cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Sub-Saharan African migrant youths' help-seeking barriers and facilitators for mental health and substance use problems: a qualitative study
Creators: name: McCann, TV
name: Mugavin, Janette
name: Renzaho, A
name: Lubman, DI
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 3202
subject: Clinical sciences
classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
classificationCode: 4202
subject: Epidemiology
classificationCode: 4203
subject: Health services and systems
classificationCode: 5203
subject: Clinical and health psychology

description: Background: Many young migrants and their parents are reluctant to seek help for mental health and substance use problems. Help-seeking delays can result in longer duration of untreated problems and poorer outcomes. In this study, we aimed to identify the help-seeking barriers and facilitators for anxiety, depression and alcohol and drug use problems in young people from recently established sub-Saharan African migrant communities. Methods: A qualitative study, incorporating individual, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, was undertaken in Melbourne, Australia. Twenty-eight young sub-Saharan African migrants participated in the individual interviews, and 41 sub-Saharan African-born parents and key community leaders participated in 4 focus groups. All participants were aged 16 years or over. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. Results: Themes and related sub-themes were abstracted from the data, reflecting the young people's, parents' and key community leaders' beliefs about barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for mental health and substance use problems. Four help-seeking barriers were identified: stigma of mental illness, lack of mental health literacy in parents and young people, lack of cultural competency of formal help sources, and financial costs deterring access. Five help-seeking facilitators were abstracted: being open with friends and family, strong community support systems, trustworthiness and confidentiality of help-sources, perceived expertise of formal help-sources, increasing young people's and parents' mental health literacy. Conclusion: Programs that identify and build on help-seeking facilitators while addressing help-seeking barriers are needed to address mental health issues among young sub-Saharan African migrants. Strategies to address help-seeking barriers should consider counteracting stigma and increasing mental health literacy in sub-Saharan African communities, increasing health providers' cultural competency and perceived trustworthiness, and addressing financial barriers to accessing services.
Effect of Endothelin-1 on Baroreflexes and the Cardiovascular Action of Clonidine in Conscious Rabbits
Creators: name: Lim, Kyungjoon
name: van den Buuse, Maarten
name: Head, GA
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 3101
subject: Biochemistry and cell biology
classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3202
subject: Clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3208
subject: Medical physiology

description: We studied the influence of pretreatment with endothelin-1 on cardiac baroreflexes and on the effect of clonidine on blood pressure and heart rate. In order to avoid the complication of the direct vasoconstrictor effects of endothelin-1, initial dose-response studies in animals treated with a ganglion blocker were performed. Intravenous administration of 50, 200, and 1200 ng/kg of endothelin-1 produced biphasic changes in blood pressure, consisting of an immediate depressor response, followed by a long lasting and dose-dependent pressor effect (peak response 3 ± 1, 9 ± 3, and 33 ± 5 mmHg, respectively). Thus, the 50 ng/kg dose of endothelin-1 was used in subsequent studies. Conscious rabbits were pretreated on separate days with endothelin-1, either intravenously (50 ng/kg) or intracisternally (10 and 50 ng/kg), or with vehicle. The animals then received an intravenous dose (20 μg/kg) or an intracisternal dose (1 μg/kg) of clonidine and the effects on blood pressure and heart rate were measured. In vehicle-treated rabbits, the intravenous administration of clonidine induced a significant decrease in blood pressure and heart rate (15 min after injection: -15.7 ± 4.7 mmHg and -33 ± 4 b/min, respectively). Similarly, the intracisternal injection of clonidine lowered blood pressure (-16.0 ± 2.5 mmHg), but produced a less pronounced bradycardia (-18 ± 4 b/min). Endothelin pretreatment, either 50 ng/kg centrally or peripherally, had no significant effect on the hypotension or bradycardia produced either by central or peripheral injection of clonidine. At this dose, endothelin by itself did not produce significant changes in blood pressure or heart rate. There was a reduction of the gain of the baroreceptor-heart rate reflex with intracisternal endothelin-1. These results suggest that central 2-adrenoceptor mechanisms involved in clonidine-induced hypotension and bradycardia do not appear to be influenced by activation of endothelin receptors.
The Trichoptera barcode initiative: a strategy for generating a species-level Tree of Life
Creators: name: Zhou, X
name: Frandsen, PB
name: Holzenthal, RW
name: Beet, CR
name: Bennett, KR
name: Blahnik, RJ
name: Bonada, N
name: Cartwright, D
name: Chuluunbat, S
name: Cocks, GV
name: Collins, GE
name: deWaard, J
name: Dean, J
name: Flint, OS
name: Hausmann, A
name: Hendrich, L
name: Hess, M
name: Hogg, ID
name: Kondratieff, BC
name: Malicky, H
name: Milton, MA
name: Moriniere, J
name: Morse, JC
name: Mwangi, FN
name: Pauls, SU
name: Gonzalez, M Razo
name: Rinne, A
name: Robinson, JL
name: Salokannel, J
name: Shackleton, Michael
name: Smith, B
name: Stamatakis, A
name: StClair, R
name: Thomas, JA
name: Zamora-Munoz, C
name: Ziesmann, T
name: Kjer, KM
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 31
subject: Biological sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
classificationCode: 3103
subject: Ecology
classificationCode: 3104
subject: Evolutionary biology
classificationCode: 3105
subject: Genetics
classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences

description: DNA barcoding was intended as a means to provide species-level identifications through associating DNA sequences from unknown specimens to those from curated reference specimens. Although barcodes were not designed for phylogenetics, they can be beneficial to the completion of the Tree of Life. The barcode database for Trichoptera is relatively comprehensive, with data from every family, approximately two-thirds of the genera, and one-third of the described species. Most Trichoptera, as with most of life’s species, have never been subjected to any formal phylogenetic analysis. Here, we present a phylogeny with over 16 000 unique haplotypes as a working hypothesis that can be updated as our estimates improve. We suggest a strategy of implementing constrained tree searches, which allow larger datasets to dictate the backbone phylogeny, while the barcode data fill out the tips of the tree. We also discuss how this phylogeny could be used to focus taxonomic attention on ambiguous species boundaries and hidden biodiversity. We suggest that systematists continue to differentiate between ‘Barcode Index Numbers’ (BINs) and ‘species’ that have been formally described. Each has utility, but they are not synonyms. We highlight examples of integrative taxonomy, using both barcodes and morphology for species description.
The effects of nitrogen form on root morphological and physiological adaptations of maize, white lupin and faba bean under phosphorus deficiency
Creators: name: Liu, H
name: Tang, Caixian
name: Li, C
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 300407
subject: Crop and pasture nutrition
classificationCode: 31
subject: Biological sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
classificationCode: 3103
subject: Ecology
classificationCode: 3108
subject: Plant biology

description: Root morphological/physiological modifications are important for phosphorus (P) acquisition of plants under P deficiency, but strategies differ among plant species. Detailed studies on the response of maize roots to P deficiency are limited. Nitrogen (N) form influences root morphology/physiology, and thus may influence root responses to P deficiency. This work investigated adaptive mechanisms of maize roots to low P by comparison with white lupin and faba bean supplied with two N forms. Plants were grown for 7-16 days in hydroponics with sufficient (250 μmol L-1) and deficient P supply (1 μmol L-1) under supply of NH4NO3 or Ca(NO3)2. Plant growth and P uptake were measured, and release of protons and organic acid anions, and acid phosphatase activity in the root were monitored. The results showed that P deficiency significantly decreased shoot growth while increased root growth and total root length of maize and faba bean, but not white lupin. It enhanced the release of protons and organic acid anions, and acid phosphatase activity, from the roots of both legumes but not maize. Compared with Ca(NO3)2, NH4NO3 dramatically increased proton release by roots but did not alter root morphology or physiology of the three species in response to low P. It is concluded that the N form did not fundamentally change root morphological/physiological responses of the three species to P deficiency. Morphological variation in maize and morpho-physiological modifications in white lupin and faba bean were the main adaptive strategies to P deficiency.
The effects of nitrogen form on root morphological and physiological adaptations of maize, white lupin and faba bean under phosphorus deficiency
Creators: name: H Liu
name: Caixian Tang
name: C Li
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2021
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: © The Authors 2016. Root morphological/physiological modifications are important for phosphorus (P) acquisition of plants under P deficiency, but strategies differ among plant species. Detailed studies on the response of maize roots to P deficiency are limited. Nitrogen (N) form influences root morphology/physiology, and thus may influence root responses to P deficiency. This work investigated adaptive mechanisms of maize roots to low P by comparison with white lupin and faba bean supplied with two N forms. Plants were grown for 7-16 days in hydroponics with sufficient (250 μmol L-1) and deficient P supply (1 μmol L-1) under supply of NH4NO3 or Ca(NO3)2. Plant growth and P uptake were measured, and release of protons and organic acid anions, and acid phosphatase activity in the root were monitored. The results showed that P deficiency significantly decreased shoot growth while increased root growth and total root length of maize and faba bean, but not white lupin. It enhanced the release of protons and organic acid anions, and acid phosphatase activity, from the roots of both legumes but not maize. Compared with Ca(NO3)2, NH4NO3 dramatically increased proton release by roots but did not alter root morphology or physiology of the three species in response to low P. It is concluded that the N form did not fundamentally change root morphological/physiological responses of the three species to P deficiency. Morphological variation in maize and morpho-physiological modifications in white lupin and faba bean were the main adaptive strategies to P deficiency.
Physical activity and training in sarcoidosis: review and experience-based recommendations
Creators: name: Strookappe, Bert
name: Saketkoo, Lesley Anne
name: Elfferich, Marjon
name: Holland, Anne
name: De Vries, Jolanda
name: Knevel, Ton
name: Drent, Marolein
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3201
subject: Cardiovascular medicine and haematology
classificationCode: 3202
subject: Clinical sciences

description: Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder with a great variety of symptoms, including fatigue, dyspnea, pain, reduced exercise tolerance and muscle strength. Physical training has the potential to improve exercise capacity and muscle strength, and reduce fatigue. The aim of this review and survey was to present information about the role of physical training in sarcoidosis and offer practical guidelines. Areas covered: A systematic literature review guided an international consensus effort among sarcoidosis experts to establish practice-basic recommendations for the implementation of exercise as treatment for patients with various manifestations of sarcoidosis. International sarcoidosis experts suggested considering physical training in symptomatic patients with sarcoidosis. Expert commentary: There is promising evidence of a positive effect of physical training. Recommendations were based on available data and expert consensus. However, the heterogeneity of these patients will require modification and program adjustment of the standard rehabilitation format for e.g. COPD or interstitial lung diseases. An optimal training program (types of exercise, intensities, frequency, duration) still needs to be defined to optimize training adjustments, especially reduction of fatigue. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to consolidate these findings and optimize the comprehensive care of sarcoidosis patients.
Effect of nitrogen fertiliser management on soil mineral nitrogen, nitrous oxide losses, yield and nitrogen uptake of wheat growing in waterlogging-prone soils of south-eastern Australia
Creators: name: Harris, RH
name: Armstrong, Roger
name: Wallace, AJ
name: Belyaeva, ON
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 30
subject: Agricultural, veterinary and food sciences
classificationCode: 3002
subject: Agriculture, land and farm management
classificationCode: 3004
subject: Crop and pasture production
classificationCode: 4106
subject: Soil sciences

description: Some of the highest nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions arising from Australian agriculture have been recorded in the high-rainfall zone (>650mm) of south-western Victoria. Understanding the association between nitrogen (N) management, crop N uptake and gaseous losses is needed to reduce N2O losses. Field experiments studied the effect of N-fertiliser management on N2O emissions, crop N uptake and crop productivity at Hamilton and Tarrington in south-western Victoria. Management included five rates of urea-N fertiliser (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200kgN/ha) topdressed at either mid-tillering or first-node growth stages of wheat development; urea-N deep-banded 10cm below the seed at sowing; and urea coated with the nitrification inhibitor DMPP (3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate) was either topdressed or deep-banded. Pre-sowing soil profile chemical properties were determined before static chambers were installed to measure N2O losses, accompanied by wheat dry matter, crop N uptake and grain yield and quality, to measure treatment differences. N2O losses increased significantly (P≤0.10) where urea-N was deep-banded, resulting in a 2-2.5-fold increase in losses, compared with the nil N control. The high N2O losses from deep-banding N appeared to result from winter waterlogging triggering gaseous or drainage losses before wheat reached peak growth and demand for N in spring. Despite the high losses from deep-banding urea-N, grain yields were largely unaffected by N management, except at Hamilton in 2012, where topdressed wheat growing in a soil with large reserves of NO3 - N, and later experiencing post-anthesis water deficit resulted in a negative grain yield response. All sites had high concentrations of soil organic carbon (>2.8%) and the potential for large amounts of N mineralisation throughout the growing season to supplement low N fertiliser recovery. However, topdressed urea-N resulted in significant enrichment of crop tissue (P≤0.004) and associated positive response in grain protein compared with the deep banded and nil N treatments. 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP)-coated urea provided no additional benefit to crop yield over conventional urea N. Our study highlighted the importance of synchronising N supply with peak crop N demand to encourage greater synthetic N uptake and mitigation of N2O losses.
Exploring the prevalence and variance of cognitive impairment, pain, neuropsychiatric symptoms and ADL dependency among persons living in nursing homes; A cross-sectional study
Creators: name: Björk, S
name: Juthberg, C
name: Lindkvist, M
name: Wimo, A
name: Sandman, PO
name: Winblad, B
name: Edvardsson, David
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3202
subject: Clinical sciences
classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
classificationCode: 4203
subject: Health services and systems
classificationCode: 4205
subject: Nursing
classificationCode: 4206
subject: Public health

description: Background: Earlier studies in nursing homes show a high prevalence of cognitive impairment, dependency in activities of daily living (ADL), pain, and neuropsychiatric symptoms among residents. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of the above among residents in a nationally representative sample of Swedish nursing homes, and to investigate whether pain and neuropsychiatric symptoms differ in relation to gender, cognitive function, ADL-capacity, type of nursing-home unit and length of stay. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 188 randomly selected nursing homes were collected. A total of 4831 residents were assessed for cognitive and ADL function, pain and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. Results: The results show the following: the prevalence of cognitive impairment was 67 %, 56 % of residents were ADL-dependent, 48 % exhibited pain and 92 % exhibited neuropsychiatric symptoms. The prevalence of pain did not differ significantly between male and female residents, but pain was more prevalent among cognitively impaired and ADL-dependent residents. Pain prevalence was not significantly different between residents in special care units for people with dementia (SCU) and general units, or between shorter-and longer-stay residents. Furthermore, the prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms did not differ significantly between male and female residents, between ADL capacities or in relation to length of stay. However, residents with cognitive impairment and residents in SCUs had a significantly higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms than residents without cognitive impairment and residents in general units. Conclusions: The prevalence rates ascertained in this study could contribute to a greater understanding of the needs of nursing-home residents, and may provide nursing home staff and managers with trustworthy assessment scales and benchmark values for further quality assessment purposes, clinical development work and initiating future nursing assessments.
Urban-rural disparity in utilization of preventive care services in China
Creators: name: Liu, X
name: Li, N
name: Liu, Chaojie
name: Ren, X
name: Liu, D
name: Gao, B
name: Liu, Y
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3202
subject: Clinical sciences
classificationCode: 420602
subject: Health equity
classificationCode: 420605
subject: Preventative health care

description: Preventive care service is considered pivotal on the background of demographic ageing and a rise in chronic diseases in China. The disparity in utilization of preventive care services between urban and rural in China is a serious issue. In this paper, we explored factors associated with urban-rural disparity in utilization of preventive care services in China, and determined how much of the urban-rural disparity was attributable to each determinant of utilization in preventive care services. Using representative sample data from China Health and Nutrition Survey in 2011 (N=12,976), the present study performed multilevel logistic model to examine the factors that affected utilization of preventive care services in last 4 weeks. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method was applied to divide the utilization of preventive care disparity between urban and rural residents into a part that can be explained by differences in observed covariates and unobserved part. The percentage of rural residents utilizing preventive care service in last 4 weeks was lower than that of urban residents (5.1% vs 9.3%). Female, the aged, residents with higher education level and household income, residents reporting self-perceived illness in last 4 weeks and physician-diagnosed chronic disease had higher likelihood of utilizing preventive care services. Household income was the most important factor accounting for 26.6% of urban-rural disparities in utilization of preventive care services, followed by education (21.5%), self-perceived illness in last 4 weeks (7.8%), hypertension (4.4%), diabetes (3.3%), other chronic diseases (0.8%), and health insurance (1.0%). Efforts to reduce financial barriers for low-income individuals who cannot afford preventive services, increasing awareness of the importance of obtaining preventive health services and providing more preventive health services covered by health insurance, may help to reduce the gap of preventive care services utilization between urban and rural.
Large-scale optimization under uncertainty: applications to logistics and healthcare
Creators: name: Ghosal, Shubhechyya
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Many decision making problems in real life are affected by uncertainty. The area of optimization under uncertainty has been studied widely and deeply for over sixty years, and it continues to be an active area of research. The overall aim of this thesis is to contribute to the literature by developing (i) theoretical models that reflect problem settings closer to real life than previously considered in literature, as well as (ii) solution techniques that are scalable. The thesis focuses on two particular applications to this end, the vehicle routing problem and the problem of patient scheduling in a healthcare system. The first part of this thesis studies the vehicle routing problem, which asks for a cost-optimal delivery of goods to geographically dispersed customers. The probability distribution governing the customer demands is assumed to be unknown throughout this study. This assumption positions the study into the domain of distributionally robust optimization that has a well developed literature, but had so far not been extensively studied in the context of the capacitated vehicle routing problem. The study develops theoretical frameworks that allow for a tractable solution of such problems in the context of rise-averse optimization. The overall aim is to create a model that can be used by practitioners to solve problems specific to their requirements with minimal adaptations. The second part of this thesis focuses on the problem of scheduling elective patients within the available resources of a healthcare system so as to minimize overall years of lives lost. This problem has been well studied for a long time. The large scale of a healthcare system coupled with the inherent uncertainty affecting the evolution of a patient make this a particularly difficult problem. The aim of this study is to develop a scalable optimization model that allows for an efficient solution while at the same time enabling a flexible modelling of each patient in the system. This is achieved through a fluid approximation of the weakly-coupled counting dynamic program that arises out of modeling each patient in the healthcare system as a dynamic program with states, actions, transition probabilities and rewards reflecting the condition, treatment options and evolution of a given patient. A case-study for the National Health Service in England highlights the usefulness of the prioritization scheme obtained as a result of applying the methodology developed in this study.
Prevalence and factors associated with parental concerns about development detected by the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) at 6-month, 12-month and 18-month well-child checks in a birth cohort
Creators: name: Woolfenden, S
name: Eapen, V
name: Jalaludin, B
name: Hayen, A
name: Kemp, L
name: Dissanayake, Cheryl
name: Hendry, A
name: Axelsson, E
name: Overs, B
name: Eastwood, J
name: Crncec, R
name: McKenzie, A
name: Beasley, D
name: Murphy, E
name: Williams, K
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2022
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3213
subject: Paediatrics
classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
classificationCode: 52
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: Objectives: Early identification of developmental vulnerability is vital. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of moderate or high developmental risk on the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) at 6-month, 12-month and 18-month well-child checks; identify associated risk factors; and examine documentation of the PEDS at well-child checks. Design, participants: A prospective birth cohort of 2025 children with 50% of those approached agreeing to participate. Demographic data were obtained via questionnaires and linked electronic medical records. Telephone interviews were conducted with parents to collect PEDS data. Primary and secondary outcomes: Multiple logistic regression analyses identified risk factors for moderate or high developmental risk on the PEDS. A Cumulative Risk Index examined the impact of multiple risk factors on developmental risk and documentation of the PEDS at the well-child checks. Results: Of the original cohort, 792 (39%) had 6-month, 649 (32%) had 12-month and 565 (28%) had 18-month PEDS data. Parental concerns indicating moderate or high developmental risk on the PEDS were 27% (95% CI 24 to 30) at 6 months, 27% (95% CI 24 to 30) at 12 months and 33% (95% CI 29 to 37) at 18 months. Factors associated with moderate or high developmental risk were perinatal risk (OR 12 months: 1.7 (95% CI 1.1 to 2.7)); maternal Middle Eastern or Asian nationality (OR 6 months: 1.6 (95% CI 1.1 to 2.4)), (OR 12 months: 1.7 (95% CI 1.1 to 2.7)); and household disadvantage (OR 6 months: 1.5 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.2). As the number of risk factors increased the odds increased for high or moderate developmental risk and no documentation of the PEDS at well-child checks. Conclusions: Children with multiple risk factors are more likely to have parental concerns indicating.
Young adults' accounts of buying rounds of alcoholic drinks for friends: Implications for harm reduction
Creators: name: Riazi, S
name: MacLean, Sarah
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
classificationCode: 4206
subject: Public health
classificationCode: 52
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology
classificationCode: 5203
subject: Clinical and health psychology

description: Aims: Buying or shouting rounds (purchasing alcoholic drinks for oneself and others at the same time) at on-premise licensed venues, such as nightclubs and bars, is a widespread Australian cultural practice. Our paper aims to provide detailed information on young adults’ attitudes and practices concerning round buying. Methods: Thematic analysis of research interviews involving 60 young adults living in Melbourne was conducted using NVivo 10, yielding three key themes. Findings: (1) Contexts where round buying occurred: young adults considered group size and culture, as well as bar activity, when determining whether they should round buy with their friends. In busy venues, round buying conveniently reduced the number of trips to and time waiting at the bar. Round buying was less likely to occur in groups larger than 4-5 people, as beyond this participants found it difficult to control the reciprocity of round buying, cost, and consumption of alcohol. (2) Sociability: while round buying did not occur within the friendship groups of all participants, it was seen by many as an important way of demonstrating connections with friends. (3) Consumption: overwhelmingly, participants believed that round buying increases their overall alcohol intake through implicit and explicit pressures to consume more. Conclusions: Policies that limit round buying may offer a means to reduce alcohol-related harm. In addition, education that challenges round buying rules and expectations may help alleviate pressure on young adults to consume heavily.
Clustered somatic mutations are frequent in transcription factor binding motifs within proximal promoter regions in melanoma and other cutaneous malignancies
Creators: name: Colebatch, AJ
name: Di Stefano, L
name: Wong, SQ
name: Hannan, RD
name: Waring, PM
name: Dobrovic, Alexander
name: McArthur, GA
name: Papenfuss, AT
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3211
subject: Oncology and carcinogenesis

description: Most cancer DNA sequencing studies have prioritized recurrent non-synonymous coding mutations in order to identify novel cancer-related mutations. Although attention is increasingly being paid to mutations in non-coding regions, standard approaches to identifying significant mutations may not be appropriate and there has been limited analysis of mutational clusters in functionally annotated noncoding regions. We sought to identify clustered somatic mutations (hotspot regions across samples) in functionally annotated regions in melanoma and other cutaneous malignancies (cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma). Sliding window analyses revealed numerous recurrent clustered hotspot mutations in proximal promoters, with some specific clusters present in up to 25% of cases. Mutations in melanoma were clustered within ETS and Sp1 transcription factor binding motifs, had a UV signature and were identified in other cutaneous malignancies. Clinicopathologic correlation and mutation analysis support a causal role for chronic UV irradiation generating somatic mutations in transcription factor binding motifs of proximal promoters.
Indicators of evidence for bioequivalence
Creators: name: Morgenthaler, S
name: Staudte, Robert
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 49
subject: Mathematical sciences
classificationCode: 4905
subject: Statistics
subject: FOS: Mathematics
classificationCode: 51
subject: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Some equivalence tests are based on two one-sided tests, where in many applications the test statistics are approximately normal. We define and find evidence for equivalence in Z-tests and then one- and two-sample binomial tests as well as for t-tests. Multivariate equivalence tests are typically based on statistics with non-central chi-squared or non-central F distributions in which the non-centrality parameter λ is a measure of heterogeneity of several groups. Classical tests of the null λ ≥ λ0 versus the equivalence alternative λ < λ0 are available, but simple formulae for power functions are not. In these tests, the equivalence limit λ0 is typically chosen by context. We provide extensions of classical variance stabilizing transformations for the non-central chi-squared and F distributions that are easy to implement and which lead to indicators of evidence for equivalence. Approximate power functions are also obtained via simple expressions for the expected evidence in these equivalence tests.
Cost-effectiveness of investing in sidewalks as a means of increasing physical activity: a RESIDE modelling study
Creators: name: Veerman, JL
name: Zapata-Diomedi, B
name: Gunn, L
name: McCormack, GR
name: Cobiac, LJ
name: Herrera, AMM
name: Giles-Corti, B
name: Shiell, Alan
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
classificationCode: 4206
subject: Public health
classificationCode: 52
subject: Psychology
subject: FOS: Psychology

description: Background: Studies consistently find that supportive neighbourhood built environments increase physical activity by encouraging walking and cycling. However, evidence on the cost-effectiveness of investing in built environment interventions as a means of promoting physical activity is lacking. In this study, we assess the cost-effectiveness of increasing sidewalk availability as one means of encouraging walking. Methods: Using data from the RESIDE study in Perth, Australia, we modelled the cost impact and change in health-adjusted life years (HALYs) of installing additional sidewalks in established neighbourhoods. Estimates of the relationship between sidewalk availability and walking were taken from a previous study. Multistate life table models were used to estimate HALYs associated with changes in walking frequency and duration. Sensitivity analyses were used to explore the impact of variations in population density, discount rates, sidewalk costs and the inclusion of unrelated healthcare costs in added life years. Results: Installing and maintaining an additional 10 km of sidewalk in an average neighbourhood with 19 000 adult residents was estimated to cost A$4.2 million over 30 years and gain 24 HALYs over the lifetime of an average neighbourhood adult resident population. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was A$176 000/HALY. However, sensitivity results indicated that increasing population densities improves cost-effectiveness. Conclusions: In low-density cities such as in Australia, installing sidewalks in established neighbourhoods as a single intervention is unlikely to cost-effectively improve health. Sidewalks must be considered alongside other complementary elements of walkability, such as density, land use mix and street connectivity. Population density is particularly important because at higher densities, more residents are exposed and this improves the cost-effectiveness. Health gain is one of many benefits of enhancing neighbourhood walkability and future studies might consider a more comprehensive assessment of its social value (eg, social cohesion, safety and air quality).
Upgrading (mixed) plastics through a composite approach
Creators: name: Gaduan, Andre Ningkan
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Employing a circular economy model to plastic value chain remains a challenge because post-consumer plastics consist of various types and grades mixed together. This thesis describes the use of a composite approach to allow the reuse of mixed plastics, reduction of virgin plastics content, and recycling of post-consumer plastics. In Chapter 3, using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) as model immiscible polymer blend, the incorporation of short carbon fibres (CFs) increased the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. Cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment showed that CF-reinforced PET/PP composites have a lower environmental impacts compared to the life-cycle scenarios of “doing nothing” and repurposing immiscible PET/PP blends as they are without CFs. This is due to the significant weight savings, which are a direct result of their high mechanical performance. In Chapter 4, the reinforcing potential of TEMPO-oxidised cellulose (TOC) with different fibre diameters for polypropylene (PP) are investigated. Micrometre-sized TOC fibres (TOCF) serve as better reinforcement for polymers composites compared to nano-sized TEMPO-oxidised nanocellulose (TOCN). PP composites reinforced with micrometre-sized TOCF possess the highest tensile modulus with 40% and 30% improvement over neat PP and PP/TOCN composites, respectively. This is attributed to the presence of surface microfibrillation on TOCF, which enhanced the quality of TOCF-PP interface through mechanical interlocking and the local stiffening of the PP matrix. Lastly, the structure-property relationships of HDPE blends containing virgin HDPE (vHDPE) with various reprocessed HDPE (rHDPE) are investigated. Blends of vHDPE and repeatedly-extruded HDPE exhibit tensile properties, complex viscosity and overall migration comparable to those of vHDPE. The chapter highlights the positive influence of blending the various grades of rHDPE with a virgin component to reduce the degree of discolouration, suppress the migration of low-molecular weight by-products of oxidation, as well as recover the tensile properties of the extensively reprocessed HDPE.
Developing the Stroke Exercise Preference Inventory (SEPI)
Creators: name: Bonner, NS
name: O'Halloran, Paul
name: Bernhardt, J
name: Cumming, TB
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
classificationCode: 4203
subject: Health services and systems
classificationCode: 4206
subject: Public health

description: Background: Physical inactivity is highly prevalent after stroke, increasing the risk of poor health outcomes including recurrent stroke. Tailoring of exercise programs to individual preferences can improve adherence, but no tools exist for this purpose in stroke. Methods: We identified potential questionnaire items for establishing exercise preferences via: (i) our preliminary Exercise Preference Questionnaire in stroke, (ii) similar tools used in other conditions, and (iii) expert panel consultations. The resulting 35-item questionnaire (SEPI-35) was administered to stroke survivors, along with measures of disability, depression, anxiety, fatigue and self-reported physical activity. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify a factor structure in exercise preferences, providing a framework for item reduction. Associations between exercise preferences and personal characteristics were analysed using multivariable regression. Results: A group of 134 community-dwelling stroke survivors (mean age 64.0, SD 13.3) participated. Analysis of the SEPI-35 identified 7 exercise preference factors (Supervision-support, Confidence- challenge, Health-wellbeing, Exercise context, Home-alone, Similar others, Music- TV). Item reduction processes yielded a 13-item version (SEPI-13); in analysis of this version, the original factor structure was maintained. Lower scores on Confidence-challenge were significantly associated with disability (p = 0.002), depression (p = 0.001) and fatigue (p = 0.001). Self-reported barriers to exercise were particularly prevalent in those experiencing fatigue and anxiety. Conclusions: The SEPI-13 is a brief instrument that allows assessment of exercise preferences and barriers in the stroke population. This new tool can be employed by health professionals to inform the development of individually tailored exercise interventions.
OSTrails Interoperability Framework – DMP-IF: A Unified Framework to Automate and Standardise DMP Information Exchange.
Creators: name: Suchánek, Marek
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: DMP Interoperability Framework (DMP-IF)
Research data management (RDM)
Data Management Plan (DMP)

description: This is the second webinar of the OSTrails Interoperability Webinar Series, focusing on the DMP Interoperability Framework (DMP-IF). In this session, Marek Suchánek (CTU in Prague) presents how DMP-IF enhances research data management by enabling seamless integration across tools and platforms, addressing the need for better interoperability in data management planning.

The webinar introduces the motivation behind DMP-IF, presents its key components, and explains how they align with the Plan-Track-Assess framework to support the full research lifecycle. It provides an overview of the current state of DMP-IF. Finally, it outlines planned developments and future directions, focusing on efforts to enhance standardisation, automation, and broader adoption.
Five-year antimicrobial resistance patterns of urinary Escherichia coli at an Australian tertiary hospital: time series analyses of prevalence data
Creators: name: Fasugba, O
name: Mitchell, BG
name: Mnatzaganian, George
name: Das, A
name: Collignon, P
name: Gardner, A
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 32
subject: Biomedical and clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3202
subject: Clinical sciences
classificationCode: 3207
subject: Medical microbiology
classificationCode: 3211
subject: Oncology and carcinogenesis

description: This study describes the antimicrobial resistance temporal trends and seasonal variation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) urinary tract infections (UTIs) over five years, from 2009 to 2013, and compares prevalence of resistance in hospital- and community-acquired E. coli UTI. A cross sectional study of E. coli UTIs from patients attending a tertiary referral hospital in Canberra, Australia was undertaken. Time series analysis was performed to illustrate resistance trends. Only the first positive E. coli UTI per patient per year was included in the analysis. A total of 15,022 positive cultures from 8724 patients were identified. Results are based on 5333 first E. coli UTIs, from 4732 patients, of which 84.2% were communityacquired. Five-year hospital and community resistance rates were highest for ampicillin (41.9%) and trimethoprim (20.7%). Resistance was lowest for meropenem (0.0%), nitrofurantoin (2.7%), piperacillin-tazobactam (2.9%) and ciprofloxacin (6.5%). Resistance to amoxycillin-clavulanate, cefazolin, gentamicin and piperacillin-tazobactam were significantly higher in hospital- compared to community-acquired UTIs (9.3% versus 6.2%; 15.4% versus 9.7%; 5.2% versus 3.7% and 5.2% versus 2.5%, respectively). Trend analysis showed significant increases in resistance over five years for amoxycillin-clavulanate, trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, cefazolin, ceftriaxone and gentamicin (P<0.05, for all) with seasonal pattern observed for trimethoprim resistance (augmented Dickey-Fuller statistic = 4.136; P = 0.006). An association between ciprofloxacin resistance, cefazolin resistance and ceftriaxone resistance with older age was noted. Given the relatively high resistance rates for ampicillin and trimethoprim, these antimicrobials should be reconsidered for empirical treatment of UTIs in this patient population. Our findings have important implications for UTI treatment based on setting of acquisition.
Exploring service providers' perspectives in improving childhood obesity prevention among CALD communities in Victoria, Australia
Creators: name: Cyril, S
name: Green, J
name: Nicholson, Jan
name: Agho, K
name: Renzaho, AMN
Publisher: name: La Trobe
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 42
subject: Health sciences
subject: FOS: Health sciences
classificationCode: 4203
subject: Health services and systems
classificationCode: 4206
subject: Public health
classificationCode: 44
subject: Human society
classificationCode: 4409
subject: Social work

description: Background: Childhood obesity rates have been increasing disproportionately among disadvantaged communities including culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrant groups in Australia due to their poor participation in the available obesity prevention initiatives. We sought to explore service providers' perceptions of the key factors influencing the participation of CALD communities in the existing obesity prevention services and the service requirements needed to improve CALD communities' participation in these services. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using focus group discussions involving fifty-nine service providers from a range of services, who are involved in the health and wellbeing of children from CALD groups living in four socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in Victoria, Australia. Results: Thematic analysis of the data showed three major themes including community-level barriers to CALD engagement in childhood obesity prevention services; service-level barriers to the delivery of these services; and proposed changes to current childhood obesity prevention approaches. Integrating obesity prevention messages within existing programs, better coordination between prevention and treatment services and the establishment of a Conclusion: This study has found that low CALD health literacy, lack of knowledge of cultural barriers among service providers and co-existing deficiencies in the structure and delivery of obesity prevention services negatively impacted the participation of CALD communities in obesity prevention services. Cultural competency training of service providers would improve their understanding of the cultural influences of childhood obesity and incorporate them into the design and development of obesity prevention initiatives. Service providers need to be educated on the pre-migratory health service experiences and health conditions of CALD communities to ensure equitable delivery of care. Collaborative approaches between health systems, immigrant services, early years' services and community health services are urgently needed to address obesity-related disparities in Australia.
Serine hydrolases in pancreatic cancer: target validation using activity-based protein profiling
Creators: name: Zhang, Leran
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has the lowest survival rate out of all common cancers due to a lack of biomarkers and treatments. The location of the pancreas in the body makes early diagnosis and surgery difficult. This is exacerbated by the stromal tissue surrounding the cancer, which shields the malignancy from detection and treatment. The crosstalk between the cancer and stroma is known to promote cancer progression and metastasis. Thus, further understanding of this tumour microenvironment is key to reducing disease burden for this cancer. This thesis focuses on investigating serine hydrolase activity in pancreatic cancer using activity-based probes. A preliminary 3D co-culture model of the tumour microenvironment of PDAC was developed and its serine hydrolase activity was profiled using chemical proteomics. This model has the potential to investigate the crosstalk between PDAC and its surrounding stroma. However, this project was halted prematurely due to lockdown. Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLK) are a family of fifteen serine proteases with important roles in homeostasis. Dysregulation of KLKs have been shown to relate to cancer progression. However, the lack of chemical tools that can selectively detect KLK activity has hindered the validation of these proteases as targets or biomarkers. The focus of this work is to develop and apply novel activity-based probes for KLKs in the context of pancreatic cancer. Selective probes have been developed for KLK4, 6, 7 and 8. Probes were designed using a substrate scanning library, which gave the substrate specificity of each protease. The optimal substrate sequences including unnatural amino acids were grafted into a peptidyl diphenyl phosphonate scaffold, giving highly potent and selective probes that bind irreversibly to their target. The KLK6 probe was further validated in cellular systems using chemical proteomics, which showed it was highly selective for KLK6 in pancreatic cancer cells. A co-crystal structure between the probe and KLK6 shows its binding mode. Using the probe, we have unlocked new insights on the mechanisms of KLK6 mediated invasion and migration in PDAC. The probe was able to inhibit both invasion and migration in PDAC cells. N-terminomic analysis allowed us to identify the putative substrates of KLK6 in PDAC cells. This work adds to an existing toolbox of KLK activity-based probes, which will be shared with the rest of the scientific community for studying other KLK associated diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, skin diseases and other cancers.