Edith Cowan University

About: Edith Cowan University is a education organization based out in Perth, Western Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Tourism. The organization has 4040 authors who have published 13529 publications receiving 339582 citations. The organization is also known as: Edith Cowan & ECU.

The Basis of Muscle Regeneration

Abstract: Muscle regeneration recapitulates many aspects of embryonic myogenesis and is an important homeostatic process of the adult skeletal muscle, which, after development, retains the capacity to regenerate in response to appropriate stimuli, activating the muscle compartment of stem cells, namely, satellite cells, as well as other precursor cells. Moreover, significant evidence suggests that while stem cells represent an important determinant for tissue regeneration, a “qualified” environment is necessary to guarantee and achieve functional results. It is therefore plausible that the loss of control over these cell fate decisions could lead to a pathological transdifferentiation, leading to pathologic defects in the regenerative process. This review provides an overview about the general aspects of muscle development and discusses the cellular and molecular aspects that characterize the five interrelated and time-dependent phases of muscle regeneration, namely, degeneration, inflammation, regeneration, remodeling, and maturation/functional repair.

Organizational impact of nurse supply and workload on nurses continuing professional development opportunities: an integrative review.

Abstract: Aim To identify the best evidence on the impact of healthcare organizations' supply of nurses and nursing workload on the continuing professional development opportunities of Registered Nurses in the acute care hospital. Background To maintain registration and professional competence nurses are expected to participate in continuing professional development. One challenge of recruitment and retention is the Registered Nurse's ability to participate in continuing professional development opportunities. Design The integrative review method was used to present Registered Nurses perspectives on this area of professional concern. Data sources The review was conducted for the period of 2001–February 2015. Keywords were: nurs*, continuing professional development, continuing education, professional development, supply, shortage, staffing, workload, nurse: patient ratio, barrier and deterrent. Review methods The integrative review used a structured approach for literature search and data evaluation, analysis and presentation. Eleven international studies met the inclusion criteria. Results Nurses are reluctant or prevented from leaving clinical settings to attend continuing professional development due to lack of relief cover, obtaining paid or unpaid study leave, use of personal time to undertake mandatory training and organizational culture and leadership issues constraining the implementation of learning to benefit patients. Conclusion Culture, leadership and workload issues impact nurses' ability to attend continuing professional development. The consequences affect competence to practice, the provision of safe, quality patient care, maintenance of professional registration, job satisfaction, recruitment and retention. Organizational leadership plays an important role in supporting attendance at continuing professional development as an investment for the future.

Precooling methods and their effects on athletic performance : a systematic review and practical applications.

Abstract: Precooling is a popular strategy used to combat the debilitating effects of heat-stress-induced fatigue and extend the period in which an individual can tolerate a heat-gaining environment. Interest in precooling prior to sporting activity has increased over the past three decades, with options including the application (external) and ingestion (internal) of cold modalities including air, water and/or ice, separately or in combination, immediately prior to exercise. Although many studies have observed improvements in exercise capacity or performance following precooling, some strategies are more logistically challenging than others, and thus are often impractical for use in competition or field settings. The purpose of this article was to comprehensively evaluate the established precooling literature, which addresses the application of cooling strategies that are likely to enhance field-based sports performance, while discussing the practical and logistical issues associated with these methods. We undertook a narrative examination that focused on the practical and event-specific application of precooling and its effect on physiological parameters and performance. Relevant precooling literature was located through the PubMed database with second- and third-order reference lists manually cross matched for relevant journal articles. The last day of the literature search was 31 January 2012. Relevant studies were included on the basis of conforming to strict criteria, including the following: (i) cooling was conducted before exercise; (ii) cooling was conducted during the performance task in a manner that was potentially achievable during sports competition; (iii) a measure of athletic performance was assessed; (iv) subjects included were able bodied, and free of diseases or disorders that would affect thermoregulation; (v) subjects were endurance-trained humans (maximal oxygen uptake [ $$\dot{\text{V}}$$ O2max] >50 ml/kg/min for endurance protocols); (vi) cooling was not performed on already hyperthermic subjects that were in immediate danger of heat-related illnesses or had received passive heating treatments; (vii) drink ingestion protocols were used for the intended purpose of benefiting thermoregulation as a result of beverage temperature; and (viii) investigations employed ≥ six subjects. Initial searches yielded 161 studies, but 106 were discarded on failing to meet the established criteria. This final summary evaluated 74 precooling treatments, across 55 studies employing well trained subjects. Key physiological and performance information from each study was extracted and presented, and includes respective subject characteristics, detailed precooling methods, exercise protocols, environmental conditions, along with physiological and performance outcomes. Data were presented in comparison to respective control treatments. For studies that include more than one treatment intervention, the comparative results between each precooling treatment were also presented. The practical benefits and limitations of employing each strategy in the field and in relation to sports performance were summarized. Clear evidence of the benefits for a range of precooling strategies undertaken in the laboratory setting exists, which suggest that these strategies could be employed by athletes who compete in hot environmental conditions to improve exercise safety, reduce their perceived thermal stress and improve sports performance. This review did not include a systematic assessment of the study quality rating and provided a subjective assessment of the pooled outcomes of studies, which range in precooling methodologies and exercise outcomes. The wide range of research designs, precooling methods, environmental conditions and exercise protocols make it difficult to integrate all the available research into single findings. Most laboratory studies have shown improvements in exercise performance following precooling and the emergence of strategies that are practically relevant to the field setting now allow scientists to individualize relevant strategies for teams and individuals at competition locations. Future research is warranted to investigate the effectiveness of practical precooling strategies in competition or field settings.

Interfacial-engineered cobalt@carbon hybrids for synergistically boosted evolution of sulfate radicals toward green oxidation

Abstract: Efficient water remediation relies on robust and capable catalysts to drive the cutting-edge purification technologies. In this work, Prussian blue analogues (PBA) are engaged as the starting materials to fabricate various transition metal (TM)@carbon composites for water decontamination. The encapsulated metallic cobalt is unveiled to be more favorable to deliver electrons to the adjacent carbons than CoP and Co3O4, due to the low work function, high conductivity and formation of multiple Co-C bonds for electron tunnelling. Such a hybrid structure significantly tailors the electron density of the carbon lattice, which is the decisive factor influencing activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to generate highly reactive sulfate radicals for degradation of contaminants, meanwhile achieving outstanding long-term stability. Deliberate material design and theoretical computations unveil the structure-activity regimes of the composite materials in promoted carbocatalysis. This proof-of-concept study dedicates to elucidating the principles in developing fine-tuned and high-performance TM@carbon hybrids for advanced catalytic oxidation.