Digital Commons Network^™

Are Urban Development And Densification Patterns Aligned With Infrastructure Funding Allocation? Examining Data From Melbourne 1999-2015, Nicole T. Cook, Ilan Wiesel, Fanqi Liu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Densification of cities and suburbs is a contentious issue for many communities in lower-density settings. Local opposition to densification is often premised on concerns about the inadequacy of existing infrastructure to support growing populations and is strongest and most successful in wealthier neighbourhoods. While the urban consolidation agenda in cities such as Melbourne and Sydney is justified in policy contexts as a strategy to improve utilisation of existing infrastructure in built up areas, densification over time also produces new demand for services. Whether or not densification drives new infrastructure spending is therefore an important question in the governance of social …

'Multimorbidity In Australia: Comparing Estimates Derived Using Administrative Data Sources And Survey Data', Sanja Lujic, Judy Simpson, Nicholas Arnold Zwar, Hassan Hosseinzadeh, Louisa R. Jorm

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Estimating multimorbidity (presence of two or more chronic conditions) using administrative data is becoming increasingly common. We investigated (1) the concordance of identification of chronic conditions and multimorbidity using self-report survey and administrative datasets; (2) characteristics of people with multimorbidity ascertained using different data sources; and (3) whether the same individuals are classified as multimorbid using different data sources.

Methods

Baseline survey data for 90,352 participants of the 45 and Up Study—a cohort study of residents of New South Wales, Australia, aged 45 years and over—were linked to prior two-year pharmaceutical claims and hospital admission records. Concordance of eight …

Modeling Hierarchical Relationships In Hinkle's Implications Grid Data, Richard Bell, Peter Caputi, Leonie M. Miller

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There have been few attempts to devise suitable methods of analysis for the implications grid devised by Hinkle (1965). As Hinkle noted (Hinkle, 1965, p. 63), there are three implications needed to define a hierarchical relationship (A → B, B → C, and A → C). Hinkle did not attempt to test this requirement, as neither did the only other published use of the technique (Fransella, 1972). Subsequently, Caputi, Breiger, and Pattison (1990) published a technique that explicitly sought to model implications data with respect to this requirement. In this study we use this technique to both (a) evaluate some …

Down The Methodological Rabbit Hole: Thinking Diffractively With Resistant Data, Gary Levy, Christine Halse, Jan Wright

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article, part of a larger study, began with an inquiry into the ways a small group of preteen boys and girls with diagnosed eating disorders discussed their ideas and attitudes about healthy bodies in individual interviews. Despite applying some of the usual analytic procedures, the data yielded little of significance in relation to body and health discourses, or to gender differences. We therefore wondered whether our underlying epistemological lenses and methodological toolkit had prevented us from seeing and hearing what was happening with this particular cohort. By shifting from a predominantly feminist post-structuralist, socio-cultural approach to one more inflected …

Evaluation Of A Personal Data Logger To Measure Real-Time Breathing Cycles Across Varying Work Rates, Jane L. Whitelaw, Alison L. Jones, Brian Davies, Gregory E. Peoples

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at The 18th International Conference of International Society for Respiratory Protection, 7-11 November 2016, Yokohama, Japan.

Effective Practices For Interagency Data Sharing: Insights From Collaborative Research In A Regional Intervention, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Phillip O'Neill, Kathleen Mee

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Data sharing adds considerable value to interagency programs that seek to tackle complex social problems. Yet data sharing is not easily enacted either technically or as a governance practice, especially considering the multiple forms of risk involved. This article presents insights from a successful data sharing project in a major region in east coast Australia involving a federally funded research partnership between two universities and a number of human services agencies. The Spatial Data Analysis Project sought to establish a community of practice for devising data sharing protocols and embedding data sharing into agency practices. Close dialogue between the project …

Propensity Score Weighting For Addressing Under-Reporting In Mortality Surveillance: A Proof-Of-Concept Study Using The Nationally Representative Mortality Data In China, Kang Guo, Peng Yin, Lijun Wang, Yibing Ji, Qingfeng Li, David Bishai, Shiwei Liu, Yunning Liu, Thomas Astell-Burt, Xiaoqi Feng, Jinling You, Jiangmei Liu, Maigeng Zhou

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: National mortality data are obtained routinely by the Disease Surveillance Points system (DSPs) in China and under-reporting is a big challenge in mortality surveillance. Methods: We carried out an under-reporting field survey in all 161 DSP sites to collect death cases during 2009 - 2011, using a multi-stage stratified sampling. To identify under-reporting, death data were matched between field survey system and the routine online surveillance system by an automatic computer checking followed by a thorough manual verification. We used a propensity score (PS) weighting method based on a logistic regression to calculate the under-reporting rate in different groups …

Health And Development Of Children Born After Assisted Reproductive Technology And Sub-Fertility Compared To Naturally Conceived Children: Data From A National Study, Alastair G. Sutcliffe, Edward Melhuish, Jacqueline Barnes, Julian Gardiner

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In a non-matched case-control study using data from two large national cohort studies, we investigated whether indicators of child health and development up to 7 years of age differ between children conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART), children born after sub-fertility (more than 24 months of trying for conception) and other children. Information on ART use/sub-fertility was available for 23,649 children. There were 227 cases (children conceived through ART) and two control groups: 783 children born to sub-fertile couples, and 22,639 children born to couples with no fertility issues. In models adjusted for social and demographic factors there were significant …

Anomalous Data About Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Language Ecologies, Denise Angelo, Sophie Mcintosh

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter presents in-depth case studies that reveal the skewed nature of Census data collected or reported about the vernaculars of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote Queensland communities. It is argued that issues relating to inconsistent and inaccurate data have arisen largely due to complexities surrounding widespread language shift towards contact languages. In such contexts, collected language data can be misunderstood and miscoded, because naming and classifying a "language spoken at home" is predicated on (preexisting) language awareness and recognition, as well as standardized- or at least well-recognized- nomenclature. The chapter also shows that Census categories …

More Thinking About Less Data: A Perspective From The 2nd Provence Summer Workshop, M Valenzuela, D Bartres-Faz, E Bullmore, A Fjell, M Maletic-Savetic, R Martins, N Solowij, M Yucel

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Doppler intuited that a sound’s pitch could be altered by the relative velocity between the source and an observer-70 years later Hubble used the same principle and 42 data points to prove the universe was indeed expanding. Arguably, no other data set of 0.042 Kb has done more to change our understanding of the cosmos. Although modest in volume, it took Hubble several years to acquire these precious numbers.

Der-Nsw Evaluation: Conclusions From The 2013 Data Collection, Sarah Howard, Adrian Mozejko

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The following report considers final results of the evaluation of the Australian Commonwealth Government's Digital Education Revolution in New South Wales (DERNSW) one-to-one laptop program, in relation to student and teachers' developing engagement and use of ICTs.

Influence Of Initial Severity Of Depression On Effectiveness Of Low Intensity Interventions: Meta-Analysis Of Individual Patient Data, Peter Bower, Evangelos Kontopantelis, Alex Sutton, Tony Kendrick, David A. Richards, Simon Gilbody, Sarah Knowles, Pim Cuijpers, Gerhard Andersson, Helen Christensen, Bjorn Meyer, Marcus Huibers, Filip Smit, Annemieke Van Straten, Lisanne Warmerdam, Michael Barkham, Linda Bilich, Karina Lovell, Emily Tsung-Hsueh Liu

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To assess how initial severity of depression affects the benefit derived from low intensity interventions for depression. Design Meta-analysis of individual patient data from 16 datasets comparing low intensity interventions with usual care. Setting Primary care and community settings. Participants 2470 patients with depression. Interventions Low intensity interventions for depression (such as guided self help by means of written materials and limited professional support, and internet delivered interventions). Main outcome measures Depression outcomes (measured with the Beck Depression Inventory or Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), and the effect of initial depression severity on the effects of low intensity …

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, …

A Randomised Controlled Trial To Compare Opt-In And Opt-Out Parental Consent For Childhood Vaccine Safety Surveillance Using Data Linkage: Study Protocol, Jesia G. Berry, Philip Ryan, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Katherine M. Duszynski, V Xafis, M S. Gold

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

The Vaccine Assessment using Linked Data (VALiD) trial compared opt-in and opt-out parental consent for a population-based childhood vaccine safety surveillance program using data linkage. A subsequent telephone interview of all households enrolled in the trial elicited parental intent regarding the return or non-return of reply forms for opt-in and opt-out consent. This paper describes the rationale for the trial and provides an overview of the design and methods.

Methods/Design

Single-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (RCT) stratified by firstborn status. Mothers who gave birth at one tertiary South Australian hospital were randomised at six weeks post-partum to receive an …

Impact Of The Home Learning Environment On Child Cognitive Development: Secondary Analysis Of Data From 'Growing Up In Scotland', Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study aims to investigate whether interview-based measures of children’s activities are associated with cognitive ability at age 34 months, and whether they have independent effects once socio-demographic factors have been taken into account.

Initial Severity And Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis Of Data Submitted To The Food And Drug Administration, Irving Kirsch, Brett J. Deacon, Tania B. Huedo-Medina, Alan Scoboria, Thomas J. Moore, Blair T. Johnson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Meta-analyses of antidepressant medications have reported only modest benefits over placebo treatment, and when unpublished trial data are included, the benefit falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance. Yet, the efficacy of the antidepressants may also depend on the severity of initial depression scores. The purpose of this analysis is to establish the relation of baseline severity and antidepressant efficacy using a relevant dataset of published and unpublished clinical trials. Methods and Findings: We obtained data on all clinical trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the licensing of the four new-generation antidepressants for which …

Issues In Assessing The Validity Of Nutrient Data Obtained From A Food-Frequency Questionnaire: Folate And Vitamin B12 Examples, Victoria Flood, Wayne T. Smith, Karen L. Webb, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To compare methods used to assess the validity of nutrient intake data obtained from a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ), using folate and vitamin B₁₂ as nutrient examples.

Design: Cross-sectional sample from a population cohort.

Setting: Two postcode areas west of Sydney, Australia.

Subjects: In total, 2895 people aged 49 years and older provided dietary data using a semi-quantitative FFQ (79% of 3654 subjects examined). The validity of the FFQ was assessed against three 4-day weighed food records (WFRs) completed by 78 people (mean age 70 years).

Results: Folate and vitamin B₁₂ validity data were assessed using different methods. …

Characteristics Of Pre-School Environments In Northern Ireland: An Analysis Of Observational Data, Edward Melhuish, Louise Quinn, Kathleen Mcsherry, Kathy Sylva, Pam Sammons, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart, Sofia Guimares

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This longitudinal study assesses the attainment and development of children followed between the ages of 3 and 7 years. Over 700 children were recruited to the study during 1998 and 1999 from 80 pre-school centres. Both qualitative and quantitative methods (including multilevel modelling) are used to explore the effects of pre-school experience on children's cognitive attainment and social/behavioural development at entry to school and any continuing effects on such outcomes up to 7 years of age. In addition to the effects of preschool experience, the study investigates the contribution to children's development of individual and family characteristics such as gender, …