), and bi-factor BESEM with target rotation models with group/specific factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. A total of 738 adults (males = 374, and females = 364; M = 25.29 years; SD = 7.61 years) completed the DASS-21. While all models examined showed good global fit values, one or more of the group/specific factors in the BCFA, ESEM with target rotation and BESEM with target rotation models were poorly defined. As the first-order CFA model was most parsimonious, with well-defined factors that were also supported in terms of their reliabilities and validities, this model was selected as the preferred DASS-21 model. The implications of the findings for use and revision of the DASS-21 are discussed.
Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modelling of the factor structure of the depression anxiety and stress scales-21
- Gomez, Rapson, Stavropoulos, Vasileios, Griffiths, Mark
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Griffiths, Mark
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 6 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) involves a simple structure first-order three-factor oblique model, with factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. Recently, concerns have been raised over the value of using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for studying the factor structure of scales in general. However, such concerns can be circumvented using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Consequently, the present study used CFA and ESEM with target rotation to examine the factor structure of the DASS-21 among an adult community. It compared first-order CFA, ESEM with target rotation, bifactor CFA (BCFA), and bi-factor BESEM with target rotation models with group/specific factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. A total of 738 adults (males = 374, and females = 364; M = 25.29 years; SD = 7.61 years) completed the DASS-21. While all models examined showed good global fit values, one or more of the group/specific factors in the BCFA, ESEM with target rotation and BESEM with target rotation models were poorly defined. As the first-order CFA model was most parsimonious, with well-defined factors that were also supported in terms of their reliabilities and validities, this model was selected as the preferred DASS-21 model. The implications of the findings for use and revision of the DASS-21 are discussed. © 2020 Gomez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Description: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Griffiths, Mark
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 6 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) involves a simple structure first-order three-factor oblique model, with factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. Recently, concerns have been raised over the value of using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for studying the factor structure of scales in general. However, such concerns can be circumvented using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Consequently, the present study used CFA and ESEM with target rotation to examine the factor structure of the DASS-21 among an adult community. It compared first-order CFA, ESEM with target rotation, bifactor CFA (BCFA), and bi-factor BESEM with target rotation models with group/specific factors for depression, anxiety, and stress. A total of 738 adults (males = 374, and females = 364; M = 25.29 years; SD = 7.61 years) completed the DASS-21. While all models examined showed good global fit values, one or more of the group/specific factors in the BCFA, ESEM with target rotation and BESEM with target rotation models were poorly defined. As the first-order CFA model was most parsimonious, with well-defined factors that were also supported in terms of their reliabilities and validities, this model was selected as the preferred DASS-21 model. The implications of the findings for use and revision of the DASS-21 are discussed. © 2020 Gomez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Description: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Dawson, Blake, Barton, Philip, Wallman, James
- Authors: Dawson, Blake , Barton, Philip , Wallman, James
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Forensic Science International Vol. 316, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Non-human vertebrate animals, primarily domestic pigs, have been widely used in forensic science research as analogues for humans due to ethical and logistical constraints. Yet the suitability of pigs to mimic human decomposition and entomological patterns remains largely untested, and explicit comparative research in this area is lacking. We compared the decomposition rates and insect communities found at pig and human remains during summer and winter at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER). Pigs decomposed faster than humans, with pigs entering active decay earlier in both summer and winter, and humans undergoing desiccation rather than skeletonisation. There was also a delay in the colonisation of humans by both flies and beetles. Species richness of these necrophagous taxa was between two and five times higher during the first two weeks of decomposition on pigs compared to humans during both summer and winter. Insect species composition was also significantly different between pigs and humans in each season. We interpret our findings to mean that the difference between humans and pigs, such as their mass, diet, medical history, or their microbiomes, might be causing different decomposition processes and altered timing or production of chemical cues for insect colonisation. Although preliminary, our results suggest that pigs might not be accurate substitutes for humans in particular fields of taphonomy and forensic entomology. Our findings also have broader implications for the reliability of forensic studies using pigs as models for humans, and highlight the need to recognise intrinsic differences between animal models and humans. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
- Description: This work was supported in part by the Australian Research Council ( LE150100015 ), as well as by a SMAH Small Project Grant ( University of Wollongong ).
Designing multi-agent system organisations for flexible runtime behaviour
- Keogh, Kathleen, Sonenberg, Liz
- Authors: Keogh, Kathleen , Sonenberg, Liz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 10, no. 15 (2020), p.
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- Description: We address the challenge of multi-agent system (MAS) design for organisations of agents acting in dynamic and uncertain environments where runtime flexibility is required to enable improvisation through sharing knowledge and adapting behaviour. We identify behavioural features that correspond to runtime improvisation by agents in a MAS organisation and from this analysis describe the OJAzzIC meta-model and an associated design method. We present results from simulation scenarios, varying both problem complexity and the level of organisational support provided in the design, to show that increasing design time guidance in the organisation specification can enable runtime flexibility afforded to agents and improve performance. Hence the results demonstrate the usefulness of the constructs captured in the OJAzzIC meta-model. © 2020 by the authors.
- Authors: Keogh, Kathleen , Sonenberg, Liz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Applied Sciences (Switzerland) Vol. 10, no. 15 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: We address the challenge of multi-agent system (MAS) design for organisations of agents acting in dynamic and uncertain environments where runtime flexibility is required to enable improvisation through sharing knowledge and adapting behaviour. We identify behavioural features that correspond to runtime improvisation by agents in a MAS organisation and from this analysis describe the OJAzzIC meta-model and an associated design method. We present results from simulation scenarios, varying both problem complexity and the level of organisational support provided in the design, to show that increasing design time guidance in the organisation specification can enable runtime flexibility afforded to agents and improve performance. Hence the results demonstrate the usefulness of the constructs captured in the OJAzzIC meta-model. © 2020 by the authors.
- Alkurdi, Susan, Al-Juboori, Raed, Bundschuh, Jochen, Bowtell, Les, McKnight, Stafford
- Authors: Alkurdi, Susan , Al-Juboori, Raed , Bundschuh, Jochen , Bowtell, Les , McKnight, Stafford
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environmental Pollution Vol. 262, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study examined arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)] and fluoride (F−) removal potential of bone char produced from sheep (Ovis aries) bone waste. Pyrolysis conditions tested were in the 500 °C–900 °C range, for a holding time of 1 or 2 h, with or without N2 gas purging. Previous bone char studies mainly focused on either low or high temperature range with limited information provided on As(III) removal. This study aims to address these gaps and provide insights into the effect of pyrolysis conditions on bone char sorption capacity. A range of advanced chemical analyses were employed to track the change in bone char properties. As pyrolysis temperature and holding time increased, the resulting pH, surface charge, surface roughness, crystallinity, pore size and CEC all increased, accompanied by a decrease in the acidic functional groups and surface area. Pyrolysis temperature was a key parameter, showing improvement in the removal of both As(III) and As(V) as pyrolysis temperature was increased, while As(V) removal was higher than As(III) removal overall. F− removal displayed an inverse relationship with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Bone char prepared at 500 °C released significantly more dissolved organic carbon (DOC) then those prepared at a higher temperature. The bone protein is believed to be a major factor. The predominant removal mechanisms for As were surface complexation, precipitation and interaction with nitrogenous functional groups. Whereas F− removal was mainly influenced by interaction with oxygen functional groups and electrostatic interaction. This study recommends that the bone char pyrolysis temperature used for As and F− removal are 900 °C and 650 °C, respectively. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
- Description: This research was performed as a part of PhD research which was supported in part by the Iraqi Government and the Australian Research Training Program.
Genetic aetiology of self-harm ideation and behaviour
- Campos, Adrian, Verweij, Karin, Statham, Dixie, Madden, Pamela, Maciejewski, Dominique, Davis, Katrina, John, Ann, Hotopf, Matthew, Heath, Andrew, Martin, Nicholas, Rentería, Miguel
- Authors: Campos, Adrian , Verweij, Karin , Statham, Dixie , Madden, Pamela , Maciejewski, Dominique , Davis, Katrina , John, Ann , Hotopf, Matthew , Heath, Andrew , Martin, Nicholas , Rentería, Miguel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Family studies have identified a heritable component to self-harm that is partially independent from comorbid psychiatric disorders. However, the genetic aetiology of broad sense (non-suicidal and suicidal) self-harm has not been characterised on the molecular level. In addition, controversy exists about the degree to which suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm share a common genetic aetiology. In the present study, we conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on lifetime self-harm ideation and self-harm behaviour (i.e. any lifetime self-harm act regardless of suicidal intent) using data from the UK Biobank (n > 156,000). We also perform genome wide gene-based tests and characterize the SNP heritability and genetic correlations between these traits. Finally, we test whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) for self-harm ideation and self-harm behaviour predict suicide attempt, suicide thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) in an independent target sample of 8,703 Australian adults. Our GWAS results identified one genome-wide significant locus associated with each of the two phenotypes. SNP heritability (hsnp2) estimates were ~10%, and both traits were highly genetically correlated (LDSC rg > 0.8). Gene-based tests identified seven genes associated with self-harm ideation and four with self-harm behaviour. Furthermore, in the target sample, PRS for self-harm ideation were significantly associated with suicide thoughts and NSSH, and PRS for self-harm behaviour predicted suicide thoughts and suicide attempt. Follow up regressions identified a shared genetic aetiology between NSSH and suicide thoughts, and between suicide thoughts and suicide attempt. Evidence for shared genetic aetiology between NSSH and suicide attempt was not statistically significant. © 2020, The Author(s).
- Description: This research was conducted using data from the UK Biobank resource under application number 25331. AC-G is supported by a UQ Research Training Scholarship from The University of Queensland (UQ). MER thanks the support of the NHMRC and Australian Research Council (ARC), and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) through a Research Fellowship (GNT1102821) and NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention (GNT1042580). This research was made possible thanks to support from the US National Institutes of Health (grants AA013326, AA07535, AA0758O, AA07728, AA10249, AA13320, AA13321, AA14041, AA11998, AA17688, DA00272, DA012854, DA07261, DA018267, DA018660, DA23668 and DA019951); the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (241944, 339462, 389927, 389875, 389891, 389892, 389938, 442915, 442981, 496739, 552485, 552498, 628911 1047956); the Australian Research Council (A7960034, A79906588, A79801419, DP0770096, DP0212016 and DP0343921).
- Authors: Campos, Adrian , Verweij, Karin , Statham, Dixie , Madden, Pamela , Maciejewski, Dominique , Davis, Katrina , John, Ann , Hotopf, Matthew , Heath, Andrew , Martin, Nicholas , Rentería, Miguel
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Family studies have identified a heritable component to self-harm that is partially independent from comorbid psychiatric disorders. However, the genetic aetiology of broad sense (non-suicidal and suicidal) self-harm has not been characterised on the molecular level. In addition, controversy exists about the degree to which suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm share a common genetic aetiology. In the present study, we conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on lifetime self-harm ideation and self-harm behaviour (i.e. any lifetime self-harm act regardless of suicidal intent) using data from the UK Biobank (n > 156,000). We also perform genome wide gene-based tests and characterize the SNP heritability and genetic correlations between these traits. Finally, we test whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) for self-harm ideation and self-harm behaviour predict suicide attempt, suicide thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) in an independent target sample of 8,703 Australian adults. Our GWAS results identified one genome-wide significant locus associated with each of the two phenotypes. SNP heritability (hsnp2) estimates were ~10%, and both traits were highly genetically correlated (LDSC rg > 0.8). Gene-based tests identified seven genes associated with self-harm ideation and four with self-harm behaviour. Furthermore, in the target sample, PRS for self-harm ideation were significantly associated with suicide thoughts and NSSH, and PRS for self-harm behaviour predicted suicide thoughts and suicide attempt. Follow up regressions identified a shared genetic aetiology between NSSH and suicide thoughts, and between suicide thoughts and suicide attempt. Evidence for shared genetic aetiology between NSSH and suicide attempt was not statistically significant. © 2020, The Author(s).
- Description: This research was conducted using data from the UK Biobank resource under application number 25331. AC-G is supported by a UQ Research Training Scholarship from The University of Queensland (UQ). MER thanks the support of the NHMRC and Australian Research Council (ARC), and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) through a Research Fellowship (GNT1102821) and NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention (GNT1042580). This research was made possible thanks to support from the US National Institutes of Health (grants AA013326, AA07535, AA0758O, AA07728, AA10249, AA13320, AA13321, AA14041, AA11998, AA17688, DA00272, DA012854, DA07261, DA018267, DA018660, DA23668 and DA019951); the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (241944, 339462, 389927, 389875, 389891, 389892, 389938, 442915, 442981, 496739, 552485, 552498, 628911 1047956); the Australian Research Council (A7960034, A79906588, A79801419, DP0770096, DP0212016 and DP0343921).
High intensity interval training (HIIT) improves cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in healthy, overweight and obese adolescents : a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies
- Martin-Smith, Rhona, Cox, Ashley, Buchan, Duncan, Baker, Julien, Grace, Fergal, Sculthorpe, Nicholas
- Authors: Martin-Smith, Rhona , Cox, Ashley , Buchan, Duncan , Baker, Julien , Grace, Fergal , Sculthorpe, Nicholas
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 17, no. 8 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a sustainable and effective method for improving Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF) in adolescents. HIIT is proven to produce equal or greater improvements in CRF when compared to moderate intensity continuous exercise (MICE) in adolescents. Methods: The studies included were considered eligible if: (1) Participants were adolescents (11–18 years old); (2) Examined changes in CRF measured either directly or indirectly; (3) Included a non-exercising control group or MICE comparison group; (4) Participants were matched at enrolment; (5) Reported HIIT protocol information; (6) Provided HIIT intensity. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effect of HIIT on CRF. Meta-regression and moderator analyses were performed out to quantitatively examine moderators of protocol design on CRF improvements. Results: HIIT displays a moderate effect to improve CRF (g = 0.86, 95% CI 0.518–1.106, p < 0.001). Neither study duration (weeks), nor total or weekly accumulated HIIT volume (min) displayed any significant moderation effect on pooled improvement on CRF (p > 0.05). Conclusions: HIIT is an effective method to improve CRF in adolescents, irrespective of body composition. Notably, meta regression analysis identified that prolonged high volume HIIT programs are similarly effective to short term low volume HIIT programs. This becomes of particular interest for those involved in school curricula, where short HIIT exercise may provide a pragmatic adjunct to the health benefits of Physical Education (PE) lessons. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Martin-Smith, Rhona , Cox, Ashley , Buchan, Duncan , Baker, Julien , Grace, Fergal , Sculthorpe, Nicholas
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 17, no. 8 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a sustainable and effective method for improving Cardiorespiratory Fitness (CRF) in adolescents. HIIT is proven to produce equal or greater improvements in CRF when compared to moderate intensity continuous exercise (MICE) in adolescents. Methods: The studies included were considered eligible if: (1) Participants were adolescents (11–18 years old); (2) Examined changes in CRF measured either directly or indirectly; (3) Included a non-exercising control group or MICE comparison group; (4) Participants were matched at enrolment; (5) Reported HIIT protocol information; (6) Provided HIIT intensity. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the effect of HIIT on CRF. Meta-regression and moderator analyses were performed out to quantitatively examine moderators of protocol design on CRF improvements. Results: HIIT displays a moderate effect to improve CRF (g = 0.86, 95% CI 0.518–1.106, p < 0.001). Neither study duration (weeks), nor total or weekly accumulated HIIT volume (min) displayed any significant moderation effect on pooled improvement on CRF (p > 0.05). Conclusions: HIIT is an effective method to improve CRF in adolescents, irrespective of body composition. Notably, meta regression analysis identified that prolonged high volume HIIT programs are similarly effective to short term low volume HIIT programs. This becomes of particular interest for those involved in school curricula, where short HIIT exercise may provide a pragmatic adjunct to the health benefits of Physical Education (PE) lessons. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Integration of palaeo-and-modern food webs reveal slow changes in a river floodplain wetland ecosystem
- Kattel, Giri, Eyre, Bradley, Gell, Peter
- Authors: Kattel, Giri , Eyre, Bradley , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Large rivers, including the Murray River system in southeast Australia, are disturbed by many activities. The arrival of European settlers to Australia by the mid-1800s transformed many floodplain wetlands of the lower Murray River system. River impoundment and flow regulation in the late 1800s and, from the 1930s, resulted in species invasion, and elevated nutrient concentrations causing widespread eutrophication. An integrated palaeoecology, and palaeo-and-modern food web approach, incorporating mixing models, was undertaken to reveal changes in a regulated wetland (i.e. Kings Billabong). The lack of preserved sediment suggests the wetland was naturally intermittent before 1890. After this time, when used as a water retention basin, the wetland experienced net sediment accumulation. Subfossil cladocerans, and δ13C of Daphnia, chironomid, and bulk sediment, all reflected an early productive, likely clear water state and shifts in trophic state following river regulation in the 1930s. Food web mixing models, based on δ13C and δ15N in subfossil and modern Daphnia, fish, and submerged and emergent macrophytes, also indicated a shift in the trophic relationships between fish and Daphnia. By the 1970s, a new state was established but a further significant alteration of nitrogen and carbon sources, and trophic interactions, continued through to the early 2000s. A possible switch from Daphnia as a prey of Australian Smelt could have modified the food web of the wetland by c. 2006. The timing of this change corresponded to the expansion of emergent macrophytes possibly due to landscape level disruptions. The evidence of these changes suggests a need for a broader understanding of the evolution of wetlands for the management of floodplains in the region. © 2020, The Author(s).
- Description: Funding details: National Key Research and Development Program of China Stem Cell and Translational Research, #2016YFC0402900 Funding details: National Key Research and Development Program of China Stem Cell and Translational Research, #2016YFE0201900 Funding details: Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, DP160100248 Funding details: Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, LE0668495
- Authors: Kattel, Giri , Eyre, Bradley , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Large rivers, including the Murray River system in southeast Australia, are disturbed by many activities. The arrival of European settlers to Australia by the mid-1800s transformed many floodplain wetlands of the lower Murray River system. River impoundment and flow regulation in the late 1800s and, from the 1930s, resulted in species invasion, and elevated nutrient concentrations causing widespread eutrophication. An integrated palaeoecology, and palaeo-and-modern food web approach, incorporating mixing models, was undertaken to reveal changes in a regulated wetland (i.e. Kings Billabong). The lack of preserved sediment suggests the wetland was naturally intermittent before 1890. After this time, when used as a water retention basin, the wetland experienced net sediment accumulation. Subfossil cladocerans, and δ13C of Daphnia, chironomid, and bulk sediment, all reflected an early productive, likely clear water state and shifts in trophic state following river regulation in the 1930s. Food web mixing models, based on δ13C and δ15N in subfossil and modern Daphnia, fish, and submerged and emergent macrophytes, also indicated a shift in the trophic relationships between fish and Daphnia. By the 1970s, a new state was established but a further significant alteration of nitrogen and carbon sources, and trophic interactions, continued through to the early 2000s. A possible switch from Daphnia as a prey of Australian Smelt could have modified the food web of the wetland by c. 2006. The timing of this change corresponded to the expansion of emergent macrophytes possibly due to landscape level disruptions. The evidence of these changes suggests a need for a broader understanding of the evolution of wetlands for the management of floodplains in the region. © 2020, The Author(s).
- Description: Funding details: National Key Research and Development Program of China Stem Cell and Translational Research, #2016YFC0402900 Funding details: National Key Research and Development Program of China Stem Cell and Translational Research, #2016YFE0201900 Funding details: Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, DP160100248 Funding details: Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, LE0668495
Integration of palaeo-and-modern food webs reveal slow changes in a river floodplain wetland ecosystem
- Kattel, Giri, Eyre, Bradley, Gell, Peter
- Authors: Kattel, Giri , Eyre, Bradley , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Large rivers, including the Murray River system in southeast Australia, are disturbed by many activities. The arrival of European settlers to Australia by the mid-1800s transformed many floodplain wetlands of the lower Murray River system. River impoundment and flow regulation in the late 1800s and, from the 1930s, resulted in species invasion, and elevated nutrient concentrations causing widespread eutrophication. An integrated palaeoecology, and palaeo-and-modern food web approach, incorporating mixing models, was undertaken to reveal changes in a regulated wetland (i.e. Kings Billabong). The lack of preserved sediment suggests the wetland was naturally intermittent before 1890. After this time, when used as a water retention basin, the wetland experienced net sediment accumulation. Subfossil cladocerans, and δ13C of Daphnia, chironomid, and bulk sediment, all reflected an early productive, likely clear water state and shifts in trophic state following river regulation in the 1930s. Food web mixing models, based on δ13C and δ15N in subfossil and modern Daphnia, fish, and submerged and emergent macrophytes, also indicated a shift in the trophic relationships between fish and Daphnia. By the 1970s, a new state was established but a further significant alteration of nitrogen and carbon sources, and trophic interactions, continued through to the early 2000s. A possible switch from Daphnia as a prey of Australian Smelt could have modified the food web of the wetland by c. 2006. The timing of this change corresponded to the expansion of emergent macrophytes possibly due to landscape level disruptions. The evidence of these changes suggests a need for a broader understanding of the evolution of wetlands for the management of floodplains in the region. © 2020, The Author(s).
- Description: National Key Research and Development Program of China Stem Cell and Translational Research, #2016YFC0402900 and #2016YFE0201900. Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, DP160100248. Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, LE0668495
- Authors: Kattel, Giri , Eyre, Bradley , Gell, Peter
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scientific Reports Vol. 10, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Large rivers, including the Murray River system in southeast Australia, are disturbed by many activities. The arrival of European settlers to Australia by the mid-1800s transformed many floodplain wetlands of the lower Murray River system. River impoundment and flow regulation in the late 1800s and, from the 1930s, resulted in species invasion, and elevated nutrient concentrations causing widespread eutrophication. An integrated palaeoecology, and palaeo-and-modern food web approach, incorporating mixing models, was undertaken to reveal changes in a regulated wetland (i.e. Kings Billabong). The lack of preserved sediment suggests the wetland was naturally intermittent before 1890. After this time, when used as a water retention basin, the wetland experienced net sediment accumulation. Subfossil cladocerans, and δ13C of Daphnia, chironomid, and bulk sediment, all reflected an early productive, likely clear water state and shifts in trophic state following river regulation in the 1930s. Food web mixing models, based on δ13C and δ15N in subfossil and modern Daphnia, fish, and submerged and emergent macrophytes, also indicated a shift in the trophic relationships between fish and Daphnia. By the 1970s, a new state was established but a further significant alteration of nitrogen and carbon sources, and trophic interactions, continued through to the early 2000s. A possible switch from Daphnia as a prey of Australian Smelt could have modified the food web of the wetland by c. 2006. The timing of this change corresponded to the expansion of emergent macrophytes possibly due to landscape level disruptions. The evidence of these changes suggests a need for a broader understanding of the evolution of wetlands for the management of floodplains in the region. © 2020, The Author(s).
- Description: National Key Research and Development Program of China Stem Cell and Translational Research, #2016YFC0402900 and #2016YFE0201900. Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, DP160100248. Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Research Council, ARC;ACES, LE0668495
Internal and external validity of the brief version of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire: Exploratory structural equation modelling
- Gomez, Rapson, Griffiths, Mark, Stavropoulos, Vasileios
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Griffiths, Mark , Stavropoulos, Vasileios
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 4 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The present study used exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) to examine the theorized dimension structure of the brief version of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ-BR) at the scale-level (i.e., 11 lower-order primary factors loading on four higher-order factors) and item-level (sets of 12 items loading on 11 lower-order primary factors). A total of 214 adults from the community addressed the MPQ-BR and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)/Behavioral Approach System (BAS) scales. The findings revealed poor fit and poorly defined factors at the item-level alongside adequate fit and well-defined factors at the scale-level. The higher-order factors in the latter model were supported for external validity in terms of demonstrating the expected theoretical and empirical correlations with the scales of the BIS/BAS scales. Result related implications for professional application, as well as potential revisions of the MPQ-BF are illustrated. © 2020 Gomez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Griffiths, Mark , Stavropoulos, Vasileios
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 4 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The present study used exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) to examine the theorized dimension structure of the brief version of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ-BR) at the scale-level (i.e., 11 lower-order primary factors loading on four higher-order factors) and item-level (sets of 12 items loading on 11 lower-order primary factors). A total of 214 adults from the community addressed the MPQ-BR and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)/Behavioral Approach System (BAS) scales. The findings revealed poor fit and poorly defined factors at the item-level alongside adequate fit and well-defined factors at the scale-level. The higher-order factors in the latter model were supported for external validity in terms of demonstrating the expected theoretical and empirical correlations with the scales of the BIS/BAS scales. Result related implications for professional application, as well as potential revisions of the MPQ-BF are illustrated. © 2020 Gomez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Investigating cumulative effects of preperformance routine interventions in beach volleyball serving
- Wergin, Vanessa, Beckmann, Jurgen, Gröpel, Peter, Mesagno, Christopher
- Authors: Wergin, Vanessa , Beckmann, Jurgen , Gröpel, Peter , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Pre-performance routines (PPRs) can be used in certain sports to minimize the effects of choking under pressure. This study aimed to investigate the cumulative effectiveness of PPR interventions on the accuracy of beach volleyball serves. Fifty-four beach volleyball players were randomly assigned to one of three PPR intervention groups or a control group. Participants performed 10 serves at a target on the opposite side of the beach volleyball court (pretest), were educated on a PPR intervention, and then completed 10 serves at the target under pressure that was induced through videotaping and ego-relevant instructions (posttest). The results indicated no difference in post-test serving accuracy among the intervention groups and the wait-list control group and no difference in effectiveness between cumulative and isolated PPR use. A possible explanation may be the inefficiency of the pressure manipulation. However, the null results related to isolated and cumulative PPR use under general (i.e., no pressure) conditions are still an important research finding. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of cumulative and other PPRs in other sports in general and under pressure. © 2020 Wergin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Investigating cumulative effects of preperformance routine interventions in beach volleyball serving
- Authors: Wergin, Vanessa , Beckmann, Jurgen , Gröpel, Peter , Mesagno, Christopher
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 1 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Pre-performance routines (PPRs) can be used in certain sports to minimize the effects of choking under pressure. This study aimed to investigate the cumulative effectiveness of PPR interventions on the accuracy of beach volleyball serves. Fifty-four beach volleyball players were randomly assigned to one of three PPR intervention groups or a control group. Participants performed 10 serves at a target on the opposite side of the beach volleyball court (pretest), were educated on a PPR intervention, and then completed 10 serves at the target under pressure that was induced through videotaping and ego-relevant instructions (posttest). The results indicated no difference in post-test serving accuracy among the intervention groups and the wait-list control group and no difference in effectiveness between cumulative and isolated PPR use. A possible explanation may be the inefficiency of the pressure manipulation. However, the null results related to isolated and cumulative PPR use under general (i.e., no pressure) conditions are still an important research finding. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of cumulative and other PPRs in other sports in general and under pressure. © 2020 Wergin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Learning large margin multiple granularity features with an improved siamese network for person re-identification
- Li, Da-Xiang, Fei, Gy, Teng, Shyh
- Authors: Li, Da-Xiang , Fei, Gy , Teng, Shyh
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Symmetry-Basel Vol. 12, no. 1 (Jan 2020), p. 16
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Person re-identification (Re-ID) is a non-overlapping multi-camera retrieval task to match different images of the same person, and it has become a hot research topic in many fields, such as surveillance security, criminal investigation, and video analysis. As one kind of important architecture for person re-identification, Siamese networks usually adopt standard softmax loss function, and they can only obtain the global features of person images, ignoring the local features and the large margin for classification. In this paper, we design a novel symmetric Siamese network model named Siamese Multiple Granularity Network (SMGN), which can jointly learn the large margin multiple granularity features and similarity metrics for person re-identification. Firstly, two branches for global and local feature extraction are designed in the backbone of the proposed SMGN model, and the extracted features are concatenated together as multiple granularity features of person images. Then, to enhance their discriminating ability, the multiple channel weighted fusion (MCWF) loss function is constructed for the SMGN model, which includes the verification loss and identification loss of the training image pair. Extensive comparative experiments on four benchmark datasets (CUHK01, CUHK03, Market-1501 and DukeMTMC-reID) show the effectiveness of our proposed method and its performance outperforms many state-of-the-art methods.
- Authors: Li, Da-Xiang , Fei, Gy , Teng, Shyh
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Symmetry-Basel Vol. 12, no. 1 (Jan 2020), p. 16
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Person re-identification (Re-ID) is a non-overlapping multi-camera retrieval task to match different images of the same person, and it has become a hot research topic in many fields, such as surveillance security, criminal investigation, and video analysis. As one kind of important architecture for person re-identification, Siamese networks usually adopt standard softmax loss function, and they can only obtain the global features of person images, ignoring the local features and the large margin for classification. In this paper, we design a novel symmetric Siamese network model named Siamese Multiple Granularity Network (SMGN), which can jointly learn the large margin multiple granularity features and similarity metrics for person re-identification. Firstly, two branches for global and local feature extraction are designed in the backbone of the proposed SMGN model, and the extracted features are concatenated together as multiple granularity features of person images. Then, to enhance their discriminating ability, the multiple channel weighted fusion (MCWF) loss function is constructed for the SMGN model, which includes the verification loss and identification loss of the training image pair. Extensive comparative experiments on four benchmark datasets (CUHK01, CUHK03, Market-1501 and DukeMTMC-reID) show the effectiveness of our proposed method and its performance outperforms many state-of-the-art methods.
Modelling hydrological performance of a bauxite residue profile for deposition management of a storage facility
- Shaygan, Mandana, Usher, Brent, Baumgartl, Thomas
- Authors: Shaygan, Mandana , Usher, Brent , Baumgartl, Thomas
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 7 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Accurate scheduling of bauxite residue (red mud) deposition time is required in order to prevent the risk of storage facility failure. This study was conducted to precisely determine the hydraulic parameters of bauxite residue and investigate the capability of HYDRUS to accurately estimate the residue moisture profile and the timing for its deposition. The hydraulic properties of the bauxite residue profile were determined by solving an inverse problem. A one-dimensional hydrological model (HYDRUS-1D) was validated using a 300 mm long column filled with bauxite residue and exposed to a dynamic lower boundary condition. After numerical validation, the model was used to simulate the moisture profile of bauxite residue under the climatic conditions of an alumina refinery site in Queensland, Australia, as well as other scenarios (i.e., high (300 mm) and small (1.7 mm) rainfall events of the site). This study showed that the HYDRUS model can be used as a predictive tool to precisely estimate the moisture profile of the bauxite residue and that the timing for the re-deposition of the bauxite residue can be estimated by understanding the moisture profile and desired shear strength of the residue. This study revealed that the examined bauxite residue approaches field capacity (water potential-10 kPa) after three days from a low rainfall event (<1.7 mm) and after eight days from an intense rainfall event (300 mm) at the time of disposal. This suggests that the bauxite residue can be deposited every four days after low rainfall events (as low as 1.7 mm) and every nine days after high rainfall events (as high as 300 mm) at the time of deposition, if bauxite residue experiences an initial drying period following deposition. © 2020 by the authors.
- Authors: Shaygan, Mandana , Usher, Brent , Baumgartl, Thomas
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Water (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 7 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Accurate scheduling of bauxite residue (red mud) deposition time is required in order to prevent the risk of storage facility failure. This study was conducted to precisely determine the hydraulic parameters of bauxite residue and investigate the capability of HYDRUS to accurately estimate the residue moisture profile and the timing for its deposition. The hydraulic properties of the bauxite residue profile were determined by solving an inverse problem. A one-dimensional hydrological model (HYDRUS-1D) was validated using a 300 mm long column filled with bauxite residue and exposed to a dynamic lower boundary condition. After numerical validation, the model was used to simulate the moisture profile of bauxite residue under the climatic conditions of an alumina refinery site in Queensland, Australia, as well as other scenarios (i.e., high (300 mm) and small (1.7 mm) rainfall events of the site). This study showed that the HYDRUS model can be used as a predictive tool to precisely estimate the moisture profile of the bauxite residue and that the timing for the re-deposition of the bauxite residue can be estimated by understanding the moisture profile and desired shear strength of the residue. This study revealed that the examined bauxite residue approaches field capacity (water potential-10 kPa) after three days from a low rainfall event (<1.7 mm) and after eight days from an intense rainfall event (300 mm) at the time of disposal. This suggests that the bauxite residue can be deposited every four days after low rainfall events (as low as 1.7 mm) and every nine days after high rainfall events (as high as 300 mm) at the time of deposition, if bauxite residue experiences an initial drying period following deposition. © 2020 by the authors.
Phylomitogenomic analyses on collembolan higher taxa with enhanced taxon sampling and discussion on method selection
- Sun, Xin, Yu,, Daoyuan, Xie, ,Zhijing, Dong, Jie, Ding, Yinhuan, Yao, Haifeng, Greenslade, Penelope
- Authors: Sun, Xin , Yu,, Daoyuan , Xie, ,Zhijing , Dong, Jie , Ding, Yinhuan , Yao, Haifeng , Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 4 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Collembola are a basal group of Hexapoda renowned for both unique morphological characters and significant ecological roles. However, a robust and plausible phylogenetic relationship between its deeply divergent lineages has yet to be achieved. We carried out a mitophylogenomic study based on a so far the most comprehensive mitochondrial genome dataset. Our data matrix contained mitogenomes of 31 species from almost all major families of all four orders, with 16 mitogenomes newly sequenced and annotated. We compared the linear arrangements of genes along mitochondria across species. Then we conducted 13 analyses each under a different combination of character coding, partitioning scheme and heterotachy models, and assessed their performance in phylogenetic inference. Several hypothetical tree topologies were also tested. Mitogenomic structure comparison revealed that most species share the same gene order of putative ancestral pancrustacean pattern, while seven species from Onychiuridae, Poduridae and Symphypleona bear different levels of gene rearrangements, indicating phylogenetic signals. Tomoceroidea was robustly recovered for the first time in the presence of all its families and subfamilies. Monophyly of Onychiuroidea was supported using unpartitioned models alleviating LBA. Paronellidae was revealed polyphyletic with two subfamilies inserted independently into Entomobryidae. Although Entomobryomorpha has not been well supported, more than half of the analyses obtained convincing topologies by placing Tomoceroidea within or near remaining Entomobryomorpha. The relationship between elongate-shaped and sphericalshaped collembolans still remained ambiguous, but Neelipleona tend to occupy the basal position in most trees. This study showed that mitochondrial genomes could provide important information for reconstructing the relationships among Collembola when suitable analytical approaches are implemented. Of all the data refining and model selecting schemes used in this study, the combination of nucleotide sequences, partitioning model and exclusion of third codon positions performed better in generating more reliable tree topology and higher node supports than others. © 2020 Sun et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Authors: Sun, Xin , Yu,, Daoyuan , Xie, ,Zhijing , Dong, Jie , Ding, Yinhuan , Yao, Haifeng , Greenslade, Penelope
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS ONE Vol. 15, no. 4 (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Collembola are a basal group of Hexapoda renowned for both unique morphological characters and significant ecological roles. However, a robust and plausible phylogenetic relationship between its deeply divergent lineages has yet to be achieved. We carried out a mitophylogenomic study based on a so far the most comprehensive mitochondrial genome dataset. Our data matrix contained mitogenomes of 31 species from almost all major families of all four orders, with 16 mitogenomes newly sequenced and annotated. We compared the linear arrangements of genes along mitochondria across species. Then we conducted 13 analyses each under a different combination of character coding, partitioning scheme and heterotachy models, and assessed their performance in phylogenetic inference. Several hypothetical tree topologies were also tested. Mitogenomic structure comparison revealed that most species share the same gene order of putative ancestral pancrustacean pattern, while seven species from Onychiuridae, Poduridae and Symphypleona bear different levels of gene rearrangements, indicating phylogenetic signals. Tomoceroidea was robustly recovered for the first time in the presence of all its families and subfamilies. Monophyly of Onychiuroidea was supported using unpartitioned models alleviating LBA. Paronellidae was revealed polyphyletic with two subfamilies inserted independently into Entomobryidae. Although Entomobryomorpha has not been well supported, more than half of the analyses obtained convincing topologies by placing Tomoceroidea within or near remaining Entomobryomorpha. The relationship between elongate-shaped and sphericalshaped collembolans still remained ambiguous, but Neelipleona tend to occupy the basal position in most trees. This study showed that mitochondrial genomes could provide important information for reconstructing the relationships among Collembola when suitable analytical approaches are implemented. Of all the data refining and model selecting schemes used in this study, the combination of nucleotide sequences, partitioning model and exclusion of third codon positions performed better in generating more reliable tree topology and higher node supports than others. © 2020 Sun et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Rex Ingamells and Ted Strehlow : correspondences and contradictions in Australian settler nationalism
- Authors: Tout, Dan
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Australian Studies Vol. 44, no. 3 (2020), p. 254-270
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- Description: The standard story of Australian national cultural development revolves around a fundamental conflict between the forces of empire loyalism or universalism on the one hand and Australian nationalism on the other. Yet this narrative structure neglects the complexities of the settler-colonial, as distinct from the colonial, situation. This article is premised on the proposition that the settler-colonial situation is conditioned by a triangular system of relationships involving settler, metropolitan and Indigenous agencies. In this schema, the settler is compelled towards both indigenisation and neo-European replication, while both trajectories are similarly founded on the prior displacement of pre-existing Indigenous populations. While at certain historical moments exclusive emphasis on the settler–metropole relation may be maintained, at others the disavowal of the settler–indigene relation common to both sides of the “two Australias” divide is rendered untenable by changing circumstances. It is into such a moment this article aims to situate its subjects—Rex Ingamells and the Jindyworobaks—and it does so with reference to the correspondences between Jindyworobak indigenism and the indigenising settler nationalism evident in the “salvage linguistics” of Ted Strehlow. In doing so, the article aims to reveal the complexities and persistence of what it terms the settler predicament. © 2020 International Australian Studies Association.
- Authors: Tout, Dan
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Australian Studies Vol. 44, no. 3 (2020), p. 254-270
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The standard story of Australian national cultural development revolves around a fundamental conflict between the forces of empire loyalism or universalism on the one hand and Australian nationalism on the other. Yet this narrative structure neglects the complexities of the settler-colonial, as distinct from the colonial, situation. This article is premised on the proposition that the settler-colonial situation is conditioned by a triangular system of relationships involving settler, metropolitan and Indigenous agencies. In this schema, the settler is compelled towards both indigenisation and neo-European replication, while both trajectories are similarly founded on the prior displacement of pre-existing Indigenous populations. While at certain historical moments exclusive emphasis on the settler–metropole relation may be maintained, at others the disavowal of the settler–indigene relation common to both sides of the “two Australias” divide is rendered untenable by changing circumstances. It is into such a moment this article aims to situate its subjects—Rex Ingamells and the Jindyworobaks—and it does so with reference to the correspondences between Jindyworobak indigenism and the indigenising settler nationalism evident in the “salvage linguistics” of Ted Strehlow. In doing so, the article aims to reveal the complexities and persistence of what it terms the settler predicament. © 2020 International Australian Studies Association.