Showing papers by "Edith Cowan University published in 1998"
University of Oxford1, Science Applications International Corporation2, Hochschule Hannover3, Boston Children's Hospital4, New York University5, University of Sheffield6, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens7, Edith Cowan University8, Russian Academy9, University of Ljubljana10, Centre national de la recherche scientifique11, National Institutes of Health12, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute13
TL;DR: The geographic cline of CCR5-Delta32 frequencies and its recent emergence are consistent with a historic strong selective event, driving its frequency upward in ancestral Caucasian populations.
Abstract: The CCR5-Delta32 deletion obliterates the CCR5 chemokine and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 coreceptor on lymphoid cells, leading to strong resistance against HIV-1 infection and AIDS. A genotype survey of 4,166 individuals revealed a cline of CCR5-Delta32 allele frequencies of 0%-14% across Eurasia, whereas the variant is absent among native African, American Indian, and East Asian ethnic groups. Haplotype analysis of 192 Caucasian chromosomes revealed strong linkage disequilibrium between CCR5 and two microsatellite loci. By use of coalescence theory to interpret modern haplotype genealogy, we estimate the origin of the CCR5-Delta32-containing ancestral haplotype to be approximately 700 years ago, with an estimated range of 275-1,875 years. The geographic cline of CCR5-Delta32 frequencies and its recent emergence are consistent with a historic strong selective event (e.g. , an epidemic of a pathogen that, like HIV-1, utilizes CCR5), driving its frequency upward in ancestral Caucasian populations.
515 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the factors that lead to the successful adoption of Information Technology (IT) by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in today's turbulent times.
340 citations
TL;DR: It seems unlikely that altitude has exerted a major selective pressure on mitochondrial genes in central Asian populations, because lowland and highland Kirghiz mtDNA sequences are very similar, and the analysis of molecular variance has revealed that the fraction of mitochondrial genetic variance due to altitude is not significantly different from zero.
Abstract: Central Asia is a vast region at the crossroads of different habitats, cultures, and trade routes. Little is known about the genetics and the history of the population of this region. We present the analysis of mtDNA control-region sequences in samples of the Kazakh, the Uighurs, the lowland Kirghiz, and the highland Kirghiz, which we have used to address both the population history of the region and the possible selective pressures that high altitude has on mtDNA genes. Central Asian mtDNA sequences present features intermediate between European and eastern Asian sequences, in several parameters-such as the frequencies of certain nucleotides, the levels of nucleotide diversity, mean pairwise differences, and genetic distances. Several hypotheses could explain the intermediate position of central Asia between Europe and eastern Asia, but the most plausible would involve extensive levels of admixture between Europeans and eastern Asians in central Asia, possibly enhanced during the Silk Road trade and clearly after the eastern and western Eurasian human groups had diverged. Lowland and highland Kirghiz mtDNA sequences are very similar, and the analysis of molecular variance has revealed that the fraction of mitochondrial genetic variance due to altitude is not significantly different from zero. Thus, it seems unlikely that altitude has exerted a major selective pressure on mitochondrial genes in central Asian populations.
316 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the experience of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with ISO 9000 series certification, based on the results of a Western Australian questionnaire survey, and explore issues ranging from why certification was sought, the benefits derived and disappointments.
Abstract: Discusses the experience of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with ISO 9000 series certification, based on the results of a Western Australian questionnaire survey. It explores issues ranging from why certification was sought, the benefits derived and disappointments. Also examines the problems encountered by SMEs and how they dealt with them. Comparisons are made between those SMEs perceiving more success with ISO 9000 series certification and those which do not. Findings suggest that SMEs are experiencing mixed results from ISO 9000 series certification. Some are reporting considerable internal benefits while many are not experiencing external benefits. An encouraging outcome is that a number of SMEs see ISO 9000 series certification as a useful first step in the quality journey with a view to moving forward in the direction of a broader quality management approach.
309 citations
TL;DR: The prevalence of consanguineous unions appeared to be unchanged over the past three to four decades in Pakistan, and was more common among women who were illiterate or had only primary level education.
Abstract: Consanguineous marriages are strongly preferred in much of West and South Asia This paper examines the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of consanguineous unions in Pakistan using local and national data Information from 1011 ever-married women living in four multi-ethnic and multi-lingual squatter settlements of Karachi, the main commercial centre of the country, are compared with data from the national 1990/91 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), based on information provided by 6611 women Both sets of results indicate that approximately 60% of marriages were consanguineous, over 80% of which were between first cousins The mean coefficients of inbreeding (F) in the present generation were 00316 and 00331 for the Karachi and PDHS data respectively In both surveys the prevalence of consanguineous unions appeared to be unchanged over the past three to four decades Consanguineous unions were more common among women who were illiterate or had only primary level education, were first or second generation migrants from rural areas of Pakistan or, in the PDHS, lived in rural areas, and whose parents were also consanguineously married
258 citations
TL;DR: The qualitative study reported here showed that students responded favourably to the elements of authentic assessment; that they had a good understanding of the content of the inte...
Abstract: A problem for educators and the developers of interactive multimedia is the apparent incongruity between the demands of authentic assessment and the deliverables of computer‐based assessment. Lecturers wishing to use interactive multimedia are commonly limited to assessment using multiple choice tests which are easily marked by the computer. This article describes seven defining characteristics of authentic assessment which have been operationalized in a learning environment employing interactive multimedia. The article describes the multimedia program and its implementation with a class of pre‐service teachers. The implication of these findings for educational practice are that authentic assessment can be used within interactive multimedia learning environments, albeit not totally contained within the software itself. The qualitative study reported here showed that students responded favourably to the elements of authentic assessment; that they had a good understanding of the content of the inte...
228 citations
TL;DR: A new member of the polycystin protein family has been identified in this paper, which is a candidate candidate for as yet unmapped cystic diseases in man and animals.
169 citations
TL;DR: This article found that children also negotiate for meaning and use a variety of strategies to do so, although the pattern of use by children seems to differ from that of adults, the differences are not categorical but, rather, are manifest in the proportional use of particular strategies.
Abstract: This research examines conversational interactions between children, a group generally overlooked in second language acquisition (SLA) research. Specifically, the research focuses on (a) whether children can negotiate for meaning, (b) what strategies they use, and (c) whether diere are differences between the ways adults and primary school children negotiate for meaning. Some possible effects of negotiation for meaning on child SLA are also explored. Students (n = 192) from age 8 to 13, were paired to form 96 age- and gender-matched dyads. The pairs worked together on 2 communication tasks: a one-way and a two-way task. From the transcriptions made of their conversations it was apparent that, like adults, children also negotiate for meaning and use a variety of strategies to do so. Although the pattern of use by children seems to differ from that of adults, the differences are not categorical but, rather, are manifest in the proportional use of particular strategies. Further, the evidence indicates that, like adults, primary school learners also benefit from the process of negotiation for meaning. It appears to provide them with the opportunity to receive comprehensible input, to produce comprehensible output, and to obtain feedback on their attempts. The results show that tasks that promote negotiation for meaning can be undertaken successfully by primary school second language (L2) learners, and provide evidence that diere is a valid argument for making use of such pedagogical practice in L2 teaching for this age group of learners. The differences between the child and adult findings (see Oliver, 1995) highlight the fact that findings from adult studies cannot be generalized to child studies without adequate and appropriate research involving child learners.
153 citations
TL;DR: In this paper the design of fuzzy sliding-mode control is discussed and conditions for the fuzzy sliding mode control to stabilize the global fuzzy model are given.
150 citations
TL;DR: A previously unrecognized neuropathy in Bulgarian gypsies that begins consistently in the first decade of life with gait disorder followed by upper limb weakness in the second decade and, in most subjects, by deafness which is most often first noticed in the third decade.
Abstract: A previously unrecognized neuropathy was identified in Bulgarian gypsies, and was designated hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy-Lom (HMSNL) after the town where the initial cases were found. It was subsequently identified in other gypsy communities. The disorder, which is of autosomal recessive inheritance, was mapped to chromosome 8q24. It begins consistently in the first decade of life with gait disorder followed by upper limb weakness in the second decade and, in most subjects, by deafness which is most often first noticed in the third decade. Sensory loss affecting all modalities is present, both this and the motor involvement predominating distally in the limbs. Skeletal deformity, particularly foot deformity, is frequent. Severely reduced motor nerve conduction velocity indicates a demyelinating basis, which was confirmed by nerve biopsy. The three younger patients biopsied showed a hypertrophic 'onion bulb' neuropathy. The hypertrophic changes were not evident in the oldest individual biopsied and it is likely that they had regressed secondarily to axon loss. In the eight cases in which brainstem auditory evoked potentials could be recorded, the results suggested demyelination in the eighth cranial nerve and also abnormal conduction in the central auditory pathways in the brainstem. As no myelin genes are known to be located at chromosome 8q24, the disorder may involve a gene for a novel myelin protein or be due to an abnormality of axon-Schwann cell signalling.
129 citations
TL;DR: This research provides evidence that the computer is a social facilitator in the sense that it provides opportunities for collaboration, group work and interaction which fosters cognitive change.
Abstract: In studies on the implementation and educational uses of computers there are reports of changes in students’ behaviour as a result of working with computers (Rowe, 1993; Crook, 1994). Social, collaborative and dialogic exchanges have been observed as students engage in tasks around computers. This research provides evidence that the computer is a social facilitator in the sense that it provides opportunities for collaboration, group work and interaction which fosters cognitive change (Wild, 1995). This article recognises the social role of the computer, and supports the view that computers can be used to facilitate learning through language. There is growing awareness that if we are to realise the full potential of computers in education, consideration must be given to their role as catalysts in the learning process, rather than technological tools (Hawkridge, 1990). Computer assisted learning has progressed through many phases, and through investigation of underlying theoretical frameworks it is possible to recognise the change of focus from individual accounts of learning to social perspectives. Theoretical frameworks which emphasise the social dimensions of learning (Vygotsky, 1978) legitimise the link between computers, language use and learning and indicate that computers must be integrated into the social life of classrooms if their pedagogical benefits are to be realised.
TL;DR: This research examines the relationship between patients' and Family Caregivers' Perceptions of Symptom Distress in Patients with Terminal Cancer and how these perceptions are perceived by nurses and other caregivers.
Abstract: SUZANNE NIKOlETTI, School of Nursing, Edith Cowan University, Churchlands, Western Australia, DAVINA POROCK, Cancer Care Nursing, University of Hull, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom, MICHAEL SMITH, Palliative Care, Neringah Hospital, Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia, MICHEllE lOSCHUK, Faculty of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, PENDER PEDlER, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, Australia Congruence Between Patients' and Fam.ily Caregivers' Perceptions of Symptom Distress in Patients with Terminal Cancer 24
TL;DR: This article examined the impact of threat (present absent), and target-stalker relationship (stranger, acquaintance, former intimate) on female and male participants' beliefs about their likely responses to a heterosexual stalking scenario.
Abstract: Antistalking legislation provides a remedy against the harassment of one individual by another; however, there is little understanding of how the community perceives stalking behaviour. This study examined the impact of threat (present absent), and target‐stalker relationship (stranger, acquaintance, former intimate) on female and male participants' beliefs about their likely responses to a heterosexual stalking scenario. Results from 172 community participants showed they would be less likely to be frightened and to call the police when stalked by a former intimate than by a stranger. Females were equally likely to call the police (close to ceiling response) in both threat conditions, whereas males were more likely to contact the police when an explicit threat was present than when it was absent Other affective and behavioural responses confirmed that overall, participants viewed stalking seriously. However, apparent misconceptions about the relative seriousness of different stalking scenarios indicated ...
Book•
01 Jul 1998TL;DR: The three R's of nature-guided therapy are described in this article : Inside Out, Inside Out and Inside Out-Of-the-Inside-Out, Natural Wellness, Natural Happiness and Natural Happiness.
Abstract: Part I: Nature-Guided Therapy. Nature Heals. Ecopsychotherapy. Part II: A Matter of Sense. Sensual Awareness. The Sensual Awareness Inventory. Part III: Nature-Guided Strategies. Inside Out. Sensate Focusing. Nature-Based Assignments. Natural Ordeals. Experiential Metaphors. The Three R's of Nature-Guided Therapy. Part IV: Natural Happiness. Ecotherapy for Relaxation and Comfort. Ecotherapy for Happiness and Pleasure. Ecotherapy for Enhanced Relationships. Part V: Natural Wellness. The Nature-Mind-Body Connection. Nature-Guided Mind-Body Healing. Being Well, Naturally.
TL;DR: It is a contention of this paper that the user-interface to instructional multimedia is strategically important: if it is poorly designed students will not be intrinsically motivated to make use of the product or to learn with it.
Abstract: Instructional multimedia is creating a revolution in universities. Academic staff are being urged to transfer instruction to a format suitable for either CD/ROM and/or the Internet, principally the World Wide Web. Many, it seems, simply take their existing course materials, add image and sound without proper consideration of the nature of the medium in which they are seeking to instruct and present the product to their students. In essence, it appears they ignore the need to motivate their students to work with their instructional multimedia materials. It is a contention of this paper that the user-interface to instructional multimedia is strategically important: if it is poorly designed students will not be intrinsically motivated to make use of the product or to learn with it. Interfaces that motivate learners are realistic, easy to use, challenging and engaging. Superior interfaces have some of the elements of a game: they provide the user with a functional model of task, content and processes; they encourage exploration and engagement; and they demonstrate cognisance of design considerations such as interactivity, functionality, learner control and cognition.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: This paper examined whether the three-way interaction between budget emphasis, budgetary participation and task difficulty affecting managerial performance, found in the manufacturing sector, can be generalized to the financial services sector.
Abstract: This study examines whether the three-way interaction between budget emphasis, budgetary participation and task difficulty affecting managerial performance, found in the manufacturing sector (Brownell and Dunk, AOS, 1991) can be generalized to the financial services sector. It also extends this research area across national culture within the theoretical framework suggested by Harrison (AOS, 1992) using a sample of 189 Australian and Singaporean financial services sector managers. The financial services sector was studied as little research attention has been directed to this sector. Additionally, since financial services sector mangers are routinely involved with financial and accounting matters, their better understanding of accounting may lead to a greater acceptance of accounting controls than nonfinancial sectors managers. Consequently, their reactions to accounting based evaluative styles and budgetary participation are expected to be more favorable than those of nonfinancial sector managers. The results indicate that budget emphasis has a significant and positive main effect on performance for financial services sector managers, whilst budgetary participation interacts significantly with task difficulty to affect performance. No cultural effects on the relationship between evaluative styles and performance were found.
TL;DR: It is recommended that clinical teachers are taught how to ask questions, particularly high level questions.
Abstract: By using questioning and other appropriate teaching strategies, clinical teachers can facilitate the development of critical thinking, decision making and problem solving in students. This study examined clinical teachers' use of questioning and the variations in their use of questioning as a teaching strategy. Although there was a variation in the number of questions asked, predominantly low level questions were asked by 26 clinical teachers at two post-clinical conferences. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that clinical teachers are taught how to ask questions, particularly high level questions.
TL;DR: It is concluded that depending upon the model of care, costs of end-of-life care are considerable and costs of care become more expensive with distance from the home setting, and some treatments given to dying patients are costly while yielding little benefit.
Abstract: The number of elderly Canadians is likely to double in 20 years, spurring a discussion of end-of-life care. We analyze the literature on the costs of this care and compare cost assessments of different models of palliative care. The cost of treatments for which there is little empirical support is factored into our cost-savings analysis and the methodological limits of cost-analysis studies are also discussed. We conclude that (a) depending upon the model of care, costs of end-of-life care are considerable, (b) costs of care become more expensive with distance from the home setting, (c) cost savings reported in palliative care settings may be a function of nearness to death; (d) family expenses on end-of-life care are substantial and are not factored into most cost-analysis studies, (e) a two-tiered system of palliative home care allows families with higher incomes to afford help in supporting home deaths, and (f) some treatments given to dying patients are costly while yielding little benefit.
TL;DR: This paper examined whether the three-way interaction between budget emphasis, budgetary participation and task difficulty affecting managerial performance, found in the manufacturing sector (Brownell and Dunk, 1991) can be generalized to the financial services sector.
TL;DR: This article found that female students tend to process information selectively and male students would rate disconfirming information as more important than female students would, whereas female students are hypothesis-confirming whereas male students are not, and female students being comprehensive processors would rate the task as more difficult compared to male students.
Abstract: Accounting education research reports that female students outperform male students. We posit that different information processing styles may have accounted for this difference. We postulate that because male students tend to process information selectively, they would rate confirming information as more important than female students would. Female students would rate disconfirming information as more important. We also postulate that male students are hypothesis-confirming whereas the female students are not. Consequently, female students being comprehensive processors, would rate the task as more difficult compared to male students. To test these propositions, 36 male and 33 female students performed an evaluation task that contained equal numbers of confirming and disconfirming cues. The students were required to rate the importance of these cues to their hypothesis. The results support our propositions except that female and male students do not rate confirming information significantly differently from each other.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report on the foraging profile of a wandoo woodland avifauna at Dryandra in Western Australia, Australia and find that ground-foraging birds using ground, bark, foliage, and aerial substrates dominate eucalypt communities.
Abstract: This study reports on the foraging profile of a wandoo woodland avifauna at Dryandra in Western Australia, Australia. Despite its geographical isolation, wandoo woodland shares a large number of species with woodland bird communities in eastern Australia and there are broad similarities in community foraging profiles. Insect-eating birds using ground, bark, foliage, and aerial substrates dominate eucalypt bird communities. Nectar-feeding and seed/fruit-eating guilds are important components of the Australian avifauna, but have fewer species, and vary in composition and abundance as nectar, seed, and fruit availability changes seasonally and from year to year, and from one locality to another. Despite similarities, there are also differences between the foraging profile of the wandoo avifauna and those in eastern Australia. Specifically, the wandoo avifauna is characterized by a high proportion of ground-foraging species. In addition, many wandoo woodland birds appear to spread their foraging over a wider range of substrates (i.e., ground, bark, and foliage) than eastern species. Differences in habitat structure do not explain these differences in community foraging profiles, and there may be differences in the abundance, kind, and spatial distribution of resources between different eucalypt ecosystems. Possibly the eastern communities have lost ground-dwelling components of their avifauna since European settlement, while the woodlands at Dryandra retain a more intact avifauna. The reasons why some species and not others are lost from woodlands as a result of European land management practices are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey of Perth lower secondary science teachers revealed low levels of inquiry and interesting insights into teacher's perceptions about the benefits of open inquiry for students and the difficulities for teachers.
Abstract: Laboratory work has always been the most distinctive feature of secondary science teaching and learning. With the increasing emphasis on student centred learning and the importance of developing investigation and problem-solving skills there is value in reflecting on the type of laboratory work that is carried out in the science curriculum. The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the laboratory work undertaken by lower secondary science students, and in particular, to determine the openness to inquiry of these activities. The study also examined the factors that influence teachers in determining the type of student investigations that occur in the science laboratory. Data from a survey of Perth lower secondary science teachers reveal low levels of inquiry and interesting insights into teacher's perceptions about the benefits of open inquiry for students and the difficulities for teachers. The difficulties identified by teachers represent barriers to change that must be addressed if more open inquiry laboratory work is to be implemented in schools.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the moderating effect of tolerance for ambiguity, a personality variable, on the relation between management accounting systems (MAS) design and managerial performance, and found that an appropriate "fit" between manager's personality variable of tolerating for ambiguity and the extent of use of broad scope MAS information for managerial decisions will lead to improved managerial performance.
Abstract: This study examines the moderating effect of tolerance for ambiguity, a personality variable, on the relation between management accounting systems (MAS) design and managerial performance. MAS design was defined in terms of the extent to which managers» use of broad scope MAS information for managerial decision making. The responses of 63 managers, drawn from a cross-section of Australian manufacturing companies, to a questionnaire survey were analysed by using a multiple regression technique. The results indicate that the use of broad scope MAS information interact with tolerance for ambiguity to affect managerial performance. The results indicate that an appropriate «fit» between manager's personality variable of tolerance for ambiguity and the extent of use of broad scope MAS information for managerial decisions will lead to improved managerial performance.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the benefits of activity-based costing to library managers and describe the steps involved in implementing ABC in an academic library in order to improve the performance.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take a lifespan perspective on academic career development across several countries, in examining contributions to aspects of academic work in terms of gender, age groups, and years of experience in higher education.
Abstract: This study takes a lifespan perspective on academic career development across several countries, in examining contributions to aspects of academic work in terms of gender, age groups, and years of experience in higher education. The study was based on the recent International Survey of the Academic Profession (Altbach, 1996). Findings suggest common themes regarding attitudes and activities within the gendered context of academic work that vary from one country to another and among working conditions, activities of teaching, research and service, issues of governance and management, and international dimensions of academic work. A general model is then described of activities and attitudes that constitute academic work. These findings are discussed in terms of strategies for career development that optimise the academic in a context.
TL;DR: It is suggested that the Inventory can be improved conceptually by adding more items relating to attitudes, intentions and behaviour and by adding harder and easier items to target the student measures better.
Abstract: Background. The Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (Entwistle & Tait, 1994) comprises 38 self-report items designed to measure student approaches to learning in a higher education context. The items have been conceptualised and designed from five learning orientations, corresponding to five subscales of the Inventory: ‘a deep approach’, ‘a surface approach’, ‘a strategic approach’, ‘a lack of direction’ and ‘academic self-confidence’.
Aims. The study aims to create an interval level scale for the Inventory and analyse its psychometric properties using a modern measurement model, the Extended Logistic Model of Rasch (Andrich, 1988a, 1988b; Rasch, 1980), and investigate the conceptual design of the Inventory.
Sample. The sample was 346 students (170 females, 176 males, 212 less than 23 years and 134 older than 23), studying in first year Faculty of Business, at a university in Perth, Western Australia.
Method. A scale was created for the Inventory and analysed for reliability, fit to the model, meaning and validity. The Inventory was analysed separately for each of four subgroups (females, males, younger and older students) to test the invariance of the scale. The five subscales were analysed separately to test the conceptual design and meaning of the Inventory.
Results. The Inventory has satisfactory psychometric properties, when items 20 and 33 are deleted. Easier and harder items need to be added to better target the student measures. Its conceptual design from the five learning orientations is confirmed. Only 15 items have satisfactory invariance across the four subgroups. The psychometric properties of three subscales (deep approach, surface approach and strategic approach) are only moderately satisfactory and the item separabilities of the other two (lack of direction and academic self-confidence) are unsatisfactory.
Conclusions. The Extended Logistic Model of Rasch was found to be useful in creating an interval level scale for the Inventory, and for analysing its psychometric properties and conceptual design. It is suggested that the Inventory can be improved conceptually by adding more items relating to attitudes, intentions and behaviour and by adding harder and easier items to target the student measures better.
17 Feb 1998
TL;DR: F fading measurements gathered for the indoor propagation channel at 2.4 GHz are presented and a statistical analysis of the measurements was undertaken and the obtained fading distributions, level crossing rates, and average duration of fades are presented.
Abstract: To design efficient modulation and error control schemes for wireless local area networks, characterisation of signal fading is required. In this paper, we present fading measurements gathered for the indoor propagation channel at 2.4 GHz. A statistical analysis of the measurements was undertaken and the obtained fading distributions, level crossing rates, and average duration of fades are presented and discussed.
TL;DR: The findings are important for midwives in any setting, as they reveal the extent to which some parents value the right to assume control and responsibility for the birth of their baby.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that performance in activities requiring fine motor control will be impaired for a number of days following a bout of damaging exercise, and the observed weakness was related to muscle fibre damage.
TL;DR: The pelvic limb musculature of emus resembles that of other ratites with the notable exception of M. gastrocnemius, which has four muscle bellies, not the usual three.
Abstract: Emus provide an excellent opportunity for studying sustained high-speed running by a bird. Their pelvic limb musculature is described in detail and morphological features characteristic of a cursorial lifestyle are identified. Several anatomical features of the pelvic limb reflect the emus' ability for sustained running at high speeds: (1) emus have a reduced number of toes and associated muscles, (2) emus are unique among birds in having a M. gastrocnemius, the most powerful muscle in the shank, that has four muscle bellies, not the usual three, and (3) contribution to total body mass of the pelvic limb muscles of emus is similar to that of the flight muscles of flying birds, whereas the pelvic limb muscles of flying birds constitute a much smaller proportion of total body mass. Generally, the pelvic limb musculature of emus resembles that of other ratites with the notable exception of M. gastrocnemius. The presence and arrangement of four muscle bellies may increase the effectiveness of M. gastrocnemius and other muscles during cursorial locomotion by moving the limb in a cranio-caudal rather than a latero-medial plane. J. Morphol. 238:23–37, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.