scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question

Showing papers by "University of South Australia published in 2012"


Posted Content
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the impact of scale format on data characteristics such as the mean, coefficient of variation, skewness, and kurtosis on customer satisfaction.
Abstract: To what extent does the number of response categories in a Likert-type scale influence the resultant data? Surprisingly little attention has been paid to the issue of whether the response category format has any influence on data characteristics such as the mean, coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis. This issue is important for several reasons. The first is that decisions are made based on outcomes such as the mean score. For example, marketing organizations and research providers use Likert type scales to measure constructs such as customer satisfaction. In this situation a higher score is better. Could the score have been comparatively better if a different scale format had been used? There is an absence of evidence on this issue. The second reason is that scale formats that are used in on-going market research projects such as tracking studies occasionally change. Can the old results be re-scaled or transformed to be comparable to data from a new scale format? Again, little is known about this. The third reason concerns data characteristics such as variation about the mean, skewness and kurtosis. Analysis tools such as regression are often used on data of this type to explain the variation in certain variables. If there is little variance in the data, this is harder to do. How does scale format affect these characteristics? The answers would be useful to both market researchers as well as academics. A literature review found that little work has been done on this issue. Therefore, this study set out to investigate the impact of scale format on data characteristics. It examined how using Likert-type scales with varying numbers of response categories affects the resultant data in terms of mean scores, and measures of dispersion and shape. Three groups of respondents were administered a series of eight questions (group n’s = 300, 250,185). Respondents were randomly selected members of the general public. A different scale format was administered to each group – either a five-point, seven-point or ten-point scale. The surveys were conducted by a professional market research organization via telephone interview. Data characteristics of mean score, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis were analyzed according to scale format. The five and seven-point scales were re-scaled to a comparable mean score out of ten. The study found that the five and seven-point scales produced the same mean score as each other, once they were re-scaled. However the ten-point format tended to produce slightly lower relative means than either the 5 or 7-point scales (after the latter were re-scaled). The overall mean score of the eight questions was 0.3 scale points lower for the 10-point format compared to the 5 and 7-point format. This difference was statistically significant at p=0.04. In terms of the other data characteristics, there was very little difference among the scale formats in terms of variation about the mean, skewness or kurtosis. Therefore each of the three formats appears comparable for the type of research project in which multiple-item scales are analyzed with multivariate statistical methods. This study is also ‘good news’ for research departments or agencies who ponder whether changing scale format will destroy the comparability of historical data. Five and seven-point scales can easily be re-scaled with the resultant data being quite comparable. In the case of comparing five or seven-point data to 10-point data, a straightforward re-scaling and arithmetic adjustment easily facilitates the comparison. Finally, it appears that indicators of customer sentiment – such as satisfaction surveys – may be partially dependent on the choice of scale format. A five or seven-point scale is likely to produce slightly higher mean scores relative to the highest possible attainable score, compared to that produced from a ten-point scale.

1,556 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the recent developments in forward osmosis (FO) focusing on the opportunities and challenges is presented, as well as a clear outline for FO-concerned researchers.

1,175 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Some of the VANET research challenges that still need to be addressed to enable the ubiquitous deployment and widespead adoption of scalable, reliable, robust, and secure VANet architectures, protocols, technologies, and services are outlined.
Abstract: Recent advances in hardware, software, and communication technologies are enabling the design and implementation of a whole range of different types of networks that are being deployed in various environments. One such network that has received a lot of interest in the last couple of years is the Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET). VANET has become an active area of research, standardization, and development because it has tremendous potential to improve vehicle and road safety, traffic efficiency, and convenience as well as comfort to both drivers and passengers. Recent research efforts have placed a strong emphasis on novel VANET design architectures and implementations. A lot of VANET research work have focused on specific areas including routing, broadcasting, Quality of Service (QoS), and security. We survey some of the recent research results in these areas. We present a review of wireless access standards for VANETs, and describe some of the recent VANET trials and deployments in the US, Japan, and the European Union. In addition, we also briefly present some of the simulators currently available to VANET researchers for VANET simulations and we assess their benefits and limitations. Finally, we outline some of the VANET research challenges that still need to be addressed to enable the ubiquitous deployment and widespead adoption of scalable, reliable, robust, and secure VANET architectures, protocols, technologies, and services.

1,132 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the middle-range theory of partnership synergy to analyze and synthesize the data, using the PR partnership as the main unit of analysis, and identified mechanisms by which PR may add value to the research process.
Abstract: CONTEXT: Participatory research (PR) is the co-construction of research through partnerships between researchers and people affected by and/or responsible for action on the issues under study. Evaluating the benefits of PR is challenging for a number of reasons: the research topics, methods, and study designs are heterogeneous; the extent of collaborative involvement may vary over the duration of a project and from one project to the next; and partnership activities may generate a complex array of both short- and long-term outcomes. METHODS: Our review team consisted of a collaboration among researchers and decision makers in public health, research funding, ethics review, and community-engaged scholarship. We identified, selected, and appraised a large-variety sample of primary studies describing PR partnerships, and in each stage, two team members independently reviewed and coded the literature. We used key realist review concepts (middle-range theory, demi-regularity, and context-mechanism-outcome configurations [CMO]) to analyze and synthesize the data, using the PR partnership as the main unit of analysis. FINDINGS: From 7,167 abstracts and 591 full-text papers, we distilled for synthesis a final sample of twenty-three PR partnerships described in 276 publications. The link between process and outcome in these partnerships was best explained using the middle-range theory of partnership synergy, which demonstrates how PR can (1) ensure culturally and logistically appropriate research, (2) enhance recruitment capacity, (3) generate professional capacity and competence in stakeholder groups, (4) result in productive conflicts followed by useful negotiation, (5) increase the quality of outputs and outcomes over time, (6) increase the sustainability of project goals beyond funded time frames and during gaps in external funding, and (7) create system changes and new unanticipated projects and activities. Negative examples illustrated why these outcomes were not a guaranteed product of PR partnerships but were contingent on key aspects of context. CONCLUSIONS: We used a realist approach to embrace the heterogeneity and complexity of the PR literature. This theory-driven synthesis identified mechanisms by which PR may add value to the research process. Using the middle-range theory of partnership synergy, our review confirmed findings from previous PR reviews, documented and explained some negative outcomes, and generated new insights into the benefits of PR regarding conflicts and negotiation between stakeholders, program sustainability and advancement, unanticipated project activity, and the generation of systemic change.

729 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Over the last 15 years, the CLIR community has developed a wide range of techniques and models supporting free text translation, with a special emphasis on recent developments.
Abstract: Cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) is an active sub-domain of information retrieval (IR). Like IR, CLIR is centered on the search for documents and for information contained within those documents. Unlike IR, CLIR must reconcile queries and documents that are written in different languages. The usual solution to this mismatch involves translating the query and/or the documents before performing the search. Translation is therefore a pivotal activity for CLIR engines. Over the last 15 years, the CLIR community has developed a wide range of techniques and models supporting free text translation. This article presents an overview of those techniques, with a special emphasis on recent developments.

720 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed concentrated solar thermal power plants that are currently operating and under construction and provided the necessary information for further research in the development of cost-effective high temperature phase change thermal storage systems.
Abstract: Designing a cost-effective phase change thermal storage system involves two challenging aspects: one is to select a suitable storage material and the other is to increase the heat transfer between the storage material and the heat transfer fluid as the performance of the system is limited by the poor thermal conductivity of the latent heat storage material. When used for storing energy in concentrated solar thermal power plants, the solar field operation temperature will determine the PCM melting temperature selection. This paper reviews concentrated solar thermal power plants that are currently operating and under construction. It also reviews phase change materials with melting temperatures above 300 °C, which potentially can be used as energy storage media in these plants. In addition, various techniques employed to enhance the thermal performance of high temperature phase change thermal storage systems have been reviewed and discussed. This review aims to provide the necessary information for further research in the development of cost-effective high temperature phase change thermal storage systems.

669 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There have been consistent rapid declines in the sleep duration of children and adolescents over the last 103 years, but varied according to region, with Europe, the USA, Canada and Asia showing decreases and Australia, the UK and Scandinavia showing increases.

558 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Compared with an energy-restricted SP diet, an isocalorically prescribed HP diet provides modest benefits for reductions in body weight, FM, and triglycerides and for mitigating reductions in FFM and REE.

465 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
09 Aug 2012-Brain
TL;DR: It is demonstrated in a true population study that delirium is a strong risk factor for incident dementia and cognitive decline in the oldest-old and the relationship did not appear to be mediated by classical neuropathologies associated with dementia.
Abstract: Recent studies suggest that delirium is associated with risk of dementia and also acceleration of decline in existing dementia. However, previous studies may have been confounded by incomplete ascertainment of cognitive status at baseline. Herein, we used a true population sample to determine if delirium is a risk factor for incident dementia and cognitive decline. We also examined the effect of delirium at the pathological level by determining associations between dementia and neuropathological markers of dementia in patients with and without a history of delirium. The Vantaa 85+ study examined 553 individuals (92% of those eligible) aged ≥85 years at baseline, 3, 5, 8 and 10 years. Brain autopsy was performed in 52%. Fixed and random-effects regression models were used to assess associations between (i) delirium and incident dementia and (ii) decline in Mini-Mental State Examination scores in the whole group. The relationship between dementia and common neuropathological markers (Alzheimer-type, infarcts and Lewy-body) was modelled, stratified by history of delirium. Delirium increased the risk of incident dementia (odds ratio 8.7, 95% confidence interval 2.1-35). Delirium was also associated with worsening dementia severity (odds ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.5-6.3) as well as deterioration in global function score (odds ratio 2.8, 95% confidence interval 1.4-5.5). In the whole study population, delirium was associated with loss of 1.0 more Mini-Mental State Examination points per year (95% confidence interval 0.11-1.89) than those with no history of delirium. In individuals with dementia and no history of delirium (n = 232), all pathologies were significantly associated with dementia. However, in individuals with delirium and dementia (n = 58), no relationship between dementia and these markers was found. For example, higher Braak stage was associated with dementia when no history of delirium (odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.1-3.5, P = 0.02), but in those with a history of delirium, there was no significant relationship (odds ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.2-6.7, P = 0.85). This trend for odds ratios to be closer to unity in the delirium and dementia group was observed for neuritic amyloid, apolipoprotein e status, presence of infarcts, α-synucleinopathy and neuronal loss in substantia nigra. These findings are the first to demonstrate in a true population study that delirium is a strong risk factor for incident dementia and cognitive decline in the oldest-old. However, in this study, the relationship did not appear to be mediated by classical neuropathologies associated with dementia.

412 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study investigated whether KCNQ2/3 mutations are a frequent cause of epileptic encephalopathies with an early onset and whether a recognizable phenotype exists.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 mutations are known to be responsible for benign familial neonatal seizures (BFNS). A few reports on patients with a KCNQ2 mutation with a more severe outcome exist, but a definite relationship has not been established. In this study we investigated whether KCNQ2/3 mutations are a frequent cause of epileptic encephalopathies with an early onset and whether a recognizable phenotype exists. METHODS: We analyzed 80 patients with unexplained neonatal or early-infantile seizures and associated psychomotor retardation for KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 mutations. Clinical and imaging data were reviewed in detail. RESULTS: We found 7 different heterozygous KCNQ2 mutations in 8 patients (8/80; 10%); 6 mutations arose de novo. One parent with a milder phenotype was mosaic for the mutation. No KCNQ3 mutations were found. The 8 patients had onset of intractable seizures in the first week of life with a prominent tonic component. Seizures generally resolved by age 3 years but the children had profound, or less frequently severe, intellectual disability with motor impairment. Electroencephalography (EEG) at onset showed a burst-suppression pattern or multifocal epileptiform activity. Early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed characteristic hyperintensities in the basal ganglia and thalamus that later resolved. INTERPRETATION: KCNQ2 mutations are found in a substantial proportion of patients with a neonatal epileptic encephalopathy with a potentially recognizable electroclinical and radiological phenotype. This suggests that KCNQ2 screening should be included in the diagnostic workup of refractory neonatal seizures of unknown origin.

410 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors review the cortical changes that are associated with chronic pain and the therapeutic approaches that have been shown to normalize representational changes and decrease pain and discuss future directions to train the brain to reduce chronic pain.
Abstract: Recent neuroscientific evidence has confirmed the important role of cognitive and behavioral factors in the development and treatment of chronic pain. Neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain are associated with substantial reorganization of the primary somatosensory and motor cortices as well as regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex and insula. What is more, in patients with chronic low back pain and fibromyalgia, the amount of reorganizational change increases with chronicity; in phantom limb pain and other neuropathic pain syndromes, cortical reorganization correlates with the magnitude of pain. These findings have implications for both our understanding of chronic pain and its prevention and treatment. For example, central alterations may be viewed as pain memories that modulate the processing of both noxious and nonnoxious input to the somatosensory system and outputs of the motor and other response systems. The cortical plasticity that is clearly important in chronic pain states also offers potential targets for rehabilitation. The authors review the cortical changes that are associated with chronic pain and the therapeutic approaches that have been shown to normalize representational changes and decrease pain and discuss future directions to train the brain to reduce chronic pain.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is proposed that a network of multisensory and homeostatic brain areas may be responsible for maintaining a 'body-matrix', a dynamic neural representation that not only extends beyond the body surface to integrate both somatotopic and peripersonal sensory data, but also integrates body-centred spatial sensory data.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Sep 2012
TL;DR: A brief overview of aspects of modeling and simulation as applied to many areas in drug development is provided.
Abstract: Modeling is an important tool in drug development; population modeling is a complex process requiring robust underlying procedures for ensuring clean data, appropriate computing platforms, adequate resources, and effective communication. Although requiring an investment in resources, it can save time and money by providing a platform for integrating all information gathered on new therapeutic agents. This article provides a brief overview of aspects of modeling and simulation as applied to many areas in drug development.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors investigated the factors determining foreign direct investment (FDI) location choices of Chinese multinational firms and found that institutional factors demonstrate a higher level of significance, complexity and diversity in determining FDI location choice in comparison with economic factors.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The percentage of health care encounters at which a sample of adult Australians received appropriate care was determined (ie, care in line with evidence‐based or consensus‐based guidelines).
Abstract: OBJECTIVE To determine the percentage of health care encounters at which a sample of adult Australians received appropriate care (ie, care in line with evidence-based or consensus-based guidelines). DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Computer-assisted telephone interviews and retrospective review of the medical records (for 2009-2010) of a sample of at least 1000 Australian adults to measure compliance with 522 expert consensus indicators representing appropriate care for 22 common conditions. Participants were selected from households in areas of South Australia and New South Wales chosen to be representative of the socioeconomic profile of Australians. Health care encounters occurred in health care practices and hospitals with general practitioners, specialists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, psychologists and counsellors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Percentage of health care encounters at which the sample received appropriate care. RESULTS From 15 292 households contacted by telephone, 7649 individuals agreed to participate, 3567 consented, 2638 proved eligible, and 1154 were included after gaining the consent of their health care providers. The adult Australians in this sample received appropriate care at 57% (95% CI, 54%-60%) of 35 573 eligible health care encounters. Compliance with indicators of appropriate care at condition level ranged from 13% (95% CI, 1%-43%) for alcohol dependence to 90% (95% CI, 85%-93%) for coronary artery disease. For health care providers with more than 300 eligible encounters each, overall compliance ranged from 32% to 86%. CONCLUSIONS Although there were pockets of excellence and some aspects of care were well managed across health care providers, the consistent delivery of appropriate care needs improvement, and gaps in care should be addressed. There is a need for national agreement on clinical standards and better structuring of medical records to facilitate the delivery of more appropriate care.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Previous research associated with the homeostasis and pharmaco-kinetics of L-carnitine and its esters are examined, and potential areas of future research are highlighted, to adequately characterize metabolic status.
Abstract: L-Carnitine (levocarnitine) is a naturally occurring compound found in all mammalian species The most important biological function of L-carnitine is in the transport of fatty acids into the mitochondria for subsequent β-oxidation, a process which results in the esterification of L-carnitine to form acylcarnitine derivatives As such, the endogenous carnitine pool is comprised of L-carnitine and various short-, medium-and long-chain acylcarnitines

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Providing access to school facilities, providing unfixed equipment, and identifying ways to promote encouragement for physical activity have the potential to inform strategies to increase physical activity levels during recess periods.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the harshness and impact of bullying by traditional and cyber means, and found that although students who had been victimised by traditional bullying reported that they felt their bullying was harsher and crueller and had mor...
Abstract: It is well recognised that there are serious correlates for victims of traditional bullying. These have been shown to include increased levels of depression, anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms, in addition to often severe physical harm and even suicide. Bullied students also feel more socially ineffective and have greater interpersonal difficulties, together with higher absenteeism from school and lower academic competence. In the emerging field of cyberbullying many researchers have hypothesised a greater impact and more severe consequences for victims because of the 24/7 nature and the possibility of the wider audience with this form of bullying. However, to date there is scarce empirical evidence to support this. This study sought to compare victims' perceptions of the harshness and impact of bullying by traditional and cyber means. The major findings showed that although students who had been victimised by traditional bullying reported that they felt their bullying was harsher and crueller and had mor...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Findings implicate the sodium-gated potassium channel complex in ADNFLE and, more broadly, in the pathogenesis of focal epilepsies.
Abstract: We performed genomic mapping of a family with autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) and intellectual and psychiatric problems, identifying a disease-associated region on chromosome 9q34.3. Whole-exome sequencing identified a mutation in KCNT1, encoding a sodium-gated potassium channel subunit. KCNT1 mutations were identified in two additional families and a sporadic case with severe ADNFLE and psychiatric features. These findings implicate the sodium-gated potassium channel complex in ADNFLE and, more broadly, in the pathogenesis of focal epilepsies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examines the positioning of qualitative research to date in the field of management accounting and offers a critical reflection and an appraisal of its profile relative to the dominant positivist quantitative accounting research literature.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results suggest fermentation processes or utilization of fermentation products may be altered in children with ASD compared to children without ASD.
Abstract: Background and Aim Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder where a high frequency of gastrointestinal disturbance (eg, constipation and diarrhea) is reported As large bowel fermentation products can have beneficial or detrimental effects on health, these were measured in feces of children with and without ASD to examine whether there is an underlying disturbance in fermentation processes in the disorder

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The main findings concerning consumer behavior for wine published in academic journals in the last ten years and some suggestions about strategic research directions to take in the next few years are summarized in this paper, where some areas with greatest research needs are: retail marketing and consumer response to the variety of techniques retailers use; on-premise consumer behaviour; online and social media influences on consumers; premium and luxury wine behaviour and successful marketing practices; consumer behaviour in emerging markets; the value of wine tourism and marketing for value; the relationship between grape/wine quality and consumer behaviour.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Auger parameter analysis indicates that the bonding in NiO appears to have stronger contributions from initial state charge transfer from the oxygen ligands than that in the hydroxide and oxyhydroxide consistent with the considerable differences in the Ni-O bond lengths in these compounds with some relaxation of this state occurring during final state phenomena.
Abstract: The critical role of the Auger parameter in providing insight into both initial state and final state factors affecting measured XPS binding energies is illustrated by analysis of Ni 2p3/2 and L3M45M45 peaks as well as the Auger parameters of nickel alloys, halides, oxide, hydroxide and oxy-hydroxide. Analyses of the metal and alloys are consistent with other works, showing that final state relaxation shifts, ΔR, are determined predominantly by changes in the d electron population and are insensitive to inter-atomic charge transfer. The nickel halide Auger parameters are dominated by initial state effects, Δe, with increasing positive charge on the core nickel ion induced by increasing electronegativity of the ligands. This effect is much greater than the final state shifts; however, the degree of covalency is reflected in the Wagner plot where the more polarizable iodide and bromide have greater ΔR. The initial state shift for NiO is much smaller than those of Ni(OH)2 or NiOOH and the effective oxidation state is much less than that inferred from the average electronegativity of the ligand(s). Auger parameter analysis indicates that the bonding in NiO appears to have stronger contributions from initial state charge transfer from the oxygen ligands than that in the hydroxide and oxyhydroxide consistent with the considerable differences in the Ni–O bond lengths in these compounds with some relaxation of this state occurring during final state phenomena. The Auger parameter of NiOOH is, however, shifted positively, like the iodide, indicating greater polarizability of the ligands and covalency in this bonding. There is support for more direct use of relative bond lengths in interpreting differences between related compounds rather than more general electronegativity or similar parameters.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an extended TPB model of tourists was proposed to investigate relations among constructs of the model with the addition of motivation and actual behavior, and the results showed that tourist motivation fit the data relatively well, explaining 5% more of the variation in behavioral intention in comparison with a base model without motivation.
Abstract: The sufficiency of theory of planned behavior (TPB) is still being questioned although the model was validated in predicting a wide range of intentions and behaviors. Based on a comprehensive literature review, an extended TPB model of tourists was proposed to investigate relations among constructs of the model with the addition of motivation and actual behavior. An instrument was developed based on previous tourism and marketing studies as well as focus groups. A two-wave data collection was implemented, with data collected from 1,524 Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou residents in Stage 1 and 311 respondents from the same cohort in Stage 2. Results of the study demonstrated that the extended TPB model with tourist motivation fit the data relatively well, explaining 5% more of the variation in behavioral intention in comparison with a base model without motivation. However, the model with both tourist motivation and actual behavior was not tenable, despite a marginal relationship found between behavioral i...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A clear distinction between direct and indirect cyberbullying is made and a model definition of cyberbullies is offered and lends insight into how the essential bullying elements have evolved and should apply in the authors' parallel cyber universe.
Abstract: Cyberbullying is a reality of the digital age. To address this phenomenon, it becomes imperative to understand exactly what cyberbullying is. Thus, establishing a workable and theoretically sound definition is essential. This article contributes to the existing literature in relation to the definition of cyberbullying. The specific elements of repetition, power imbalance, intention, and aggression, regarded as essential criteria of traditional face-to-face bullying, are considered in the cyber context. It is posited that the core bullying elements retain their importance and applicability in relation to cyberbullying. The element of repetition is in need of redefining, given the public nature of material in the online environment. In this article, a clear distinction between direct and indirect cyberbullying is made and a model definition of cyberbullying is offered. Overall, the analysis provided lends insight into how the essential bullying elements have evolved and should apply in our parallel...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This is the first systematic review of the effectiveness of a variety of KT interventions in five allied health disciplines: dietetics, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology.
Abstract: Background: Knowledge translation (KT) aims to close the research-practice gap in order to realize and maximize the benefits of research within the practice setting. Previous studies have investigated KT strategies in nursing and medicine; however, the present study is the first systematic review of the effectiveness of a variety of KT interventions in five allied health disciplines: dietetics, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and speech-language pathology. Methods: A health research librarian developed and implemented search strategies in eight electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, PASCAL, EMBASE, IPA, Scopus, CENTRAL) using language (English) and date restrictions (1985 to March 2010). Other relevant sources were manually searched. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts, reviewed full-text articles, performed data extraction, and performed quality assessment. Within each profession, evidence tables were created, grouping and analyzing data by research design, KT strategy, targeted behaviour, and primary outcome. The published descriptions of the KT interventions were compared to the Workgroup for Intervention Development and Evaluation Research (WIDER) Recommendations to Improve the Reporting of the Content of Behaviour Change Interventions. Results: A total of 2,638 articles were located and the titles and abstracts were screened. Of those, 1,172 full-text articles were reviewed and subsequently 32 studies were included in the systematic review. A variety of single (n=15) and multiple (n=17) KT interventions were identified, with educational meetings being the predominant KT strategy (n=11). The majority of primary outcomes were identified as professional/process outcomes (n=25); however, patient outcomes (n=4), economic outcomes (n=2), and multiple primary outcomes (n=1) were also represented. Generally, the studies were of low methodological quality. Outcome reporting bias was common and precluded clear determination of intervention effectiveness. In the majority of studies, the interventions demonstrated mixed effects on primary outcomes, and only four studies demonstrated statistically significant, positive effects on primary outcomes. None of the studies satisfied the four WIDER Recommendations. Conclusions: Across five allied health professions, equivocal results, low methodological quality, and outcome reporting bias limited our ability to recommend one KT strategy over another. Further research employing the WIDER Recommendations is needed to inform the development and implementation of effective KT interventions in allied health.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The findings shed light on a process through which leaders can empower workers and enhance well-being: via their influence on and interaction with the work environment, and underscore the need to examine work engagement from a multilevel theoretical perspective.
Abstract: Using a multilevel framework, this study examined the role of empowering leadership at the group level by fire brigade captains in facilitating the individual level motivational processes that underpin work engagement in volunteer firefighters. Anonymous mail surveys were completed by 540 volunteer firefighters from 68 fire brigades and, separately, by 68 brigade captains. As predicted on the basis of the Job Demands-Resources model, increased levels of cognitive demands and cognitive resources partially mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and work engagement. In a three-way Leadership × Demands × Resources interaction, empowering leadership also had the effect of optimizing working conditions for engagement by strengthening the positive effect of a work context in which both cognitive demands and cognitive resources were high. Our findings shed light on a process through which leaders can empower workers and enhance well-being: via their influence on and interaction with the work environment. They also underscore the need to examine work engagement from a multilevel theoretical perspective.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a facile approach to fabricating covalently modified graphehehe and its polymer nanocomposites is presented, which employs a common furnace, rather than a furnace installed with a quartz tube and operated in inert gas as required in previous studies, to treat a commercial graphite interrelation compound with thermal shocking and ultrasonication and fabricate graphene platelets (GnPs) with a thickness of 2.51+-0.39nm.
Abstract: A scalable approach for the mass production of chemically modified graphene has yet to be developed, which holds the key to the large-scale production of stable graphene colloids for optical electronics energy conversion and storage materials, catalysis, sensors, composite, etc. Here a facile approach to fabricating covalently modified graphene and its polymer nanocomposites is presented. The method involves: i)employing a common furnace, rather than a furnace installed with a quartz tube and operated in inert gas as required in previous studies, to treat a commercial graphite interrelation compound with thermal shocking and ultrasonication and fabricate graphene platelets (GnPs) with a thickness of 2.51+-0.39nm that contain only 7 at% oxygen; ii)grafting these GnPs with commercial, long-chain surfactant which is able to create molecular entanglement with polymer matrixes by taking advantage of the reactions between the epoxide groups of the platelets and the end amine groups of the surfactant to produce chemically modified graphehe platelets (m-GnPs); and iii)solution-mixing m-GnPs with a commonly used polymer to fabricate nanocomposites. These m-GnPs are well dispered in a polymer with imrpoved mechanical properties and a low percolation threshold of electrical conductivity at 0.25col%. This novel approach could lead to the future scalable production of graphehe and its nanocomposites.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results suggest that polymer-modified implants with a TNT layer are capable of delivering a drug to a bone site over an extended period and with predictable kinetics, and favourable bone cell adhesion suggests that such an implant would have good biocompatibility.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a framework for CSR indicators relevant to construction enterprises worldwide as a tool for assessing CSR performance is developed. But, the authors do not consider the impact of CSR on the construction industry.