Showing papers by "Deakin University published in 1997"

Extracting Embodied Energy Paths from Input–Output Tables: Towards an Input–Output-based Hybrid Energy Analysis Method

Abstract: Embodied energy is defined as the energy consumed in all activities necessary to support a process, including upstream processes. The Leontief inverse input–output (IO) matrix gives results that are practically complete, because of the aggregation of direct and indirect requirements, but which are also unreliable, because of inherent assumptions. Although accurate for the system boundary considered, process analysis results are incomplete relative to the pure IO system boundary. Attempts to combine process and IO analysis tend to be based on process analysis data. The system boundary is still significantly incomplete—although not as incomplete as for pure process analysis. An IO-based hybrid analysis technique that requires the extraction of particular paths from the direct IO matrix has been developed. The potential for embodied energy paths to be used as the basis for a hybrid analysis of the Australian residential building sector is discussed. The results indicate that less than three-quarters of the t...

Moving from task‐oriented to learning‐oriented strategies on school excursions to museums

Abstract: Museums are best considered as venues for informal learning and yet the authors' observations were that most school classes that visit museums are restricted and structured, the students not being provided with optimal opportunities to learn in an informal manner. Although research has addressed some features of successful school group visits to museums, such as preparation and orientation, emphasis on first-hand experience, and use of worksheets, there has been little research on the role of the class teacher in facilitating learning during excursions. This study investigated strategies used by class teachers before, during, and following excursions to two venues in Sydney, Australia, offering opportunities for learning science in an informal setting. The sample chosen for the study comprised 12 school groups involving 29 teachers and 735 students in 30 classes ranging from grade 5 to grade 10. Data were collected through observation and interviews before, during, and 2–3 weeks after the visit. The results indicate that class teachers used mainly task-oriented teaching practices and made little effort to link topics being studied at school and the museum. Little congruence was apparent between the practices observed and what the literature suggested for effective planning and management of school excursions. The authors propose a framework to guide teachers in planning learning-oriented excursions based on a synthesis of knowledge of natural learning behaviors exhibited by family groups in museums and lessons from constructivist theories of learning, together with strategies reported in the literature and confirmed by this study as contributing to learning on school excursions to museums. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed81:763–779, 1997.

Acute and chronic effects of exercise on leptin levels in humans

Abstract: Perusse, Louis, Gregory Collier, Jacques Gagnon, Arthur S. Leon, D. C. Rao, James S. Skinner, Jack H. Wilmore, Andre Nadeau, Paul Z. Zimmet, and Claude Bouchard. Acute and chronic effects of exerci...

Citizenship studies: A general theory

Abstract: Societies face two contradictory principles. They are organised around issues of scarcity, which result in exclusionary structures such as gender divisions, social classes and status groups, but they must also secure social solidarity. In social science, these contradictory principles are characteristically referred to as the allocative and integrative requirements. In a secular society, especially where social inequality is intensified by economic rationalism, citizenship functions as a major foundation of social solidarity. The article also explores the scope of citizenship studies through an examination of identity, civic virtue and community. It concludes with an extensive critique of the legacy of T. H. Marshall, pointing to the future of citizenship studies around the theme of globalisation and human rights.

Using improved genetic algorithms to facilitate time-cost optimization

Abstract: Time-cost optimization problems in construction projects are characterized by the constraints on the time and cost requirements. Such problems are difficult to solve because they do not have unique solutions. Typically, if a project is running behind the scheduled plan, one option is to compress some activities on the critical path so that the target completion time can be met. As combinatorial optimization problems, time-cost optimization problems are suitable for applying genetic algorithms (GAs). However, basic GAs may involve very large computational costs. This paper presents several improvements to basic GAs and demonstrates how these improved GAs reduce computational costs and significantly increase the efficiency in searching for optimal solutions.

The Influence of Societal Factors on Female Body Image

Abstract: This study was designed to identify factors associated with the perceptual and attitudinal components of female body image. The influence of society and factors thought to mediate the relationship between body image and society (field dependence, locus of control, and self-esteem) were investigated. Age and body mass index (BMI) were also included as independent variables. A total of 101 female university students in Australia ranging in age from 18 to 55 years (M = 24.11) participated in the study. A video camera apparatus (VCA) was used to assess perceptual distortion of body size. The VCA, the Body Esteem Scale, and the Appearance Evaluation subscale of the Multidimensional Body Self Relations Questionnaire were used to assess body satisfaction. On average, women underestimated their body sizes by 4%, and they typically wanted to be smaller than their actual body sizes. About two fifths of the women expressed moderate to strong negative feelings about both individual body parts and their bodies as a whole. Multiple regression analyses revealed that perceptual distortion of body size could not be predicted from the independent variables. Body satisfaction was best explained by societal factors, self-esteem, and BMI.

Intimacy and quality of life among sexually dysfunctional men and women.

Abstract: This study evaluated the associations between intimacy, quality of life, and sexual dysfunction in men and women. Participants were 145 sexually functional (43 men, 102 women) adults drawn from the general population and 198 sexually dysfunctional (114 men, 84 women) adults who came to a university sexual behavior clinic. All respondents were currently involved in a heterosexual relationship. Respondents completed a series of questionnaires to evaluate the level of intimacy in their relationships, their quality of life, and their level of sexual dysfunction. All aspects of intimacy were lower among sexually dysfunctional men than among sexually functional men for all subgroups of dysfunctionality (premature ejaculation, erectile failure, and lack of sexual desire). Levels of intimacy were less likely to discriminate between functional and dysfunctional women, with functional women only obtaining higher intimacy scores than each of the dysfunctional groups of women (inorgasmia, lack of arousal, lack of sexual desire) for social intimacy and recreational intimacy and, to a lesser extent, for sexual intimacy. Objective levels of quality of life as well as the satisfaction and importance of the quality of life domains were more likely to be lower when sexually dysfunctional women were compared with their functional counterparts than when sexually dysfunctional men were compared with their functional counterparts. The implications of these findings for an understanding of factors that contribute to sexual dysfunction, and the treatment of these disorders, is discussed.

Nonautonomous systems, cocycle attractors and variable time-step discretization

Abstract: The concept of an attractor for autonomous systems is generally too restrictive in the nonautonomous context An appropriate generalization is the cocycle attractor which consists of a family of equivariant sets Here the cocycle description of a nonautonomous system and the concept of a cocycle attractor are reviewed in the context of nonautonomous ordinary differential equations and variable time-step numerical schemes for autonomous ordinary differential equations In the latter case, theorems are stated for the existence and convergence of numerical cocycle attractors to an assumed attractor of an autonomous ordinary differential equations

Self-rated Quality of Life Scales for People with an Intellectual Disability: A Review

Abstract: The quality of life construct is briefly reviewed. This is followed by a description of 13 scales that purport to measure the construct. Each scale is analysed in terms of its scope and psychometric properties. Two major conclusions are drawn. The first is that the two scales which seem to have most promise at this stage are the Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale. The second conclusion is that both scales require further development, most particularly to maintain their relevance as our understanding of the underlying construct and measurement issues evolves.

Towards a Theory of Social Work Expertise

Abstract: Jan Fook is a social worker and Professor of Social Work at Deakin University. She has taught social work and welfare students over the past fifteen years. Most of her research work is on social work practice, and she is probably best known for her work on structural and feminist perspectives on direct practice. She is the author of Radical Casework (Allen and Unwin) and editor of The Reflective Researcher (Allen and Unwin). Martin Ryan is a Senior Lecturer in the Graduate School of Social Work at La Trobe University. As well as practice research on the skill and knowledge development of social workers, he has also researched consumer bankruptcy, palliative care social work and a number of areas in social work education. He is the author of The Last Resort: A Study of Consumer Bankrupts (Avebury) and Social Work and Debt Problems (Avebury). Linette Hawkins is currently employed in field education programmes for social work, welfare and community development students at Royal Melbourne Institute of Techno logy, Deakin and La Trobe Universities. She also works as a 'freelancer' in a broad range of community service projects. SUMMARY This paper begins by summarizing the results of a qualitative exploratory study of thirty experienced social workers which was undertaken in order to identify some characteristics of social work expertise. Some of the features identified include a confidence with professional identity and an ability to deal with complexities. Partici pants were also able quickly to prioritize relevant factors and were aware of constraints and resources, but made conscious use of formal theory only minimally. The full results of this study are reported elsewhere (Fook et al., in press). The main purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of these results in developing a theory of social work expertise. The issues examined include the debates around the relationship between theory and practice in social work, the generic versus the specialist nature of social work, the relevance of existing theories of expertise to social work, and the affirmation of artistic elements of social work practice.

Skin Type and Optimistic Bias in Relation to the Sun Protection and Suntanning Behaviors of Young Adults

Abstract: The study examined the roles of general and personal beliefs and skin type in relation to suntanning and sun protection, by assessing various perceptions of risk of skin cancer both for the self and for the average person. A sample of 355 people aged 16 to 25 years was selected randomly from the telephone directory of a coastal provincial city. Highly structured interviews were conducted over the telephone. The findings were presented in relation to three research questions. First, skin type, classified as burn only, burn then tan, or tan without burning, influenced both general and personal beliefs. Compared to the tan-only group, the burn-only group perceived earlier age at onset, greater number of years of life lost, and greater severity of skin cancer, for both the average person and the self, and greater susceptibility to skin cancer for the average person. Second, differences were found between personally relevant and population-relevant beliefs on susceptibility to skin cancer, time of onset, and years of life lost due to skin cancer but not for perceptions of severity and curability. Finally, skin cancer beliefs were poor correlates of tanning and protecting behaviors. The factor explaining the greatest proportion of variance in both behaviors was skin type.

Disordered eating patterns, body image, self‐esteem, and physical activity in preadolescent school children

Abstract: Objective Eating disorders have been typically defined as an “adolescent problem.” As a result of emerging evidence which indicated this health problem to be evident in the prepubescent age range, this study aimed to establish prevalence and factors associated with eating/dieting, physical activity, and body image among a nonclinical, naturalistically-derived sample of preadolescent (aged 10 and 11) school children (n = 61). Method: This cohort of children, which represented the entire grade 6 class of a suburban Elementary school, was measured for body image satisfaction [silhouettes], a participation in activity index, a self-worth scale and a measure of eating attitudes & behavior [Eating and Me scale [E & M]]. Results: The longitudinal assessment of body image [3 measures over 9 months] indicated signs of stability of “actual” assessments of body image for males, but marked changes for females who preferred to be ideally “chunkier” in stature over time. Physical activity was only implicated with bulimia for the male sub-group. The E & M scale reported a Cronbach's alpha of .76, with two factors [bulimia; drive for thinness/anorexia] representing 65% of the total variance. Moderate internal validity [r .58] between body dissatisfaction on the E & M scale and the silhouette measure was observed. Discussion: These results demonstrated that body image views and concerns appeared before puberty, that gender differences prevailed with respect to eating/dieting, activity and body image, and that the E & M scale has emerged as a promising research tool. The longitudinal nature of this study of eating disorders also promotes the need for qualitative research methodology and attention to pre-pubertal cognitive/perceptual processes. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 21: 159–166, 1997.

Sexual Harassment: Factors Affecting Attitudes and Perceptions

Abstract: The overall findings suggest that while attitudes and perceptions of sexual harassment are related, they also differ, in that attitudes require value judgments to be made of behavior. This explains the high relationship between attitudes to sexual harassment and attitudes regarding gender role stereotypes. Sexist attitudes are associated with acceptance of sexual harassment. The impact of age and occupation on attitudes suggest that high school students adhere to gender role stereotypes and have a high tolerance of sexual harassment. However, this group’s lack of experience in the world and, consequently, their limited exposure to attitudes that may challenge their current scripts and schemas, may be responsible for these findings.

Region-Specific Neuropeptide Y Overflows at Rest and During Sympathetic Activation in Humans

Abstract: Neuropeptide Y coexists with norepinephrine in sympathetic nerves and is coreleased into the circulation on sympathetic activation. Little is known about the regional release of neuropeptide Y in humans under normal conditions or in pathophysiological situations of sympathetic activation or denervation. We measured plasma neuropeptide Y–like immunoreactivity and norepinephrine concentrations in samples taken from the brachial artery; coronary sinus; and internal jugular, antecubital, or hepatic veins in volunteers aged 20 to 64 years. Regional neuropeptide Y overflow at rest was calculated from venoarterial plasma concentration differences and plasma flow, and norepinephrine spillover was determined by [ 3 H]norepinephrine infusion techniques. Cardiac release of neuropeptide Y and norepinephrine was examined in response to various stressors as well as in clinical models of sympathetic activation, cardiac failure, and denervation after cardiac transplantation. In healthy volunteers, cardiac, forearm, and jugular venous sample neuropeptide Y concentrations were similar to arterial levels. Hepatic vein plasma neuropeptide Y was greater than arterial both at rest (119±5% of arterial, n=7) and after a meal (132±12%, n=7), with neuropeptide Y overflows of 6±2 and 11±2 pmol/min, respectively. In contrast, hepatomesenteric norepinephrine spillover was not significantly increased by feeding. Although coronary sinus plasma norepinephrine concentrations increased significantly with the cardiac sympathetic activation accompanying mental arithmetic, coffee drinking, isotonic exercise, and bicycle exercise, only the latter powerful sympathetic stimulus increased neuropeptide Y overflow. Cardiac failure was associated with increased resting release of both norepinephrine and neuropeptide Y from the heart, whereas postcardiac transplant norepinephrine spillover from the heart was reduced. The net overflow of neuropeptide Y to plasma observed at rest across the hepatic circulation, but not the cardiac, forearm, or cerebral circulations, indicates that the gut, the liver, or both make a major contribution to systemic plasma neuropeptide Y levels in humans. Sympathetic activation by exercise produced a modest increase in cardiac neuropeptide Y overflow but to only approximately 25% of the resting input from the gut and without a change in arterial neuropeptide Y concentration. Plasma neuropeptide Y measurements are less sensitive than those of plasma norepinephrine concentrations as an index for quantifying sympathetic neural responses regulating the systemic circulation.

Is leptin sensitivity the link between smoking cessation and weight gain

Abstract: The known association between smoking cessation and weight gain, and the suggested role of leptin in the control of body weight, led to the present study which examined the association between smoking and serum leptin concentrations. Mean serum leptin levels, independent of body mass index (BMI), were calculated in male smokers and non-smokers from Nauru, Western Samoa and Mauritius. Smokers were generally leaner than non-smokers, and of similar ages. Levels of physical activity and glucose tolerance status were similar for smokers and non-smokers in Nauru and Western Samoa, while in Mauritius smokers were more active and less likely to be diabetic. Leptin concentrations in smokers were significantly lower than in non-smokers, even after adjusting for BMI, waist/hip ratio (WHR) or waist girth (P≤0.04). This association was independent of diabetes status. Smoking, via nicotinic mechanisms, may modify the sensitivity of hypothalamic leptin receptors and consequently modulate leptin synthesis and reduce body weight.

Leptin inhibits insulin binding in isolated rat adipocytes.

Abstract: Leptin is secreted from adipose tissue, and is thought to act as a 'lipostat', signalling the body fat levels to the hypothalamus resulting in adjustments to food intake and energy expenditure to maintain body weight homeostasis. In addition, plasma leptin concentrations have been shown to be related to insulin sensitivity independent of body fat content, suggesting that the hyperleptinemia found in obesity could contribute to the insulin resistance. We investigated the effects of leptin on insulin binding by isolated adipocytes. Adipocytes isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats exhibited a dose-dependent reduction in the uptake of 125 I-labelled insulin when incubated with various concentrations of exogenous leptin. For example, addition of 50 nM leptin reduced total insulin binding in isolated adipocytes by 19% (P<0.05). Analysis of displacement curve binding data suggested that leptin reduced maximal insulin binding in a dose-dependent manner, but had no significant effect on the affinity of insulin for its binding site. We conclude that leptin directly inhibited insulin binding by adipocytes, and the role of leptin in the development of insulin resistance in obese individuals requires further investigation.

An Initial Evaluation of the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale‐‐Intellectual Disability

Abstract: This paper introduces a new scale to measure the life quality of people with an intellectual disability. The Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale‐‐Intellectual Disability incorporates features that reflect contemporary understanding of the quality of life construct and exists in a parallel form for the general population. Psychometric data are presented and comparisons are made between data collected from 59 people with an intellectual disability, the vicarious responses of each respondent's primary caregiver, and 69 university students. It is concluded that the scale represents a useful instrument to measure comparative life quality.

On competitive learning

Abstract: We derive learning rates such that all training patterns are equally important statistically and the learning outcome is independent of the order in which training patterns are presented, if the competitive neurons win the same sets of training patterns regardless the order of presentation. We show that under these schemes, the learning rules in the two different weight normalization approaches, the length-constraint and the sum-constraint, yield practically the same results, if the competitive neurons win the same sets of training patterns with both constraints. These theoretical results are illustrated with computer simulations.

Problem solving in clinical nursing practice

Abstract: Problem solving in clinical nursing practice is the essence of good care delivery. This paper gives an overview of a research study which identified the cognitive problem solving process nurses use while delivering care. The study was conducted in the clinical setting and used a qualitative research methodology of observation, followed by in-depth semi-structured interview. The analysis of the study revealed diagnostic reasoning is the process used by clinicians. Information regarding the differences between novices and experts is offered as topics for discussion throughout the paper, and recommendations for changes to educational processes are made.

Dietary intake and faecal excretion of carbohydrate by Australians: importance of achieving stool weights greater than 150 g to improve faecal markers relevant to colon cancer risk.

Abstract: Objectives: This study investigated, on 53 Australians consuming a typical Western diet, the relationship between dietary intake, faecal excretion of carbohydrate and changes in faecal markers believed to be relevant to colon cancer risk, for example faecal output, transit time and concentrations of phenols, ammonia and butyrate. Design: Fifty-three subjects consuming their usual diet were asked to record and weigh all food consumed for a seven day period, and to collect faeces for three days during this period. Setting: Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Subjects: All volunteers were either staff and students of the university, or associates of the authors. Interventions: None. Results: Volunteers had the following dietary intakes of carbohydrate (g/d; mean±s.d.); starch 131±41 (including resistant starch (RS), 5±2), sugar 108±37 and non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) 14±7. Daily faecal output was 127±70 g and transit time 47±19 h. Analysis of faecal samples found 0.8±1.2 g RS and 5.6±3.6 g NSP were excreted daily. Dietary starch intake was the only dietary carbohydrate to show a significant relationship with the concentration (mmol/L) of butyrate excreted in faeces (r=0.34, P 150 g/d) may provide a useful index of colon cancer risk. High faecal outputs are achieved through higher intakes of NSP (the major component of dietary fibre). Sponsorship: This work was supported by a scholarship to A. Birkett from the Australian Postgraduate Research Council.

The social construction of pedagogic discourse in physical education teacher education in Australia

Abstract: Once the exclusive domain of teacher education, physical education in Australian tertiary institutions has during the last twenty years evolved into a series of discipline‐based fields concerned with human movement studies, leisure studies and sport science that have begun to feed new vocational opportunities in the sport, exercise and leisure industries. Concomitant with these changes in the social organization of knowledge in tertiary physical education has been a realignment of school physical education programmes, particularly in the senior school curriculum. Inevitably, the once sole focus of physical education in tertiary institutions on teacher education is now being forced to reinvent itself in light of these dynamic changes in the social organization of school and university knowledge. Following the work of Bernstein, Goodson and others, this article analyses current policy and practice in physical education teacher education and identifies several future scenarios. The first part of the article provides an historical overview of the emergence of new forms of tertiary knowledge in physical education from the mid‐1970s until the present. The second part provides a similar overview of developments in school physical education with a focus on senior school and matriculation physical education during the same period. The third part analyses the current state of affairs in the social organization of knowledge for physical education teacher education. In the fourth part, a series of questions is raised concerning relationships between knowledge in physical education teacher education, school physical education and university forms of the field through the presentation of several future scenarios. The article concludes with several proposals for policy development concerned with physical education teacher education programmes.

The validity of predicting the basal metabolic rate of young australian men and women

Abstract: Objectives: To assess the accuracy of the Schofield, Schofield & James (1985) equations and those of Hayter & Henry (1994) for the prediction of the basal metabolic rate (BMR), of young Australians. Design: BMR was measured by indirect calorimetry, while fat free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) were measured by bioelectric impendence analysis (BIA) in 128 volunteers (39 men and 89 women), aged between 18 and 30 y. Setting: Deakin Institute of Human Nutrition, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Results: The measured BMR of Australian men and women were significantly lower (P≤0.001) than the predicted BMR using the Schofield et al (1985) equation, with a mean (s.d.) bias (bias=measured−predicted BMR) of −406 (513) kJ/d in men and −124 (348) kJ/d in women. The measured BMR of Australian men and women were similar to the predicted BMR using the equations of Hayter & Henry (1994) and bias was unrelated to body weight. BMR adjusted for FFM and FM was significantly higher by three percent in women on oral contraceptive agents (OCA) as compared to those not on OCA. Conclusions: The Schofield et al (1985) equations are not valid for the prediction of BMR of young Australian men and women. The equations of Hayter & Henry (1994) for North Europeans and Americans, provide an accurate estimate of the BMR of Australian men and women at the group level. However, in young women not using OCA a correction factor of 0.97 applied to the predicted BMR provides a better estimate. Sponsorship: Deakin University, Australia.

Ethical Aspects of Phenomenological Research with Mentally Ill People

Abstract: Given the dramatic rise in the frequency of nursing research that involves eliciting personal information, one would expect that attempts to maintain the balance between the aspirations of researchers and the needs and rights of patients would lead to extensive discussion of the ethical issues arising. However, they have received little attention in the literature. This paper outlines and discusses some of the issues associated with qualitative research. The discussion converges on the specific case of phenomenological research, which involves the invasion of participants’ personal worlds, and draws attention to some of the ethical issues that arise when the participants are psychiatric patients.