Showing papers by "Deakin University published in 2004"

System Boundary Selection in Life-Cycle Inventories Using Hybrid Approaches

Abstract: Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method for evaluating the environmental impacts of products holistically, including direct and supply chain impacts. The current LCA methodologies and the standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) impose practical difficulties for drawing system boundaries; decisions on inclusion or exclusion of processes in an analysis (the cutoff criteria) are typically not made on a scientific basis. In particular, the requirement of deciding which processes could be excluded from the inventory can be rather difficult to meet because many excluded processes have often never been assessed by the practitioner, and therefore, their negligibility cannot be guaranteed. LCA studies utilizing economic input-output analysis have shown that, in practice, excluded processes can contribute as much to the product system under study as included processes; thus, the subjective determination of the system boundary may lead to invalid results. System boundaries in LCA are discussed herein with particular attention to outlining hybrid approaches as methods for resolving the boundary selection problem in LCA. An input-output model can be used to describe at least a part of a product system, and an ISO-compatible system boundary selection procedure can be designed by applying hybrid input-output-assisted approaches. There are several hybrid input-output analysis-based LCA methods that can be implemented in practice for broadening system boundary and also for ISO compliance.

The ethical, social and environmental reporting‐performance portrayal gap

Abstract: The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it assesses in detail the extent to which corporate reporting on ethical, social and environmental issues reflects corporate performance in case study company Alpha. This “reporting‐performance” portrayal gap is a key measure of the extent to which an organisation is accountable to its stakeholders. Alpha's disclosures concerning its ethical, social and environmental performance for the years 1993 and 1999 were compared with information obtained on Alpha's performance from other sources. Two different pictures of performance emerged leading to the conclusion that, in the case of Alpha, reports do not demonstrate a high level of accountability to key stakeholder groups on ethical, social and environmental issues. Of particular concern is the lack of “completeness” of reporting. Second, the article assesses the potential of recent standards or guidelines developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Institute of Social and Ethical AccountAbility (AccountAbility) as well as the industry's own “responsible care” initiative to reduce this “reporting‐performance” portrayal gap and improve corporate accountability. The conclusions point to the need for other measures to improve accountability including mandatory reporting guidelines, better developed audit guidelines, a mandatory audit requirement for MNCs and a radical overhaul of corporate governance systems.

How can managers reduce employee intention to quit

Abstract: This paper reports on an investigation of the variables that may be predictive of intentions to leave a job, and tests a model that includes mediating variables. A total of 173 retail salespeople completed questionnaires measuring commitment to the organization for which they worked, job satisfaction, stress, supervisor support, locus of control, self‐esteem, the perceived stressors in the job and their intention to quit. Path analysis was used to test the relationships hypothesized in the model. The majority of hypotheses were supported, with the variables included accounting for 52 per cent of the variance in intention to quit. Emotional support from supervisors and self‐esteem mediated the impact of stressors on stress reactions, job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and intention to quit. It is suggested that to ameliorate intention to quit and in turn reduce turnover, managers need to actively monitor workloads, and the relationships between supervisors and subordinates in order to reduce and manage stress. Managers also need to monitor both the extrinsic and intrinsic sources of job satisfaction available to employees. These activities could assist in maintaining and increasing job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.

A biopsychosocial model of disordered eating and the pursuit of muscularity in adolescent boys.

Abstract: This review provides an evaluation of the correlates and/or risk factors associated with disordered eating and the pursuit of muscularity among adolescent boys. One of the main conclusions is that similar factors and processes are associated with both behavioral problems. Several factors found to be consistently associated with disordered eating among boys are also similar to those found with girls. These include body mass index, negative affect, self-esteem, perfectionism, drug use, perceived pressure to lose weight from parents and peers, and participation in sports that focus on leanness. However, as many of the findings have only been verified using cross-sectional designs, prospective studies are now needed.

Deformation microstructures and textures of some cold rolled Mg alloys

Abstract: Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) is employed to characterize the deformation microstructures and textures established during the cold rolling of pure Mg, Mg–0.2Ce and Mg–3Al–1Zn (also known as AZ31). The maximum cold rolling reductions achievable in these alloys prior to failure were ∼30, >90 and ∼15%, respectively. The dominant features of the microstructure were twins and shear bands. The frequency of the former decreased while that of the latter increased with rolling reduction. Each alloy displayed a fibre texture in which the c -axis was closely aligned with the sheet normal direction. There was little change to the rolling textures with increasing rolling reduction beyond ∼10%. Much of the deformation appeared to be concentrated in the shear bands. It is speculated that the striking effect of alloying addition on cold rollability can be understood in terms of differences in severity, frequency and lifetime of shear bands.

The psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis on families: the influence of family functioning and patients' illness characteristics on depression and anxiety.

Abstract: A diagnosis of cancer is a very stressful event for the patients and their families. Patients, partners and other family members can suffer from clinical levels of depression and severe levels of anxiety and stress reactions. The similarity in levels of distress between patients and partners and patients and offspring suggests that there are common factors that impact on families' distress levels. The current study examined levels of depression and anxiety in newly diagnosed adult patients (n = 48) and their adult relatives (n = 99). Family functioning and patients' illness characteristics were identified as factors that might impact on families' depression and anxiety. Results from multilevel models indicated that family functioning was important. Families that were able to act openly, express feelings directly, and solve problems effectively had lower levels of depression. Direct communication of information within the family was associated with lower levels of anxiety. Aside from differences anxiety due to cancer type, patients' illness characteristics appear to be risk factors in patients' but not relatives' depression and anxiety. The results from the current study suggest that researchers and clinicians need to be family-focused as cancer affects the whole family, not just the patient.

Effect of microstructure on the stability of retained austenite in transformation-induced-plasticity steels

Abstract: Two Fe-0.2C-1.55Mn-1.5Si (in wt pct) steels, with and without the addition of 0.039Nb (in wt pct), were studied using laboratory rolling-mill simulations of controlled thermomechanical processing. The microstructures of all samples were characterized by optical metallography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microstructural behavior of phases under applied strain was studied using a heat-tinting technique. Despite the similarity in the microstructures of the two steels (equal amounts of polygonal ferrite, carbide-free bainite, and retained austenite), the mechanical properties were different. The mechanical properties of these transformation-induced-plasticity (TRIP) steels depended not only on the individual behavior of all these phases, but also on the interaction between the phases during deformation. The polygonal ferrite and bainite of the C-Mn-Si steel contributed to the elongation more than these phases in the C-Mn-Si-Nb-steel. The stability of retained austenite depends on its location within the microstructure, the morphology of the bainite, and its interaction with other phases during straining. Granular bainite was the bainite morphology that provided the optimum stability of the retained austenite.

The charge effect of cationic surfactants on the elimination of fibre beads in the electrospinning of polystyrene

Abstract: Polystyrene nanofibres were electrospun with the inclusion of cationic surfactants, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) or tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC), in the polymer solution. A small amount of cationic surfactant effectively stopped the formation of beaded fibres during the electrospinning. The cationic surfactants were also found to improve the solution conductivity, but had no effect on the viscosity. Only DTAB had an effect on the surface tension of the polymer solution, the surface tension decreasing slightly with an increase in the concentration of DTAB. The formation of beaded fibres was attributed to an insufficient stretch of the filaments during the whipping of the jet, due to a low charge density. Adding the cationic surfactants improved the net charge density that enhanced the whipping instability. The jet was stretched under stronger charge repulsion and at a higher speed, resulting in an exhaustion of the bead structure. In addition, a polymer/surfactant interaction was found in the polystyrene–DTAB solution system, while this interaction was not found in the polystyrene–TBAC system. The polymer/surfactant interaction led to the formation of thinner fibres than those formed in the absence of the interaction. The effects of a non-ionic surfactant, Triton X-405, on the electrospun fibres were also studied. The addition of Triton X-405 did not eliminate the fibre beads, but reduced the bead numbers and changed the morphology. Triton X-405 slightly improved the solution conductivity, and had a minor effect on the surface tension, but no effect on the viscosity.

Online interaction impacts on learning: teaching the teachers to teach online

Abstract: This paper explores the importance of interaction in the online teaching environment and the important role of staff development in developing teacher presence online. Professionally developing staff to use information and communication technologies is viewed from the standpoint of diffusion of innovation, moving from early adopters to mainstream majority, and targeting staff development at this latter group. Approaches to staff development using information and communication technologies are described, and recommendations for staff development for online teaching are made.

Postoperative Pulmonary Dysfunction in Adults After Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass: Clinical Significance and Implications for Practice

Abstract: Postoperative pulmonary complications are the most frequent and significant contributor to morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with hospitalization. Interestingly, despite the prevalence of these complications in cardiac surgical patients, recognition, diagnosis, and management of this problem vary widely. In addition, little information is available on the continuum between routine postoperative pulmonary dysfunction and postoperative pulmonary complications. The course of events from pulmonary dysfunction associated with surgery to discharge from the hospital in cardiac patients is largely unexplored. In the absence of evidence-based practice guidelines for the care of cardiac surgical patients with postoperative pulmonary dysfunction, an understanding of the pathophysiological basis of the development of postoperative pulmonary complications is fundamental to enable clinicians to assess the value of current management interventions. Previous research on postoperative pulmonary dysfunction in adults undergoing cardiac surgery is reviewed, with an emphasis on the pathogenesis of this problem, implications for clinical nursing practice, and possibilities for future research. (American Journal of Critical Care. 2004;13:384-393)

Children's perceptions of their home and neighborhood environments, and their association with objectively measured physical activity: a qualitative and quantitative study

Abstract: Environmental factors may have an important influence on children’s physical activity, yet children’s perspectives of their home and neighborhood environments have not been widely assessed. The aim of this study was to investigate children’s perceptions of their environments, and to examine associations between these perceptions and objectively measured physical activity. The sample consisted of 147, 10-year-old Australian children, who drew maps of their home and neighborhood environments. A subsample of children photographed places and things in these environments that were important to them. The maps were analyzed for themes, and for the frequency with which particular objects and locations appeared. Physical activity was objectively measured using accelerometers. Six themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the maps and photographs: the family home; opportunities for physical activity andsedentarypursuits;fooditemsandlocations; green space and outside areas; the school and opportunities for social interaction. Of the 11 variables established from these themes, one home and two neighborhood factors were associated with children’s physical activity. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of children’s perceptions of their environment, and highlight the potential importance of the home and neighborhood environments for promoting physical activity behavior.

Physical Activity and Television Viewing in Relation to Risk of Undiagnosed Abnormal Glucose Metabolism in Adults

Abstract: OBJECTIVE —The goal of this study was to assess the associations of physical activity time and television (TV) time with risk of “undiagnosed” abnormal glucose metabolism in Australian adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —This population-based cross-sectional study using a stratified cluster design involving 42 randomly selected Census Collector Districts across Australia included 8,299 adults aged 25 years or older who were free from new type 2 diabetes and self-reported ischemic disease and did not take lipid-lowering or antihypertensive drugs. Abnormal glucose metabolism (impaired fasting glycemia [IFG], impaired glucose tolerance [IGT], or new type 2 diabetes) was based on an oral glucose tolerance test. Self-reported physical activity time and TV time (previous week) were assessed using interviewer-administered questionnaires. RESULTS —After adjustment for known confounders and TV time, the odds ratio (OR) of having abnormal glucose metabolism was 0.62 (95% CI 0.41–0.96) in men and 0.71 (0.50–1.00) in women for those engaged in physical activity ≥2.5 h/week compared with those who were sedentary (0 h/week). The ORs of having abnormal glucose metabolism were 1.16 (0.79–1.70) in men and 1.49 (1.12–1.99) in women who watched TV >14 h/week compared with those who watched ≤7.0 h/week. Higher TV viewing (>14 h/week) was also associated with an increased risk of new type 2 diabetes in men and women and IGT in women compared with those watching CONCLUSIONS —These findings suggest a protective effect of physical activity and a deleterious effect of TV time on the risk of abnormal glucose metabolism in adults. Population strategies to reduce risk of abnormal glucose metabolism should focus on reducing sedentary behaviors such as TV time, as well as increasing physical activity.

Accountability, completeness, credibility and the audit expectations gap.

Abstract: This article deals with two concerns in achieving greater accountability in social reports: the lack of completeness of reporting, and the lack of credibility of reports. The article focuses, in particular, on the role of social audits in improving the completeness and credibility of reporting, thereby reducing the audit expectations gap. We suggest that this gap arises due to an over-emphasis on the validity of performance data at the expense of addressing completeness and credibility, both of which, we argue, require stakeholder involvement. The article reviews recent guidelines aimed at ensuring that companies produce reports that are complete in all material respects including those produced by the Global Reporting Initiative and the Federation des Experts Comptables Europeens, focusing particularly on AccountAbility’s AA1000 Standard and AA1000S Assurance Standard. Finally, the article considers the development of a practical approach to social audit following principles increasingly being incorporated into developing assurance guidelines aimed at reducing the audit expectations gap. ● Social auditing ● Accountability ● Audit expectations gap

Getting Out of Deficit: Pedagogies of reconnection

Abstract: The fact that children growing up in poverty are likely to be in the lower ranges of achievement on standardised literacy tests is not a new phenomenon. Internationally there are a myriad of intervention and remedial programmes designed to address this problem with a range of effects. Frequently, sustainable reforms are curtailed by deficit views of families and children growing up in poverty. This article describes an ongoing research study entitled “Teachers Investigate Unequal Literacy Outcomes: Cross‐Generational Perspectives”, which made teacher researchers central in examining this long‐standing dilemma. It outlines the research design and rationale, and analyses how two early career teachers worked their ways out of deficit analyses of two children they were most worried about. It argues that disrupting deficit discourses and re‐designing new pedagogical repertoires to reconnect with children's lifeworlds is a long‐term project that can best be achieved in reciprocal research relationships with tea...

Spatial prediction of rufous bristlebird habitat in a coastal heathland: a GIS-based approach

Abstract: 1. To develop a conservation management plan for a species, knowledge of its distribution and spatial arrangement of preferred habitat is essential. This is a difficult task, especially when the species of concern is in low abundance. In south-western Victoria, Australia, populations of the rare rufous bristlebird Dasyornis broadbenti are threatened by fragmentation of suitable habitat. In order to improve the conservation status of this species, critical habitat requirements must be identified and a system of corridors must be established to link known populations. A predictive spatial model of rufous bristlebird habitat was developed in order to identify critical areas requiring preservation, such as corridors for dispersal. 2. Habitat models generated using generalized linear modelling techniques can assist in delineating the specific habitat requirements of a species. Coupled with geographic information system (GIS) technology, these models can be extrapolated to produce maps displaying the spatial configuration of suitable habitat. 3. Models were generated using logistic regression, with bristlebird presence or absence as the dependent variable and landscape variables, extracted from both GIS data layers and multispectral digital imagery, as the predictors. A multimodel inference approach based on Akaike’s information criterion was used and the resulting model was applied in a GIS to extrapolate predicted likelihood of occurrence across the entire area of concern. The predictive performance of the selected model was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) technique. A hierarchical partitioning protocol was used to identify the predictor variables most likely to influence variation in the dependent variable. Probability of species presence was used as an index of habitat suitability. 4. Negative associations between rufous bristlebird presence and increasing elevation, 'distance to cree', 'distance to coast' and sun index were evident, suggesting a preference for areas relatively low in altitude, in close proximity to the coastal fringe and drainage lines, and receiving less direct sunlight. A positive association with increasing habitat complexity also suggested that this species prefers areas containing high vertical density of vegetation. 5. The predictive performance of the selected model was shown to be high (area under the curve 0·97), indicating a good fit of the model to the data. Hierarchical partitioning analysis showed that all the variables considered had significant independent contributions towards explaining the variation in the dependent variable. The proportion of the total study area that was predicted as suitable habitat for the rufous bristlebird (using probability of occurrence at a ≥0·5 level ) was 16%. 6. Synthesis and applications. The spatial model clearly delineated areas predicted as highly suitable rufous bristlebird habitat, with evidence of potential corridors linking coastal and inland populations via gullies. Conservation of this species will depend on management actions that protect the critical habitats identified in the model. A multi-scale approach to the modelling process is recommended whereby a spatially explicit model is first generated using landscape variables extracted from a GIS, and a second model at site level is developed using fine-scale habitat variables measured on the ground. Where there are constraints on the time and cost involved in measuring finer scale variables, the first step alone can be used for conservation planning.

The runaway weight gain train: too many accelerators, not enough brakes

Abstract: Obesity seems to be perpetuated by a series of vicious cycles, which, in combination with increasingly obesogenic environments, accelerate weight gain and represent a major challenge for weight management

Seasonality of blue and fin whale calls and the influence of sea ice in the Western Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract: The calling seasonality of blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whales was assessed using acoustic data recorded on seven autonomous acoustic recording packages (ARPs) deployed from March 2001 to February 2003 in the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Automatic detection and acoustic power analysis methods were used for determining presence and absence of whale calls. Blue whale calls were detected year round, on average 177 days per year, with peak calling in March and April, and a secondary peak in October and November. Lowest calling rates occurred between June and September, and in December. Fin whale calling rates were seasonal with calls detected between February and June (on average 51 days/year), and peak calling in May. Sea ice formed a month later and retreated a month earlier in 2001 than in 2002 over all recording sites. During the entire deployment period, detected calls of both species of whales showed negative correlation with sea ice concentrations at all sites, suggesting an absence of blue and fin whales in areas covered with sea ice. A conservative density estimate of calling whales from the acoustic data yields 0.43 calling blue whales per 1000 n mi2 and 1.30 calling fin whales per 1000 n mi2, which is about one-third higher than the density of blue whales and approximately equal to the density of fin whales estimated from the visual surveys.

The ambivalent practices of reflexivity

Abstract: Reflexivity involves turning one's reflexive gaze oil discourse-turning language back on itself to see the Work it does in constituting the world. The subject/researcher sees simultaneously the object of her or his gaze and the means by which the object (which may include oneself as subject) is being constituted. The consciousness of self that reflexive writing sometimes entails may be seen to slip inadvertently into constituting the very (real) self that seems to contradict a focus on the constitutive power of discourse. This article explores this site of slippage and of ambivalence. In a collective biography oil the topic of reflexivity, the authors tell and write stories about reflexivity and in a doubled reflexive arc, examine themselves at work during the workshop. Examining their own memories and reflexive practices, they explore this place of slippage and provide theoretical and practical insight into what is going on in reflexive research and writing.

A longitudinal study of pubertal timing and extreme body change behaviors among adolescent boys and girls.

Abstract: Recent studies have examined the prevalence of disordered eating and other health risk behaviors among adolescent boys and girls. However, these studies generally have not examined predictors of these behaviors, and have not embedded the investigations within a theoretical framework. This study employed a longitudinal design to evaluate the validity of a biosocial model in explaining health risk behaviors related to extreme body change strategies (disordered eating, exercise dependence, use of food supplements, steroid use) among adolescents. The participants were 430 adolescent boys (mean age = 13.33 years) and 451 adolescent girls (mean age = 13.28 years) who completed measures of pubertal timing, perceived popularity with peers, body dissatisfaction, focus on sport, involvement in competitive sport, strategies to lose weight, strategies to increase muscle, disordered eating, use of food supplements and steroids, and exercise dependence. It was found that both early and late maturing girls were at greatest risk of engaging in health risk behaviors, whereas boys demonstrated more variability in the relationship between pubertal timing and extreme body change behaviors. The results of this study provide important insights into the role of pubertal development in the adoption of extreme body change behaviors among adolescents.

Exercise and Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 Regulation in Human Skeletal Muscle

Abstract: Overexpression of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle enhances whole-body insulin action. Exercise increases GLUT4 gene and protein expression, and a binding site for the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF-2) is required on the GLUT4 promoter for this response. However, the molecular mechanisms involved remain elusive. In various cell systems, MEF-2 regulation is a balance between transcriptional repression by histone deacetylases (HDACs) and transcriptional activation by the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1 (PGC-1), and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. The purpose of this study was to determine if these same mechanisms regulate MEF-2 in contracting human skeletal muscle. Seven subjects performed 60 min of cycling at ∼70% of V o2peak. After exercise, HDAC5 was dissociated from MEF-2 and exported from the nucleus, whereas nuclear PGC-1 was associated with MEF-2. Exercise increased total and nuclear p38 phosphorylation and association with MEF-2, without changes in total or nuclear p38 protein abundance. This result was associated with p38 sequence-specific phosphorylation of MEF-2 and an increase in GLUT4 mRNA. Finally, we found no role for NFAT in MEF-2 regulation. From these data, it appears that HDAC5, PGC-1, and p38 regulate MEF-2 and could be potential targets for modulating GLUT4 expression.

Unsafe injections in low-income country health settings: need for injection safety promotion to prevent the spread of blood-borne viruses

Abstract: Injections are one of the most frequently used medical procedures. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 12 billion injections are given annually, 5% of which are administered for immunization and 95% for curative purposes. Unsafe injection practices (especially needle and syringe re-use) are commonplace in low-income country health settings, and place both staff and patients at risk of infection with blood-borne viruses (BBVs). It is estimated that up to 160000 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 4.7 million hepatitis C and 16 million hepatitis B infections each year are attributable to these practices. The problem is complex and fueled by a mixture of socio-cultural, economic and structural factors. An appropriate response on the part of international organizations, governments, health administrators, community organizations and health workers, including those who work in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention, has been slow to emerge. This paper reviews the literature relating to unsafe injection practices and the transmission of BBVs in low-income countries in order to raise awareness of the issue and the consequent need to promote injection safety messages amongst both consumers and providers of health care services in these countries. The nature and extent of unsafe injection practices, the burden of blood-borne viral illness attributable to unsafe injection practices, and the factors contributing to these practices are summarized, and possible strategies for promoting injection safety discussed.