Digital Commons Network^™

Satellite Evidence For A Large Source Of Formic Acid From Boreal And Tropical Forests, T Stavrakou, J F. Muller, J Peeters, A Razavi, L Clarisse, C Clerbaux, P Coheur, D Hurtmans, M De Maziere, C Vigouroux, Nicholas Deutscher, David Griffith, Nicholas Jones, Clare Paton-Walsh

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Formic acid contributes significantly to acid rain in remote environments1, 2. Direct sources of formic acid include human activities, biomass burning and plant leaves. Aside from these direct sources, sunlight-induced oxidation of non-methane hydrocarbons (largely of biogenic origin) is probably the largest source3, 4. However, model simulations substantially underpredict atmospheric formic acid levels5, 6, 7, indicating that not all sources have been included in the models. Here, we use satellite measurements of formic acid concentrations to constrain model simulations of the global formic acid budget. According to our simulations, 100–120 Tg of formic acid is produced annually, which is two …

'The Closet Of The Third Person'; Susan Sontag, Sexual Dissidence, And Celebrity, Guy R. Davidson

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

In this essay I argue that the tension between Susan Sontag's status as a postmodern celebrity and her devotion to the modernist cult of impersonality may be productively related to her sexuality. Beginning with her famous essay ‘Notes of Camp’ (1964), Sontag aligned herself (somewhat uneasily) with metropolitan gay culture. On the other hand, Sontag was one of the most famous undeclared lesbians in recent history. While she largely eschewed life writing, her fiction, essays, and interviews have often been read by critics for their autobiographical resonances. I extend this critical tendency by attending to the articulation and elision of …

Is A Us Marine Base In Darwin Really A Good Idea?, Anthony Ashbolt

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

The American alliance is simply too costly for Australia both in terms of human lives and international relations. While our political leaders prattle on about “getting the job done”, an Orwellian nightmare persists in Afghanistan and the police we train torture detainees and are deeply enmeshed in the drug trade, the troops we train turn into Taliban and the Government we prop up is no better, in moral or philosophical terms, than its enemy in the field.

The American Century is well and truly over and it is time to forge new associations and to think not in terms of …

The Social And Behavioral Implications Of Location-Based Services, Katina Michael, M.G. Michael

Associate Professor Katina Michael

The social and behavioral implications of location-based services (LBS) are only now beginning to come to light in advanced markets where the services have been adopted by just a little over half the market (Microsoft 2011). Depending on one’s definition of what constitutes location-based services, statistics on the level of adoption differ considerably. While it is helpful to provide as broad a list of applications as possible in what constitutes LBS (e.g. everything from in-vehicle navigation systems to downloading a map using a computer), it can also cloud the real picture forming behind this emerging technology. Emerging not in the …

Dietary Shiitake Mushroom (Lentinus Edodes) Prevents Fat Deposition And Lowers Triglyceride In Rats Fed A High-Fat Diet, D Handayani, J-Z Chen, Barbara J. Meyer, Xu-Feng Huang

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

High-fat diet (HFD) induces obesity. This study examined the effects of Shiitake mushroom on the prevention of alterations of plasma lipid profiles, fat deposition, energy efficiency, and body fat index induced by HFD. Rats were given a low, medium, and high (7, 20, 60 g/kg = LD-M, MD-M, HD-M) Shiitake mushroom powder in their high-fat (50% in kcal) diets for 6 weeks. The results showed that the rats on the HD-M diet had the lowest body weight gain compared to MD-M and LD-M groups (P < 0.05). The total fat deposition was significantly lower (-35%, P < 0.05) in rats fed an HD-M diet than that of HFD group. Interestingly, plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) level was significantly lower (-55%, P < 0.05) in rats on HD-M than HFD. This study also revealed the existence of negative correlations between the amount of Shiitake mushroom supplementation and body weight gain, plasma TAG, and total fat masses.

Developing Our Careers, Transforming Ourselves: The Uow New Professionals Network, Kristy Newton, Jennifer Mclean, Kimberley Williams, Amy Hardy, Melanie Thompson

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

The New Professionals Network was formed in response to an emerging awareness of the desire for peer to peer support at the University of Wollongong Library, particularly among new and recently graduated professionals. The purpose of the Network is to provide a space for staff in the first five years of their careers to discuss professional development issues, facilitate experience and knowledge sharing, and develop effective communication skills through articulating their experiences and opinions. As the Network has evolved, it has served as a valuable tool for personal and professional metamorphosis. Members report a higher level of professional confidence, a …

Public Education And The Public Good, Anthony Ashbolt

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

When Julia Gillard became Minister for Education and Everything Else That Moves, as well as de facto Prime Minister, she expressed a desire to have a conversation about school funding. This politics of inclusion (social inclusion is one of her many portfolios after all) was short-lived and it became clear that conversation was code for acceptance of the status quo. So Julia went off and had a conversation of her own with utopian dreamers whose vision of the good society revolves around testing regimes, job credentialism, disciplinary control of schools (particularly teachers), and whose heights of ecstasy are only achieved …

Rethinking Reusability: Implications From A Longitudinal Study Of Online Role Play In Australian Higher Education, Sandra Wills

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

In a study about designing “reusable e-learning activities”, the author used online role play as a containable, but pedagogically rich, sample. 53 online role plays in Australian higher education were identified and tracked between 1990 and 2006 (Wills, 2010). As a result of interviews and surveys, it was calculated that 45 role plays were a reuse of another role play, demonstrating that the topic of reusability is an important one in higher education.

However, there were only eight instances of reuse of the same role play itself (18%). Predictably these eight instances were a reuse within the same discipline. Meanwhile, …

Venture Capital And Executive Incentives In China, Jerry Cao, Qigui Liu, Gary G. Tian

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the effect that venture capital (VC) has on the pay-performancerelationship in listed Chinese firms. We find that VC has a significantly positive effect onCEO compensation and the pay-performance relationship, such effect particularly stronger infirms needing more managerial efforts and discretions (higher growth opportunity or higherlevels of capital expenditure). In addition, we show that VC-backed firms with moremanagerial discretions are more likely to use stock options. The evidence suggests thatventure capital investors use more sensitive compensation contract for top executives inChinese when the need for managerial discretion is greater. Such compensation schemes byVCs enhance firm performance subsequently.

The Iron Cage Of The Profession: A Critique On Closure In The Australian Accounting Profession, Ronald W. Perrin, Gregory K. Laing

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper seeks to contribute to the literature on the process of closure that occurs within the constructs of professions. The discussion in this paper focuses on the professional accounting bodies in Australia and how they have devolved a form of bureaucratic control over the education process through the credentialing of membership and accreditation of accounting degrees. Weber's theory of bureaucracy in conjunction with Closure theory provide the framework upon which this critique is drawn. Implicit in the regulatory role of the accounting bodies is the justification of the practice of accounting and the status of the members of the …

Supply Chain Integration And Pathways Of Least Resistance, Tillmann Boehme, Paul Childerhouse, Eric Deakins, Denis Towill

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Exploratory, site-centred research used a systems theory lens to investigate real-world pathways to supply chainintegration. The longitudinal studies involved four New Zealand-based case companies and utilised a rigorous, multimethodsupply chain integration benchmarking procedure. Findings indicate that, regardless of best practicerecommendations, supply chain managers adopt the integration pathway favoured by senior management in order tosecure the level of authority they need for often cross-functional projects. Similarly when seeking to improve externalrelationships, integration pathways that would have the company negotiating from a position of strength are favoured,even though more effective negotiation strategies may be possible. In short, supply chain managers appear to …

Marketing Measurement Revolution: The C-Oar-Se Method And Why It Must Replace Psychometrics, John R. Rossiter

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose – New measures in marketing are invariably created by using a psychometric approach based on Churchill’s “scale development” procedure. This paper aims to compare and contrast Churchill’s procedure with Rossiter’s content-validity approach to measurement, called C-OAR-SE.
Design/methodology approach – The comparison of the two procedures is by rational argument and forms the theoretical first half of the paper. In the applied second half of the paper, three recent articles from the Journal of Marketing (JM) that introduce new constructs and measures are criticized and corrected from the C-OAR-SE perspective.
Findings – The C-OAR-SE method differs from Churchill’s method by …

Professionalism And Social Networking: Can Patients, Physicians, Nurses, And Supervisors All Be `Friends'?, Joy V. Peluchette, Katherine Karl, Alberto Coustasse, Phil Rutsohn, Dennis Emmett

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the use of Facebook by certified nurse anesthetist students. Our results showed that, contrary to expectations, most were neutral about faculty, physicians, and supervisors viewing their Facebook profiles but expressed concerns about patients seeing such information. Many (30%) of our respondents had observed unprofessional content posted on the social network sites of their classmates including: intoxication or substance abuse, profanity, sexually suggestive photos or comments, and negative work-related comments. A vast majority indicated they would accept a ‘friend’ request from their supervisor and a physician but not a patient. Surprisingly, about 40% had initiated a ‘friend’ request …

Predicting Online Travel Purchases: The Case Of Switzerland, Christian Laesser, Anita Zehrer

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines why and under what conditions prospective travellers complete their bookings through online services compared to other methods. The study is based on a representative survey within 1,898 Swiss households, recording their travel behaviour during the entire year 2007. The results show that the likelihood of booking online increases if someone is drawn to a website to gather information in the first place and if the product sold through the website is transparent and well-understood (either 'per se' or because the customer is familiar with the product) or if any other booking-related communication would impose a financial charge …

Race Matters: Whether We Know It, Or Like It, Or Not: Implicit Racial Attitudes And Their Effect On Accounting-Based, Balanced Scorecard Performance Evaluations, David R. Upton, Cecil E. Arrington

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

One of the dominant themes in critical accounting theory over the past two decades has to do with the relation between the construction of human identities and accounting discourse and practices. Though with strong antecedents in Marxist –inspired critique of ideology, genealogical studies (e.g., Miller & O’Leary, 19XX), deconstructive studies (e.g., Shearer & Arrington, 19XX), and critical-rational studies (e.g., Power & Laughlin, 19XX) are examples of different theoretical and methodological ways to probe the constructive force of accounting over human identity and subjectivity. This paper offers a fourth approach grounded in social-cognitive concerns with ways in which implicit attitudes, or …

Modeling The Effects Of Quality In A Transformative Health Service, Shahriar Akter, Umme Hani

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Understanding the effects of service quality on economic (i.e., continuance intentions) and social (i.e., quality of life) outcomes is critical to extend the focus of transformative service research. This study specifies mHealth as a transformative service and models the impact of its overall quality on satisfaction, continuance intentions and quality of life. Based on cognition - affective - conation chain, the conceptual model explicitly identifies convenience, confidence, cooperation, care and concern as the primary dimensions of mHealth service quality. The study validates the higher-order quality model and its association with subsequent latent variables using PLS path modeling. The findings confirm …

Trustworthiness In Mhealth Information Services: An Assessment Of A Hierarchical Model With Mediating And Moderating Effects Using Partial Least Squares (Pls), Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this research is to advance both the theoretical conceptualization and the empirical validation of trustworthiness in mHealth (mobile health) information services research. Conceptually, it extends this line of research by reframing trustworthiness as a hierarchical, reflective construct, incorporating ability, benevolence, integrity, and predictability. Empirically, it confirms that partial least squares path modeling can be used to estimate the parameters of a hierarchical, reflective model with moderating and mediating effects in a nomological network. The model shows that trustworthiness is a second-order, reflective construct that has a significant direct and indirect impact on continuance intentions in the context …

Accounting And Neoliberalism: A Critical Reading Of Iasb/Fasb's Conceptual Framework For Financial Reporting 2010, Ying Zhang

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores the influence of neoliberal free market ideology on the accounting standard setting by using IASB/FASB’s Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010 as an example. By positioning the analysis in broader literature of neoliberalism and financialisation, this paper reveals the bias underlying the conceptual framework that promotes the interest of neoliberal financiers and its potential social impacts. This paper argues that the changes that take place in the joint project serve to strengthen the beliefs in the neoliberal markets and favours a very small group of users over the ‘public interest’ consideration of financial reporting. As unfolded through …

Modeling Quality Dynamics In It Services Management, Dr. Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The increasing importance of information technology (IT) services in the global economy prompts IS researchers to focus on service quality dynamics to capture the critical interaction between human behavior and IT. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a user perceived IT service quality model for mHealth using a cross-disciplinary approach. The conceptual model is rooted in the traditional cognition (service quality) – affective (satisfaction)– conation (continuance intentions) chain but explicitly identifies three primary dimensions (i.e., system quality, interaction quality and outcome quality) and eight subdimensions (system reliability, system efficiency, system privacy, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, utilitarian benefits …

An Evaluation Of Pls Based Complex Models: The Roles Of Power Analysis, Predictive Relevance And Gof Index, Shahriar Akter, John D'Ambra, Pradeep Ray

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is an important tool to estimate a network of causal relationships linking two or more complex concepts. The PLS approach to SEM, also known as component based SEM, is becoming more prominent for estimating large complex models due to its soft modeling assumptions. This ‘soft modeling’ refers to the greater flexibility of PLS technique in developing and validating the complex models. However, to establish rigor in such complex modeling, this study highlights the critical roles of power analysis, predictive relevance and GoF index. The findings of the study show that power analysis is essential to establish …

Viewing Systems As Services: The Role Of Service Quality, Shahriar Akter, Pradeep Ray, John D'Ambra

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The significant and sustained growth in services worldwide prompts IS researchers to give special attention to service and service concepts as core aspects of the IS field. This study proposes that ‘viewing systems as services’ is critical to extend the focus of technology-business alignment in service science research. The study evaluates the influence of mHealth service quality on satisfaction, perceived value and continuance intentions using an interdisciplinary approach. The conceptual model is rooted in the traditional cognition - affective– conation chain but explicitly identifies system quality, interaction quality and information quality as the core dimensions of mHealth service quality. The …

An Assessment Of M-Health In Developing Countries Using Task Technology Fit Model, Amina Tariq, Shahriar Akter

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Health challenges present arguably the most significant barrier to sustainable global development. The introduction of ICT in healthcare, especially the application of mobile communications, has created the potential to transform healthcare delivery by making it more accessible, affordable and effective across the developing world. However, current research into the assessment of mHealth from the perspective of developing countries particularly with community Health workers (CHWs) as primary users continues to be limited. The aim of this study is to analyze the contribution of mHealth in enhancing the performance of the health workers and its alignment with existing workflows to guide its …

Are The Female Entrepreneurs Of Beauty Salons In India, Victims Of Bad Publicity?, Roshni Narendran

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper is a preliminary study exploring the obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs running beauty salons in India. Newspapers and other media highlight the illegal activities that occur in the beauty industry, such as solicitation and the use of unhygienic products in salons, whereas they fail to report about the legitimate owners of beauty salons who are striving to run successful businesses. So far, there are hardly any studies that have highlighted the issue of how bad publicity impacts Indian female entrepreneurs' businesses. Research conducted for a PhD study revealed social castigation and misconceptions created in the minds of the …

"At Least I'M Not Drink-Driving": Formative Research For A Social Marketing Campaign To Reduce Drug-Driving Among Young Drivers, Lance R. Barrie, Sandra C. Jones, Elizabeth Wiese

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a qualitative study designed to examine young drivers’ knowledge and attitudes regarding drug-driving, as the formative research for a potential drug-driving social marketing program in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Drug driving has been found to be associated with motor vehicle accidents, particularly among younger drivers. However, the potential for social marketing in this area has received little attention. This study found that young people were not aware of the effects of drugs on driving, formed their perceptions of risk (both of getting caught and of impaired driving) based on other people’s experiences, and felt that …

Activity Counts From Accelerometers Do Not Add Value To Energy Expenditure Predictions In Sedentary Overweight Individuals During Weight Loss Interventions, Sze Yen Tan, Marijka Batterham, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Knowing the total energy expenditure (TEE) of overweight adults is important for prescribing weight loss interventions. However, objective measurements of TEE may not always be readily available and can be expensive. This study aimed to investigate the validity of RT3 accelerometers in predicting the TEE of sedentary overweight adults, and to identify any sensitivity to anthropometric changes. Methods: The analysis used data from a 12-week weight loss study. At baseline and 12-week, TEE was predicted using RT3 accelerometers during whole room calorimeter stays. Bias between 2 methods was compared at and between the baseline and 12-week measurement points. Multiple …

Influence Of Dietary Modifications On The Blood Pressure Response To Antihypertensive Medication, Catherine E. Huggins, Claire Margerison, Anthony Worsley, Caryl A. Nowson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Identifying dietary modifications that potentiate the blood pressure (BP)-lowering effects of antihypertensive medications and that are practical for free-living people may assist in achieving BP reduction goals. We assessed whether two dietary patterns were effective in lowering BP in persons on antihypertensive therapy and in those not on therapy. Ninety-four participants (38/56 females/males), aged 55·6 (SD 9·9) years, consumed two 4-week dietary regimens in random order (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-type diet and low-Na high-K (LNAHK) diet) with a control diet before each phase. Seated home BP was measured daily for the last 2 weeks in each phase. Participants …

Misreporting Of Energy Intake In The 2007 Australian Children's Survey: Identification, Characteristics And Impact Of Misreporters, Anna Rangan, Victoria M. Flood, Tim Gill

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Misreporting of energy intake (EI) is a common problem in national surveys. The aim of this study was to identify misreporters using a variety of criteria, examine the impact of misreporting on the association between EI and weight status, and to define the characteristics of misreporters in the 2007 Australian Children‟s Survey. Data from the 2007 Australian Children‟s Survey which included 4800 children aged 2–16 years were used to examine the extent of misreporting based on EI, physical activity level (PAL), age, gender, height and weight status. Three options for identifying misreporters using the Goldberg cut-offs were explored as was …

Relationship Between Plantar Pressures, Physical Activity And Sedentariness Among Preschool Children, Karen J. Mickle, Dylan P. Cliff, Bridget J. Munro, Anthony D. Okely, Julie R. Steele

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

It has been speculated that high plantar pressures might cause foot pain and discomfort which, in turn, may discourage children from being physically active and result in them spending more time in sedentary activities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether plantar pressure distributions generated by preschool children were correlated with objectively measured time spent in physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Dynamic plantar pressures were measured for 33 preschool children (age = 4.3±0.6 years; height = 1.06±0.1 m; mass = 18.4±2.9 kg; 17 boys) as they walked across an emed AT-4 pressure platform. Physical activity was objectively assessed …

The Schizophrenia Susceptibility Gene Neuregulin 1 Modulates Tolerance To The Effects Of Canabinoids, Aurelie Boucher, Glenn E. Hunt, Jacques Micheau, Xu-Feng Huang, Iain Mcgregor, Tim Karl, Jonathon Arnold

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia in genetically vulnerable individuals. In this study we aim to show that the schizophrenia susceptibility gene neuregulin 1 (Nrg1) modulates the development of tolerance to cannabinoids in mice. Nrg1 heterozygous (HET) and wild-type (WT) mice were treated daily for 15 d with the synthetic analogue of D9-tetrahydrocannabinol, CP55,940 (0.4 mg/kg). We measured the impact of this exposure on locomotor activity, anxiety, prepulse inhibition (PPI), body temperature and FosB/DFosB immunohistochemistry. Tolerance to CP55,940-induced hypothermia and locomotor suppression developed more rapidly in Nrg1 HET mice than WT mice. Conversely in the light-dark test, while tolerance to …

Simvastatin Prevents Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration In Experimental Parkinsonian Models: The Association With Anti-Inflammatory Responses, Junqiang Yan, Yunqi Xu, Cansheng Zhu, Limin Zhang, Aimin Wu, Yu Yang, Zhaojun Xiong, Chao Deng, Xu-Feng Huang, Midori A. Yenari, Yuan-Guo Yang, Weihai Ying, Qing Wang

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: In addition to their original applications to lowering cholesterol, statins display multiple neuroprotective effects. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors interact closely with the dopaminergic system and are strongly implicated in therapeutic paradigms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aims to investigate how simvastatin impacts on experimental parkinsonian models via regulating NMDA receptors. Methodology/Principal Findings: Regional changes in NMDA receptors in the rat brain and anxiolytic-like activity were examined after unilateral medial forebrain bundle lesion by 6-hydroxydopamine via a 3-week administration of simvastatin. NMDA receptor alterations in the post-mortem rat brain were detected by [3H]MK-801(Dizocilpine) binding autoradiography. 6-hydroxydopamine treated PC12 was applied …