Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Finding A Space For Women: The British Medical Association And Women Doctors In Australia, 1880-1939, Louella R. Mccarthy

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

This paper examines the experiences of women in one professional organisation - the British Medical Association in Australia - during a significant period in the development of such bodies. In doing so it offers an opportunity to consider the relationship between professional societies and the construction of a gendered profession. For the medical profession in particular the time-frame of this study, from the 1880s to the 1930s, has been regarded by scholars as especially important. In this period various features of medical professionalism came to prominence: the status and authority of doctors, the processes of formally registering medical credentials, and …

Island-Hopping Study Shows The Most Likely Route The First People Took To Australia, Kasih Norman

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

The First Australians were among the world's earliest great ocean explorers, undertaking a remarkable 2,000km maritime migration through Indonesia which led to the discovery of Australia at least 65,000 years ago. But the voyaging routes taken through Indonesia's islands, and the location of first landfall in Australia, remain a much debated mystery to archaeologists. Our research, published earlier this year in Quaternary Science Reviews, highlights the most likely route by mapping islands in the region over time through changing sea levels.

Tracking The 10be-26al Source-Area Signal In Sediment-Routing Systems Of Arid Central Australia, Martin Struck, John D. Jansen, Toshiyuki Fujioka, Alexandru Tiberiu Codilean, David Fink, Reka H. Fulop, Klaus M. Wilcken, David M. Price, Steven Kotevski, L Keith Fifield, John Chappell

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

Sediment-routing systems continuously transfer information and mass from eroding source areas to depositional sinks. Understanding how these systems alter environmental signals is critical when it comes to inferring source-area properties from the sedimentary record. We measure cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al along three large sediment-routing systems ( ∼  100 000 km2) in central Australia with the aim of tracking downstream variations in 10Be-26Al inventories and identifying the factors responsible for these variations. By comparing 56 new cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements in stream sediments with matching data (n =  55) from source areas, we show that 10Be-26Al inventories in hillslope bedrock …

Manufactured Home Villages In Australia - A Melting Pot Of Chronic Disease?, Karin Robinson, Abhijeet Ghosh, Elizabeth J. Halcomb

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

Manufactured home villages (MHVs) are an increasingly popular housing option for older Australians. This paper reports a cross-sectional survey that sought to describe the health status and health service access of MHV residents. The survey tool comprised demographic and health status items, primary healthcare access perceptions and the World Health Organization Quality of Life tool (WHOQOL-BREF). One-hundred-eighty-six MHV residents from regional NSW completed the survey. Hypertension (54.8%) and arthritis (46.5%) were the most prevalent chronic diseases reported. Overall, respondents expressed a high level of satisfaction with the sense of safety and security (82.8%), neighbours (69.4%) and the overall location of …

Movement Of Lithics By Trampling: An Experiment In The Madjedbebe Sediments, Northern Australia, Benjamin Marwick, Elspeth Hayes, Christopher Clarkson, Richard Fullagar

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

Understanding post-depositional movement of artefacts is vital to making reliable claims about the formation of archaeological deposits. Human trampling has long been recognised as a contributor to post-depositional artefact displacement. We investigate the degree to which artefact form (shape-and-size) attributes can predict how an artefact is moved by trampling. We use the Zingg classification system to describe artefact form. Our trampling substrate is the recently excavated archaeological deposits from Madjedbebe, northern Australia. Madjedbebe is an important site because it contains early evidence of human activity in Australia. The age of artefacts at Madjedbebe is contentious because of the possibility of …

Development Of Advanced Practice Competency Standards For Dietetics In Australia, Claire Palermo, Sandra Capra, Eleanor J. Beck, Janeane Dart, J Conway, Susan Ash

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

Aim: This study aimed to explore the work roles, major tasks and core activities of advanced practice dietitians in Australia to define the Competency Standards for advanced practice. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to review advanced dietetic practice in Australia involving experienced professionals, mostly dietitians. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 17 participants and an average of 20 years experience: 15 dietitian practitioners plus 2 employers (1 dietitian and 1 non-dietitian). The focus groups explored the key purpose, roles and outcomes of these practitioners. Data from the focus groups were confirmed with in-depth interviews about their …

Organic Geochemistry Of Non-Marine Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction (Ptme) Sections In The Sydney Basin, Australia, Simon George, Megan L. Williams, Justine Wheeler, Shirin Baydjanova, Nathan Camilleri, Benjamin Hanssen, Regina Maher, Uvana Meek, Adrian Nelson, Caiden O'Connor, William Porter, Brian G. Jones

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

Most organic geochemical studies of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction (PTME) have utilised marine sections, and the boundary is readily identified by a negative carbon isotope excursion. It is now well understood from various locations around the world that the marine ecosystem collapse is accompanied by biomarker evidence for photic zone euxinia, including isorenieratane, crocetane and 2,3,6-aryl isoprenoids (e.g. Grice et al., 2005). Far fewer studies have been carried out on non-marine PTME sections, and in particular no biomarker studies have been carried out on Australian sections, despite there being extensive Permian and Triassic sequences in eastern Australia, notably in the …

First Recorded Evidence Of Subaqueously-Deposited Late Pleistocene Interstadial (Mis 5c) Coastal Strata Above Present Sea Level In Australia, Amy Blakemore, Colin Murray-Wallace, Terry Lachlan

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

Significant differences in the elevation of late Pleistocene interstadial coastal strata have been noted at the global scale resulting from the combined effects of tectonism, proximity of field sites to Pleistocene ice sheets, and the variable effects of glacio-hydro-isostatic adjustment processes. Here we report the first recorded example of subaqueously deposited late Pleistocene interstadial coastal sediments above present sea level in Australia, in a far-field location to Pleistocene ice sheets and characterised by minimal to modest rates of vertical crustal movements. Located at Port MacDonnell, in Southern Australia, the sedimentary succession is represented by a flint conglomerate beach facies with …

Late-Holocene Climatic Variability Indicated By Three Natural Archives In Arid Southern Australia, Luke A. Gliganic, Timothy J. Cohen, Jan-Hendrik May, John D. Jansen, Gerald C. Nanson, Anthony Dosseto, Joshua R. Larsen, Maxime Aubert

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

Three terrestrial climate proxies are used to investigate the evolution of Holocene palaeoenvironments in southern central Australia, all of which present a coherent record of palaeohydrology. Single-grain optically stimulated luminescence from sediments supplemented by 14C from charcoal and lacustrine shells was obtained to date shoreline deposits (Lake Callabonna) and the adjacent Mt Chambers Creek alluvial fan. Our findings are complemented by a U/Th-based record of speleothem growth in the Mt Chambers Creek catchment, which we interpret to reflect increased precipitation. Together, these archives shed light on the timing of, and possible sources of water for, Holocene pluvial intervals. We identified …

Salt Intake Assessed By 24 H Urinary Sodium Excretion In A Random And Opportunistic Sample In Australia, Mary-Anne Land, Jacqui Webster, Anthea Christoforou, D Praveen, Paul Jeffery, John Chalmers, Wayne Smith, Mark Woodward, Federica Barzi, Caryl A. Nowson, Victoria Flood, Bruce Neal

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

Objective: The gold standard method for measuring population sodium intake is based on a 24 h urine collection carried out in a random population sample. However, because participant burden is high, response rates are typically low with less than one in four agreeing to provide specimens. At this low level of response it is possible that simply asking for volunteers would produce the same results.

Setting: Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia.

Participants: We randomly selected 2152 adults and obtained usable 24 h urine samples from 306 (response rate 16%). Specimens were also collected from a further 113 volunteers. Estimated salt …

Cross Sectional Survey Of Human-Bat Interaction In Australia: Public Health Implications, Beverley J. Paterson, Michelle T. Butler, Keith Eastwood, Patrick M. Cashman, Alison Jones, David N. Durrheim

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

Background Flying foxes (megachiroptera) and insectivorous microbats (microchiroptera) are the known reservoirs for a range of recently emerged, highly pathogenic viruses. In Australia there is public health concern relating to bats' role as reservoirs of Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV), which has clinical features identical to classical rabies. Three deaths from ABLV have occurred in Australia. A survey was conducted to determine the frequency of bat exposures amongst adults in Australia's most populous state, New South Wales; explore reasons for handling bats; examine reported practices upon encountering injured or trapped bats or experiencing bat bites or scratches; and investigate knowledge of …

Depositional History And Archaeology Of The Central Lake Mungo Lunette, Willandra Lakes, Southeast Australia, Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons, Nicola Stern, Colin V. Murray-Wallace

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

Lake Mungo, presently a dry lake in the semi-arid zone of southeastern Australia, preserves a unique record of human settlement and past environmental change within the transverse lunette that built up on its downwind margin. The lunette is >30 km long and the variable morphology along its length suggests spatial variability in deposition over time. Consequently this presents differential potential for the preservation of past activity traces of different ages along the lunette. Earlier work at Lake Mungo focused primarily on the southern section of the lunette, where two ritual burials of considerable antiquity were found. Here we describe the …

Socioeconomic Status And Heart Failure In Sydney, Glenn R. Close, Phillip J. Newton, Simon C. Fung, Alan R. Denniss, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Pramesh Kovoor, Simon Stewart, Patricia M. Davidson

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

Background Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with an increased risk of developing heart failure and with inferior health outcomes following diagnosis. Methods Data for hospitalisations and deaths due to heart failure in the Sydney metropolitan region were extracted from New South Wales hospital records and Australian Bureau of Statistics databases for 1999-2003. Standardised rates were analysed according to patients' residential local government area and correlated with an index of socioeconomic disadvantage. Results Eight of the 13 local government areas with standardised separation rate ratios significantly higher than all NSW, and those with the six highest standardised separation rate ratios, were in …

Diversifying Ethnicity In Australia's Population And Environment Debates, Natascha Klocker, Lesley Head

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

Population–environment debates in Australia are at an impasse. While the ability of this continent to sustain more migrants has attracted persistent scrutiny, nuanced explorations of diverse migrant cultures and their engagements with Australian landscapes have scarcely begun. Yet as we face the challenges of a climate changing world we would undoubtedly benefit from the most varied knowledges we can muster. This paper brings together three arenas of environmental debate circulating in Australia—the immigration/carrying capacity debate, comparisons between Indigenous and Anglo-European modes of environmental interaction, and research on household sustainability dilemmas—to demonstrate the exclusionary tendencies of each. We then attempt to …

Bottles, Bores, And Boats: Agency Of Water Assemblages In Post/Colonial Inland Australia, Leah Maree Gibbs

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

Australian water politics is marked by conceptual and bureaucratic separation of water as discrete matter. The source of this politics of separation is colonial relations with water and the Australian continent. Yet, analysis of the materiality of water illuminates the agency of water as part of an assemblage. This paper seeks to unsettle the treatment of water as separate, discrete matter. It asks how political responses to the public problem of water would change were we to take seriously the vitality of nonhuman bodies. In order to investigate this question, the paper presents an analysis of six objects from the …

Anatomy Of Sand Beach Ridges: Evidence From Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi And Its Predecessors, Northeast Queensland, Australia, Jonathon Nott, Catherine Chague-Goff, James Goff, Craig Sloss, Naomi Riggs

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

Four well-identified tropical cyclones over the past century have been responsible for depositing distinct units of predominantly quartzose sand and gravel to form the most seaward beach ridge at several locations along the wet tropical coast of northeast Queensland, Australia. These units deposited by tropical cyclones display a key sedimentary signature characterized by a sharp basal erosional contact, a coarser grain size than the underlying facies and a coarse-skewed trend toward the base. Coarse-skewed distributions with minimal change in mean grain size also characterize the upper levels of the high-energy deposited units at locations within the zone of maximum onshore …

The Spatial Domain Of Wildfire Risk And Response In The Wildland Urban Interface In Sydney, Australia, O F. Price, R A. Bradstock

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

In order to quantify the risks from fire at the wildland urban interface (WUI), it is important to understand where fires occur and their likelihood of spreading to the WUI. For each of the 999 fires in the Sydney region we calculated the distance between the ignition and the WUI, the fire's weather and wind direction and whether it spread to the WUI. The likelihood of burning the WUI was analysed using binomial regression. Weather and distance interacted such that under mild weather conditions, the model predicted only a 5% chance that a fire starting >2.5 km from the interface …

Socio Cultural Arena Of Alcoholism In Australia: What Do We Know?, Nagesh Brahmavar Pai

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

After caffeine, ethanol is probably the most commonly used recreational drug worldwide. However, there is significant variation in the consumption of alcohol between individuals. Alcohol is freely available throughout most of the world, although some communities prohibit its consumption on religious grounds. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) reported that in established market economies, 10.3% of the disease burden as quantified by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was attributable to alcohol in 2000. This is comparable to the disease burden caused by tobacco (11.7% of DALYs) but significantly more than that due to unprescribed drugs (2.3% of DALYs). However, these figures …

Addressing The Deficiencies In The Evidence-Base For Primary Practice In Regional Australia - Sentinel Practices Data Sourcing (Spds) Project: A Pilot Study, Abhijeet Ghosh, Karen E. Charlton, Lisa Girdo, Marijka J. Batterham, Keith Mcdonald

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

Background Chronic disease risk on a population level can be quantified through health surveys, either continuous or periodic. To date, information gathered from primary care interactions, using sentinel sites, has not been investigated as a potentially valuable surveillance system in Australia.

Methods A pilot study was conducted in a single General Practice in a regional area of New South Wales, Australia to assess the feasibility of accessing data obtained through a computerised chronic disease management program that has been designed for desktop application (Pen Computer Systems (PCS) Clinical Audit Tool: ™ PCS CAT). Collated patient data included information on chronic …

Climatic Records Over The Past 30 Ka From Temperate Australia - A Synthesis From The Oz-Intimate Workgroup, L Petherick, H Bostock, T J. Cohen, K Fitzsimmons, J Tibby, M -S Fletcher, P Moss, J Reeves, S Mooney, T Barrows, J Kemp, J Jansen, G Nanson, A Dosseto

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

Temperate Australia sits between the heat engine of the tropics and the cold Southern Ocean, encompassing a range of rainfall regimes and falling under the influence of different climatic drivers. Despite this heterogeneity, broad-scale trends in climatic and environmental change are evident over the past 30 ka. During the early glacial period (∼30–22 ka) and the Last Glacial Maximum (∼22–18 ka), climate was relatively cool across the entire temperate zone and there was an expansion of grasslands and increased fluvial activity in regionally important Murray–Darling Basin. The temperate region at this time appears to be dominated by expanded sea ice …

Humans, Megafauna And Environmental Change In Tropical Australia, Michael I. Bird, Lindsay B. Hutley, Michael J. Lawes, Jon Lloyd, Jon G. Luly, Peter V. Ridd, Richard G. Roberts, Sean Ulm, Christoper M. Wurster

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

Debate concerning the environmental impact of human arrival in Australia has continued for more than a century. Here we review the evidence for human impact and the mechanisms by which humans may have affected the environment of tropical Australia. We limit our review to tropical Australia because, over three decades ago, it was proposed that the imposition of an anthropogenic fire regime upon human occupation of the Australian continent may have resulted in profound changes in regional vegetation and climate across this region. We conclude that ecological processes and vegetation-fire-climate-human feedbacks do exist that could have driven a significant shift …

Heavy Metal Pollution Negatively Correlates With Anuran Species Richness And Distribution In South-Eastern Australia, Kristina L.G Ficken, Phillip G. Byrne

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

Heavy metal pollution has likely played an important role in global biodiversity decline, but there remains a paucity of information concerning the effects of metals on amphibian diversity. This study assessed anuran species richness and distribution in relation to sediment metal content and water chemistry in wetlands located along the Merri Creek corridor in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Anurans were present in 60% (21/35) of study sites, with a total of six species detected: the eastern common froglet (Crinia signifera), the eastern sign-bearing froglet (Crinia parinsignifera), the southern brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii), the growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), the eastern …

Demographic Patterns Of A Widespread Long-Lived Tree Are Associated With Rainfall And Disturbances Along Rainfall Gradients In Se Australia, Janet S. Cohn, Ian D. Lunt, Ross A. Bradstock, Quan Hua, Simon Mcdonald

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

Predicting species distributions with changing climate has often relied on climatic variables, but increasingly there is recognition that disturbance regimes should also be included in distribution models. We examined how changes in rainfall and disturbances along climatic gradients determined demographic patterns in a widespread and long-lived tree species, Callitris glaucophylla in SE Australia. We examined recruitment since 1950 in relation to annual (200-600 mm) and seasonal (summer, uniform, winter) rainfall gradients, edaphic factors (topography), and disturbance regimes (vertebrate grazing [tenure and species], fire). A switch from recruitment success to failure occurred at 405 mm mean annual rainfall, coincident with a …

Evolution Of A Cambrian Active Continental Margin: The Delamerian-Lachlan Connection In Southeastern Australia From A Zircon Perspective, C L. Fergusson, A P. Nutman, T Kamiichi, H Hidaka

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

The Early Palaeozoic Ross–Delamerian orogenic belt is considered to have formed as an active margin facing the palaeo-Pacific Ocean with some island arc collisions, as in Tasmania (Australia) and Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica), followed by terminal deformation and cessation of active convergence. On the Cambrian eastern margin of Australia adjacent to the Delamerian Fold Belt, island arc and backarc basin crust was formed and is now preserved in the Lachlan Fold Belt and is consistent with a spatial link between the Delamerian and Lachlan orogens. The Delamerian–Lachlan connection is tested with new zircon data. Metamorphic zircons from a basic eclogite …

"Muting" Neoliberalism? Class And Colonial Legacies In Australia, Chris Gibson

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

Australian governments of left and right persuasions have seemingly embraced elements of the neoliberal agenda, as in many other parts of the world; but exactly how deeply these have been enacted, and how transformative they have been, must be understood in relation to key colonial, geographical and cultural inheritances. These inheritances include the hegemony of central government stewardship of the economy (essential in a colonized, sparsely populated continent of almost unmanageable scale), a long tradition of social democratic regulation, and cultural expectations of socio-spatial equality. Neoliberal policy projects have been "muted" by on-going equality claims, and some progressive "wins" in …

Patients Communicating With Their Primary Care Physician About Chronic Disease Treatment In Regional Australia: Is Health Literacy Important?, J Mullan, K Weston, A Bonney, C Magee, G Albert, B Gerges, Soheir Abadier, T Smith, V Bonney, B Dijkmans-Hadley, C Kielly-Carroll

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

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study On Tobacco Smoking And Betel Quid Use Among Burmese Refugees In Australia, Susan Furber, Janet Jackson, Keryn Johnson, Radmila Sukara, Lisa Franco

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

Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are high rates of smoking among Burmese men in Wollongong, Australia. A qualitative study was undertaken to explore the beliefs and experiences of Burmese refugees in Wollongong on smoking to guide the development of smoking cessation interventions. Three focus groups were conducted with Burmese refugees. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with service providers involved with Burmese refugees. Qualitative content analysis was used to categorise responses to the questions. Participants were aware of the health effects of tobacco smoking but had little knowledge of support for quitting. Many participants chewed betel quid and were unaware of …

'Redneck, Barbaric, Cashed Up Bogan? I Don't Think So': Hunting And Nature In Australia, Michael Adams

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

Hunting is a controversial activity in Australia, and much debated in international research. Positions range from 'the first hunters were the first humans' to the 'meat is murder' argument. There is, however, very little research on non-Indigenous hunting in Australia, particularly on the social aspects, but also on biological and ecological issues. In contrast to a general lack of research on non-Indigenous hunting, there is extensive literature on Indigenous hunting. This paper reviews initial research exploring hunting participation and motivation in Australia, as a window into further understanding connections between humans, non-humans and place. My focus is on an analysis …

National Heart Foundation Of Australia Consensus Statement On Catheter Ablation As A Therapy For Atrial Fibrillation, Jonathan Kalman, Prashanthan Sanders, David B. Brieger, Anu Aggarwal, Nicholas Arnold Zwar, James Tatoulis, Andre E. Tay, Alison Wilson, Maree Branagan

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

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is estimated to affect 1%-2% of the population. It is increasing in prevalence and is associated with excess mortality, considerable morbidity and hospitalisations. AF is responsible for a significant and growing societal financial burden. Catheter ablation is an increasingly used therapeutic strategy for the management of AF; however, some confusion exists among those caring for patients with this condition about the role and optimal use of ablative treatments for AF. Our aim in this consensus statement is to provide recommendations on the use of primary catheter ablation for AF in Australia, on the basis of current evidence. …

Making Things In A High-Dollar Australia: The Case Of The Surfboard Industry, Andrew Warren, Chris Gibson

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

In August 2011 the announcement by Bluescope Steel of mass layoffs at its Port Kembla steelworks, in the Illawarra region, sparked renewed public debate and media commentary on the future of manufacturing in Australia. The debate has since spread to cars, aluminium smelting - even Mortein fly spray - and has quickly coalesced around the unprecedented high Australian dollar, its impacts on exports, and the prospects of the production of goods shifting overseas. As Australian mining magnates such as Clive Palmer, Gina Rinehart and Twiggy Forrest attempt to remould Australia around their 'quarry vision' (Pearse, 2009) of extractive minerals exports, …