Month: August 2024

Abstract

Introduction

Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are growing global health concerns. A disproportionate number of Indigenous Peoples live with obesity and its complications. Bariatric surgery offers superior weight loss and comorbidity resolution when compared to medical management. There is a paucity of literature regarding the experiences of Indigenous Peoples undergoing bariatric surgery. The aim of this study was to employ two-eyed seeing and a decolonizing approach to explore the experiences of urban Indigenous bariatric surgery patients.

Methods

An Indigenous Advisory Committee guided the conception and design of the study. Four urban Indigenous bariatric surgery patients with T2DM participated in two sequential sharing circles and individual interviews facilitated by an Elder. Audio transcripts were analyzed for emerging themes using inductive thematic analysis.

Results

Themes generated from shared participant experiences and knowledge included the following: (1) Experiencing hardship or challenges; (2) Reflecting on the importance of supports; (3) Understanding relationships with food; and (4) Healing and recovery. Overall, the participants described a generally positive experience with the bariatric pathway. Participants also described varied connectedness to their Indigenous identity but uniformly expressed interest in more culturally diverse supports such as sharing circles, access to an elder, and Indigenous peer mentorship.

Conclusions

Indigenous Peoples have strong motivators for pursuing bariatric surgery and desire access to culturally relevant supports. Suggestions for program improvement included offering sharing circles, providing access to an elder, and Indigenous peer mentorship. This study is the first to qualitatively explore the bariatric surgery experiences of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

This article explores the effects of starting up an entrepreneurial innovative start-up on its ensuing life cycle, including internationalization overtime. The nine essential processes of starting up an embryonic young firm will serve as the vitally critical foundations, and enable the firm’ early entrepreneurial analyses of potential opportunities, on which the firm’s further growth, and internationalization, in its five progressive stage of life cycle will depend. An in-depth theoretically and empirically based examination of three families of propositions and their empirical verification through diverse set of case studies (more than eight) point to clear strategic pathways to internationalization and ultimate globalization of the innovative firm from its early entrepreneurial start-up.

Abstract

This article considers differences and similarities in curriculum form between the senior secondary certificates offered across Australia, drawing on three different understandings of curriculum form, one focused on the grid or map of the curriculum and its core categories and levels of specification, one on the cultural assumptions underpinning significant policy reforms, and one on the internal relations between curriculum contents and the divisions evident in the curriculum assigned to particular groups of students. It highlights differences between these perspectives and the value of engaging them collectively to understand the various senior secondary systems operating across Australia, how they have changed over time and their equity implications. It shows that the certificates continue to be different in multiple ways despite decades of standardising reform but that shifts have occurred within states once defined as progressive, with practices changing to align with larger states’ conservative agendas. The differences which do continue are also shown to be in some respects arbitrary, with common patterns evident in relation to the knowledges valued and the distinctions enforced between university and non-university pathways which are obfuscated by the highly complex rules and requirements evident in each jurisdiction. Further research and analysis considering the enactment of these requirements within schools is needed to better understand the equity implications of different requirements and approaches and to think about what kind of curriculum form might be needed to enable an equitable educational system in Australia.

Abstract

Garcinia kola Heckel seed is widely used in the African traditional medicine as a aphrodisiac and male fertility enhancer. Probiotics can reestablish glucose homeostasis and improve blood lipid profiles by altering the composition of the intestinal flora. The study was planned to assess the efficacy of co-administration of Garcinia kola seed aqueous infusion and probiotic yoghurt in the management of diabetes and associated male fertility-stimulating hormones abnormalities. G. kola seed infusion was prepared, assessed for radical scavenging capacity, total phenolic content and phenolic profile using HPLC. Fermented yoghurt was prepared and inoculated with probiotic mixture. Rats were given a high-fat diet for four weeks and received an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (30 mg/kg) to induce type 2 diabetes. Diabetic rats were received 200 mg/kg freeze-dried infusion of G. kola seed, probiotics yoghurt, and probiotic yoghurt mixed with G. kola once a day for four weeks. The levels of glucose, insulin, testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, inflammatory indicators, oxidative markers, lipid profiles and liver as well as kidney biochemical indicators were measured. The administration of G. kola seed, probiotic yoghurt, or their combination to diabetic rats demonstrated potential anti-diabetic effects as evidenced by the down-regulation in glucose, insulin, lipid profile, oxidative markers, and inflammatory markers simultaneously with an up-regulation in testosterone, FSH, and LH levels compared to diabetic rats. G. kola seed, probiotic yoghurt, or their combination increased testosterone, FSH, and LH levels and are thought to have therapeutic promise for T2DM and its related oxidative stress.

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Rationale

Trauma from child abuse and neglect requires specialised assessment and intervention, especially for those experiencing complex trauma. Unfortunately, what constitutes complex trauma is contentious, alongside growing criticisms of diagnostic categories and labels. Recent literature critiques the symptom clusters and diagnostic categories/labels approach compared to focusing on the concrete impacts and functional nature of behavioural responses to trauma in context.

Aims

This research aimed to assess the conceptual maturity of complex trauma for children and young people who have experienced abuse and neglect by discussing the concept with Australian experts. The research aimed to conceptualise complex trauma through a dimensional lens and impacts-based approach. The overall aim was to increase understanding of the development and maintenance of complex trauma and its distinctiveness from other types of trauma.

Method

Group interviews were conducted, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. A member-checking survey helped review and improve the findings.

Results

Findings suggest a vast array of impacts from complex trauma, that diagnostic boxes may not be right for complex trauma, and that the potentially chaotic cycle of complex trauma perpetuates issues. Results from this pilot indicate that complex trauma may be an immature concept for expert clinicians and researchers alike.

Conclusions

Despite assessing complex trauma as an emerging or even immature concept, the discussion generates direction forward and suggests further research avenues. Associated ideas and emerging concepts begin a conceptual discussion of complex trauma.

Abstract

Shenzhen, a bustling metropolis in China, is currently grappling with the delicate balance between urban expansion and environmental preservation. This study finds that the disintegration of habitats due to urban development in Shenzhen city significantly impacts the ecosystem of animals and plants, detrimentally altering their living conditions. The study results reveal that the expansion of construction land in China has surged by an impressive 84.39% between 2000 and 2020, which has come at the cost of diminishing wetlands, farmland, and woodlands by 57.24%, 16.58%, and 1.86%, respectively. Between 1980–2020, the urban expanse of Shenzhen expanded dramatically, growing from 16.0 square kilometres to 850.2 square kilometres. This transformation was primarily driven by the rapid conversion of forested areas, which saw a staggering decrease of approximately 300% to 780 km² by 2020. Additionally, half of Shenzhen’s expansion can be attributed to the transformation of agricultural land, with an additional 40% stemming from the clearing of forests and approximately 9% resulting from the decrease in water resources. Furthermore, non-urban green spaces, particularly built-up areas, have significantly expanded, now encompassing approximately 60% of the city in 2018. Therefore, based on the existing literature and authoritative legal texts, this study aims to examine the legal frameworks of the Shenzhen government and, along with China’s national legislation, to make room for wildlife and biodiversity conservation in a metropolis like Shenzhen.