Showing papers by "Flinders University published in 1999"

Structural and functional studies of udp-glucuronosyltransferases*

Abstract: UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are glycoproteins localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) which catalyze the conjugation of a broad variety of lipophilic aglycon substrates with glucuronic acid using UDP-glucuronic acid (UDP-GIcUA) as the sugar donor. Glucuronidation is a major factor in the elimination of lipophilic compounds from the body. In this review, current information on the substrate specificities of UGT1A and 2B family isoforms is discussed. Recent findings with regard to UGT structure and topology are presented, including a dynamic topological model of UGTs in the ER. Evidence from experiments on UGT interactions with inhibitors directed at specific amino acids, photoaffinity labeling, and analysis of amino acid alignments suggest that UDP-GIcUA interacts with residues in both the N- and C-terminal domains, whereas aglycon binding sites are localized in the N-terminal domain. The amino acids identified so far as crucial for substrate binding and catalysis are arginine, lysine, histidine, proline, and residues containing carboxylic acid. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments are critical for unambiguous identification of the active-site architecture.

Plant aquaporins: Their molecular biology, biophysics and significance for plant water relations

Abstract: Over the last decade, considerable advances have occurred in understanding the molecular biology and biophysics of water permeation across plant membranes and tissues. Spurred on by the rapid advances in cloning and functional characterization of a super-family of major intrinsic proteins, some of which function as aquaporins, the biophysics of transport of water and small non-electrolytes across plant membranes is being re-examined based on the proposed function of these membrane-integral proteins in their native membranes. This review focuses on a number of issues that are central to an understanding of aquaporin function: (1) the need to be able to test for water-channel activity in native membranes; (2) the implications of the observed solute/water selectivity of aquaporins; (3) the putative functional roles of aquaporins at the cell, tissue and organ levels in plants; and (4) information that can be obtained from studies of the abundance, diversity and expression patterns of aquaporins. It is clear that to answer many of the critical questions that remain concerning aquaporin function, combined studies using appropriate molecular and biophysical techniques will be required.

Gender differences in leadership style, job stress and mental health in male- and female-dominated industries

Abstract: A number of writers have suggested that when men dominate numerically in an industry, women in that industry experience pressure to alter their leadership style, which in turn impacts on their mental health. These assertions, based largely on limited research findings and anecdotal evidence, were tested empirically. Specifically, the study investigated the impact of working in either a male- or female-dominated industry on the leadership style, stress levels and mental health of 60 women and 60 men managers. As hypothesized, women and men in male-dominated industries did not differ in interpersonal orientation, whereas in female-dominated industries women were more interpersonally oriented than men. Consistent with predictions, women did report more pressure from their jobs than men, with women in male-dominated industries reporting the highest level of pressure from discrimination. Although there was no overall difference between women and men's mental health, there was a difference in the pattern of relationships between leadership style and mental health. Women in male-dominated industries reported worse mental health when they utilized an interpersonally oriented leadership style, whereas men in male-dominated industries reported better mental health when they utilized such a leadership style. These findings suggest that both gender and the gender ratio of the industry influence leadership style, stress and mental health, and as such contribute to our understanding of the barriers to women working in senior management roles in male-dominated industries.

Receptor-activated Ca2+ inflow in animal cells: a variety of pathways tailored to meet different intracellular Ca2+ signalling requirements

Abstract: Receptor-activated Ca2+ channels (RACCs) play a central role in regulation of the functions of animal cells. Together with voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs) and ligand-gated non-selective cation channels, RACCs provide a variety of pathways by which Ca2+ can be delivered to the cytoplasmic space and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in order to initiate or maintain specific types of intracellular Ca2+ signal. Store-operated Ca2+ channels (SOCs), which are activated by a decrease in Ca2+ in the ER, are a major subfamily of RACCs. A careful analysis of the available data is required in order to discern the different types of RACCs (differentiated chiefly on the basis of ion selectivity and mechanism of activation) and to properly develop hypotheses for structures and mechanisms of activation. Despite much intensive research, the structures and mechanisms of activation of RACCs are only now beginning to be understood. In considering the physiological functions of the different RACCs, it is useful to consider the specificity for Ca2+ of each type of cation channel and the rate at which Ca2+ flows through a single open channel; the locations of the channels on the plasma membrane (in relation to the ER, cytoskeleton and other intracellular units of structure and function); the Ca2+-responsive enzymes and proteins; and the intracellular buffers and proteins that control the distribution of Ca2+ in the cytoplasmic space. RACCs which are non-selective cation channels can deliver Ca2+ directly to specific regions of the cytoplasmic space, and can also admit Na+, which induces depolarization of the plasma membrane, the opening of VOCCs and the subsequent inflow of Ca2+. SOCs appear to deliver Ca2+ specifically to the ER, thereby maintaining oscillating Ca2+ signals.

A framework for effective management of change in clinical practice: dissemination and implementation of clinical practice guidelines.

Abstract: Theories from social and behavioural science can make an important contribution to the process of developing a conceptual framework for improving use of clinical practice guidelines and clinician performance. A conceptual framework for guideline dissemination and implementation is presented which draws on relevant concepts from diffusion of innovation theory, the transtheoretical model of behaviour change, health education theory, social influence theory, and social ecology, as well as evidence from systematic literature reviews on the effectiveness of various behaviour change strategies. The framework emphasises the need for preimplementation assessment of (a) readiness of clinicians to adopt guidelines into practice, (b) barriers to change as experienced by clinicians, and (c) the level at which interventions should be targeted. It also incorporates the need for multifaceted interventions, identifies the type of barriers which will be addressed by each strategy, and develops the concept of progression through stages of guideline adoption by clinicians, with the use of appropriately targeted support strategies. The potential value of the model is that it may enable those involved in the process of guideline dissemination and implementation to direct strategies to target groups more effectively. Clearly, the effectiveness and utility of the model in facilitating guideline dissemination and implementation requires validation by further empirical research. Until such research is available, it provides a theoretical framework that may assist in the selection of appropriate guideline dissemination and implementation strategies.

The basal forebrain corticopetal system revisited

Abstract: The medial septum, diagonal bands, ventral pallidum, substantia innominata, globus pallidus, and internal capsule contain a heterogeneous population of neurons, including cholinergic and noncholinergic (mostly GABA containing), corticopetal projection neurons, and interneurons. This highly complex brain region, which constitutes a significant part of the basal forebrain has been implicated in attention, motivation, learning, as well as in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia. Part of the difficulty in understanding the functions of the basal forebrain, as well as the aberrant information-processing characteristics of these disease states lies in the fact that the organizational principles of this brain area remained largely elusive. On the basis of new anatomical data, it is proposed that a large part of the basal forebrain corticopetal system be organized into longitudinal bands. Considering the topographic organization of cortical afferents to different divisions of the prefrontal cortex and a similar topographic projection of these prefrontal areas to basal forebrain regions, it is suggested that several functionally segregated cortico-prefronto-basal forebrain-cortical circuits exist. It is envisaged that such specific "triangular" circuits could amplify selective attentional processing in posterior sensory cortical areas.

Inhibition of water channels by HgCl2 in intact wheat root cells

Abstract: To assess the extent of water flow through channels in the membranes of intact higher plant cells, the effects of HgCl 2 on hydraulic conductivity ( L P ) of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) root cells were investigated using a pressure probe. The L P of root cells was reduced by 75% in the presence of 100 μm HgCl 2 . The K + -channel blocker tetraethylammonium had no effect on the L P at concentrations that normally block K + channels. HgCl 2 rapidly depolarized the membrane potential ( V m ) of the root cells. The dose-response relationship of inhibition of L P and depolarization of V m were not significantly different, with half-maximal inhibition occurring at 4.6 and 7.8 μm, respectively. The inhibition of L P and the depolarization of V m caused by HgCl 2 were partially reversed by β-mercaptoethanol. The inhibition of L P by HgCl 2 was similar in magnitude to that caused by hypoxia, and the addition of HgCl 2 to hypoxia-treated cells did not result in further inhibition. We compared the L P of intact cells with that predicted from a model of cortical cells incorporating water flow across both the plasma membrane and the tonoplast using measured values of water permeability from isolated membranes, and found that HgCl 2 has other effects in addition to the direct inhibition of water channels.

Satellite-cell-derived nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3 are involved in noradrenergic sprouting in the dorsal root ganglia following peripheral nerve injury in the rat.

Abstract: Injury to a peripheral nerve induces in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sprouting of sympathetic and peptidergic terminals around large-diameter sensory neurons that project in the damaged nerve. This pathological change may be implicated in the chronic pain syndromes seen in some patients with peripheral nerve injury. The mechanisms underlying the sprouting are not known. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical techniques, we have now found that nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT3) synthesis is upregulated in satellite cells surrounding neurons in lesioned DRG as early as 48 h after nerve injury. This response lasts for at least 2 months. Quantitative analysis showed that the levels of mRNAs for NT3 and NGF increased in ipsilateral but not contralateral DRG after nerve injury. Noradrenergic sprouting around the axotomized neurons was associated with p75-immunoreactive satellite cells. Further, antibodies specific to NGF or NT3, delivered by an osmotic mini-pump to the DRG via the lesioned L5 spinal nerve, significantly reduced noradrenergic sprouting. These results implicate satellite cell-derived neurotrophins in the induction of sympathetic sprouting following peripheral nerve injury.

Judgments of Deservingness: Studies in the Psychology of Justice and Achievement

Abstract: This article presents a review and conceptual analysis of the concept of deservingness that incorporates the effects of personal values, perceived responsibility, ingroup-outgroup relations, and like-dislike relations. Selected studies show that reactions to another's success or failure and to the rise or fall of "tall poppies" or high achievers depends on the degree to which the positive or negative outcome is seen to be deserved; that individual differences in personal values and in value syndromes may be assumed to affect deservingness via the subjective values assigned to actions and outcomes; that group membership, status, interpersonal liking-disliking, and perceived moral character also affect judgments of deservingness; and that deservingness is a key variable that mediates how observers react to penalties imposed on the perpetrators of different kinds of offense. It is argued that the inclusion of deservingness goes beyond approaches in which perceived responsibility is accorded central status by adding a further link in the causal chain, thus enabling a more complete consideration of the effects of justice and value variables on how people react to positive and negative outcomes for both self and other.

Exercise training and blood lipids in hyperlipidemic and normolipidemic adults : A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials

Abstract: Objective: To determine the effectiveness of exercise training (aerobic and resistance) in modifying blood lipids, and to determine the most effective training programme with regard to duration, intensity and frequency for optimizing the blood lipid profile. Design: Trials were identified by a systematic search of Medline, Embase, Science Citation Index (SCI), published reviews and the references of relevant trials. The inclusion criteria were limited to randomized, controlled trials of aerobic and resistance exercise training which were conducted over a minimum of four weeks and involved measurement of one or more of the following: total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG). Subjects: A total of 31 trials (1833 hyperlipidemic and normolipidemic participants) were included. Results: Aerobic exercise training resulted in small but statistically significant decreases of 0.10 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.02, 0.18), 0.10 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.19), 0.08 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.02, 0.14), for TC, LDL-C, and TG, respectively, with an increase in HDL-C of 0.05 mmol/L (95% CI: 0.02, 0.08). Comparisons between the intensities of the aerobic exercise programmes produced inconsistent results; but more frequent exercise did not appear to result in greater improvements to the lipid profile than exercise three times per week. The evidence for the effect of resistance exercise training was inconclusive. Conclusions: Caution is required when drawing firm conclusions from this study given the significant heterogeneity with comparisons. However, the results appear to indicate that aerobic exercise training produced small but favourable modifications to blood lipids in previously sedentary adults. Sponsorship: Public Health Research and Development Project Grant, National Health and Medical Research Council, Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services, 1995.

Quantitative analysis of peristalsis in the guinea-pig small intestine using spatio-temporal maps.

Abstract: 1 Peristalsis was evoked in guinea-pig small intestine by slow fluid infusion and recorded onto video and digitized. Spatio-temporal maps of diameter and longitudinal movement were constructed and parameters of motion were calculated. 2 During the filling of the isolated segments of intestine, rhythmic local longitudinal movements were observed at several points along the preparation. These phasic longitudinal muscle contractions were associated with small but significant local increases in diameter and probably reflect a passive mechanical coupling by connective tissue in the gut wall. In addition, occasional synchronized longitudinal muscle contractions caused net shortening of the preparation and always preceded the onset of peristaltic emptying. 3 Peristaltic emptying was characterized by a contraction of the circular muscle which usually started at the oral end of the preparation, that propagated aborally, propelling the contents. However, in 19% of trials, the first circular muscle contraction occurred in the aboral half of the preparation. 4 The propagation of peristalsis consisted of separate sequential circular muscle contractions several centimetres long, particularly in the oral half of the preparation, giving a ‘step-like’ appearance to the spatio-temporal map. The gut was transiently distended aboral to the propagating circular muscle contraction due to the propulsion of contents. 5 At each point in the preparation, the longitudinal muscle remained contracted during the propulsive part of the circular muscle contraction. Only when the circular muscle contraction became lumen occlusive did lengthening of the longitudinal muscle take place. 6 Spatio-temporal maps are a powerful tool to visualize and analyse the complexity of gastrointestinal motility patterns.

Optimum multiparameter analysis of the water mass structure in the Atlantic Ocean thermocline

Abstract: An analysis of the water mass structure of the Atlantic Ocean central layer is conducted by applying optimum multiparameter (OMP) analysis to an expansive historical data set. This inverse method utilises hydrographic property fields to determine the spreading and mixing of water masses in the permanent thermocline. An expanded form of OMP analysis is used, incorporating Redfield ratios and pseudo-age to correct for the non-conservative behaviour of oxygen and nutrients over large oceanic areas. Three water masses are considered to contribute to the central layer of the Atlantic Ocean. One of these is formed in each hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean and the other advects around the southern tip of Africa from its formation region in the Indian Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is analysed on a fine three-dimensional grid so that at every grid point the relative contributions of each water mass and the pseudo-age are determined. The model is remarkably successful in verifying many accepted circulation features in the Atlantic Ocean, including the large-scale circulations of the subtropical gyres, the zonal flows of equatorial currents at the equator, and a cross-equatorial flow of the water masses formed in the southern hemisphere near the western boundary. The inter-hemisphere flow is so important that almost half of the thermocline waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are supplied by the two water masses formed in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This provides support for an upper-layer replacement path for the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water. Further east, the sharp front at about 15°N between North and South Atlantic Central Waters is clearly discriminated throughout the thermocline. The central waters of the South Atlantic thermocline are found to be highly stratified, with central water formed in the Indian Ocean underlying the South Atlantic Central Water. At around 5°N a strong upwelling zone is identified in which the central water formed in the Indian Ocean penetrates towards the surface. The pseudo-age results allow pathways for the flow of water masses to be inferred, and clearly identify circulation features such as the subtropical gyres, the Equatorial Undercurrent, and the shadow zones in the eastern equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean. Water mass renewal in these shadow zones occurs on considerably longer time scales than for the well-ventilated subtropical gyres.

Food, Morals and Meaning: The Pleasure and Anxiety of Eating

Abstract: Following on from the success of the first edition, John Coveney traces our complex relationship with food and eating and our preoccupation with diet, self-discipline and food guilt. Using our current fascination with health and nutrition, he explores why our appetite for food pleasures makes us feel anxious. This up-to-date edition includes an examination of how our current obsession with body size, especially fatness, drives a national and international panic about the obesity ‘epidemic’. Focusing on how our food anxieties have stemmed from social, political and religious problems in Western history, Food, Morals and Meaning looks at: the ancient Greeks’ preoccupation with eating early Christianity and the conflict between the pleasures of the flesh and spirituality scientific developments in eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe and our current knowledge of food the social organization of food in the modern home, based on real interviews the obesity ‘epidemic’ and its association with moral degeneration. Based on the work of Michel Foucault, this fresh and updated edition explains how a rationalization food choice – so apparent in current programmes on nutrition and health – can be traced through a genealogy of historical social imperatives and moral panics. Food, Morals and Meaning is essential reading for those studying nutrition, public health, sociology of health and illness and sociology of the body.

Alpha-synuclein immunoisolation of glial inclusions from multiple system atrophy brain tissue reveals multiprotein components.

Abstract: Immunohistochemical studies have shown that oligodendroglial inclusions in multiple system atrophy contain alpha-synuclein, a synaptic protein also found in Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease. We have now used density gradient enrichment and an anti-alpha-synuclein immunomagnetic technique to isolate pure and morphologically intact oligodendroglial inclusions from brain white matter of patients dying with multiple system atrophy. Filamentous inclusion structures were obtained only from multiple system atrophy tissue, but not from normal brain tissues, or from multiple system atrophy tissue processed without anti-alpha-synuclein antibody. We confirmed the purity and morphology of isolated inclusions by electron microscopy. The inclusions comprised multiple protein bands after separation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunoblotting demonstrated that these proteins included alpha-synuclein, alphaB-crystallin, tubulins, ubiquitin, and prominent, possibly truncated alpha-synuclein species as high-molecular-weight aggregates. Our study provides the first biochemical evidence that oligodendroglial inclusion filaments consist of multiple protein components, suggesting that these inclusions may form as a result of multiprotein interactions with alpha-synuclein.

Hyperalgesia due to nerve damage: role of nerve growth factor.

Abstract: The hypothesis that nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) contribute to hyperalgesia resulting from nerve damage was tested in rats in which the sciatic nerve was partially transected on one side. Administration of antisera raised against NGF and BDNF relieved mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in these animals. It has been suggested that NGF may elicit hyperalgesia by inducing mast cells to release algesic agents such as serotonin (5-HT). We found that degranulation of mast cells with compound 48/80 relieved mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia produced by nerve damage. We also found that local injection of the 5-HT2A and 5-HT3 receptor antagonists ketanserin and ICS 205-930 into the affected hind paw relieved mechanical hyperalgesia in a dose-dependent fashion. These findings support the idea that in this rat model of hyperalgesia due to peripheral nerve damage, NGF acts on mast cells to induce release of 5-HT, which sensitizes nociceptors. Hyperalgesia due to nerve injury and hyperalgesia due to inflammation may share some common features.

Weight concern across the life-span: relationship to self-esteem and feminist identity.

Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the correlates of weight concern across the life-span. Method Questionnaires assessing weight concern, self-esteem, and feminist attitudes were completed in their homes by 180 women aged between 18 and 60 years. Results It was found that there was a negative relationship between weight concern and self-esteem for 30 to 49-year-old women, but not for younger or older women. A similar pattern held for feminist attitudes. Among 30 to 49-year-old women, a strong feminist orientation related to a lesser concern with weight. Discussion It was concluded that the meaning and experience of body weight and size change across the life-span. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int Eat Disord 26: 103–106, 1999.

Asymmetric Electrical Structure in the Mantle Beneath the East Pacific Rise at 17°S

Abstract: The magnetotelluric component of the Mantle Electromagnetic and Tomography (MELT) Experiment measured the electrical resistivity structure of the mantle beneath the fast-spreading southern East Pacific Rise (EPR). The data reveal an asymmetric resistivity structure, with lower resistivity to the west of the ridge. The uppermost 100 kilometers of mantle immediately to the east of the ridge is consistent with a dry olivine resistivity structure indicating a mantle depleted of melt and volatiles. Mantle resistivities to the west of the ridge are consistent with a low-melt fraction (about 1 to 2 percent interconnected melt) distributed over a broad region and extending to depths of about 150 kilometers. The asymmetry in resistivity structure may be the result of asymmetric spreading rates and a westward migration of the ridge axis and suggests distinct styles of melt formation and delivery in the mantle beneath the two plates.

Urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion and aging: new results and a critical review of the literature.

Abstract: The apparent age-related decline in melatonin production has been thought to continue in a secular manner across the lifespan. While it is clear that melatonin levels in children and adolescents are elevated compared to older individuals, the question of whether there is a sudden or gradual change has not been adequately addressed. In this study, we report the excretion of the melatonin metabolite, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin in 253 subjects aged between 21 and 82 yr. The correlation with age was significant (r = -0.24; P < 0.05). When the data was analysed by ANOVA using 5-yr age spans, there was a significant effect of age, but post hoc analysis indicated that after 25 yr of age there was no significant decline in excretion of the metabolite. Thus, although the oldest subjects excreted 36% less melatonin metabolite than the youngest, the decrease occurred at a very early age. In the second part of the study, we re-evaluated the data from seven previous studies that measured plasma melatonin levels or metabolite excretion across a wide range of ages and 11 studies comparing young versus older subjects. Statistical analysis by ANOVA again suggested that the changes in melatonin occurring with age were essentially complete before 30 yr of age. The youngest subjects produced at the most twice the amount of melatonin as the oldest subjects. Finally, we evaluated the mean plasma melatonin levels in 144 groups of normal subjects reported in 137 separate publications with respect to age. Again, whereas there was a significant correlation with age, ANOVA showed that there was no difference between groups after 35 yr of age, and the oldest groups had levels that were only 43% of the youngest groups. We conclude that melatonin production is lower in older people, but that the change occurs very early in life, around 20-30 yr of age.

Chiral Two-Pion Exchange and Proton-Proton Partial-Wave Analysis

Abstract: The chiral two-pion exchange component of the long-range $\mathrm{pp}$ interaction is studied in an energy-dependent partial-wave analysis. We demonstrate its presence and importance and determine the chiral parameters ${c}_{i}$ ( $i\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1,3,4$). The values agree well with those obtained from pion-nucleon amplitudes.

An EGS4-ready tomographic computational model of a 14-year-old female torso for calculating organ doses from CT examinations.

Abstract: Fifty-four consecutive CT scans have been used to construct a tomographic computational model of a 14-year-old female torso suitable for the determination of organ doses from CT. The model, known as ADELAIDE, is in the form of an input file compatible with user codes based on XYZDOS.MOR from the readily available EGS4 Monte Carlo radiation transport code. ADELAIDE's dimensions are close to the Australian averages for her age so the model is representative of a 14-year-old girl. The realistic anatomy in the model differs considerably from that in Cristy's 15-year-old mathematical computational model by having realistically shaped organs that are appropriately located within a real external contour. Average absorbed dose to organs from simulated CT examinations of the chest and abdomen have been calculated for ADELAIDE using EGS4 within a geometry specific to the General Electric Hi-Speed Advantage CT scanner and using an x-ray spectrum calculated using data from the scanner's x-ray tube. The simulations include the scanner's beam shaping filter and patient table. It is suggested that the resulting values have fewer possible sources of uncertainty than organ doses derived from dose coefficients calculated for a MIRD style model with mathematical anatomy and a spectrum that may not match that of the scanner. The organ doses were normalized using the scanner's CTDI measured free-in-air and an EGS4 simulation of the CTDI measurement. Effective dose to the torso from 26-slice chest and 24-slice abdomen examinations (at 120 kV, 200 mAs, 7 mm slices) is 4.6±0.1 mSv and 4.3±0.1 mSv respectively.

Beliefs and data on the relationship between consistency and accuracy of eyewitness testimony

Abstract: Two studies concerned with consistency and accuracy of eyewitness testimony were conducted. In Study 1 potential jurors indicated the degree to which they considered that various witness on-stand behaviours indicated testimonial accuracy. Witness statements that were inconsistent with previous statements were considered to be the strongest indicators of inaccuracy. Study 2 examined the relationship between consistency and accuracy of testimony. Witnesses viewed a film of a robbery and were interviewed twice (2 weeks apart) about the crime in a 4 (interview format)×2 (interview occasion) design. Regardless of whether consistency was operationalised in terms of direct contradictions between interviews, or degree of agreement on detail across interviews, no more than 10% of the variance in overall accuracy rate was explained by any individual measure. Number of contradictions and overall agreement between interviews did, however, make additive contributions to prediction of overall accuracy. Also, higher correlations between contradiction-based consistency measures and interview two accuracy rate were detected. Neither consistency nor accuracy for specific testimonial dimensions were predictive of accuracy on the other dimensions, or overall accuracy. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social Class, Social Selves and Social Control in Childbirth

Abstract: This paper analyses the birthing narratives of 50 Australian women to explore their representations of their birthing experiences. Through the analysis, issues of power, identity and control in childbirth are explored, particularly with respect to the major discursive categories framing childbirth. The birthing narratives of the women in this study revealed significant differences in orientation to first birth according to women’s social class, but also revealed significant shifts in identity and empowerment with subsequent births. These findings differ significantly from existing accounts of power relations in childbirth, which have tended either to universalise women, or, in more recent post-structuralist accounts, to abandon the notion of socially structured differences between women altogether. The findings of this research indicate that social class has a strong effect in the shaping of identity, but that these differences can be transcended by the experience of childbirth itself, which is a critical reflexive moment in many women’s lives.

Toward Understanding Age-Related Memory Loss in Late Adulthood

Abstract: Background: While laboratory tests indicate that older adults typically perform more poorly than do younger adults on many types of memory tasks, the question arises as to whether,

Dedicated education units: 1. A new concept for clinical teaching and learning.

Abstract: The Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) is a new concept in clinical nurse education The DEU plays a major role in enhancing links between health care providers and The Flinders University of South Australia (FUSA) School of Nursing This collaborative venture has created a more positive clinical learning environment, maximized the achievement of student learning outcomes, and nurtured closer partnership between clinicians and academics Recognition of mutuality, respect and trust among all stakeholders is central to its success This paper (part one) explains the rationale for the DEU and describes its inherent values Part two reports on an evaluation of the DEU