Digital Commons Network^™

"It Could Probably Help Someone Else But Not Me": A Feasibility Study Of A Snack Programme Offered To Meals On Wheels Clients, K E. Charlton, K Walton, L Moon, K Smith, A T. Mcmahon, F Ralph, M Stuckey, F Manning, J Krassie

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Objectives Community-based services, such as Meals on Wheels (MOW), allow older adults to remain in their homes for as long as possible. Many MOW recipients experience decreased appetite that limits intake at mealtimes. This pilot study aimed to determine the feasibility of providing high protein high energy snacks to improve nutrient intakes of MOW clients in a regional centre of New South Wales, Australia.

Participants A convenience sample of 12 MOW clients.

Intervention Participants received snacks five times a week, in addition to their usual MOW order, for four weeks.

Measurements Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment …

Simulation Study Of Ion Pairing In Concentrated Aqueous Salt Solutions With A Polarizable Force Field, Yun Luo, Wei Jiang, Haibo Yu, Alexander D. Mackerrell, Benoit Roux

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The accuracy of empirical force fields is critical for meaningful molecular dynamics simulations of concentrated ionic solutions. Current models are typically developed on the basis of single ion properties such as the monohydrate energy in the gas phase, or the absolute hydration free energy at infinite dilution. However, the failure of these models to represent accurately the properties of concentrated solutions cannot be excluded. Here, these issues are illustrated for a polarizable potential based on classical Drude oscillators. To model accurately concentrated ionic solutions, the parameters of the potential functions are optimized to reproduce osmotic pressure data. The sodium-chloride potential …

A Cross-Sectional Study Of Student Teachers' Behaviour Management Strategies Throughout Their Training Years, Stuart Woodcock, Andrea Reupert

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Despite the importance of behaviour management, many student teachers report being inadequately trained in this area. The aim of this study was to identify the strategies, confidence and reported levels of success in regard to various behaviour management strategies, across 509 first, second, third and fourth year student teachers training to be primary teachers. The most significant differences were found between first and second year student teachers in regard to their use of, and confidence in, initial and later corrective strategies, and between second and third year student teachers in terms of their use of, and confidence in, differentiating curriculum …

A Unified Study Of Epidemic Routing Protocols And Their Enhancements, Zuyong Feng, Kwan-Wu Chin

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

Epidemic protocols belong to a class of routing paradigm that have wide ranging applications in Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) due to their simplicity, low delays, and little to no reliance on special nodes. To this end, a comprehensive study of their performance will serve as an important guide to future protocol designers. Unfortunately, to date, there is no work that studies epidemic routing protocols using a common framework that evaluates their performance objectively using the same mobility model and parameters. To this end, we study four categories of epidemic routing protocols. Namely, P-Q epidemic, epidemic with Time-To-Live (TTL), epidemic with …

Using Interviews And Peer Pairs To Better Understand How School Environments Affect Young Children's Playground Physical Activity Levels: A Qualitative Study, Anne-Maree Parrish, Heather Yeatman, Donald Iverson, Ken Russell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

School break times provide a daily opportunity for children to be active; however, research indicates this time is underutilized. Reasons for low children’s playground activity levels have primarily focused on physical barriers. This research aimed to contribute to physical environmental findings affecting children’s playground physical activity levels by identifying additional variables through the interview process. Thirteen public schools were included in the sample (total 2946 children). Physical activity and environmental data were collected over 3 days. Environmental variables were manually assessed at each of the 13 schools. Observational data were used to determine which three schools were the most and …

The Effect Of Dairy Consumption On Blood Pressure In Mid-Childhood: Caps Cohort Study, A M. Rangan, V L. Flood, G Denyer, J G. Ayer, K L. Webb, G B. Marks, D S. Celermajer, Tim Gill

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background/objectives: It has been postulated that higher dairy consumption may affect blood pressure regulation. The aim of this study was to examine the association between dairy consumption and blood pressure in mid-childhood. Methods: Subjects (n=335) were participants of a birth cohort at high risk of asthma withinformation on diet at 18 months and blood pressure at 8 years. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the association of dairy consumption (serves) and micronutrient intakes (mg) at 18 m with blood pressure at 8 y. In a subgroup of children (n=201), dietary intake was measured at age 18 m and 9 y …

A Study Of Psychiatric And Physical Morbidity Among Residents Of Old Age Home, Vaishali Hedge, Srinivas Kosgi, Satheesh Rao, Nagesh Pai, Shankarappa Mudgal

Graduate School of Medicine - Papers (Archive)

Aims/objectives: To determine the frequency of psychiatric and physical morbidity and also to look into the association between psycho- social factors, morbidity and disability among residents of old age home. Materials and Methods: Study was conducted at an old age home where two hundred and forty five residents were screened using short psychiatric evaluation schedule (SPES).Hundred and ten residents scoring ≥ 4 on SPES suggestive of psychopathology were further evaluated. Information regarding socio-demography, past & present medical and psychiatric illness history was collected. Each individual’s detailed physical examination findings were recorded and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), social support scale, disability …

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Depression Symptoms And Disability For Older Adults: A Population-Based Study, Chun-Min Chen, Judy Mullan, Yung-Yu Su, David Atherton Griffiths, Irene Kreis, Herng-Chia Chiu

Graduate School of Medicine - Papers (Archive)

Background. Although depressive symptoms in older adults are common, their relationship with disability and the influence of disability on the development of depressive symptoms over time is not well understood. This longitudinal study investigates the change trajectories of both depressive symptoms and disability, as well as their associations over time. Methods. Participants included 442 community-dwelling older adults living in Taiwan, aged 65 years or older, who completed six waves of survey interviews. Depression was scored with the Short Psychiatric Evaluation Schedule and disability with the instrumental and physical activities of daily living measure during each consecutive data collection wave. The …

Patient Perceptions Of Anaesthesia Research Priorities - A Failed Study, Natalie A. Smith, D Martin

Graduate School of Medicine - Papers (Archive)

Professor Steven Shafer alerted conference delegates at a recent international meeting to the value of considering topics for future research in terms of what the most important questions are that remain to be solved1. He quoted from an issue of Science magazine, in which the editors reported questions they thought pointed to the greatest current scientific knowledge gaps2. Two of the top 25 related to anaesthesia in a broad sense: the biological basis of consciousness and how memories are stored and retrieved. Others have noted the relevance of asking patients what they considered research priorities to be3,4. We designed a …

Reducing Olanzapine-Induced Weight Gain Side-Effect By Using Betahistine: A Study In The Rat Model, Chao Deng, Jiamei Lian, Nagesh Brahmavar Pai, Xu-Feng Huang

Graduate School of Medicine - Papers (Archive)

Olanzapine is effective at treating multiple domains of schizophrenia symptoms. However, it induces serious metabolic side effects. Antipsychotic drug’s antagonistic affinity to histamine H1 receptors has been identified as a main contributor for weight gain/obesity side effects. This study therefore investigated whether a combined treatment of betahistine (a H1 receptor agonist and H3 receptor antagonist) could reduce the body weight/obesity induced by olanzapine. Female Sprague Dawley rats were treated orally with olanzapine (1 mg/kg, t.i.d.) and/or betahistine (2.67 mg/kg, t.i.d.), or vehicle for two weeks. Rats treated with olanzapine exhibited significant body weight gain and increased food intake. Co-treatment of …

The Ethical Commitments Of Health Promotion Practitioners: An Empirical Study From New South Wales, Australia, Stacy M. Carter, Christiane Klinner, Ian Kerridge, Lucie Rychetnik, Vincy Li, Denise Fry

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this article, we provide a description of the good in health promotion based on an empirical study of health promotion practices in New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia. We found that practitioners were unified by a vision of the good in health promotion that had substantive and procedural dimensions. Substantively, the good in health promotion was teleological: it inhered in meliorism, an intention to promote health, which was understood holistically and situated in places and environments, a commitment to primary rather than secondary prevention and engagement with communities more than individuals. Procedurally, the good in health …

Weight Change In Control Group Participants In Behavioural Weight Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review And Meta-Regression Study, Lauren Waters, Alexis B. St George, Tien Chey, Adrian E. Bauman

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Unanticipated control group improvements have been observed in intervention trials targeting various health behaviours. This phenomenon has not been studied in the context of behavioural weight loss intervention trials. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review and meta-regression of behavioural weight loss interventions to quantify control group weight change, and relate the size of this effect to specific trial and sample characteristics. Methods Database searches identified reports of intervention trials meeting the inclusion criteria. Data on control group weight change and possible explanatory factors were abstracted and analysed descriptively and quantitatively. Results 85 trials were …

Properties Of The B+-H2 And B+-D2 Complexes: A Theoretical And Spectroscopic Study, B L. J Poad, V Dryza, A A. Buchachenko, J Kos, E J. Bieske

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

The rotationally resolved infrared spectrum of the B+-D2 ion-neutral complex is recorded in the D-D stretch vibration region (2805–2875  cm−1) by detecting B+ photofragments. Analysis of the spectrum confirms a T-shaped equilibrium geometry for the B+-D2 complex with a vibrationally averaged intermolecular bond length of 2.247 Å, around 0.02 Å shorter than for the previously characterised B+-H2 complex [V. Dryza, B. L. J. Poad, and E. J. Bieske, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 12986 (2008)10.1021/ja8018302]. The D-D stretch band centre occurs at 2839.76 ± 0.10 cm−1, representing a −153.8  cm−1 shift from the Q1(0) transition of the free D2 molecule. …

Translation Of Tobacco Policy Into Practice In Disadvantaged And Marginalized Subpopulations: A Study Of Challenges And Opportunities In Remote Australian Indigenous Communities, Jan A. Robertson, Katherine M. Conigrave, Rowena Ivers, Kim Usher, Alan R. Clough

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: In Australia generally, smoking prevalence more than halved after 1980 and recently commenced to decline among Australia's disadvantaged Indigenous peoples. However, in some remote Indigenous Australian communities in the Northern Territory (NT), extremely high rates of up to 83% have not changed over the past 25 years. The World Health Organisation has called for public health and political leadership to address a global tobacco epidemic. For Indigenous Australians, unprecedented policies aim to overcome disadvantage and close the 'health gap' with reducing tobacco use the top priority. This study identifies challenges and opportunities to implementing these important new tobacco initiatives …

Study Of The Relationship Between Infrared Stimulated Luminescence And Blue Light Stimulated Luminescence For Potassium-Feldspar From Sediments, Zhijun Gong, Bo Li, Sheng-Hua Li

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

In luminescence measurements of potassium-feldspar (K-feldspar), both infrared (IR) and blue light (BL) can be used as stimulation sources. Component analysis suggests that the blue light stimulated luminescence (BLSL) measured at 60 °C from K-feldspar can be fitted using three components, namely fast, medium and slow. In order to explore the relationship between the origin of the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal and the different components of the BLSL, five sets of experiments were conducted, namely post-IR BLSL (pIR-BLSL), post-BL IRSL (pBL-IRSL), pulse annealing tests, dose response and laboratory fading rate tests. It is observed that most of the IRSL …

Bioregional Assessment Project: Sydney Metropolitan, Southern Rivers And Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchments: Data Collation Phase To Study The Impact Of Mining Activity And Coal Seam Gas On Environmental Assets, John Bradd, Tim Cohen, Sam Marx, Sol Buckman, Emma Burkhardt, A Clarke, Nicole Cook, Stephen Cullen, James Daley, Alexi Gavin, Ren Hu, Emma Kiekebosch-Fitt, Matt Lemcke, Andrew Lowe, Thomas Mcmahon, Luke Mcneilage, Kaitlyn O'Mara, Garth Nagle, Sam Robson, Carolyn Silveri, Joe Stammers

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

This study was commissioned by the Hawkesbury-Nepean (HNCMA), Sydney Metropolitan (SMCMA) and Southern Rivers (SRCMA) Catchment Management Authorities and undertaken by the University of Wollongong to collate existing data and to provide a preliminary assessment of the potential impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) and coal mining activities on environmental assets within the three CMA regions, where environmental assets were defined under three broad themes; water, land and biodiversity. This study formed part of the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC) Bioregional Assessment initiative within regions potentially affected by CSG and coal mining activities. …

Survive Or Die? An Empirical Study On Chinese St Firms, Yanran-Annie Zhou, Maria H. Kim, Shiguang Ma

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

A number of listed firms that are experiencing financial distress have had a Special Treatment (ST) 'cap' imposed on them by the China Securities Regulatory Commission. The ST 'cap' can be removed if the firms survive financial distress by becoming profitable. Alternatively, a ST firm which goes bankrupt is delisted from the market. Using a sample of 441 ST firms tracked from 1998 to 2011, this paper employs Cox's proportional hazards model to predict turnaround probability for a distressed firm to remove the ST 'cap'. The predictor variables incorporate: (1) accounting-driven ratios, (2) market-driven variables, and (3) information on ownership …

Exploring The Role Of Marketing Strategy And New Product Development In Long-Term Success Of Market Acceptance: A Case Study Of A Local Product In Thailand, Pensri Jaroenwanit, Uraiporn Kattiyapornpong

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper aims to present the exploratory study of the role of marketing strategy and new product development in achieving long-term success of market acceptance in the context of a local product in Thailand. It is part of a large project, only qualitative study is included in this paper. The research methodology comprised documentary research, focus group discussion, and in-depth interview. Participants included local business representatives and customers who live in the regional area and have purchased and consumed the regional products in the last twelve months. The exploratory findings showed the importance of understanding the role of marketing strategy …

Monte Carlo Study Of The Potential Reduction In Out-Of-Field Dose Using A Patient-Specific Aperture In Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy, Stephen J. Dowdell, Benjamin Clasie, Nicolas Depauw, Peter E. Metcalfe, Anatoly B. Rosenfeld, Hanne M. Kooy, Jacob B. Flanz, Harald Paganetti

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

This study is aimed at identifying the potential benefits of using a patientspecific aperture in proton beam scanning. For this purpose, an accurate Monte Carlo model of the pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy (PT) treatment head at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) was developed based on an existing model of the passive double-scattering (DS) system. The Monte Carlo code specifies the treatment head at MGH with sub-millimeter accuracy. The code was configured based on the results of experimental measurements performed at MGH. This model was then used to compare out-of-field doses in simulated DS treatments and PBS treatments. For the …

How To Achieve Maximum Charge Carrier Loading On Heteroatom-Substituted Graphene Nanoribbon Edges: Density Functional Theory Study, Ting Liao, Chenghua Sun, Ziqi Sun, Aijun Du, Denisa Hulicova-Jurcakova, Sean C. Smith

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

The practical number of charge carriers loaded is crucial to the evaluation of the capacity performance of carbon-based electrodes in service, and cannot be easily addressed experimentally. In this paper, we report a density functional theory study of charge carrier adsorption onto zigzag edge-shaped graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs), both pristine and incorporating edge substitution with boron, nitrogen or oxygen atoms. All edge substitutions are found to be energetically favorable, especially in oxidized environments. The maximal loading of protons onto the substituted ZGNR edges obeys a rule of [8-n- 1], where n is the number of valence electrons of the edge-site atom …

Microstructural Evolution During Gaseous Hydrogen Charging Of Zircaloy-4 Processed By High-Pressure Torsion: A Comparative Study, Zhiyang Wang, Huijun Li, Ulf Garbe, Mark D. Callaghan, Yanbo Wang, Xiaozhou Liao

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

The original and high-pressure torsion (HPT) processed Zircaloy-4 materials were hydrided using gaseous hydrogen charging at different hydrogen pressures (10, 15 and 20 atm). The phase and microstructural evolutions of the samples during hydriding were characterized. It showed that when hydriding at the identical conditions, more hydrides tended to form in the HPT samples compared to that of the original ones. At a hydrogen pressure of 20 atm, the HPT sample was completely converted to ε-ZrH2 while some δ-ZrH1.66 hydrides (volume fraction ~5.73%) were present in the material without HPT preprocessing. The HPT samples exhibited high potential for the hydride …

A Laboratory Study Of Railway Ballast Behaviour Under Various Fouling Degree, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Buddhima Indraratna, Ngoc Trung Ngo, Matthew Coop

Faculty of Engineering - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents a laboratory study of interface behavior between ballast and geogrid under various degree of fouling by coal fines. The stress-displacement behaviour of fresh and fouled ballast with geogrid was investigated through a series of large-scale direct shear tests where the fouling degree varied from 0% to 95% Void Contamination Index (VCI), at normal stresses ranging from 15kPa to 75kPa. The results showed that geogrid enhances the shear strength and increases apparent angle of shearing resistance, while only slightly reduces the vertical displacement of the composite geogrid-ballast system. However, when ballast was contaminated by coal fines, the influences …

Anti-Corruption Movements And The 'Twittering Classes' In The Postcolony: An Indian Case Study, Ramaswami Harindranath, Sukhmani Khorana

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers (Archive)

Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa have been widely celebrated as the triumph of civil society. Such accounts extol the role of social media and the Internet as the loci for the mobilisation of popular protest, so much so that news narratives and scholarly commentary both see these technologies as shaping these revolutions, as enabling such upheavals in civil society. Using a recent case of popular mobilisation in India, namely the anti-­‐corruption movement inspired in 2011 by Anna Hazare, this paper attempts to locate these developments within particular formations in the postcolony.

Malnutrition (Subjective Global Assessment) Scores And Serum Albumin Levels, But Not Body Mass Index Values, At Initiation Of Dialysis Are Independent Predictors Of Mortality: A 10-Year Clinical Cohort Study, Maria Chan, J Kelly, Marijka Batterham, Linda Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between demographic, clinical, lifestyle, and nutritional parameters at the start of dialysis and mortality, including the combined effects on nutritional parameters, which were seldom investigated in the literature. DESIGN: Ten-year retrospective clinical cohort study. SETTING: Dialysis unit of a metropolitan tertiary teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia. SUBJECTS: Incident dialysis patients (n = 167; hemodialysis, 57.5%; male, 61.7%; age, 65.3 ± 13.6 years; diabetic, 24.5%) who commenced on a planned dialysis program. METHODS: Associations were examined between all-cause mortality and baseline demographics, including age and gender; clinical and lifestyle characteristics, including glomerular filtration rate, smoking habits, …

The Health And Development Of Children Born To Older Mothers In The United Kingdom: Observational Study Using Longitudinal Cohort Data, Alastair G. Sutcliffe, Jacqueline Barnes, Jay Belsky, Julian Gardiner, Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To assess relations between children's health and development and maternal age. Design Observational study of longitudinal cohorts. Setting Millennium Cohort Study (a random sample of UK children) and the National Evaluation of Sure Start study (a random sample of children in deprived areas in England), 2001 to 2007. Participants 31 257 children at age 9 months, 24 781 children at age 3 years, and 22 504 at age 5 years. Main outcome measures Childhood unintentional injuries and hospital admissions (aged 9 months, 3 years, and 5 years), immunisations (aged 9 months and 3 years), body mass index, language development, …

Referral Patterns And Proximity To Palliative Care Inpatient Services By Level Of Socio-Economic Disadvantage. A National Study Using Spatial Analysis., David C. Currow, Samuel F. Allingham, Sonia Bird, Patsy Yates, Joanne Lewis, James P. Dawber, Kathy Eagar

Australian Health Services Research Institute

Background A range of health outcomes at a population level are related to differences in levels of social disadvantage. Understanding the impact of any such differences in palliative care is important. The aim of this study was to assess, by level of socio-economic disadvantage, referral patterns to specialist palliative care and proximity to inpatient services. Methods All inpatient and community palliative care services nationally were geocoded (using postcode) to one nationally standardised measure of socio-economic deprivation - Socio- Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA; 2006 census data). Referral to palliative care services and characteristics of referrals were described through data collected …

Student Perception Of Study At International Branch Campuses: Implication For Educators And College Managers, Stephen Wilkins, Melodena Stephens Balakrishnan

University of Wollongong in Dubai - Papers

It is widely accepted that in any service industry it is the customer who defines service quality, so it is logical for researchers and practitioners to research the customer perspective. The international branch campus has emerged as a popular form of transnational higher education but to date little research has been undertaken on student attitudes, beliefs and experiences, other than the student feedback evaluations conducted by institutions. This quantitative study employed a survey questionnaire to investigate student perceptions of study at international branch campuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the country which hosts the largest number of branch campuses …

Importance Of The Relative Advantage Of Rfid As Enabler Of Asset Management In The Healthcare: Results From A Delphi Study, Samuel Fosso Wamba, Eric W. T Ngai

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Compared with bar coding technology, what is the importance of the relative advantage of radio frequency identification (RFID) in the healthcare sector? What is the effect of RFID technology on asset management-related processes in healthcare? What are the top-ranked asset management-related processes associated with the adoption and use of RFID technology in this sector? To answer these questions, a three-round Delphi study was conducted among experts working on RFID technology. In the study, a list of 12 processes related to the relative advantage of RFID and 10 processes related to RFID-enabled asset management applications in the healthcare sector were derived …

Experimental Study On Chain-Die Forming For Ultrahigh Strength Steel (Uhss), Yuankun Zhang, Shichao Ding

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

With the increasing applications of UHSS for the automotive industry, it becomes more and more important to develop a new forming technology as an alternative or even a replacement to roll forming to overcome the difficulties and problems of manufacturing the UHSS. With the increase of material's strength and decrease of its thickness, the springback of the material becomes more difficult to predict, which directly affects the application of roll forming in UHSS. Chain-die Forming, as an alternative to roll forming proposed and developed recently in Australia, is expected to be a solution to the problems addressed. It has been …

Australian Online Public Information Systems: A User-Centred Study Of An Evolving Public Health Website, Helen Hasan, Joseph Meloche, Sumayya Banna

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The strategic, transformational nature of many information systems projects is now widely understood. Large-scale implementations of systems are known to require significant management of organisational change in order to be successful. Moreover, projects are rarely executed in isolation - most organisations have a large programme of projects being implemented at any one time. However, project and value management methodologies provide ad hoc definitions of the relationship between a project and its environment. This limits the ability of an organisation to manage the larger dynamics between projects and organisations, over time, and between projects. The contribution of this paper, therefore, is …