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A Foucauldian genealogical approach was used to explore the historical context surrounding Australia Day social tensions. Historic Indigenous-settler relations appear central to Australia Day events. Australia Day social contestation suggests unsettlement surrounding the ways in which Australian nationhood is predicated on colonial-settler privilege and exploitation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignties. While modalities of colonial-settler power are identified, so too are Indigenous forms of resistance that serve to disrupt settler privileges. The findings indicate that settler determination of Australia Day acts to preserve settler sovereignty within the national mythscape as a mechanism in the colonial project and repudiation of Indigenous sovereignties in Australia. However, Indigenous forms of resistance challenge settler constructions of the Australian mythscape and nationhood.

The March 2019 School Strikes 4 Climate, predominantly organized by young students, garnered widespread and polarizing media coverage. We aimed to identify how Australian mainstream print news media portrays youth involvement and dissent within climate action movements. A qualitative media framing analysis was conducted to determine how youth climate activists and dissent were presented during the first large-scale youth climate protests in Australia. Australian newspaper articles and opinion pieces (N = 101) were identified via ProQuest and screened. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted in NVivo12. Findings were assessed through a typology of dissent to determine how different forms of dissent were represented in the Australian print news media. The framing of dissent in Australian media coverage was varied, with news articles being more likely to prioritize the voices of young people, while opinion pieces resorted to fear-mongering rhetoric that critiqued and invalidated their agency. Protestors used combinations of dutiful and disruptive dissent to advocate for climate action, with the latter being more effective for challenging systemic drivers of climate change.

Academia has been characterized as traditional, hierarchical, and selective, founded on patriarchal, imperial, and colonial values that construct and maintain gendered roles and regulations. This has been proposed to disadvantage how women experience, and identify within, academia. A narrative review was conducted to review the literature on women's academic identities and experiences, and critique the dominant ways of knowing, being, and doing in academia. Thematic synthesis was conducted on 56 qualitative studies (published 2010-2019), illustrating the impact of these values on women's academic identities and experiences, and normative gendered stereotypes and practices that impact women academics. Furthermore, existing literature is critiqued, exploring the influence of dominant ways of being and knowing (on how questions are asked, the constructs explored, the design decisions made). By providing this commentary, future research can focus on problematizing the system and dismantling the problematic conditions (e.g., underrepresentation, discrimination, and gendered stereotyping) for women in academia.

Abstract Background COVID-19 remains a major public health challenge, requiring the development of tools to improve diagnosis and inform therapeutic decisions. As dysregulated inflammation and coagulation responses have been implicated in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and sepsis, we studied their plasma proteome profiles to delineate similarities from specific features. Methods We measured 276 plasma proteins involved in Inflammation, organ damage, immune response and coagulation in healthy controls, COVID-19 patients during acute and convalescence phase, and sepsis patients; the latter included (i) community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by Influenza, (ii) bacterial CAP, (iii) non-pneumonia sepsis, and (iv) septic shock patients. Results We identified a core response to infection consisting of 42 proteins altered in both COVID-19 and sepsis, although higher levels of cytokine storm-associated proteins were evident in sepsis. Furthermore, microbiologic etiology and clinical endotypes were linked to unique signatures. Finally, through machine learning, we identified biomarkers, such as TRIM21, PTN and CASP8, that accurately differentiated COVID-19 from CAP-sepsis with higher accuracy than standard clinical markers. Conclusions This study extends the understanding of host responses underlying sepsis and COVID-19, indicating varying disease mechanisms with unique signatures. These diagnostic and severity signatures are candidates for the development of personalized management of COVID-19 and sepsis.

There is a need to develop tools for mastitis management in goats and to measure the effects of milking machines on teats. Infrared thermography (IRT), as shown in cows, was a good candidate for early mastitis detection and focusing on milking equipment and settings implicated in potential problems. The aim of this study was to test IRT to detect udder inflammation and the effects of mechanical milking on teats in relation to inflammation status, udder balance, and teat shape in Alpine goats. IRT spectra were compared before and after milking in 551 goats from three commercial herds compared to their individual SCC (somatic cell count). We found no regression or trend between logSCC and IRT measurement or response to milking, even in highly inflamed goat udders. The effect of milking was significant (p < 0.05) with global temperature reduction after milking, but differences were seen between teat parts and unbalanced half udders. The highest reduction in skin temperature was observed at the teat orifice (−1.06 ± 0.05) and the lowest at the teat barrel (−0.37 ± 0.05). The teats with long barrels showed more IRT reactions, which clearly indicates poor adaptation to the liners used. In conclusion, the IRT was not able to detect mastitis, but it is a good tool to diagnose the effects of the milking machine in order to adapt milking equipment and settings to the goats and improve their welfare.

Children with dyslexia are at elevated risk of internalizing (emotional) and externalizing (behavioural) problems. Clever Kids is a nine-week socioemotional well-being programme developed specifically for upper primary school children with dyslexia. In a small randomized-controlled trial, we tested the feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of the Clever Kids programme. 'Forty children (M[subscript age] = 10.45 years, 65% male) with clinically diagnosed dyslexia too part in the study. Children were randomized to either attend Clever Kids (n = 20) or to a wait-list control condition (n = 20). Coping skills, self-esteem, resilience, emotion regulation, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms were measured at pre-programme, post-programme, and at three-month follow-up. Recruitment and retention rates indicate high feasibility for further evaluation of the programme. There was a significant interaction between intervention condition and time for non-productive coping [F(2, 76) = 4.29, p = 0.017, f[superscript 2] = 0.11]. Children who attended Clever Kids significantly reduced their use of non-productive coping strategies, and this was maintained at three-month follow-up assessment. For all other outcomes, the interactions between intervention condition and time were non-significant. The programme appears acceptable to children with dyslexia and their families, but may be improved by further reducing the number of activities involving reading and writing. Clever Kids improved the coping skills of children with dyslexia; however, a larger trial is needed to replicate this finding and investigate whether programme attendance is associated with additional improvements in children's socioemotional well-being.

The becoming of, and being, a later-career woman academic is marked by being positioned to play a key role in the operation of the academic institution. Tensions emerge when later-career women academics are expected to balance these expectations, while simultaneously contemplating how they choose to remain, work, and identify within academia. We qualitatively explored how Australian later-career women academics conceptualise their academic identities, and the subject positions made available through their discourse. Aged between 43 and 72 years, 17 participants were interviewed. Data was analysed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Four subject positions were identified—The Insecure Woman, who experienced tensions between the academic that the system required them to be, compared to the academic that they wanted to be; The Expert Academic, viewed by other individuals as the voice of reason within academia; The Reflective Academic, who reflects on, and summarises, their academic career; and The Disengaging Academic, who begins to transition out of their academic roles and responsibilities. Overall, the identified discourses created subjectivities questioning how much one has contributed to the academic setting, what it means to have been a part of academia, as well as evaluating what it means to identify beyond it.

There is a growing body of work describing the psychosocial impact of reading difficulties. Educators play a key role in teaching children to read; therefore, it is important to consider how they view the impact of reading difficulties on young people. Given this, the aim of this research was to explore the lived experiences of educators who work with young people with reading difficulties. A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted to develop an understanding of educators' perspectives of the impact of reading difficulties. Twenty educators were interviewed, and transcripts analysed thematically. The themes identified contributed to a compelling narrative regarding how educators perceived young people's response to a diagnosis of dyslexia, and a number of contextual factors that appeared to shape mental-health outcomes of young people with reading difficulties. In particular, educators' perceptions of young people's response to diagnosis appear to reflect a broader narrative of "difference" and "shame".

The purpose of the study was to estimate the influence of the additive and non-additive genetic effects on the birth weight, using two different crossbreed models. Data on 1176 birth weights were collected. The animals were crosses, with different ratios of Awassi, East-Friesian, Istrian, and Travnik Pramenka sheep breed. The focal breed in this study was Istrian, which is an autochthonous breed in Croatia. In both models mixed procedure was used with random effect of sire and fixed effects of sex, year and month of birth, litter size, and direct inbreeding. The first model contained the additive breed effects, while the second model additionally included non-additive effects of heterosis and recombination loss. Sex, litter size, year and month of birth significantly affected birth weight in both models. Effect of direct inbreeding was negative and significant only in second model. Significant positive additive breed effect was estimated for Awassi breed in both models. The East-Friesian additive breed effect was positive in both models, but it was significant for the first one only. The positive and significant heterosis effect for the birth weight was estimated for the crosses between East-Friesian and Travnik Pramenka, as well as between Travnik Pramenka and Istrian breed. Same crosses showed significant and positive effect of recombination loss. The negative effect of recombination loss was estimated for the crosses of Awassi breed.

Academia has been characterized as traditional, hierarchical, and selective, founded on patriarchal, imperial, and colonial values that construct and maintain gendered roles and regulations. This has been proposed to disadvantage how women experience, and identify within, academia. A narrative review was conducted to review the literature on women’s academic identities and experiences, and critique the dominant ways of knowing, being, and doing in academia. Thematic synthesis was conducted on 56 qualitative studies (published 2010–2019), illustrating the impact of these values on women’s academic identities and experiences, and normative gendered stereotypes and practices that impact women academics. Furthermore, existing literature is critiqued, exploring the influence of dominant ways of being and knowing (on how questions are asked, the constructs explored, the design decisions made). By providing this commentary, future research can focus on problematizing the system and dismantling the problematic conditions (e.g., underrepresentation, discrimination, and gendered stereotyping) for women in academia.

Within Australia, some families face challenges in accessing paediatric speech-language pathology services. This research sought to investigate the factors that impact access to paediatric speech-language pathology services within Western Australia. Researchers used constructivist grounded theory to investigate the construct of access, as experienced and perceived by service decision-makers, namely caregivers of children with communication needs and speech-language pathologists who provide communication services. Eleven speech-language pathologists and 16 caregivers took part in 32 semi-structured in-depth interviews. Researchers used layers of coding of interviews transcripts and the constant comparative method to investigate data. Findings outline the factors that impact access to speech-language pathology services, as organised into the seven categories of the Model of Access to Speech-Language Pathology Services (MASPS). The categories and properties of this model are grounded within experiences and perspectives that participants contributed to the dataset. MASPS provides a theoretical structure that has been constructed using inductive and abductive reasoning. This model can be used by service designers and decision-makers to reflect upon and improve experiences of service for a range of consumers. MASPS can also be used as a basis for further investigation into aspects of service access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farming is a challenging, stressful and rewarding occupation involving many factors that are beyond farmers' control. The aim of this study was to investigate correlates associated with the anxiety, depression and stress of farmers in Western Australia. Farmers and farm residents (N  = 124) completed an online survey assessing anxiety, depression, stress, farming stressors, social supports, coping strategies and sense of belonging. Higher financial/external trade and societal pressures, family/relationship tension, use of coping strategies such as self-blame, venting, disengagement and planning, lack of succession planning and considering selling the farm, and lower social support and sense of belonging, were associated with higher anxiety, depression and/or stress. The findings highlight the specific impacts of financial and family pressures on poorer mental health status among farmers. Clinical and community interventions that build on naturally occurring strengths, such as family support and community connectedness, are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to determine why so few domestic animals originated in American domestication centres. The knowledge has been gathered from interdisciplinary sources taking into account recent archaeogenomic and spatial analysis research. The process of domestication is described, and different domestication centres are compared to the domestication needs and opportunities on the American continents. Human colonization of the American continent is considered. Important domestication centres on the North and South American continent are described. Dogs that colonized the American continents together with people and horses that arrived during the European colonization are also considered. The analysis of the American megafauna that lived on the continent during the first colonization of Homo sapiens showed that the big extinction occurred due to climate change and overhunting. Comparing the evolutionary process of domestication between Afro-Eurasia and America we found that there was no intentional domestication in areas peripheral to the original domestication centres in the Americas. Also, diversification of the domesticated animal purpose in the Americas is limited to dogs.

Abstract Background Early microbial colonization is a relevant aspect in human health. Altered microbial colonization patterns have been linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Advances in understanding host-microbe interactions highlight the pivotal role of maternal microbiota on infant health programming. This birth cohort is aimed to characterize the maternal microbes transferred to neonates during the first 1000 days of life, as well as to identify the potential host and environmental factors, such as gestational age, mode of delivery, maternal/infant diet, and exposure to antibiotics, which affect early microbial colonization. Methods MAMI is a prospective mother-infant birth cohort in the Spanish-Mediterranean area. Mothers were enrolled at the end of pregnancy and families were follow-up during the first years of life. Maternal-infant biological samples were collected at several time points from birth to 24 months of life. Clinical and anthropometric characteristics and dietary information is available. Specific qPCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing as well as short chain fatty acid (SCFAs) profile would be obtained. Multivariable models will be used to identy associations between microbiota and clinical and anthropometric data controlling for confounders. MAMI would contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between diet, microbiota and host response in early life health programming, enabling new applications in the field of personalized nutrition and medicine. Trial registration The study is registered on the ClinicalTrial.gov platform NCT03552939. (June 12, 2018).

Istrian sheep is a local breed with superior milk yield and composition. Excellent udder shape of this breed needs to be preserved in future, since it’s economic value resides within the artisanal cheese production. Genetic parameters for the teat angle (Alpha) and the height of the cisternal part below the teat orifice (Cis) were estimated in order to evaluate the possibility for conservation of udder traits amiable for machine milking. Udder morphometry of the 240 registered Istrian ewes was measured from digital photographs of the posterior view of the udder on 10 commercial farms three times during lactation. Original pedigree records were trimmed to four recent generations. Heritabilities were estimated using single trait animal model. The stage of the lactation, interaction of lactation number, month of lambing and the farm were fixed effects, and the additive genetic value of the individual and permanent environment of the individual were random effects. Estimated heritability was 0.05 for Alpha and 0.71 for Cis mid-lactation measurements. Measurements of Cis during lactation did not result in a significant additive effect. The result shows potential in estimating genetic parameters of important udder traits in small commercial dairy ewe populations, using the digital measurements, given the reduction of non-genetic variability in the sample.

The complex nature of colonisation presents with the potential for paradoxes in decolonising approaches, hence, fixed conventions and methods are discouraged. In this way, decolonising methodologies concerns interrogating dominant conventions in research that have typically excluded alternative ways of knowing from academia. This raises concern about the issue of breaking conventions, when it is potentially difficult to realise that one is depending upon them. An incremental approach to the research process and subsequent knowledge generated provides opportunity to challenge the conventions that typically dictate research praxis. In addition, fostering epistemological transformation and pluralism presents a solution to problems derived from dominant cultural assumptions and practices. My aim for this article is to extend upon the literature pertaining to decolonising methodologies, with this contribution of focusing on the research process as a means to avoid paradox in the decolonial intention. Accordingly, a process imperative that focuses on how researchers do research, over the tendency to focus on outcomes, emerges as a strategy to identify and contend with paradoxes within decolonial work. A questioning convention is posited as a means for mining the assumptions and biases of the dominant culture that would otherwise ensnare ones thinking. Consequently, research may be better liberated from oppressive colonising practices that are tacit within research and academic conventions. Narratives are provided throughout for illustrative example, and to better explore the concepts named.

Abstract Objectives Humoral and cellular immunity to SARS‐CoV‐2 following COVID‐19 will likely contribute to protection from reinfection or severe disease. It is therefore important to characterise the initiation and persistence of adaptive immunity to SARS‐CoV‐2 amidst the ongoing pandemic. Methods Here, we conducted a longitudinal study on hospitalised moderate and severe COVID‐19 patients from the acute phase of disease into convalescence at 5 and 9 months post‐symptom onset. Utilising flow cytometry, serological assays as well as B cell and T cell FluoroSpot assays, we assessed the magnitude and specificity of humoral and cellular immune responses during and after human SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Results During acute COVID‐19, we observed an increase in germinal centre activity, a substantial expansion of antibody‐secreting cells and the generation of SARS‐CoV‐2‐neutralising antibodies. Despite gradually decreasing antibody levels, we show persistent, neutralising antibody titres as well as robust specific memory B cell responses and polyfunctional T cell responses at 5 and 9 months after symptom onset in both moderate and severe COVID‐19 patients. Conclusion Our findings describe the initiation and, importantly, persistence of cellular and humoral SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific immunological memory in hospitalised COVID‐19 patients long after recovery, likely contributing towards protection against reinfection.

Streptococcus dentisani 7746, isolated from dental plaque of caries-free individuals, has been shown to have several beneficial effects in vitro which could contribute to promote oral health, including an antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens by the production of bacteriocins and a pH buffering capacity through ammonia production. Previous work has shown that S. dentisani was able to colonize the oral cavity for 2–4 weeks after application. The aim of the present work was to evaluate its clinical efficacy by a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study. Fifty nine volunteers were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to a treatment or placebo group. The treatment consisted of a bucco-adhesive gel application (2.5 109 cfu/dose) with a dental splint for 5 min every 48 h, for a period of 1 month (i.e., 14 doses). Dental plaque and saliva samples were collected at baseline, 15 and 30 days after first application, and 15 days after the end of treatment. At baseline, there was a significant correlation between S. dentisani levels and frequency of toothbrushing. Salivary flow, a major factor influencing oral health, was significantly higher in the probiotic group at day 15 compared with the placebo (4.4 and 3.4 ml/5 min, respectively). In the probiotic group, there was a decrease in the amount of dental plaque and in gingival inflammation, but no differences were observed in the placebo group. The probiotic group showed a significant increase in the levels of salivary ammonia and calcium. Finally, Illumina sequencing of plaque samples showed a beneficial shift in bacterial composition at day 30 relative to baseline, with a reduction of several cariogenic organisms and the key players in plaque formation, probably as a result of bacteriocins production. Only 58% of the participants in the probiotic group showed increased plaque levels of S. dentisani at day 30 and 71% by day 45, indicating that the benefits of S. dentisani application could be augmented by improving colonization efficiency. In conclusion, the application of S. dentisani 7746 improved several clinical and microbiological parameters associated with oral health, supporting its use as a probiotic to prevent tooth decay.