Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

New Insights Into Deformation And Fluid Flow Processes In The Nankai Trough Accretionary Prism: Results Of Ocean Drilling Program Leg 190, Gregory F. Moore, Asahiko Taira, Adam Klaus, Luann Becker, Babette Boeckel, Barry A. Cragg, Allison Dean, Chris L. Fergusson, Pierre Henry, Satoshi Hirano, Toshio Hisamitsu, Sabine Hunze, Miriam Kastner, Alex J. Maltman, Julia K. Morgan, Yuki Murakami, Demian M. Saffer, Mario Sanchez-Gomez, Elizabeth J. Screaton, David C. Smith, Arthur J. Spivack, Joan Steurer, Harold J. Tobin, Kohtaro Ujiie, Michael B Underwood, Moyra Wilson

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

The Nankai Trough accretionary prism is considered an “end-member” prism accreting a coarse terrigenous sediment section in a setting with structural simplicity, unparalleled resolution by seismic and other geophysical techniques, and large historic earthquakes. It therefore has been the focus of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) drilling to address several unresolved questions concerning accretionary processes and prism evolution. At six sites cored along two transects across the Nankai Trough accretionary prism during ODP Leg 190, lithostratigraphy and sediment diagenesis vary markedly. For the first time, reference sites at the seaward ends of the two transects defined the stratigraphic framework of the …

Correlation Of Aerosol And Carbon Monoxide At 45 S: Evidence Of Biomass Burning Emissions, Nicholas Jones, Curtis P. Rinsland, J Ben Liley, Jim Rosen

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

Altitude profiles of Carbon Monoxide (CO) and aerosols have been compared from the Network for Stratospheric Change (NDSC) mid-latitude southern hemisphere site at Lauder, New Zealand. The CO mixing ratio profile was derived from infrared spectra recorded with a very high resolution Fourier Transform interferometer using three lines of the (1–0) band between 2057 and 2160 cm⁻¹. The aerosol surface area was derived from balloon-borne backscatter radiation at 940 nm. Both datasets show significant enhancements occurring over the observation site in the austral spring. When displayed together their combined effect illustrates the close correlation between CO and aerosols. …

Characterization Of The Domain Of Fibronectin-Binding Protein Of I Of Streptococcus Pyogenes Responsible For Elicitation Of A Protective Immune Response, Kai Schulze, Eva Medina, Susanne R. Talay, Rebecca J. Towers, Gursharan S. Chhatwal, Carlos A. Guzman

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

Fibronectin-binding protein I (SfbI) represents a major adhesin ofStreptococcus pyogenes. Mice were intranasally immunized with recombinant proteins spanning different portions of SfbI to identify the minimal fragment able to elicit a protective response against a lethal challenge with S. pyogenes. The strongest cellular responses and the highest levels of antigen-specific secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) were detected in mice immunized with the fibronectin-binding region of SfbI. In contrast, animals vaccinated with a polypeptide spanning the aromatic and proline-rich regions showed the highest titers and fastest IgG response in serum. Vaccination with either SfbI without a membrane anchor and …

Ground-Based Measurements Of Tropospheric Co, C2h6, And Hcn From Australia At 34 S Latitude During 1997-1998, Curtis P. Rinsland, Arndt Meier, D W T Griffith, Linda S. Chiou

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

High spectral resolution (0.004 cm⁻¹) infrared solar absorption measurements of CO, C₂H₆, and HCN have been recorded with the Fourier transform spectrometer located at the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change complementary station at the University of Wollongong, Australia (34.45°S, 150.88°E, 30 m above sea level). The time series covers March 1997 to February 1998. Profile retrievals with maximum sensitivity in the upper troposphere show distinct seasonal cycles for all three molecules with maxima during October-December 1997. Best fits to the time series of daily averages yield peak 0.03–14 km columns (molecules cm …

Initial Studies On Alkaloids From Lombok Medicinal Plants, Surya Hadi, John B. Bremner

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

Initial investigation of medicinal plants from Lombok has resulted in the collection of 100 plant species predicted to have antimicrobial, including antimalarial, properties according to local medicinal uses. These plants represent 49 families and 80 genera; 23% of the plants tested positively for alkaloids. Among the plants testing positive, five have been selected for further investigation involving structure elucidation and antimicrobial testing on the extracted alkaloids. Initial work on structural elucidation of some of the alkaloids is reported briefly.

Psychological Problems In New Zealand Primary Health Care: A Report On The Pilot Phase Of The Mental Health And General Practice Investigation (Magpie), John Bushnell, Deborah Mcleod, A D. Dowell, C Salmond, S Ramage, S Collings, University Of Otago, Marjan Kljakovic, L Mcbain

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

Aim. To carry out a pilot study in two regions in order to investigate prevalence of psychological problems in primary care in New Zealand. Method. General Practitioners (GPs) within two geographic regions were randomly selected. All adult attenders at their practice on selected days were administered a short questionnaire, the GHQ-12, which assesses the presence of psychological symptoms. The GP recorded the reasons for each consultation, and was interviewed at the end of each day about selected patients, to determine their opinion about the type of psychological problems experienced. Results. Three-quarters of selected GPs (76%) agreed to participate. 96% of …

Believability Of Anti-Drug Advertising As A Function Of Marijuana Usage Experience, Sandra C. Jones, John R. Rossiter

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Marijuana use is on the increase in Australia, particularly among teenagers. Information dissemination is likely to become the main vehicle for minimizing the harms associated with marijuana use, so there is a clear need to develop informative and convincing communication strategies to target young (potential and incipient) marijuana users. However, the Federal Government’s “zero tolerance” approach to drug use is accompanied by anti-drug messages that may lack credibility with young people who already use, or have used, marijuana. Cognitive dissonance theory, as well as research with warning labels on other products such as cigarettes, suggests that young people who currently …

Implementation Of Malnutrition Screening And Assessment By Dietitians: Malnutrition Exists In Acute And Rehabilitation Settings, Eleanor Beck, Mandy Carrie, Kelly Lambert, Shellie Mason, Marianna Milosavljevic, Craig Patch

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The prevalence of malnutrition within hospital settings is a major concern to all health care workers. The recent development of a simple screening tool for use in such settings has increased the opportunity to identify at-risk patients in a reasonable time frame during their admission. This paper outlines the implementation of a routine nutrition screening and assessment, performed completely by dietitians, across both acute and rehabilitation settings. Dietitians were able to screen, on average, 72% of eligible patients, which ensured timely dietetic intervention. The routine malnutrition screening and assessment process highlighted differences (P < 0.01) in the rates of malnutrition between the acute wards (range 7 to 14%) and rehabilitation ward (49%). Significant differences between acute and rehabilitation patients were also found within the majority of individual diagnostic groups, including all surgery, fractures, cardiovascular incidents and respiratory illness (P < 0.01). The identification of rates of malnutrition between different wards, diagnoses and institutional settings provides dietetic managers with a sophisticated tool that can assist in the allocation of dietetic resources. This operational framework for routine screening of nutritionally at-risk patients in hospital, enables dietitians to develop patient outcomes and an effective nutrition care model.

Misattribution Of Sensory Input Reflected In Dysfunctional Target: Non-Target Erps In Schizophrenia, K. Brown, E. Gordon, L. Williams, H. Bahramali, A. Harris, J. Gray, C. J. Gonsalvez, R. Meares

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background. While numerous studies have found disturbances in the Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) of patients with schizophrenia linked to task relevant target stimuli (most notably a reduction in P300 amplitude), few have examined ERPs to task irrelevant non-targets. We hypothesize, from current models of dysfunction in information processing in schizophrenia, that there will be less difference between ERPs to targets and non-targets in patients with schizophrenia than in controls.

Methods. EEGs were recorded for 40 subjects with schizophrenia and 40 age and sex matched controls during an auditory oddball reaction time task. ERPs to the targets and non-targets immediately preceding the …

The Decline Of Ethics Or The Failure Of Self-Regulation? The Case Of Alcohol Advertising, Sandra C. Jones

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Restrictions on alcohol advertising have increasingly become an issue for debate around the world. Some countries rely on governmental regulation; whereas others, including Australia, utilise a system of industry selfregulation. This study calls into question the effectiveness of the alcohol beverage industry’s self-regulation of advertising. Between May 1998 and April 1999, 11 alcohol advertising complaints (relating to nine separate advertisements) were lodged with the Advertising Standards Board (ASB) by members of the general public. In the present study, five expert judges were selected to review these complaints, without knowing the ASB’s rulings, and to judge whether the advertisement(s) breached any …

Evaluation Of The Helping Hands Volunteer Program For People With Mental Illness, Judy A. Pickard, Frank P. Deane

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Volunteer programs have been used to alter attitudes, provide long-term knowledge towards mental illness and increase the quality of life of consumers receiving volunteer services. Sixteen volunteers completed an 18-hour training program and in pairs worked with 11 consumers over 4 months. Sixteen volunteers completed training measures of knowledge and attitudes scales. Pre and post program quality of life and behavioural functioning measures were taken on 5 consumers. Volunteers maintained their knowledge of mental illness over 6 months and had significant increases in their comfort in interactions with people who have mental illness. Case managers, consumers and volunteers all reported …

Single Nucleotide Primer Extension (Snupe) Analysis Of The G6pd Gene In Somatic Cells And Oocytes Of A Kangaroo (Macropus Robustus), Debbie Watson, Anita S. Jacombs, David A. Loebel, Edward S. Robinson, Peter G. Johnston

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

cDNA sequence analysis of the X-linked glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene has shown a base difference between two subspecies of the kangaroo, Macropus robustus robustus (wallaroo) and M. r. erubescens (euro). A thymine residue in the wallaroo at position 358 in exon 5 has been replaced by a cytosine residue in the euro, which accounts for the previously reported electrophoretic difference between the two subspecies. This base difference allowed use of the Single Nucleotide Primer Extension (SNuPE) technique to study allele-specific expression of G6PD at the transcriptional level. We began by examining G6PD expression in somatic cells and observed complete paternal …

Vertical Profiles Of Nitrous Oxide Isotopomer Fractionation Measured In The Stratosphere, D W. T Griffith, Geoffrey Toon, Bhaswar Sen, Jean-Francois Blavier, Robert A. Toth

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

We have measured the vertical profiles of several isotopomers of nitrous oxide, N₂O, in the stratosphere by balloon-borne infrared remote sensing between 15 and 35 km. In particular we distinguish the individual profiles and relative enrichments of the positional isotopomers ¹⁵N¹⁴N¹⁶O and ¹⁴N¹⁵N¹⁶O for the first time. We find a distinct and reproducible relative enrichment of the isotopomers which is in general agreement with measured photolysis rates in the laboratory and theoretical predictions. The results confirm photolysis as the dominant stratospheric loss process for N₂O and …

Role Of Phosphoglucomutase Of Bordetella Bronchiseptica In Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis And Virulence, Nicholas P. West, Heidrun Jungnitz, John Fitter, Jason D. Mcarthur, Carlos Guzman, Mark J. Walker

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

The phosphoglucomutase (PGM)-encoding gene of Bordetella bronchiseptica is required for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis. An insertion mutant of the wild-type B. bronchiseptica strain BB7865 which disrupted LPS biosynthesis was created and characterized (BB7865pgm). Genetic analysis of the mutated gene showed it shares high identity with PGM genes of various bacterial species and forms part of an operon which also encompasses the gene encoding phosphoglucose isomerase. Functional assays for PGM revealed that enzyme activity is expressed in bothbvg-positive and bvg-negative strains ofB. bronchiseptica and is substantially reduced in BB7865pgm. Complementation of the mutated PGM …

Conference Report: Dietary Guidelines For A New Millennium, Peter R.C Howe, Paul Nestel

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

The US dietary guidelines are being updated, new dietary guidelines for older Australians were released last year, and Australia and New Zealand are jointly reviewing recommendations for nutrient intakes. Who needs them? Are they merely bureaucratic exercises or should we be taking them seriously? If so, how should they be managed for maximum benefit?

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.

Use Of Self-Report To Monitor Overweight And Obesity In Populations: Some Issues For Consideration, Victoria M. Flood, Karen Webb, Ross Lazarus, Glen Pang

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To examine the validity of self reported height and weight data reported over the telephone in the 1997 NSW Health Survey, and to determine its accuracy to monitor overweight and obesity in population surveys. Method: Self-reported and measured heights and weights were collected from 227 people living in Western Sydney, who had participated in the NSW Health Survey 1997. Results: Self-reported (SR) weights and heights led to misclassification of relative weight status. BMI, based on measured weights and heights, classified 62% of males and 47% of females as overweight or obese, compared with 39% and 32%, respectively, from self-report. …

Book Review: The Nation's Diet: The Social Science Of Food Choice, Linda C. Tapsell

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

A New Early Devonian Operculate Tetracoral Genus From Eastern Australia, Anthony J. Wright

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

Chakeola, a solitary latest Lochkovian to late Emsian (Early Devonian) new genus of the operculate tetracoral family Calceolidae, is characterised by: opercular septa that are present from adjacent to the median septum to the lateral extremities of the operculum; a lack of rootlets on the counter face of the corallite; a weak counter opercular face in mature specimens; and eccentric growth increments on the external opercular surface. The type species, C. johnsoni new species, is described from latest Lochkovian pesavis Zone), early Pragian (suleatus Zone) and late Pragian (pireneae Zone) strata of the Garra Formation, Wellington, NSW. C. whitehollsei new …

Sweating In Extreme Environments: Heat Loss, Heat Adaptation, Body-Fluid Distribution And Thermal Strain, Nigel Taylor

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

Evaporation is an extremely powerful cooling process. When totally evaporated from the skin surface, sweat can remove body heat at a rate of 2.43 kJ«g"\ Humans therefore control sweat secretion to maintain thermal homeostasis. Since humans are capable of extended sweat rates approximating 30 g'min"1, it is possible to remove heat at rates -73 kJ-min"1. Assuming a 20% efficiency, such heat loss will support a normothermic total energy use of 1520W. This equates with an external work rate of 304W, eliciting an oxygen consumption >3.5 /«min"1. However, while man has a great capacity to both work and dissipate metabolically-derived heat, …

Thermal Sweating Following Spinal Cord Injury, Bradley Wilsmore, J D. Cotter, Andrea Macdonald, A. Zeyl, Guy M. Bashford, Nigel Taylor

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

A complete spinal cord injury prevents neural connections between distal sites and higher neural structures. While it has previously been demonstrated that an isolated spinal cord can elicit non-thermal sweating independently of the hypothalamus [1-3], the ability of the spinal cord to control sweating in response to thermal stimuli, without hypothalamic influence, is less clear. The majority of early literature indicates that thermal sweating is absent below a complete spinal cord injury (SCI) [4-7], yet several studies suggest otherwise [8-11]. However, invasive measures have failed to observe altered sympathetic activity when thermally stimulating insensate regions [12], which is inconsistent with …

Coral Microatolls From The Central Pacific Record Late Holocene El Nino, Colin Woodroffe, Michael K. Gagan

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

Microatolls are discoid corals that have grown laterally because vertical growth is constrained by exposure at lowest tides. We demonstrate that a modern reef-flat Porites microatoll from Christmas (Kiritimati) Island preserves an oxygen isotope record of substantial sea surface temperature variations related to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We also show that a late Holocene fossil microatoll from the centre of the island contains interannual oxygen isotope variations over an approximate 20-year period. Three pronounced negative isotope anomalies attributed to warm El Niño events are superimposed on an annual cycle. El Niño events similar to those seen in recent decades appear …

Clusterin Protein Diversity In The Primate Eye, Paul Wong, Bruce A. Pfeffer, Steven L. Bernstein, Michelle L. Chambers, Gerald J. Chader, Zahra F. Zakeri, Yan-Q Wu, Mark Wilson, S Patricia Becerra

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

Purpose: The clusterin gene encodes a multi-functional protein that has been identified in different tissues, including a number of different eye tissues, primarily in the mouse and to a much lesser extent in humans. Clusterin has been implicated in a number of cellular processes such as lipid transport, membrane integrity, apoptosis, and neurodegeneration, all of which could be important to the biology of the eye. In the current communication, we provide data that confirms the expression of clusterin in a number of different human eye tissues and establishes the expression profile of this gene in monkey derived eye tissues. The …

Nutrition, Health And Old Age: The Case Of Urban South African Elderly, Karen E. Charlton

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

The southern African region (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe) has the continent's highest percentage of older inhabitants; 6.2% of the population in 1997 was estimated to be 60 years or older. Within southern Africa, South Africa has the highest proportion of older population. The 1996 census data estimate that 2.8 million South Africans are aged 60 years and older, which constitutes 7% of the total population. This percentage is projected to increase to almost 11% of the population over the next 20 years. (Mostert W, Hofmeyr B, Oosthuizen K Demographic projections for South Africa. Pretoria: Human …

Structured, Holistic Approach For Research Planning (Sharp), Karen E. Charlton, Marjanka Schmidt

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

This paper looks at the use of the Structured, Holistic Approach for Research Planning. This method was followed by group members at the Urban Nutrition Action workshop. A report of the outcomes is presented.

Diet Composition And Insulin Action In Animal Models, Leonard H. Storlien, J Higgins, T C. Thomas, Marc A. Brown, Hong-Qin Wang, Xu-Feng Huang, Paul Else

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Global-Perspective Jitter Improves Vection In Central Vision, Stephen A. Palmisano, Barbara Gillam, Shane Blackburn

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Previous vection research has tended to minimise visual - vestibular conflict by using optic-flow patterns which simulate self-motions of constant velocity. Here, experiments are reported on the effect of adding 'global-perspective jitter' to these displays -- simulating forward motion of the observer on a platform oscillating in horizontal and/or vertical dimensions. Unlike non-jittering displays, jittering displays produced a situation of sustained visual - vestibular conflict. Contrary to the prevailing notion that visual - vestibular conflict impairs vection, jittering optic flow was found to produce shorter vection onsets and longer vection durations than non-jittering optic flow for all of jitter magnitudes …

Sharing The Spirit? Sociospatial Polarization And Expressed Enthusiasm For The Olympic Games, Gordon R. Waitt, Philippe Furrer

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

This article seeks to contribute to the literature that assesses the local outcomes of hosting hallmark events by examining the expressed levels of enthusiasm for the year 2000 Olympic Games within Sydney. We report on the results of a telephone survey of 658 Sydney residents conducted in February 1998 designed to measure enthusiasm for the 2000 Olympic Games. As of February 1998, it appeared that enthusiasm for the 2000 Olympics remained strong in Sydney, thereby providing support to the views of those who regard hallmark events as a psychological mechanism to assist residents to feel a sense of pride in …

Community Perceptions Of Reasons For Preference For Consanguineous Marriages In Pakistan, R. Hussain

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although the recent Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) show that two-thirds of marriages in Pakistan are consanguineous, the sociocultural determinants of such marriages remain largely unexplored. This paper examines the relative importance of the three commonly perceived reasons for such marriages: religious, economic and cultural. The analysis is based on qualitative data collected in 1995 from multi-ethnic and multireligious communities in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan. Results show that consanguineous marriages are preferred across all ethnic and religious groups to a varying degree, and that parents continue to be the prime decision-makers for marriages of both sons and …

Consanguineous Marriage And Differentials In Age At Marriage, Contraceptive Use And Fertility In Pakistan, R. Hussain, A. H. Bittles

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Fertility rates in Pakistan have remained consistently high over the past three decades. While numerous studies have examined sociodemographic determinants, the role of biological factors, and particularly consanguinity, has received little attention, even though marriage between close biological relatives continues to be the norm in Pakistan. Reproductive behaviour among women in consanguineous (first cousin) and non-consanguineous unions was compared, using data from a 1995 study of multi-ethnic communities in Karachi and the 1990–91 Pakistan Demographic & Health Survey (PDHS). The results show that, although female age at first marriage has been gradually rising in both study samples, women in consanguineous …