Showing papers by "University of South Australia published in 2005"

Multiple methods in qualitative research with children: more insight or just more?

Abstract: This article explores the research implications of using multi-methods within a broad qualitative approach by drawing on the experience of conducting two childhood obesity-focused qualitative studies of Australian children’s perceptions and experiences of place, space and physical activity. Children described and depicted their physical activities and experiences: in focus group interviews, by mapping their local, social and recreational spaces and by photographing their meaningful places, spaces and activities using a Photovoice approach. The authors describe, reflect on and critique their chosen research approach, discussing the value, utility and pitfalls associated with using multiple methods with children. The article concludes that using multiple methods in researching children’s experiences is a valuable approach that does not merely duplicate data but also offers complementary insights and understandings that may be difficult to access through reliance on a single method of data collection.

Reflexivity: A Practical Guide for Researchers in Health and Social Sciences

Abstract: Reflexivity is a popular tool used to analyse personal, intersubjective and social processes which shape research projects. It enables researchers, particularly within the qualitative tradition, to acknowledge their role and the situated nature of their research. In the current climate, which sees the popularity of qualitative methods coupled with increased public and professional scrutiny of research, reflexivity provides a means of bolstering greater transparency and quality in research.

Evidence for secular trends in children’s physical activity behaviour

Abstract: It is not clear whether the global increase in weight problems in children is the result of excessive energy intake or decreasing energy expenditure. Methodological limitations have made it difficult to analyse. There is evidence that at least part of the problem may lie with increasing energy consumption, but it is important to examine the other side of the energy equation also. However, it is not possible to conclusively describe physical activity trends because of the absence of suitable baseline data. One solution is to summate all available evidence in as many areas of daily activities as possible and then draw tentative conclusions. This review summarises available trend data on direct representations of physical activity in a range of contexts, together with indirect measures such as sedentariness, fitness, and attitudes. The conclusions drawn are: physical activity in clearly defined contexts such as active transport, school physical education, and organised sports is declining in many countries; young people would like to be active but are often constrained by external factors such as school policy or curricula, parental rules in relation to safety and convenience, and physical environmental factors.

Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization

Abstract: Very often real-world applications have several multiple conflicting objectives. Recently there has been a growing interest in evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithms that combine two major disciplines: evolutionary computation and the theoretical frameworks of multicriteria decision making. In this introductory chapter, some fundamental concepts of multiobjective optimization are introduced, emphasizing the motivation and advantages of using evolutionary algorithms. We then lay out the important contributions of the remaining chapters of this volume.

The efficacy of playing a virtual reality game in modulating pain for children with acute burn injuries: A randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN87413556]

Abstract: The management of burn injuries is reported as painful, distressing and a cause of anxiety in children and their parents Child's and parents' pain and anxiety, often contributes to extended time required for burns management procedures, in particular the process of changing dressings The traditional method of pharmacologic analgesia is often insufficient to cover the burnt child's pain, and it can have deleterious side effects [1, 2] Intervention with Virtual Reality (VR) games is based on distraction or interruption in the way current thoughts, including pain, are processed by the brain Research on adults supports the hypothesis that virtual reality has a positive influence on burns pain modulation This study investigates whether playing a virtual reality game, decreases procedural pain in children aged 5–18 years with acute burn injuries The paper reports on the findings of a pilot study, a randomised trial, in which seven children acted as their own controls though a series of 11 trials Outcomes were pain measured using the self-report Faces Scale and findings of interviews with parent/carer and nurses The average pain scores (from the Faces Scale) for pharmacological analgesia only was, 41 (SD 29), while VR coupled with pharmacological analgesia, the average pain score was 13 (SD 18) The study provides strong evidence supporting VR based games in providing analgesia with minimal side effects and little impact on the physical hospital environment, as well as its reusability and versatility, suggesting another option in the management of children's acute pain

The role of transportation in logistics chain

Abstract: The operation of transportation determines the efficiency of moving products The progress in techniques and management principles improves the moving load, delivery speed, service quality, operation costs, the usage of facilities and energy saving Transportation takes a crucial part in the manipulation of logistic Reviewing the current condition, a strong system needs a clear frame of logistics and a proper transport implements and techniques to link the producing procedures The objective of the paper is to define the role of transportation in logistics for the reference of further improvement The research was undertaken to assist logistics managers, researchers and transportation planners to define and comprehend the basic views of logistics and its various applications and the relationships between logistics and transportation

Globalising citizenship education? a critique of ‘global education’ and ‘citizenship education’

Abstract: This article discusses, principally from an English perspective, globalisation, global citizenship and two forms of education relevant to those developments (global education and citizenship education). We describe what citizenship has meant inside one nation state and ask what citizenship means, and could mean, in a globalising world. By comparing the natures of citizenship education and global education, as experienced principally in England during, approxim-ately, the last three decades, we seek to develop a clearer understanding of what has been done and what might be done in the future in order to develop education for global citizenship. We suggest that up to this point there have been significant differences between the characterisations that have been developed for global education and citizenship education. These differences are revealed through an examination of three areas: focus and origins; the attitude of the government and significant others; and the adoption of pedagogical appro...

Participatory IT Design: Designing for Business and Workplace Realities

Abstract: This book concerns the process of designing IT systems for large, complex purposes. It is structured as a textbook-style introduction to the processes required for use in university teaching and for self-study purposes by people working in the field of IT system development. The content of the book is the fruit of a decade of research by the authors in their pursuit of a method to plan and design IT projects that will provide sustainable, useful solutions to the needs of the companies for which they are commissioned.

Development and validation of a scale to measure work-related fatigue and recovery: the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion/Recovery Scale (OFER).

Abstract: Objective:Various empirical studies link persistent failure to recover from acute fatigue to the evolution of chronic fatigue. However, existing fatigue measurement scales do not tend to distinguish between acute and chronic fatigue elements well, and none include a measure of effective recovery fro

Arsenic speciation and toxicity in biological systems.

Abstract: Although it is now commonly accepted that toxicity and bioavailability varies with As species, extensive research has been carried out on biological and environmental samples to assess toxicity and risk associated with As exposure based on total concentrations that may be in error. The health investigation guideline for the Australian environmental protection measure is 100 mg/kg (As(tot)), which would cause potential risk to human health if all the As present in a sample were bioavailable (ANZECC 1992). Similarly, the MPC for As in food is 1 mg/ kg (fresh weight), but this concentration may include contributions from As(III), AsV, and all organic species. Thus, a food substance, such as seafood, could have a high total concentration exceeding the guidelines, but most of the As would be in forms that are nontoxic to humans; i.e., the bioavailability is low, and the food would therefore be perfectly safe to eat. On the other hand, a food that has high bioavailability of As consequently is more toxic. Overall, it appears that contamination of water by As is probably more harmful to humans than As in food grains or vegetables, because As bioavailability in water is generally higher than its bioavailability in food. Nevertheless, As in food crops could make significant contribution toward total daily intake. Therefore, failure to consider the contribution of As species on their bioavailability could introduce a substantial bias into the estimation of risks associated with exposure as well as evaluation of As toxicity. In conclusion, As must be regarded as an important environmental toxicant because of its acute and chronic toxic properties and extensive presence in the environment. Much remains to be learned about its toxicology and biochemistry for better understanding of this important contaminant.

The Bisphosphonate Acute Phase Response: Rapid and Copious Production of Proinflammatory Cytokines by Peripheral Blood Gd T Cells in Response to Aminobisphosphonates Is Inhibited by Statins

Abstract: The bisphosphonates are a novel class of drug that have been registered for various clinical applications worldwide. Bisphosphonates, and in particular the aminobisphosphonates (nBPs), are known to have a number of side-effects including a rise in body temperature and accompanying flu-like symptoms that resemble a typical acute phase response. The mechanism for this response has been partially elucidated and appears to be associated with the release of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)α and interleukin (IL)6, although the effector cells that release these cytokines and the mechanism of action remain enigmatic. Here, we show that the nBP-induced acute phase response differs from the typical acute phase response in that CD14+ cells such as monocytes and macrophages are not the primary cytokine producing cells. We show that by inhibiting the mevalonate pathway, nBPs induce rapid and copious production of TNFα and IL6 by peripheral blood γδ T cells. Prior treatment with statins, which inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase, blocks nBP-induced production of these proinflammatory cytokines by γδ T cells and may offer a means of avoiding the associated acute phase response. In addition, our findings provide a further mechanism for the anti-inflammatory effects attributed to inhibitors of HMG CoA reductase.

Contact Angle Saturation in Electrowetting

Abstract: Electrowetting is the phenomenon of contact angle decrease under the influence of an external voltage applied across the solid/liquid interface. Electrowetting offers an interesting possibility to enhance the wettability of hydrophobic materials without altering the chemical composition of the system and thus could be incorporated in various microfluidic devices. Electrowetting is fundamentally an electrocapillary effect occurring on an insulated solid electrode (hence the change of the solid/liquid interfacial tension with voltage follows Lippmann's equation). A limiting contact angle value larger than zero is achieved even at very large external voltages. Saturation precludes full wetting of the substrate and restricts the magnitude of the capillary force variation. Contact angle saturation has been given various interpretations (e.g., charge trapping, air ionization) but appears to reflect a natural thermodynamic limit rather than being simply a defective property. The limiting value of the contact angle is given by the Young equation when the value of the solid/liquid interfacial tension reaches zero. The model is in excellent agreement with our own results and often gives an adequate description of published data. It also suggests that the saturation limit is determined by the material properties of the system and electrowetting at voltages exceeding this threshold is essentially a nonequilibrium process.

Linking Wine Preferences to the Choice of Wine Tourism Destinations

Abstract: This article explores the links between wine consumers’ preferences for wine from particular countries or regions and their interest in, and propensity to travel to, specific wine regions. Data from a convenience sample of 161 wine consumers in Calgary, Canada, revealed that specific appellation-of-origin preferences (e.g., for Australian or French wines) do have an influence on travel preferences and patterns. Nearly 70% of respondents preferred to drink wines from particular origins, and planned wine-related travel by respondents closely matched those geographic preferences. Other factors, however, were also shown to be important in shaping wine tourism destinations, including distance and cognitive factors. Implications are drawn for wine tourism marketing and for destination-choice theory. Recommendations are made for future research.

Who cheats at university? A self-report study of dishonest academic behaviours in a sample of Australian university students

Abstract: The present study investigated the dishonest academic behaviours of Australian university students (N = 954) and their relationships with demographic factors, academic policy advised to students, academic self-efficacy, and academic orientation. It was hypothesised that higher levels of dishonesty would be associated with low learning-orientation, high grade-orientation, low academic self-efficacy and nonreceipt of information about the rules of cheating and plagiarism. Descriptive analyses revealed high levels of three types of self-reported academic dishonesty: cheating, plagiarism and falsification. Regression analyses revealed demographic variables, academic orientation and academic self-efficacy to have differential predictive value for the three types of dishonesty, underlining the argument that it is misleading to measure academic dishonesty as a unidimensional construct. The results are discussed in terms of implications for strategic interventions and university policy formulation.

Falls and injury prevention should be part of every stroke rehabilitation plan

Abstract: Objective: To evaluate falls incidence, circumstances and consequences in people who return home after stroke rehabilitation, so that appropriate falls and injury prevention strategies can be developed.Design: Prospective cohort study.Setting: Community.Subjects: Fifty-six subjects with stroke who were participating in a rehabilitation programme and returning to live in a community setting completed the study.Main measures: Subjects completed a prospective falls diary for six months after discharge from rehabilitation, and were interviewed after falls. Physical function was measured by the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM).Results: Forty-six per cent of people (26/56) fell, with most falls (63/103 falls) occurring in the two months after discharge from rehabilitation. One subject had 37 similar falls and these falls were excluded from further analysis. Falls occurred more often indoors (50/66), during the day (46/66) and towards the paretic side (25/66). People require...

Convergence analysis and optimal scheduling for multiple concatenated codes

Abstract: An interesting practical consideration for decoding of serial or parallel concatenated codes with more than two components is the determination of the lowest complexity component decoder schedule which results in convergence. This correspondence presents an algorithm that finds such an optimal decoder schedule. A technique is also given for combining and projecting a series of three-dimensional extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) functions onto a single two-dimensional EXIT chart. This is a useful technique for visualizing the convergence threshold for multiple concatenated codes and provides a design tool for concatenated codes with more than two components.

What are the roles and responsibilities of the media in disseminating health information

Abstract: BACKGROUND TO THE DEBATE: In December 2004 three news stories in the popular press suggested that the side effects of single-dose nevirapine, which has been proven to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, had been covered up. Many HIV experts believed that the stories were unwarranted and that they would undermine use of the drug, leading to a rise in neonatal HIV infection. The controversy surrounding these stories prompted the PLoS Medicine editors to ask health journalists, and others with an interest in media reporting of health, to share their views on the roles and responsibilities of the media in disseminating health information.

Does Mentor Support Increase Women's Career Advancement More than Men's? The Differential Effects of Career and Psychosocial Support

Abstract: Based on past research on mentoring, this study examined whether mentor career support helped women's career advancement more than it did men's, and more than psychosocial (emotional) support did. The sample of 3220 Australians, chiefly from the public sector and finance and business service industry, was surveyed twice, a year apart. Mentor career support increased women proteges' advancement more than it did men's, whereas psychosocial support generally reduced women's advancement more than it did men's. Unexpectedly, female mentors, not males, had the strongest effects, both helping and hindering their protege's advancement. Mentor support was not related to men's advancement. Why mentoring was differently related to men's and women's advancement was discussed.

Outsourcing HR as a Competitive Strategy? A literature review and an assessment of implications

Abstract: HR outsourcing as an organizational strategy has increased substantially over the last decade. However, this trend has attracted little academic attention regarding how outsourcing decisions are made, the manner in which these decisions are implemented, how outsourcing effectiveness is measured, and its impact on organizational performance. In this article, we provide a critical review of the reasons for, the processes involved in, and the perceived effectiveness of HR outsourcing.We investigate the implications of HR outsourcing for the role of the HR function and for the various groups of people affected by this strategy. We argue that organizations should apply both the resource-based view and institutional theory when making outsourcing decisions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Peer mentoring: engaging pre‐service teachers in mentoring one another

Abstract: This article discusses a peer mentoring teacher education initiative that aims at developing pre‐service teachers’ capacities to participate successfully in learning communities, both during their initial teacher education and throughout their teaching careers. Peer mentoring utilizes the latest conceptualization of mentoring, that of co‐mentoring by Bona et al. or that proposed by Hargreaves and Fullan, where all teachers give and receive support. Such a conceptualization challenges the traditional assumption that the mentor knows best and is consistent with the latest approaches to teacher professional development, where teachers are encouraged to participate in learning communities. A peer mentoring teacher education initiative is described and three essential elements are highlighted.

Engineering Creativity: A Systems Concept of Functional Creativity

Abstract: Creativity has been a topic of interest to writers in different areas for many years, stretching back to antiquity. However, earlier discussions focused mainly on art, literature, music, dance, and similar areas, what we refer to later in this chapter as “aesthetic” or “artistic” creativity. This situation changed drastically about 50 years ago. The turning point was the successful launching in 1957 by the then-Soviet Union of the first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik I. In the United States of America and most North American-Western European societies, this event led to a wave of self-criticism that centered mainly on the argument that the Western world’s engineers had failed.

Atomic force microscopy and direct surface force measurements (IUPAC Technical Report)

Abstract: The atomic force microscope (AFM) is designed to provide high-resolution (in the ideal case, atomic) topographical analysis, applicable to both conducting and nonconducting surfaces. The basic imag ...

Reliability of upright posture measurements in primary school children.

Abstract: Correct upright posture is considered to be a measure of good musculoskeletal health Little is known about the usual variability of children's upright standing posture The aim of this study was to assess differences between repeated measures of upright posture in a group of primary school children Sagittal plane photographs of usual, relaxed upright standing posture of 38 boys and girls aged 5–12 years were taken twice within an hour Reflective markers were placed over the canthus, tragus, C7 spinous process, greater trochanter and lateral malleolus Digitising software was used to calculate the x,y plane coordinates, from which five postural angles were calculated (trunk, neck, gaze, head on neck, lower limb) Height, weight, motor control estimates (as measured by the Brace Tests) and presence of recent pain were recorded for each child, and the association between the first test measure of posture angles and these factors was assessed using linear regression and ANOVA models Multiple ANOVA models were applied to analyse the effect of repeated testing, and significant predictors on the angles Four of the five postural angles (trunk, neck, head on neck, lower limb) were significantly influenced by age As age was strongly associated with height (r2 = 084) and moderately associated with weight and motor control (r2 = 067, 056 respectively), these developmental parameters may well explain the age effect on angles There was no relationship between age and pain reported on either the testing day, or recently, and there was no gender influence on any angle There was no significant effect of repeated testing on any angle (ICC>093) None of the hypothesized predictors were associated with differences in angles from repeated testing This study outlined the variability of relaxed upright standing posture of children aged 5–12 years, when measured twice in an hour Age influenced the size of the angles but not the variability While the subject numbers in this study are small, the findings provide useful information on which further studies in posture and its development in pre-adolescent children can be based