University of New South Wales

About: University of New South Wales is a education organization based out in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 51197 authors who have published 153634 publications receiving 4880608 citations. The organization is also known as: UNSW & UNSW Australia.

The effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise training on fat loss and fasting insulin levels of young women

Abstract: To determine the effects of a 15-week high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) program on subcutaneous and trunk fat and insulin resistance of young women. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: HIIE (n=15), steady-state exercise (SSE; n=15) or control (CONT; n=15). HIIE and SSE groups underwent a 15-week exercise intervention. Forty-five women with a mean BMI of 23.2±2.0 kg m−2 and age of 20.2±2.0 years. Both exercise groups demonstrated a significant improvement (P<0.05) in cardiovascular fitness. However, only the HIIE group had a significant reduction in total body mass (TBM), fat mass (FM), trunk fat and fasting plasma insulin levels. There was significant fat loss (P<0.05) in legs compared to arms in the HIIE group only. Lean compared to overweight women lost less fat after HIIE. Decreases in leptin concentrations were negatively correlated with increases in VO2peak (r=−0.57, P<0.05) and positively correlated with decreases in TBM (r=0.47; P<0.0001). There was no significant change in adiponectin levels after training. HIIE three times per week for 15 weeks compared to the same frequency of SSE exercise was associated with significant reductions in total body fat, subcutaneous leg and trunk fat, and insulin resistance in young women.

DNA stable-isotope probing

Abstract: Stable-isotope probing is a method used in microbial ecology that provides a means by which specific functional groups of organisms that incorporate particular substrates are identified without the prerequisite of cultivation. Stable-isotope-labeled carbon (13C) or nitrogen (15N) sources are assimilated into microbial biomass of environmental samples. Separation and molecular analysis of labeled nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) reveals phylogenetic and functional information about the microorganisms responsible for the metabolism of a particular substrate. Here, we highlight general guidelines for incubating environmental samples with labeled substrate and provide a detailed protocol for separating labeled DNA from unlabeled community DNA. The protocol includes a modification of existing published methods, which maximizes the recovery of labeled DNA from CsCl gradients. The separation of DNA and retrieval of unlabeled and labeled fractions can be performed in 4-5 days, with much of the time being committed to the ultracentrifugation step.

Classification of basic daily movements using a triaxial accelerometer.

Abstract: A generic framework for the automated classification of human movements using an accelerometry monitoring system is introduced. The framework was structured around a binary decision tree in which movements were divided into classes and subclasses at different hierarchical levels. General distinctions between movements were applied in the top levels, and successively more detailed subclassifications were made in the lower levels of the tree. The structure was modular and flexible: parts of the tree could be reordered, pruned or extended, without the remainder of the tree being affected. This framework was used to develop a classifier to identify basic movements from the signals obtained from a single, waist-mounted triaxial accelerometer. The movements were first divided into activity and rest. The activities were classified as falls, walking, transition between postural orientations, or other movement. The postural orientations during rest were classified as sitting, standing or lying. In controlled laboratory studies in which 26 normal, healthy subjects carried out a set of basic movements, the sensitivity of every classification exceeded 87%, and the specificity exceeded 94%; the overall accuracy of the system, measured as the number of correct classifications across all levels of the hierarchy, was a sensitivity of 97.7% and a specificity of 98.7% over a data set of 1309 movements.

Communication behaviours in a hospital setting: An observational study

Abstract: Objective: An exploratory study to identify patterns of communication behaviour among hospital based healthcare workers. Design: Non-participatory, qualitative observational study. Setting: British district general hospital. Subjects: Eight doctors and two nurses. Results: Communication behaviours resulted in an interruptive workplace, which seemed to contribute to inefficiency in work practice. Medical staff generated twice as many interruptions via telephone and paging systems as they received. Hypothesised causes for this level of interruption include a bias by staff to interruptive communication methods, a tendency to seek information from colleagues in preference to printed materials, and poor provision of information in support of contacting individuals in specific roles. Staff were observed to infer the intention of messages based on insufficient information, and clinical teams demonstrated complex communication patterns, which could lead to inefficiency. Conclusion: The results suggest a number of improvements to processes or technologies. Staff may need instruction in appropriate use of communication facilities. Further, excessive emphasis on information technology may be misguided since much may be gained by supporting information exchange through communication technology. Voicemail and email with acknowledgment, mobile communication, improved support for role based contact, and message screening may be beneficial in the hospital environment. Key messages We observed communication behaviour among 10 hospital based healthcare workers Communication behaviours resulted in an interruptive work place, which seemed to contribute to inefficiency in work practice Medical staff generated twice as many interruptions via telephone and paging systems as they received, and possible causes for this included a bias by staff to interruptive communication methods, a tendency to seek information from colleagues in preference to printed materials, and poor provision of information in support of contacting individuals in specific roles Staff were observed to infer the intention of messages based on insufficient information, and clinical teams showed complex communication patterns, which could lead to inefficiency We conclude that hospital staff may need instruction in appropriate use of communication facilities and that some communication technology—voicemail and email with acknowledgment, cellular telephones for mobile communication, improved support for role based contact, and message screening—may be beneficial