Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Performance Comparison Of Subtractive Resistive Readout With Conventional Resistive Readout For A High-Resolution Compact Gamma Camera, Y J. Qi, M J. Zhang, C L. Zhao, R F. Wojcik

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

The purpose of this study was to investigate an optimal readout for a high-resolution compact gamma camera with maximum performance in crystal element identifications. The compact camera is based on a pixellated Nal(Tl) crystal with 1.2 mm pixel size coupled to a 5" Hamamatsu R3292 PSPMT. A conventional resistive-chain readout was initially developed for the camera. Then a novel subtractive resistive readout developed was utilized to optimize the performance of the camera. The performance of the camera was evaluated by raw flood images of a 137Cs source. The results show that the conventional resistive readout results in a significant shrinkage …

Low-Dose/High-Concentration Localized Botulinum Toxin A Improves Upper Limb Movement And Function In Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, Kevin Lowe, Iona Novak, Anne Cusick

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The objective was to determine the effects of low-dose, highconcentration, dual localized botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections on upper limb movement quality and function. Study design was an evaluator-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. Forty-two children (31 males, 11 females; range 2–8y, mean 4y [SD 1.6]) with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (Gross Motor Function Classification System level I)participated. All received occupational therapy. The treatment group (n=21) received one injection series (mean muscles injected 6 [SD 1.05]; total dose 82–220 units, mean 139 [SD 37.48]; dilution 100 units/0.5ml). Primary outcome of Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) at 6 months was not significant …

Cannabis-Induced Psychosis-Like Experiences Are Associated With High Schizotypy, Emma Barkus, John Stirling, Richard Hopkins, Shon Lewis

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested that cannabis use is a risk factor for developing schizophrenia. We tested the hypothesis that cannabis use increases the likelihood of psychosis-like experiences in non-clinical participants who scored highly on a measure of schizotypy. METHOD: The psychological effects of cannabis were assessed in 137 healthy individuals (76% female, mean age 22 years) using a newly developed questionnaire concerned with subjective experiences of the drug: the Cannabis Experiences Questionnaire. The questionnaire has three subscales: Pleasurable Experiences, Psychosis-Like Experiences and After-Effects. Respondents also completed the brief Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. RESULTS: Cannabis use was reported by 72% of …

Diffusion Of Internet Banking Amongst Educated Consumers In A High Income Non-Oecd Country, Cedwyn Fernandes, Raed Awamleh

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study analyses the internet banking channels and service preferences of educated banking consumers in the UAE and examines the factors influencing the intention to adopt or to continue the use of internet banking among both users and non users of internet banking.

It is shown that although the banking sector in the UAE is a regional leader, internet banking in the UAE is yet to be properly utilized as a real added value tool to improve customer relationship and to attain cost advantages. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to identify factors influencing the intention to adopt and …

Process Flow Mapping Of Consumers In A High Involvement Service Purchase Process: An Exploratory Study, Robert G. Grant, Elias Kyriazis

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on an exploratory study undertaken to deal with the intricacy of consumer behaviour in a buying process for a complex high involvement service bundle spanning both offline and online channels. A key finding is that consumers switch repeatedly between online and offline channels and between different types of information source to satisfy their search needs. This offers a challenge for communications management if organisations wish to add customer value by minimising their customer time and effort search costs. Prior online channel research has not acknowledged off-line information complementarity for complex high involvement search. Travel agents and principal …

Stochastic Price Modelling Of High Volatility, Mean-Reverting, Spike-Prone Commodities: The Australian Wholesale Electricity Market, Andrew C. Worthington, Helen Higgs

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

It is commonly known that wholesale spot electricity markets exhibit high price volatility, strong mean-reversion and frequent extreme price spikes. This paper employs a basic stochastic model, a mean-reverting model and a regime-switching model to capture these features in the Australian national electricity market (NEM), comprising the interconnected markets of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. Daily spot prices from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2004 are employed. The results show that the regimeswitching model outperforms the basic stochastic and mean-reverting models. Electricity prices are also found to exhibit stronger mean-reversion after a price spike than in …

Afm In Liquid: A High Sensitivity Study On Biological Membranes, Michael J. Higgins, Takeshi Fukuma, Suzi P. Jarvis

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Frequency Modulation AFM (FM-AFM) is commonly operated in ultra-high vacuum, though its inception in liquids for biological samples is relatively new. Here, we highlight the ability of FM-AFM to perform molecular resolution imaging of biomembrane surfaces and to detect individual layers of structured water at similar membrane interfaces. These studies highlight the potential of FM-AFM for studying model membranes and lipid raft systems on the molecular scale.

Low And High Trait Impulsiveness In The Stop-Signal Task: Underlying Differences In Erps But Not Performance, Aneta Dimoska, Stuart J. Johnstone

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Occupational Aspirations And Migration: A Comparison Of Rural Youth With High, Medium, And Low Occupational Aspirations And Their Chances For Migration, W. Trevor Brooks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

By using a social psychological approach, this research investigated whether occupational aspirations lead to migration. From the literature, we know that rural youth have lower occupational aspirations than their urban counterparts. We also know that rural youth often lower their occupational aspirations because of the confusion created between the benefits of moving for school and the attachment felt for home. We do not know, however the connection between occupational aspirations and migration. Are young to middle-aged adults in rural areas with higher occupational aspirations more likely to migrate out of rural areas than young to middle-aged adults with lower aspirations? …

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem And Academic Achievement In High Ability Students: Evidence From The Wollongong Youth Study., Wilma Vialle, Patrick C. L. Heaven, Joseph Ciarrochi

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement is one that is regarded by many educators as a well-established fact. This belief has been often invoked in order to argue against the provision of ability grouping for gifted students. Refuting that commonly-held belief, this research examined the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement in 65 high-ability secondary students, a sample drawn from a longitudinal study of over 900 students. The research demonstrated that there were no differences in measured selfesteem between the gifted and non-gifted students. More contentiously, though, the research found no correlation between self-esteem and academic achievement for the …

The Epididymal Soluble Prion Protein Forms A High-Molecular-Mass Complex In Association With Hydrophobic Proteins, Heath W. Ecroyd, Maya Belghazi, Jean-Louis Dacheux, Jean-Luc Gatti

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We have shown previously that a 'soluble' form of PrP (prion protein), not associated with membranous vesicles, exists in the male reproductive fluid [Ecroyd, Sarradin, Dacheux and Gatti (2004) Biol. Reprod. 71, 993-1001]. Attempts to purify this 'soluble' PrP indicated that it behaves like a high-molecular-mass complex of more than 350 kDa and always co-purified with the same set of proteins. The main associated proteins were sequenced by MS and were found to match to clusterin (apolipoprotein J), BPI (bacterial permeability-increasing protein), carboxylesterase-like urinary excreted protein (cauxin), beta-mannosidase and beta-galactosidase. Immunoblotting and enzymatic assay confirmed the presence of clusterin and …

Development And Characterization Of A High-Resolution Microspect System For Small-Animal Imaging, Yujin Qi, Benjamin Tsui, Yuchuan Wang, Brian Yoder, R Wojcik, S Majewski, A G Weisenberger

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

We developed a high-resolution microSPECT system and investigated its performance characteristics for small animal imaging. The microSPECT system consists of a stationary compact gamma camera with interchangeable pinhole and parallel-hole collimators and vertical object rotation mechanism. The modular camera is based on a pixellated NaI(Tl) crystal array with 1.2 mm pixel size and 1.4 mm pixel pitch coupled to a 5” diameter Hamamatsu R3292 PSPMT. The pinhole collimator has a 10cm focal length fitted with keel-edge pinhole apertures with diameters of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mm. The system performance was characterized by the measurements of the point source response function …

Consumer Preferences For Online And Offline Resources In The Process Of Buying A High Involvement Service Bundle: A Qualitative Exploration, Robert G. Grant

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Adding online resources to a promotional mix adds a new level of complexity to marketing communications. The challenge for marketers is to retain a focus on value delivery which requires understanding both main effects and interactions between communication and promotional methods. This paper reports a qualitative study preceding a non-discrete choice experiment simulation to research information source effects at different stages of the buying process for different service types.

High Prevalence Of Hepatozoon Spp. (Apicomplexa, Hepatozoidae) Infection In Water Pythons (Liasis Fuscus) From Tropical Australia, Beata Ujvari, Thomas Madsen, Mats Olsson

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

Molecular methods were used to identify blood parasites frequently observed in blood smears of water pythons (Liasis fuscus) captured in our study area in the Northern Territory of Australia. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers amplifying the 18s ribosomal RNA (rRNA) nuclear gene resulted in a short PCR product (180 bp) matching this region in the genus Hepatozoon. However, because of the short sequence obtained. 2 new primers were designed based on 18s rRNA sequences of 3 Hepatozoon taxa available in GenBank. Using these primers, approximately 600 bp of the parasite's 18s rRNA gene was amplified successfully and …

Cooking Attenuates The Ability Of High-Amylose Meals To Reduce Plasma Insulin Concentrations In Rats, Marc A. Brown, Leonard H. Storlien, Ian L. Brown, J Higgins

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Glass Formation In A (Ti,Zr,Hf)-(Cu,Ni,Ag)-Al High-Order Alloy System By Mechanical Alloying, L C. Zhang, Z Q. Shen, Jian Xu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In this work, glass formation under high-energy ball milling was investigated for a (Ti_0.33Zr_0.33Hf_0.33)₅₀(Ni_0.33Cu_0.33Ag_0.33)₄₀Al₁₀ high-order alloy system with equiatomic substitution for early and late transition-metal contents. For comparison, an amorphous alloy ribbon with the same composition was prepared using the melt-spinning method as well. Structural features of the samples were characterized using x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Mechanical alloying resulted in a glassy alloy similar to that obtained by melt spinning. However, the glass formation was incomplete, and a …

High-Resolution Hi Observations Of The Western Magellanic Bridge, E Muller, L Staveley-Smith, William Zealey, S Stanimirovic

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

The 21-cm line emission from a 7 × 6 deg² region east of and adjoining the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) has been observed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array and the Parkes telescopes. This region represents the westernmost part of the Magellanic Bridge, a gas-rich tail extending ∼14° to the Large Magellanic Cloud. A rich and complex neutral hydrogen (H i) structure containing shells, bubbles and filaments is revealed. On the larger scale, the H i of the Bridge is organized into two velocity components. This bimodality, which appears to originate in the SMC, converges to a single velocity …

Help-Seeking Patterns For Suicidal And Non-Suicidal Problems In Two High School Samples, Coralie J. Wilson, Joseph V. Ciarrochi, Debra Rickwood, Frank P. Deane

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Few distressed young people seek professional psychological help for either personal-emotional problems or suicidal ideation. This paper describes two studies that have examined help-seeking patterns in two contrasting high school populations. Two hundred and sixty four Il1awarra public high school students and 307 Queensland private high school students completed a questionnaire measuring intentions to seek help from a variety of fonnal and informal sources, in addition to no-one for personal-emotional and suicidal problems. Students in both samples indicated they would seek help from different sources of help for different problem types, but friends were rated as the most likely source …

Peer Groups And Adolescent Development In Traditional And Alternative High Schools, Diana D. Coyl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored the influence of peer relationships on students who have a history of school difficulties. Peer Relationship Surveys I and II assessed school-based peer group status, relationship qualities, school-related behaviors, attitudes, and intentions (BAIs); substance (i.e., alcohol and tobacco) use; and identity development in relation to experiences at traditional (survey I, retrospective accounts) and alternative high schools (survey II). Both surveys were administered in five classrooms to students at an alternative high school (i.e. Cache High) during the first academic term (August 1999) and in January 2000. Eighty-five and 83 predominantly Caucasian adolescents between the ages of 15 …

Positionally Dependent 15n Fractionation Factors In The Uv Photolysis Of N2o Determined By High Resolution Ftir Spectroscopy, Fred Turatti, D W. T Griffith, Stephen Wilson, Michael Esler, T Rahn, H Zang, G A. Blake

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

Positionally dependent fractionation factors for the photolysis of isotopomers of N₂O in natural abundance have been determined by high resolution FTIR spectroscopy at three photolysis wavelengths. Fractionation factors show clear ¹⁵N position and photolysis wavelength dependence and are in qualitative agreement with theoretical models but are twice as large. The fractionation factors increase with photolysis wavelength from 193 to 211 nm, with the fractionation factors at 207.6 nm for ¹⁴N¹⁵N¹⁶O, ¹⁵N¹⁴N¹⁶O and ¹⁴N¹⁴N¹⁸O equal to −66.5±5‰,−27.1±6‰ and −49±10‰, respectively.

The Accessing Of Geometry Schemas By High School Students, Mohan Chinnappan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this study I examine the question, what is the nature of prior mathematical knowledge that facilitates the construction of useful problem representations in the domain of geometry? The quality of prior knowledge is analysed in terms ofschemas that provide a measure of the degree of organisation of prior knowledge. Problem-solving performance and schema activation of a group of high- and low-achieving students were compared. As expected, the high achievers produced more correct answers than the low achievers. More significantly, schema comparison indicated that the high achievers accessed more problem-relevant schemas than the low achievers. In a related task which …

An Investigation Of High And Low Self-Disclosers' Scores On The Holtzman Inkblot Technique, Richard L. Atkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to see if there are any differences in how high and low self-disclosers score on the Holtzman Inkblot Technique. The study employed a causal-comparative design for descriptive purposes.

Two hundred four college students were given a self-disclosure inventory, and high and low self-disclosers were randomly selected from the highest and lowest interquartile ranges. The fifty subjects were administered the group version of the Holtzman Inkblot Technique.

The results indicated that female high self-disclosers scored significantly higher on Barrier and significantly lower on Hostility than female low self-disclosers.

Use, Payment, And Knowledge Of Retail Credit Transactions By A Selected Group Of Single High School Senior Girls, Shirley Ann Lindsay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since the end of World War II the Importance of the teen-age market has steadily grown. An article by Grace and Fred Hechinqer (10) In the 1961 New York Times Magazine substantiates this statement: "the young slowly are capturing an ever-growing share of the nation's market, both through their own purchasing power, and through effective dictation to parents."