Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

In Vitro Cytotoxicity Assessment Of Selected Nanoparticles Using Human Skin Fibroblasts, Finance Dechsakulthorn, Amanda Hayes, Shahnaz Bakand, Lucky Joeng, Chris Winder

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and Titanium oxide (TiO₂) are two chemical compound with very wide industrial and commercial applications, particularly as pigments. Due to their physical properties, both compounds are also used as sunscreen ingredients for protect from UV radiation. At the nano-scale, ZnO and TiO₂ have proven to have a similar level of protection compared to normal-scale sunscreen particles. An advantage of the topical use of nano-scale ingredients in sunscreens is their transparency compared to the white residue left on skin with normal scale particles. However, the potential toxicity of these nanoparticles is not well understood. The aim of this …

Politicising Parenthood In Scandinavia: Gender Relations In Welfare States, Patricia Kennedy

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review of: Ellingsaeter A. L. and Leira A. (2006), Politicising Parenthood in Scandinavia: Gender Relations in Welfare States. Bristol: The Policy Press. £23.99. pp. 286, pbk.

Keep Them In School: The Importance Of Education As A Protective Factor Against Hiv Infection Among Young South African Women, Audrey Pettifor, Brooke Levandowski, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Nancy S. Padian, Myron Cohen, Helen Rees

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective To identify risk factors for HIV infection among young women aged 15-24 years reporting one lifetime partner in South Africa. Design In 2003, we conducted a nationally representative household survey of sexual behaviour and HIV testing among 11 904 young people aged 15-24 years in South Africa. This analysis focuses on the subset of sexually experienced young women with only one reported lifetime sex partner (n = 1708). Methods Using the proximate determinants framework and the published literature we identified factors associated with HIV in young women. The associations between these factors and HIV infection were explored in multivariable …

Contrapuntal Geographies: The Politics Of Organizing Across Sociospatial Difference, Noel Castree, David Featherstone, Andrew Herod

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter is written against the background of two closely interlinked developments. The first is the increase in the number and type (or at least visibility) of transborder political movements this last decade or so, particularly during the years of what David Slater (2003: 84) calls 'the post-Seattle conjuncture'. The second is a sharp increase in geographical writing on these multifarious attempts to bridge sociospatial difference in order to challenge neo-liberal versions of 'globalization'. To oversimplify matters, we can say that this literature relates to two groups of space-spanning social actors: those associated with the labour movement (broadly conceived) and …

C. Coffin, Historical Discourse: The Language Of Time, Cause And Evaluation, Honglin Chen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Published as part of the Discourse Studies series edited by Ken Hyland, Coffin's Historical Discourse provides a systematic, informative and insightful description of the nature of historical discourse, its function and role, and of its pedagogic potential in the context of secondary schools. The book draws on and expands the scholarship Coffin has developed over some ten years, which includes her work in the 'Write it Right' Project of the disadvantaged Schools Program (xiii), her PhD (Coffin 2000) and her later work on historical discourse (Coffin 2002; 2003; 2004). The book makes a significant contribution to understanding the value of …

F. Christie & J.R. Martin (Eds), Language, Knowledge And Pedagogy: Functional Linguistic And Sociological Perspectives, Pauline Jones

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Arising from the productive dialogue between systemic functional linguistics and sociology begun earlier by Michael Halliday (1995), Basil Bernstein (1990) and Ruqaiya Hasan (1999), this edited volume is concerned with the nature of knowledge. Readers familiar with Bernstein's sociological theory will know the trajectory of his work from its early emphasis on code, through classification and framing of curriculum to his later interest in the structuring of knowledge. Throughout, his interest in the relationship between social relations and semiotic practice is evident as he attended firstly to the form taken by pedagogic discourse (the relay) and then later to the …

Investigation Of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (Gaba) A Receptors Genes And Migraine Susceptibility, Francesca Fernandez, Teresa Esposito, Rod Lea, Natalie Colson, Alfredo Ciccodicola, Fernando Gianfrancesco, Lyn Griffiths

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

BACKGROUND: Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of severe headache, affecting around 12% of Caucasian populations. It is well known that migraine has a strong genetic component, although the number and type of genes involved is still unclear. Prior linkage studies have reported mapping of a migraine gene to chromosome Xq 24-28, a region containing a cluster of genes for GABA A receptors (GABRE, GABRA3, GABRQ), which are potential candidate genes for migraine. The GABA neurotransmitter has been implicated in migraine pathophysiology previously; however its exact role has not yet been established, although GABA receptors agonists have …

Large Manual Pointing Errors, But Accurate Verbal Reports, For Indications Of Target Azimuth, John W. Philbeck, Jesse Sargent, Joeanna C. Arthur, Stephen Dopkins

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Many tasks have been used to probe human directional knowledge, but relatively little is known about the comparative merits of different means of indicating target azimuth. Few studies have compared action-based versus non-action-based judgments for targets encircling the observer. This comparison promises to illuminate not only the perception of azimuths in the front and rear hemispaces, but also the frames of reference underlying various azimuth judgments, and ultimately their neural underpinnings. We compared a response in which participants aimed a pointer at a nearby target, with verbal azimuth estimates. Target locations were distributed between 20° and 340°. Non-visual pointing responses …

Positive Association Between Plasma Homocysteine Level And Chronic Kidney Disease, Anoop Shankar, Jie Wang, Brian Chua, Elena Rochtchina, Victoria Flood, Paul Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

BACKGROUND:

Increasing experimental evidence, including recently developed animal models, supports a role for homocysteine in the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, relatively few clinical/epidemiological studies have examined this hypothesis in humans. We examined the relationship between plasma homocysteine level and CKD in a population-based study of older Australians.

METHODS:

Community-based study (1992-1994) among 2,609 individuals (58.6% women), aged 49-98 years, free of clinical cardiovascular disease in the Blue Mountains region, west of Sydney, Australia. The main outcome-of-interest was CKD (n = 461), defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2).

RESULTS:

Higher plasma homocysteine levels were positively associated with …

Beta-Glucans In The Treatment Of Diabetes And Associated Cardiovascular Risks, Jiezhong Chen, Kenneth Raymond

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by high blood glucose level with typical manifestations of thirst, polyuria, polydipsia, and weight loss. It is caused by defects in insulin-mediated signal pathways, resulting in decreased glucose transportation from blood into muscle and fat cells. The major risk is vascular injury leading to heart disease, which is accelerated by increased lipid levels and hypertension. Management of diabetes includes: control of blood glucose level and lipids; and reduction of hypertension. Dietary intake of beta-glucans has been shown to reduce all these risk factors to benefit the treatment of diabetes and associated complications. In addition, beta-glucans also …

Investigation Between The S377g3 Gata-4 Polymorphism And Migraine, Sherin Chikhani, Francesca Fernandez, Karl Poetter, Brendam Toohey, Ron Harvey, Lyn Griffiths

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Migraine is a common and painful neurological disorder, with genetic and environmental components. Several conditions have been shown to be comorbid with migraine, notably a cardiac malformation affecting the interatrial septum and leading to patent foramen ovale (PFO). Mutations in the development regulatory gene GATA-4, located on human chromosome 8p23.1-p22, have been found to be responsible for some cases of congenital heart defects including PFO. To determine whether the GATA-4 gene is involved in migraine, the present study performed an association analysis of a common GATA-4 variant that results in a change of amino acid (S377G), in a large …

Increased Suicide Risk In Depressed Patients Predicted By Long-Chain Fatty Acids, Nadia Solowij, Brin F. S Grenyer, Barbara J. Meyer, P Howe

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

bstract from the XXVI CINP Congress, Munich, 13-17 July 2008

Visuospatial Memory Deficits In Long Term Heavy Cannabis Users: Relation To Psychotic Symptoms And Regional Brain Volumes, Nadia Solowij, Colleen Respondek, Robert A. Battisti, Sarah Whittle, Daniel Dr Daniel Lubman, Murat Yucel

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract from the XXVI CINP Congress, Munich, 13-17 July 2008

Environmental Modulation Of Phenotype In Neuregulin 1 Mutants, Tim Karl, A. Boucher, Brian Dean, Xu-Feng Huang, J Arnold, P. Schofield

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract from the XXVI CINP Congress, Munich, Germany, 13-17 July 2008

Effects Of Fully-Established Sure Start Local Programmes On 3-Year-Old Children And Their Families Living In England: A Quasi-Experimental Observational Study, Edward Melhuish, Jay Belsky, Alastair H. Leyland, Jacqueline Barnes

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) are area-based interventions to improve services for young children and their families in deprived communities, promote health and development, and reduce inequalities. We therefore investigated whether SSLPs affect the wellbeing of 3-year-old children and their families.

Methods

In a quasi-experimental observational study, we compared 5883 3-year-old children and their families from 93 disadvantaged SSLP areas with 1879 3-year-old children and their families from 72 similarly deprived areas in England who took part in the Millennium Cohort Study. We studied 14 outcomes—children's immunisations, accidents, language development, positive and negative social behaviours, and independence; parenting risk; …

Influencing Policy And Practice Through Research On Early Childhood Education, Brenda Taggart, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Pam Sammons

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents the scientific evidence from one study that has informed Early Years policy in the U.K. It begins with a description of the policy context in the early 1990s and shows how research was used to inform a decade of policy innovation. There have been many studies of ways that research has informed practice but fewer on instances of research shaping policy. This paper is one step in that direction, as advocated by Whitty (2007) and Huw, Nutley and Smith (2001).

The Big Fish Strikes Again But In A Different Place: Social Comparison Theory And Children With Special Needs, Roselyn May Dixon, Marjorie Seaton, Robert John Dixon

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper will address the implications of Big-Fish Little Pond Effect (BFLPE) and social comparison theory and school placement of students with special needs. It made use of the PISA data base to determine if type of educational placement had an impact on the academic self-concept with children with special needs. Multiple regression techniques were used to delineate the relationships.

Threats To Kill: A Follow-Up Study, L J. Warren, P E. Mullen, S Dm Thomas, J Rp Ogloff, P M. Burgess

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Mental health clinicians are frequently asked to assess the risks presented by patients making threats to kill, but there are almost no data to guide such an evaluation. Method This data linkage study examined serious violence following making threats to kill and the potential role of mental disorder. A total of 613 individuals convicted of threats to kill had their prior contact with public mental health services established at the time of the index offence. The group's subsequent criminal convictions were established 10 years later using the police database. Death from suicidal or homicidal violence was also established. Results …

The "Ebm Movement": Where Did It Come From, Where Is It Going, And Why Does It Matter?, Wendy Lipworth, Stacy M. Carter, Ian Kerridge

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Evidence‐Based Medicine (EBM) has now been part of the dominant medical paradigm for 15 years, and has been frequently debated and progressively modified. One question about EBM that has not yet been considered systematically, and is now particularly timely, is the question of the novelty, or otherwise, of the principles and practices of EBM. We argue that answering this question, and the related question of whether EBM‐type principles and practices are unique to medicine, sheds new light on EBM and has practical implications for those involved in all EBM. This is because one's answer to the question (whether explicit or …

The Influence Of School And Teaching Quality On Children's Progress In Primary School, Pam Sammons, Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Brenda Taggart, Sofka Barreau, Yvonne Grabbe

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Effective Pre-School and Primary Education 3-11 (EPPE 3-11) project investigates the impact of pre- school, primary school and the family on a range of outcomes for a national sample of 2500+ young children in England between the ages of 3 and 11 years. This Research Brief presents analyses drawing on detailed observations of primary teachers' classroom practices in a sub-sample of 125 classes attended by EPPE 3-11 children during the time they were in Year 5 of primary school (age 10 years). It investigates the relationships between different classroom-level practices and children's progress in cognitive (Reading and Maths) and …

Research And Policy In Developing An Early Years' Initiative: The Case Of Sure Start, Jay Belsky, Edward Melhuish, Jacqueline Barnes

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The British government's wish to eliminate the cycle of disadvantage for children from poor families led to Sure Start. The initiative set up 260 Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) by 2001, which were expanded to 524 programmes within 2 years. SSLPs aimed to enhance the health and development of children under four and their families in deprived communities. SSLPs were area-based, with all children under four and their families in an area being eligible. This allowed efficient delivery of services without stigmatisation. SSLPs did not have a prescribed "protocol" of services. Instead, each SSLP had autonomy to improve and create …

Understanding The Relationship Between Curriculum, Pedagogy And Progression In Learning In Early Childhood, Iram Siraj-Blatchford

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper provides mutually reinforcing definitions for the terms 'Curriculum' and 'Pedagogy' are applied in an attempt to provide further clarification of the learning processes involved in 'Co-construction' and 'Sustained Shared Thinking'. The implications for pedagogic progression and for understanding early childhood practices are also identified. The theoretical model is then applied in support of the English Early Years Foundation Stage against charges of inappropriate 'schoolification '. The paper also provides in outline a new typology of early childhood educational practices.

"They All Work...When You Stick To Them": A Qualitative Investigation Of Dieting, Weight Loss, And Physical Exercise, In Obese Individuals, Samantha L. Thomas, Jim Hyde, Asuntha Karunaratne, Rick Kausman, Paul Komesaroff

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background To explore the extent to which people living with obesity have attempted to lose weight, their attitudes towards dieting, physical exercise and weight loss solutions, why their weight loss attempts have failed, and their opinions about what would be most beneficial to them in their struggle with their weight. Method Qualitative study, using open-ended interviews, of 76 people living with obesity in Victoria, Australia in 2006/7. Individuals with a BMI of 30 or over were recruited using articles in local newspapers, convenience sampling, and at a later stage purposive sampling techniques to diversify the sample. Data analysis was conducted …

Dietary Electrolytes Are Related To Mood, Susan Torres, Caryl Nowson, Anthony Worsley

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Dietary therapies are routinely recommended to reduce disease risk; however, there is concern they may adversely affect mood. We compared the effect on mood of a low-sodium, high-potassium diet (LNAHK) and a high-calcium diet (HC) with a moderate-sodium, high-potassium, high-calcium Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-type diet (OD). We also assessed the relationship between dietary electrolytes and cortisol, a stress hormone and marker of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity. In a crossover design, subjects were randomized to two diets for 4 weeks, the OD and either LNAHK or HC, each preceded by a 2-week control diet (CD). Dietary compliance was assessed …

A Linguistic Analysis Of Social Attitudes Towards The Quality Issues Of Postgraduate Education In Vietnam, V. T. H. Tran, Elizabeth Thomson

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper proposes the PhD project A linguistic study on social attitudes towards the quality of postgraduate education in Vietnam. The study uses Appraisal theory as the framework to analyse interviews with different stakeholders involved in the postgraduate education sector, namely bureaucrats, management, academics and students. The study aims to find out:

• What the stakeholders’ perceived quality issues in relation to MA and PhD education in Vietnam are
• Who the stakeholders’ believe to bear the responsibility for the quality issues.

Taking into account the facts that the quality of postgraduate education in Vietnam is in question and the fact that …