Showing papers by "Flinders University published in 1994"

Establishing rigour in qualitative research: the decision trail

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to show the way in which the decision trail of a qualitative research process can be maintained. It is argued that the trustworthiness (rigour) of a study may be established if the reader is able to audit the events, influences and actions of the researcher. The actual study containing the recording of this decision trail aimed to express the concerns of older patients who were admitted to the acute care sector. The study took place in two care of the elderly wards in a 1000-bed National Health Service hospital in the UK, in 1991. Eventually, 14 patients were interviewed, each on several occasions, and their concerns are expressed in themes, namely: routine geriatric style of care, depersonalization, care deprivation and geriatric segregation. I describe the preparations that were undertaken before patient interviews could commence. The literature recording the process of the interviewer's experience as data in qualitative research is scarce. I show the researcher's participation in making the data as part of an existential phenomenological research process. Existential phenomenology relies on recording influences while generating data such as significant literature, media reports, my value position and journal data.

Construction of high-quality NN potential models

Abstract: We present an updated version (Nijm93) of the Nijmegen soft-core potential, which gives a much better description of the np data than the older version (Nijm78). The ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}}^{2}$ per datum is 1.87. The configuration-space and momentum-space versions of this potential are exactly equivalent, a unique feature among meson-theoretical potentials. We also present three new NN potential models: a nonlocal Reid-like Nijmegen potential (Nijm I), a local version (Nijm II), and an updated regularized version (Reid 93) of the Reid soft-core potential. These three potentials all have a nearly optimal ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}}^{2}$ per datum and can therefore be considered as alternative partial-wave analyses. All potentials contain the proper charge-dependent one-pion-exchange tail.

The Influence of External Pressure Groups on Corporate SocialDisclosure: Some Empirical Evidence

Abstract: Many social accounting researchers refer to environmental pressure groups as being a major influence on companies′ decisions to disclose social information. Such a claim is, however, to date unsubstantiated. Virtually no empirical evidence has been produced which confirms or refutes this proposition. Similarly there is no literature on pressure groups′ interest in, or reaction to, corporate social disclosure (CSD). Provides the first, albeit exploratory, investigation of such pressure groups and their potential influence on the production of CSD. Results show that pressure groups are users of CSD and do attempt to influence companies′ disclosure practices. The environmental movement considers current CSD to be insufficient and low in credibility. The preferred corporate social report (for pressure groups) would include narratives and quantified terms, would be in the annual report and would be prepared by, certified by, and/or held by a body external to the company.

Delay-independent stability in bidirectional associative memory networks

Abstract: It is shown that if the neuronal gains are small compared with the synaptic connection weights, then a bidirectional associative memory network with axonal signal transmission delays converges to the equilibria associated with exogenous inputs to the network. Both discrete and continuously distributed delays are considered; the asymptotic stability is global in the state space of neuronal activations and also is independent of the delays. >

Resources and functionings: a new view of inequality in australia

Abstract: The degree of inequality in the levels of well-being of its citizens tells us a great deal about a society It enables us to judge its social and economic system, to identify those citizens with a claim on community compassion, to identify the sources of hardship, and to devise strategies for reducing levels of hardship The value of such information is undoubted But we confront a severe practical problem in first defining, and then measuring, what we mean by well-being It is surely multi-dimensional, and difficult to reduce to a scalar-valued index

Enrichment of microsatellites from the citrus genome using biotinylated oligonucleotide sequences bound to streptavidin-coated magnetic particles.

Abstract: A method is described for the rapid isolation of microsatellite sequences using a biotin-labeled oligonucleotide attached to streptavidin-coated magnetic particles. The oligonucleotide "hook" in solution hybridizes to complementary single-stranded lengths of genomic DNA onto which have been engineered specific PCR priming sites. The final product is an enriched library of microsatellites of defined sequences. The method is applicable to any genome and in principle is adaptable to the rapid isolation of both repetitive as well as genic sequences. It is illustrated by the isolation of trinucleotide repeat (TAA)n sequences from the citrus genome.

A meta-analysis of the effect of garlic on blood pressure

Abstract: ObjectiveTo undertake a systematic review, including meta-analysis, of published and unpublished randomized controlled trials of garlic preparations to determine the effect of garlic on blood pressure relative to placebo and other antihypertensive agentsData identification: Studies were identified b

Predicting survival for 1 year among different subtypes of stroke. Results from the Perth Community Stroke Study.

Abstract: Few studies have evaluated the factors influencing or predicting long-term survival after stroke in an unselected series of patients in whom the underlying cerebrovascular pathology is clearly defined. Moreover, the relative importance of risk factors for stroke, including sociodemographic and premorbid variables, has not been described in detail.The study cohort consisted of 492 patients with stroke who were registered with a population-based study of acute cerebrovascular disease undertaken in Perth, Western Australia, during an 18-month period in 1989 and 1990. Objective evidence of the pathological basis of the stroke was obtained in 86% of cases, and all deaths among patients during a follow-up of 1 year were reviewed.One hundred twenty patients (24%) died within 28 days of the onset of stroke. Among the different subtypes of stroke, the 1-year case fatality (mean, 38%) varied from 6% and 16% for boundary zone infarction and lacunar infarction, respectively, to 42% and 46% for subarachnoid hemorrhage...

Situational and interpersonal correlates of anxiety associated with peer victimisation

Abstract: InStudy One the nature of peer bullying among 353 Australian primary school children from years three to seven was studied with a view to understanding the anxiety generated by victimisation. Over one-third of the sample reported feeling unsafe from bullying at school and over half of the sample believed that the reason children did not ask for help from bullying was that they were too afraid. InStudy Two 114 primary school students from a second school were assessed for social-evaluative anxiety associated with peer victimisation at school. The findings indicated that victimisation was associated with fear of negative evaluation amongst males and females and social avoidance amongst females.

Sources of water used by riparian Eucalyptus camaldulensis overlying highly saline groundwater.

Abstract: Water sources of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. trees were investigated on a semiarid floodplain in south-eastern Australia. The trees investigated ranged in distance from 0.5 to 40 m from a stream, with electrical conductivity 0.8 dSm−1, and grew over groundwater with electrical conductivity ranging from 30 to 50 dSm−1. The sources of water being used by the trees were investigated using the naturally occurring stable isotopes of water and measurements of soil water potential. Xylem water potential and leaf conductance were also examined to identify the trees' response to using these sources of water. Trees at distances greater than about 15 m from the stream used no stream water. The trees used groundwater in summer and a combination of groundwater and rain-derived surface-soil water (0.05–0.15 m depth) in winter. In doing so they suffered water stress at electrical conductivities higher than approximately 40 dSm−1 (equivalent to approximately −1.4 MPa). Trees adjacent to the stream used stream water directly in summer, but may have used stream water from the soil profile in winter, after the stream had risen and recharged the soil water. E. camaldulensis appeared to be partially opportunistic in the sources of water they used.

The Relationship Between Transformational and Transactional Leadership and School Improvement Outcomes

Abstract: This study examined the nature of the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and the nature of the relationships between specified school outcomes and the constructs of ...

Omeprazole v ranitidine for prevention of relapse in reflux oesophagitis. A controlled double blind trial of their efficacy and safety.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare recurrence rates of reflux oesophagitis (after endoscopic healing with omeprazole) over a 12 month period of randomised, double blind, maintenance treatment with either daily omeprazole (20 mg every morning; n = 53), weekend omeprazole (20 mg on three consecutive days a week, n = 55) or daily ranitidine (150 mg twice daily, n = 51). Patients were assessed for relapse by endoscopy (with gastric biopsy) at six and 12 months, or in the event of symptomatic recurrence, and serum gastrin was monitored. At 12 months, the estimated proportions of patients in remission (actuarial life table method) were 89% when receiving daily omeprazole compared with 32% when receiving weekend omeprazole (difference 57%, p < 0.001, 95% confidence intervals: 42% to 71%) and 25% when receiving daily ranitidine (difference 64%, p < 0.001, 95% confidence intervals: 50% to 78%). Median gastrin concentrations increased slightly during the healing phase, but remained within the normal range and did not change during maintenance treatment. No significant pathological findings were noted, and no adverse events were attributable to the study treatments. In conclusion, for patients who respond favourably to acute treatment with omeprazole 20 mg every morning, the drug is a safe and highly effective maintenance treatment for preventing relapse of reflux oesophagitis and its associated symptoms over 12 months. By contrast, weekend omeprazole and daily ranitidine were ineffective.

Bone chemistry and paleodiet

Abstract: Bone chemistry paleodietary studies are emerging as important research areas in archaeology, biological anthropology, and paleontology. With appropriate controls, the inorganic and organic chemical composition of bones and teeth can provide information about past diet and habitat use. Chemical signatures are used to address individual dietary variability in early hominid fossils, paleontological remains, and more recent human and faunal populations.

Convergent close-coupling method for the calculation of electron scattering on hydrogenlike targets

Abstract: We extend the convergent-close-coupling method for the calculation of electron-hydrogen scattering to hydrogenlike targets, atoms, or ions. These include H, Li, Na, and K, atoms, as well as the multitude of ions which have the same isoelectronic sequence as any of these atoms. The reliability of the method is independent of the projectile energy, and we demonstrate its applicability by achieving excellent agreement with a large set of measurements for electron scattering on sodium at projectile energies ranging from 1 to 54.4 eV. These measurements include spin asymmetries, singlet and triplet ${\mathit{L}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$, reduced Stokes parameters, differential, integrated, and total cross sections, as well as the total ionization spin asymmetry. The method is found to give better agreement with experiment than any other over this entire energy range.

Parental bonding and vulnerability to adolescent suicide.

Abstract: Part of a series of studies into early detection in adolescent suicide, this study investigated relationships between parenting style and suicidal thoughts, acts and depression. Students (mean age 15 years) from 4 randomly chosen high schools completed self-report questionnaires containing the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Youth Self Report, which provided information about suicide ideation, deliberate self-harm and depression. Significant differences for mean scores on the PBI subscales were noted between cases and noncases of depression, suicidal thoughts and deliberate self-harm. Assignment by adolescents of their parents to the “affectionless control” quadrant of the PBI doubles the relative risk for suicidal thoughts, increases the relative risk for deliberate self-harm 3-fold and increases the relative risk for depression 5-fold. It seems that the PBI may play a role in identification of vulnerable adolescents; further, it both elucidates aspects of adolescent-parent interaction and points toward areas for intervention with at-risk adolescents. We recommend the use of the PBI in early detection studies of adolescent suicide.

Professional accounting body ethics: In search of the private interest

Abstract: This paper expounds the hypothesis that protection of the accounting profession's self-interest is a primary latent rationale for its promulgation and maintenance of ethics codes. The sociological literature on professional body ethics provides the basis for a private interest model of the accounting profession's ethical claims. The model is subject to amplification via an exploratory examination of published Australian accounting body disciplinary cases. Finally, it is hypothesized that the private and public interest rationales of professional accounting body ethics may be to a degree interrelated.

Detection of discrete androgen receptor epitopes in prostate cancer by immunostaining: measurement by color video image analysis.

Abstract: To determine whether multiple features of immunohistochemical staining of the androgen receptor (AR) in prostate cancer could reliably predict androgen dependence, tumor biopsy specimens from 30 patients (stages A-D2) were stained using anti-peptide antibodies to the amino- and carboxyl-terminal of the AR. Measurements were made of the mean area and total amount (i.e., integrated optical density) of AR staining in at least 20 fields per section using a color video image analysis system, and the mean intensity of AR staining per cell and the percentage of AR positive tumor cells were derived. Video image analysis measurement identified quantitative differences in AR staining between the two antibodies, suggesting that this approach may provide a means of identifying receptor variants in prostate tumors. The AR staining measurements were analyzed by discriminant function analysis to assign individual cases to good and poor clinical outcome groups. AR staining features measured with a single antibody (e.g., amino-terminal) were sufficient to predict outcome following hormonal therapy in stage D2 patients (predictive value, 1.0), whereas all features of AR staining measured with both antibodies were required for the entire patient group (predictive value, 0.97). The principal discriminant in both patient groups contributing to the correct assignment of outcome was the mean intensity of AR staining per cell. These findings suggest that AR staining features measured by video image analysis have the potential to predict outcome in prostate cancer.

The Influence of a Peer‐Pairing Program on International Students' First Year Experience and Use of Student Services

Abstract: Newly‐arrived first year undergraduate international students were paired with host national students who had received brief training in intercultural communication and information on campus services. The hosts were asked to keep a twice‐monthly contact with their students during first year. At the end of the year, all first year international students were surveyed and the responses of 41 students who had been in the peer‐pairing program were compared with a matched sample of those who had not participated. The academic results of a smaller sample of participants were compared with a group of non‐participants matched precisely for course of enrolment. The results support a view that structured contact between host and international students can have beneficial effects on international students' experience. Participants were more likely than non‐participants to choose positive descriptors of their year, to have used campus services and to report gains in language fluency. There were no significan...

A channel that allows inwardly directed fluxes of anions in protoplasts derived from wheat roots

Abstract: An anion channel that only allows outward current flow (anion influx) has been identified in protoplasts derived from wheat (Triticum aestivum L., Triticum turgidum L.) roots. The anion outward rectifier (anion OR) measured by patch-clamp of whole cells activated very quickly, usually reaching a steady-state level in less than 100 ms and was easily distinguished from the cation outward rectifier (cation OR) which activated more slowly during membrane depolarisation. The anion OR is permeable to NO 3 − and Cl−, moderately permeable to I−, and relatively impermeable to H2PO4/− and ClO4/−. An anomalous mole-fraction effect between ClO4/ − and Cl− was observed on the outward current, indicating that the channel is a multi-ion pore. The anion OR is gated by both voltage and external anion concentration such that it activates near to the equilibrium potential for the permeant anion. It activated at more negative membrane potentials when NO 3 − was substituted for Cl− in the external medium, indicating that the channel may function to allow NO 3 − influx under luxuriant external NO 3 − concentrations. For most experiments, K+ and Cl− were the main cation and anion in solution, and under these conditions it appeared likely that the anion OR functioned in membrane-potential regulation by facilitating a Cl− influx at membrane potentials more positive than the chloride reversal potential (ECl). If ECl was more negative than the K+ reversal potential (EK) then the anion OR dominated but both the anion and cation ORs occurred together when the membrane potential difference (Vm) was positive of both ECl and EK. The cation OR was inhibited by increasing external Cl− concentrations, but the anion OR was not affected by external K+ or Na+ concentration. The anion-transport inhibitors, zinc and phenylglyoxal were ineffective in blocking the anion OR. 4,4′-Di-isothiocyanostilbene-2, 2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS) irreversibly blocked about 34% of the current when applied extracellularly at a concentration of 25 μM, and about 69% at a concentration of 200 μM. However, DIDS (200 μM) also occasionally acted as an irreversible blocker of the cation OR. Perchlorate blocked irreversibly 75% of the current at an external concentration of 10 mM and did not block the cation OR. Whole-cell currents also indicated that the anion OR was insensitive to external pH (pH=5–7) and calcium concentration ([Ca2+]=0.1–10 mM). Increasing intracellular calcium concentration significantly increased the occurrence of the fast outward current in whole cells (P < 0.005, X2 test). With approximately 10 nM calcium inside the cell the anion outward current was observed in 64% (n = 45) of cells and with 50 nM calcium inside the cell the anion current was observed in 88% (n = 69) of cells. Single-anion OR channels observed in outside-out patches had a conductance in 300 mM KCl (external) of about 4 pS. When voltage pulses were applied to outside-out patches the average currents were similar to those observed in whole cells. The significance of the anion OR as a likely route for Cl uptake in high salinities is discussed.

Learning styles and approaches to learning: distinguishing between concepts and instruments

Abstract: Learning styles and approaches to learning represent two different perspectives on student learning processes that may influence academic achievement. The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) is used to measure 20 elements of learning style, and the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) to measure students' surface, deep and achieving approaches to learning and studying. Factor analysis of PEPS and SPQ data obtained from 400 Australian university students indicates that these two instruments measure two quite distinct conceptualisations of how students learn and that it is therefore appropriate to differentiate between the way students learn in terms of either style-based or approach-based constructs. Test-retest reliability of the PEPS and SPQ produced from correlational analysis of data collected from two administrations of these instruments, a year apart, shows that approach to learning is relatively stable over time but that learning style, as measured by the PEPS, is not as stable a construct as its authors claim. Researchers and practitioners should take care to select instruments according to their intended use and to take into consideration the strengths and limitations of each instrument.

The role of enteric inhibitory motoneurons in peristalsis in the isolated guinea-pig small intestine.

Abstract: 1. Peristalsis is a co-ordinated motor behaviour in which an anally propagated contraction of the circular muscle propels intraluminal contents. The role of excitatory motoneurons in peristalsis is well established; however the role of enteric inhibitory motoneurons is unknown. 2. A combination of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor and apamin, which blocks relaxation of the circular muscle of guinea-pig small intestine mediated by enteric inhibitory motoneurons, was used to investigate the role of inhibitory motoneurons in peristalsis in isolated segments of guinea-pig small intestine. 3. N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 400 microM) and N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOArg, 100 microM) significantly reduced the threshold volume required to trigger emptying of the intestine. This effect was reversed by L-arginine (4 mM) and L-arginine alone increased the threshold volume for initiation of peristalsis. Sodium nitroprusside (0.1-10 microM), which generates nitric oxide, also increased the threshold volume. L-NAME, L-NOArg, L-arginine and sodium nitroprusside did not alter the maximal intraluminal pressure generated during emptying. Contraction of the longitudinal muscle during the initial phase of fluid infusion was significantly increased by L-NAME and L-NOArg and reduced by sodium nitroprusside (1 nM to 10 microM). 4. Apamin (0.5 microM) did not significantly alter the threshold volume necessary to initiate peristalsis or contraction of the longitudinal muscle. However, the maximal pressure generated when the intestine was emptying was significantly increased. Furthermore, short segments of circular muscle contracted apparently randomly, before peristaltic emptying was triggered. 5. A combination of L-NAME and apamin completely disrupted peristalsis. Contractions of the circular muscle did not always start at the oral end. Stationary contractions as well as contractions propagating orally and anally were observed. 6. It is concluded that enteric inhibitory motoneurons are crucial for peristalsis to occur. They are important in setting the threshold at which peristaltic emptying is triggered, via nitric oxide. They are essential for the propagation of the circular muscle contraction, via an apamin-sensitive mechanism of transmission. Contraction of the longitudinal muscle during peristalsis is partly inhibited by a nitric oxide-mediated mechanism.

Management of death, dying and euthanasia: attitudes and practices of medical practitioners in South Australia.

Abstract: This article presents the first results of a study of the decisions made by health professionals in South Australia concerning the management of death, dying, and euthanasia, and focuses on the findings concerning the attitudes and practices of medical practitioners. Mail-back, self-administered questionnaires were posted in August 1991 to a ten per cent sample of 494 medical practitioners in South Australia randomly selected from the list published by the Medical Board of South Australia. A total response rate of 68 per cent was obtained, 60 per cent of which (298) were usable returns. It was found that forty-seven per cent had received requests from patients to hasten their deaths. Nineteen per cent had taken active steps which had brought about the death of a patient. Sixty-eight per cent thought that guidelines for withholding and withdrawal of treatment should be established. Forty-five per cent were in favour of legalisation of active euthanasia under certain circumstances.

Finite-difference solution of the eikonal equation using an efficient, first-arrival, wavefront tracking scheme

Abstract: First‐break traveltimes can be accurately computed by the finite‐difference solution of the eikonal equation using a new corner‐node discretization scheme. It offers accuracy advantages over the traditional cell‐centered node scheme. A substantial efficiency improvement is achieved by the incorporation of a wavefront tracking algorithm based on the construction of a minimum traveltime tree. For the traditional discretization scheme, an accurate average value for the local squared slowness is found to be crucial in stabilizing the numerical scheme for models with large slowness contrasts. An improved method based on the traditional discretization scheme can be used to calculate traveltimes in arbitrarily varying velocity models, but the method based on the corner‐node discretization scheme provides a much better solution.