University of Wollongong

About: University of Wollongong is a education organization based out in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 15674 authors who have published 46658 publications receiving 1197471 citations. The organization is also known as: UOW & Wollongong University.

Chandra Observations of NGC 4636-an Elliptical Galaxy in Turmoil

Abstract: Chandra images show symmetric, 8 kpc long, armlike features in the X-ray halo surrounding NGC 4636. The leading edges of these features are sharp and are accompanied by temperature increases of ~30%. These properties suggest that the armlike structures are produced by shocks, driven by symmetric off-center outbursts. We interpret these observations as part of a cycle in which the cooling gas originally fueled a nuclear outburst about 3 × 106 yr ago that led to shocks reheating the cooling gas and thus preventing the accumulation of significant amounts of cooled gas in the galaxy center and temporarily starving the central active galactic nucleus.

The biomechanics of restricted movement in adult obesity

Abstract: In spite of significant advances in the knowledge and understanding of the multi-factorial nature of obesity, many questions regarding the specific consequences of the disease remain unanswered. In particular, there is a relative dearth of information pertaining to the functional limitations imposed by overweight and obesity. The limited number of studies to date have mainly focused on the effect of obesity on the temporospatial characteristics of walking, plantar foot pressures, muscular strength and, to a lesser extent, postural balance. Collectively, these studies have implied that the functional limitations imposed by the additional loading of the locomotor system in obesity result in aberrant mechanics and the potential for musculoskeletal injury. Despite the greater prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the obese, there has been surprisingly little empirical investigation pertaining to the biomechanics of activities of daily living or into the mechanical and neuromuscular factors that may predispose the obese to injury. A better appreciation of the implications of increased levels of body adiposity on the movement capabilities of the obese would afford a greater opportunity to provide meaningful support in preventing, treating and managing the condition and its sequelae. Moreover, there is an urgent need to establish the physical consequences of continued repetitive loading of major structures of the body, particularly of the lower limbs in the obese, during the diverse range of activities of daily living.

Do clinical outcome measures assess consumer-defined recovery?

Abstract: There is an international call for mental health services to become recovery-oriented, and also to use evidence-based practices. Addressing this call requires recovery-oriented measurement of outcomes and service evaluation. Mental health consumers view recovery as leading as meaningful life, and have criticised traditional clinical measures for being too disability-oriented. This study compares three measures of consumer-defined recovery from enduring mental illness: the Recovery Assessment Scale, the Mental Health Recovery Measure and the Self-Identified Stage of Recovery, with four conventional clinical measures. Correlational analyses supported the convergent validity of the recovery measures, although certain subscales were unrelated to each other. More importantly, little relationship was found between consumer-defined recovery and the clinical measures. Analyses of variance revealed that scores on the recovery measures increased across self-identified stage of recovery, but scores on most clinical measures did not improve consistently across stage of recovery. The findings demonstrate the qualitative difference between the two types of measures, supporting the claim by consumers that clinical measures do not assess important aspects of recovery. There is a need for further research and refinement of recovery measurement, including assessment of stages of recovery, with the aim of including such measures as an adjunct in routine clinical assessment, service evaluation and research.