Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Research Articles

Leader Signals and “Growth Mindset”: A Natural Field Experiment in Attracting Minorities to High-Profile Positions

We conduct a large-scale natural field experiment with a Fortune 500 company to test several light-touch approaches to attract minorities to high-profile positions. A total of 5,000 prospective applicants were randomized into treatments that vary a small portion of recruiting materials. We find that self-selection at two early-career stages exhibits a substantial race gap. We then show that this gap can be strongly influenced by several treatments, with some closing the race gap and increasing application rates of minorities by 40% and others being particularly effective for minority women. These effects are not accompanied by any declines in application rates of majority group job seekers. In addition, we do not find that endorsing the “business case” for diversity reduces the race gap or raises application rates by minorities or women. The heterogeneities we find by gender, race, and career stage shed light on the underlying drivers of self-selection barriers among minorities. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: The authors thank the Brigham Young University College of Family, Home, and Social Science for generous research support. This research was funded in part by the Lowe Institute of Political Economy at Claremont McKenna College as well as the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship grant Nr. 190100252. Christina Rott thanks the School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, for research support through the Hermine Weijland Fellowship. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4909 .

The architecture of mental health: identifying the combination of apartment building design requirements for positive mental health outcomes

Housing quality is a crucial determinant of mental health. While the construction of high-rise buildings is a popular policy strategy for accommodating population growth in cities, there is considerable debate about the health consequences of living in poorly designed apartments. Drawing on three Australian state government apartment design policies introduced to improve apartment design quality, this study aimed to identify the combination of design requirements that were optimally supportive of positive mental health. K-means cluster analyses identified groups of buildings (n=172) that were homogenous in their implementation of a mix of n=80 measured design requirements. Positive mental health was measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS). Linear mixed-effects models controlling for demographic characteristics, self-selection factors and clustering of participants within buildings compared residents in the different clusters. Residents in the "high policy performance buildings", characterised by having a greater implementation of n=29 design requirements across nine design elements, had significantly higher (+1.96 points) WEMWBS scores compared with residents in the "low policy performance buildings". This study is the first to empirically identify a mix of policy-specific architecture design requirements that are associated with positive mental health in apartment residents. These findings provide vital empirical evidence to inform national and international apartment and high-rise housing policies, and design instruments and practices to protect people's health in apartment dwellings. The High Life project is funded by a Healthway Research Intervention Project grant (#31986) and an Australian Research Council (ARC), Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) (DE160100140). NE is supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project (LP190100558). SF is supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT210100899).

The impact of tableside ordering technologies on alcohol sales to the intoxicated.

The impact of tableside ordering technologies on alcohol sales to the intoxicated.

Coral holobiont research needs spatial analyses at the microbial scale.

Coral holobiont research needs spatial analyses at the microbial scale.

The effect of the menstrual cycle on the circulating microRNA pool in human plasma: a pilot study.

Do ovarian hormone changes influence the levels of cell-free or circulating microRNA (cf-miRNA) across the menstrual cycle? This exploratory study suggests that fluctuations in hormonal levels throughout the menstrual cycle may alter cf-miRNAs levels. cf-miRNA levels vary with numerous pathological and physiological conditions in both males and females and are regulated by exogenous and endogenous factors, including hormones. A prospective, monocentric study was conducted between March and November 2021. Since this was a pilot study, the sample size was based on feasibility as well as previous similar human studies conducted in different tissues. A total of 20 participants were recruited for the study. We conducted an exploratory study where blood samples were collected from 16 eumenorrheic females in the early follicular phase, the ovulation phase and the mid-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The levels of oestrogen, progesterone, LH and FSH were measured in serum by electrochemiluminescence. The levels of 174 plasma-enriched miRNAs were profiled using a PCR-based panel, including stringent internal and external controls to account for the potential differences in RNA extraction and reverse-transcription stemming from low-RNA input samples. This exploratory study suggests that cf-miRNAs may play an active role in the regulation of the female cycle by mediating the expression of genes during fluctuating hormonal changes. Linear mixed-models, adjusted for the relevant variables, showed associations between phases of the menstrual cycle, ovarian hormones and plasma cf-miRNA levels. Validated gene targets of the cf-miRNAs varying with the menstrual cycle were enriched within female reproductive tissues and are primarily involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis. All relevant data are available from the Mendeley database: LEGER, Bertrand (2022), 'MiRNA and menstrual cycle', Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/2br3zp79m3.1. Our study was conducted on a small participant cohort. However, it was tightly controlled for endogenous and exogenous confounders, which is critical to ensure robust and reproducible cf-miRNA research. Both adjusted and non-adjusted P-values are presented throughout the article. Measures of ovarian hormones should be rigorously included in future studies assessing cf-miRNA levels in females and used as time-varying confounders. Our results reinforce the importance of accounting for female-specific biological processes in physiology research by implementing practical or statistical mitigation strategies during data collection and analysis. This study was supported by the Clinique romande de réadaptation, Sion, Switzerland. S.L. was supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT10100278). D.H. was supported by an Executive Dean's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from Deakin University. The authors declare no competing interests.

Suicide rates amongst individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds: A systematic review and meta-analysis

SummaryBackgroundExisting evidence suggests that some individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds are at increased risk of suicide compared to their majority ethnic counterparts, whereas others are at decreased risk. We aimed to estimate the absolute and relative risk of suicide in individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds globally.MethodsDatabases (Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo) were searched for epidemiological studies between 01/01/2000 and 3/07/2020, which provided data on absolute and relative rates of suicide amongst ethnic minority groups. Studies reporting on clinical or specific populations were excluded. Pairs of reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts. We used random effects meta-analysis to estimate overall, sex, location, migrant status, and ancestral origin, stratified pooled estimates for absolute and rate ratios. PROSPERO registration: CRD42020197940.FindingsA total of 128 studies were included with 6,026,103 suicide deaths in individuals from an ethnic minority background across 31 countries. Using data from 42 moderate-high quality studies, we estimated a pooled suicide rate of 12·1 per 100,000 (95% CIs 8·4–17·6) in people from ethnic minority backgrounds with a broad range of estimates (1·2–139·7 per 100,000). There was weak statistical evidence from 51 moderate-high quality studies that individuals from ethnic minority groups were more likely to die by suicide (RR 1·3 95% CIs 0·9–1·7) with again a broad range amongst studies (RR 0·2–18·5). In our sub-group analysis we only found evidence of elevated risk for indigenous populations (RR: 2·8 95% CIs 1·9–4·0; pooled rate: 23·2 per 100,000 95% CIs 14·7–36·6). There was very substantial heterogeneity (I2 > 98%) between studies for all pooled estimates.InterpretationThe homogeneous grouping of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds is inappropriate. To support suicide prevention in marginalised groups, further exploration of important contextual differences in risk is required. It is possible that some ethnic minority groups (for example those from indigenous backgrounds) have higher rates of suicide than majority populations.FundingNo specific funding was provided to conduct this research. DK is funded by Wellcome Trust and Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Bristol. Matthew Spittal is a recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (project number FT180100075) funded by the Australian Government. Rebecca Musgrove is funded by the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (PSTRC-2016-003).

COVID-19, Social Isolation and the Mental Health of Autistic People and Their Families: A Qualitative Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the policy responses to it have had a detrimental effect on the mental health of millions of people but have impacted differently on different groups. This is the first in-depth investigation of the impact on autistic people and their families. Specifically, we addressed: How did autistic people experience the increase in social isolation as a result of measures put in place by government during the initial lockdown period? And how was their mental health impacted by lockdown?Methods: Autistic and non-autistic researchers conducted 144 in-depth semi-structured interviews with autistic adults (n=44), parents of autistic children including autistic parents (n=84), and young autistic people aged 12 – 18 years (n=16). We deployed reflexive thematic analysis to identify key themes.Findings: The enhanced social isolation that has accompanied COVID-19 had a serious and detrimental impact on autistic people’s mental health and subjective sense of wellbeing. During the interviews, young autistic people and adults alike spoke of intensely missing both friends and more incidental forms of social connection. They also reported intense dissatisfaction with the substitution of embodied, person-to-person connection in health services by computer or telephone-based alternatives, sometimes accompanied by serious negative consequences for mental health. Interpretation: These findings reveal the fundamental importance of supporting autistic people to maintain both direct and incidental social contact during the pandemic and beyond, in contrast both to established scientific accounts of autism and standard clinical and policy practice.Funding Statement: This project has been funded through an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, awarded to EP (FT190100077).Declaration of Interests: EP receives occasional fees for workshops and invited addresses, and grants from the Medical Research Future Fund, the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism ('Autism CRC'), Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, Positive Partnerships (Australia), and the European Commission. JDH reports grants from the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism, during the conduct of the study. MH reports grants from Department of Social Securities, Australian Government, and the National Disability Insurance Agency. All other authors declare no competing interests.Ethics Approval Statement: Ethical approval for this study was received from the Human Research Ethics Committee at Macquarie University (Project ID 6665). All participants, including young people, provided written informed consent prior to taking part; parents provided additional consent for young people.

The Chemoattraction of Immune Cells into the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Elicits Sympathetically‐Mediated Blood Pressure Elevations in Hypertension

Chemokine C‐C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) is a chemotactic cytokine, known for its ability to recruit and activate immune cells. Recently, immune cells have been shown to be active within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) of a rodent model of hypertension. Interestingly, the chemokine, CCL2, was increased by 3‐fold in the PVN in many experimental models of hypertension, and the plasma levels of CCL2 appear to correlate with increased blood pressure in hypertensive patients. However, the underlying neural and molecular mechanisms leading to the development of hypertension still remain unknown. Thus, we hypothesised that CCL2 elicits sympathetically mediated blood pressure (BP) elevations through the recruitment of immune cells into the PVN. Here, we show, in anaesthetised Sprague‐Dawley rats, activation of receptors for CCL2 (i.e. CCR2), in the PVN, recruits immune cells that infiltrate into the PVN from the peripheral circulation, eliciting dose‐dependent elevations in blood pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity. Further, our results in conscious freely moving rats show that microinjection of CCL2 into the PVN, increased blood pressure by approximately 12±2 mmHg, and this increase lasted for 50 minutes. In renovascular hypertensive rats (2 kidney ‐ 1 clip), plasma and cerebrospinal fluid levels of CCL2 were elevated with the onset occurring in the first week, prior to the development of hypertension. Immune cell infiltration into the PVN was also evident by the second week, when animals were still pre‐hypertensive. Importantly, we show that continuous infusion of the CCR2 antagonist RS‐102895 into the lateral ventricles of renovascular hypertensive rats, attenuated the increase in blood pressure over a period of two months.These results suggest that upregulation of CCL2 and immune cell infiltration into the PVN precede the sustained increases in sympathetic activity and blood pressure observed in renovascular hypertension. These findings highlight CCL2‐CCR2 signalling and immune cells as new therapeutic targets for treating hypertension. Interestingly, these findings also suggest a specific interaction between the autonomic nervous system and the immune system in the regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and blood pressure.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (GNT 1079680 to STY), the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia, the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Foundation, the Wade Institute and Ormond College ‐ University of Melbourne (to WSK) and the Victorian Government through the Operational Infrastructure Scheme. KE and AS are supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships. STY is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT170100363).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

In Renovascular Hypertension, TNF‐α Type‐1 Receptors in the Area Postrema Mediate Increases in Cardiac and Renal Sympathetic Nerve Activity and Blood Pressure

Neuroinflammation is a common feature in renovascular, obesity-related, and angiotensin II mediated hypertension. There is evidence that increased release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) contributes to the development of the hypertension, but the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. In rats with renovascular hypertension, area postrema neurons that expressed TNF-α type-1 receptor (TNFR1) remained constantly activated (expressed c-Fos) and injection of TNFR1 neutralizing antibody into the area postrema returned blood pressure (systolic: ~151 mmHg) to normotensive levels (systolic: ~108 mmHg). Nanoinjection of TNF-α (100 pg/50 nl) into the area postrema of anaesthetized normotensive rats increased blood pressure (~16 mmHg) and sympathetic nerve activity, predominantly to the heart (~53%), but also to the kidneys (~35%). These responses were abolished by prior injection of a TNFR1 neutralizing antibody (1 ng/50 nl) within the same site. TNFR1 were expressed in the somata of neurons activated by TNF-α that were retrogradely labelled from the rostral ventrolateral medulla. These findings indicate that in renovascular hypertension, activation of TNFR1 expressing neurons in the area postrema by TNF-α contributes to the sustained blood pressure in rats. This is mediated, in part, by projections to the rostral ventrolateral medulla and an increase in both cardiac and renal sympathetic nerve activity. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (GNT 1079680 to STY), the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia, the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Foundation, the Wade Institute and Ormond College - University of Melbourne (to WSK) and the Victorian Government through the Operational Infrastructure Scheme. KE and AS are supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarships. STY is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT170100363). Effects of injection of TNF-α into the AP on cardiac and renal sympathetic nerve activity. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Accurate predictions of microscale oxygen barometry in basaltic glasses using V K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy: A multivariate approach

This research was supported by the Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration (RIS4 E) node of the NASA SSERVI program and NASA grants NNX16AR18G and NNX17AL07G. XANES spectroscopy data were collected at GeoSoilEnviroCARS (Sector 13), Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory. GeoSoilEnviroCARS is supported by the National Science Foundation, Earth Sciences (EAR-1128799) and Department of Energy, Geosciences (DE-FG02-94ER14466). Use of the Advanced Photon Source was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under contract no. DE-AC02-06CH11357. King was supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT130101524).

Regulation of the human placental (pro)renin receptor-prorenin-angiotensin system by microRNAs.

Are any microRNAs (miRNAs) that target the placental renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in the human placenta suppressed in early gestation? Overall, 21 miRNAs with predicted RAS mRNA targets were less abundant in early versus term placentae and nine were more highly expressed. Regulation of human placental RAS expression could alter placental development and therefore normal pregnancy outcome. The expression of genes encoding prorenin (REN), angiotensinogen, (pro)renin receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2, and the angiotensin II type 1 receptor are highest in early gestation, at a time when oxygen tension is at its lowest. Studies have shown that the human placental RAS is sensitive to oxygen, as are some miRNAs that regulate RAS mRNAs. We propose that in early pregnancy, the prevailing low O2 tension, by suppression of levels of miRNAs that target RAS mRNAs, results in increased expression of RAS mRNAs and encoded proteins. As gestation proceeds and the prevailing oxygen tension rises, abundance of these miRNAs increases, and placental RAS mRNA expression is suppressed. The expression of miRNAs was compared in human placentae collected in early (10-11 weeks; n = 7) and mid-gestation (14-18 weeks; n = 8) with placenta collected at term (38-40 weeks; n = 8). Expression of placental miRNAs in women with early (29-35.1 weeks; n = 8) or late-onset pre-eclampsia (PE) (>34-weeks gestation; n = 8) and gestational age matched preterm (31.6-35.1 weeks; n = 8) and term normotensive controls were also compared. Agilent Human miRNA microarray v19 was used to detect up to 2006 miRNAs in four placentae from each group. Statistically different levels of expression were determined and refined using predictive modelling. Placental miRNAs predicted to target RAS mRNAs were identified in three databases. Differences detected on the array were confirmed for some miRNAs by semi-quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR, n = 7-8 for all groups). Two differentially expressed miRNAs that were known to target human renal REN mRNA (miR-181a-5p and miR-663) were transfected into human HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells to examine their effect on placental REN expression and prorenin levels. In early gestation placentae, 186 miRNAs were differentially expressed compared with term placentae (109 increased, 77 decreased). Thirty of the differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted to target RAS components. In mid-gestation placentae, 117 miRNAs were differentially expressed compared with term placentae (69 increased, 48 decreased). Of these, 19 had RAS mRNAs as predicted targets. Eight miRNAs that were lower in early gestation and predicted to target RAS mRNAs were confirmed by qPCR. All showed an increase during gestation and could influence the transgestational profile of the human placental RAS. Additionally, on the array, three miRNAs predicted to target RAS mRNAs (miR-892c-3p, miR-378c and miR-514b-3p) were overexpressed in placentae from women with late-onset PE (P = 3.6E-10, P = 1.8E-05, P = 5.3E-06; respectively). miR-663, which suppresses renal REN mRNA expression, was overexpressed in early-onset PE placentae as determined by qRT-PCR analysis (P = 0.014). Transfection of miR-181a-5p and miR-663 into HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells suppressed REN mRNA expression (P = 0.05) and prorenin protein production (P = 0.001). Data can be found via GEO accession number GSE109832. Further validation that the differentially expressed miRNAs do indeed directly target RAS mRNAs and affect placental development and function is required. This study is limited by the small sample size. Therefore independent validation in a larger cohort is required. We propose that suppression of miRNAs that target the placental RAS in early gestation is partly responsible for the increase in RAS expression at this time, in order to promote placental development. Later in pregnancy, we have detected overexpression of several miRNAs in placentae from women with PE. These may prove to be biomarkers for early detection of women at risk of developing PE. Since the placenta produces at least two miRNAs that were found in the kidney to target REN mRNA, and that also target placental REN mRNA, the escape of these miRNAs into the maternal circulation in excess amounts could affect maternal renal REN mRNA production and thereby disturb maternal fluid and electrolyte homoeostasis. This work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia (APP1043537). K.G.P. is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT150100179). C.T.R. is supported by a Lloyd Cox Professorial Research Fellowship from the University of Adelaide. F.Z.M. is supported by a National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship and Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute Fellowship. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

NOVEL ROLE OF GLYCINE IN CONTROL OF SYMPATHETIC OUTFLOW

The arterial baroreflex is one of the essential negative‐feedback mechanisms that compensates rapid changes in blood pressure (BP) through inhibition of presympathetic neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). There is general consensus that GABAergic projections originating from the caudal VLM (CVLM) provide the primary inhibitory input that controls the excitability of presympathetic RVLM neurons and sympathetic output. However, glycine, another inhibitory neurotransmitter, is also present in the RVLM. In anesthetized rats, we found that RVLM glycine played a critical role in arterial baroreflex function by controlling the time course of baroreflex mediated inhibition of renal sympathetic nerve activity. Blockade of glycine receptors in the RVLM, following an increase in BP, increased recovery of renal sympathetic nerve activity to baseline levels (5.1 ± 1.0 vs 11.7 ± 1.3 min, N=6, P<0.01) in comparison to control. In addition, tonic glycinergic inhibition of the RVLM was unmasked following blockade of output from the nucleus tractus solitaries and/or during disinhibition of the CVLM. Our whole‐cell, patch‐clamp recordings were obtained from brainstem slices containing presympathetic neurons in the RVLM labeled with PRV‐152. We confirmed that in steady state conditions GABAergic inhibition of RVLM neurons predominated and glycine contributed less than 25% of overall inhibition. In contrast, activation of the network produced saturation of GABAergic inhibition and glycinergic inhibition became prominent. Our findings demonstrated that blockade of glycine receptors in the RVLM decreased duration of baroreflex sympathoinhibition; increase of BP and activation of the network unmasked glycinergic inhibition of the RVLM; and release of glycine in the RVLM depended on the activity of presynaptic inhibitory inputs.Support or Funding InformationNational Institutes of Health R01 HL98602 (Cheryl M. Heesch) and HL122829 (Andrei V. Derbenev). Australian Research Council Future Fellowship FT170100363 and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia GNT 1079680 (Song T. Yao). High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia, the Rebecca L Cooper Medical Foundation, and the Victorian Government through the Operational Infrastructure Scheme (Willian S. Korim).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Correction for Nguyen et al., "Bacteriophage Transcytosis Provides a Mechanism To Cross Epithelial Cell Layers".

Volume 8, no. 6, e01874-17, 2017, [https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01874-17][1]. The following funding information and acknowledgments should be added: This work, including the efforts of Benjamin S. Padman and Michael Lazarou, was funded by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (

Comparison of Epidemical Features of Seasonal Influenza Across Different Climatic Zones in Australia

Background: Seasonal influenza epidemic patterns have been highly influenced by weather and usually vary by tropical, subtropical and temperate climates. Few studies investigate the features of seasonal influenza in different age groups among geo-climatic regions according to a specific climatic condition. Objective: This study aimed to assess the differences in the epidemical features of influenza A and B among six climatic zones in three age groups (<15, 15-64 and 65+ years) in Australia. Methods: National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) data on weekly laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A and B at a postcode level were collected from the Australian Government Department of Health between 1st January 2011 and 31st December 2013. Spatial and temporal descriptive analyses and Dunnett-Tukey-Kramer (DTK) pairwise multiple comparison tests were used to investigate the differences in seasonal patterns, durations, peak timings and epidemic magnitude for influenza A and B, stratified by the six climatic zones and age group. Bayesian space-time models based on a spatial conditional autoregressive (CAR) model combined with a susceptible, infectious and removed (SIR) model was used to estimate transmission rates to explore differences in evolution of influenza A and B epidemics. Results: There were significant differences in mean weekly notification rates of influenza A and B among the six climatic zones in the 0-14 and 15-64 age groups. Mean weekly notification rates were more likely to be higher in the areas with a warm winter or a mild winter than in the area with relatively colder winter. The ≥65 age group showed less spatial variation in mean weekly notification rates of influenza A and B among the six climatic zones. Mean duration, peak timing and transmission rates of influenza A and B epidemics did not display synchronicity between either the three age groups or the six climatic zones. The magnitude of the linear growth and decay rates of mean weekly transmission rates varied by different climatic zones and age groups. Conclusion: This study suggests that the epidemic features of influenza A and B vary between geo-climatic regions and age groups. Our findings provide valuable insight for public health authorities to adjust prevention and control strategies of seasonal influenza for specific age groups in specific climatic regions in Australia. Funding Statement: W.H was supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT140101216). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Arts practice as method, urban spaces and intra-active faiths

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the research design for an arts-based interfaith research project that is intended to build relationships between children from different faiths and to increase research participants’ understandings of faiths other than their own. The project is funded as an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship called Early Start Arts to Counter Radicalization and has a mixed method approach that brings arts-based workshop groups for children together with focus groups for parents. Early findings demonstrate the utility of art for developing a sense of belonging and self-worth in children and clearly show ways in which art facilitates comment on complex social issues even from primary school age. The nature of such socially engaged arts-based research means it must be developed or, at the least, refined, through engagement with community and social context. As such, consideration of the urban environment that shapes the lives of the young research participants and their families forms part of the discussion undertaken.

Protective effect of hormone therapy among women with hysterectomy/oophorectomy.

Does exposure to menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) in mid-aged women alter their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and all-cause mortality? MHT soon after menopause is unlikely to increase the risk of CVD mortality or all-cause mortality and may have a protective effect for women with hysterectomy/oophorectomy. The balance of benefits and risks of MHT are currently unclear and may differ according to when treatment starts and whether women have an intact uterus. A total of 13 715 participants from the mid-aged population-based cohort (born 1946-1951) of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) were followed from 1998 to 2013. The measures included cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, exposure to MHT and menopausal status (based on 3-yearly self-reports). Electronic prescriptions data on MHT were also available from mid-2002 onwards. At each follow-up survey wave, participants were classified as: an existing user of MHT, an initiator of MHT or a non-initiator of MHT. After adjusting for confounding variables, existing users of MHT had a reduced risk (hazard ratio 0.63; 95% CI, 0.43-0.92) of CVD mortality compared with non-initiators. Insufficient evidence of an association was identified for initiators of MHT (0.66; 0.35-1.24). For all-cause mortality, risks were reduced for both initiators (0.69; 0.55-0.87) and existing users (0.80; 0.70-0.91). In a subgroup analysis, women with hysterectomy/oophorectomy had lower risks of CVD mortality for both initiators (0.14; 0.02-0.98) and existing users (0.55; 0.34-0.90), but no evidence of an association was found for women whose MHT commenced during or after menopause. Similarly for all-cause mortality, only the women with hysterectomy/oophorectomy had lower risks for both initiators (0.47; 0.31-0.70) and existing users (0.69; 0.58-0.82). Limitations include the observational nature of the study, the small number of deaths, MHT use being self-reported and the classification of menopausal status also being based on self-reported information. Women considering MHT soon after menopause can be reassured that the treatment is unlikely to increase their risk of CVD mortality or all-cause mortality. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is funded by the Australian Department of Health. G.D.M. is funded by the Australian Research Council Future Fellowship. L.C. was funded by a China scholarship council (CSC) graduate scholarship. All authors report no conflict of interest. N/A.

Trophic niche and spatio-temporal changes in the feeding ecology of two sympatric species of coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus and P. laevis)

This research was conducted under research permits from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (G12/35236.1 and G14/36624.1) and Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (144482). This project was funded by the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program (Tropical Ecosystems Hub Project 6.1). M.R.H. was supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (#FT100101004). Additional funding was granted to J.K.M. from the James Cook University College of Marine and Environmental Sciences and the Graduate Research School; an Australian Coral Reef Society (ACRS) Award and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) PGS D scholarship. All research was conducted under JCU Animal Ethics Permit A1933. Laboratory analysis was assisted by A. Hussey and K. Johnson. The authors thank crew from the R/V 'James Kirby', F. de Faria, S. Moore, P. Yates, M. Espinoza, and E. Ledee.

Conceptual and methodological advances for holobiont research.

Conceptual and methodological advances for holobiont research.

Language in individuals with left hemisphere tumors: Is spontaneous speech analysis equally good as formal testing?

Language in individuals with left hemisphere tumors: Is spontaneous speech analysis equally good as formal testing?

Preliminary Report: Law Enforcement Cross-Border Access to Data

This Preliminary Report summarises the research findings of Professor Svantesson’s Australian Research Council Future Fellowship project (project number FT120100583) as of November 2016, and as far as they relate to law enforcement cross-border access to (typically cloud-based) data held by private parties.