Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Stereoscopic Discrimination Of The Layout Of Ground Surfaces, Robert S. Allison, Barbara J. Gillam, Stephen A. Palmisano

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Safe and effective locomotion depends critically on judgements of the surface properties of the ground to be traversed. Little is known about the role of binocular vision in surface perception at distances relevant to visually guided locomotion in humans. Programmable arrays of illuminated targets were used to present sparsely textured surfaces with real depth at distances of 4.5 and 9.0 m. Psychophysical measurements of discrimination thresholds demonstrated a clear superiority for stereoscopic over monocular judgments of relative and absolute surface slant. Judgements of surface roughness in particular demonstrated a substantial binocular advantage. Binocular vision is thus shown to directly contribute …

Content Analysis Of Disease Awareness Advertisements In Popular Australian Women's Magazines, Danika V. Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To examine the nature of disease awareness advertising (DAA). Design: Therapeutic advertisements in six popular Australian women’s magazines were monitored between April 2006 and March 2007. A subset of advertisements was included in the study based on criteria derived from a definition of DAA. Unique advertisements were analysed by four independent coders. Main outcome measures: Types of advertisements and their sponsors, the types of disease information present, and the persuasive techniques utilised. Results: Of 711 advertisements identified, 60 met the inclusion criteria for DAA, and 30 of these were unique. Over one-third of the advertisements were classified as “unbranded …

A Valid Two-Item Food Security Questionnaire For Screening Hiv-1 Infected Patients In A Clinical Setting, Jessica Young, Sarangapany Jeganathan, Louise M. Houtzager, Aaron Di Guilmi, Julianita Purnomo

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To validate a two-item food security questionnaire (FSQ) for use in a clinical setting to screen HIV-1 infected patients for food insecurity. Design: The present study was a questionnaire-based survey of forty-nine subjects attending an HIV clinic. Subjects completed a two-item questionnaire and a six-item validated FSQ contemporaneously. Results: A strong correlation was found between the two-item and six-item FSQ (r50?895; 95% CI 0?821, 0?940; P,0?0001). Cronbach’s a coefficient was found to be 0?94 and 0?90 for the two-item and six-item FSQ, respectively. The two-item FSQ yielded a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI 75, 100) and …

"Ice Is Crazy But If You Just Smoke A Bit Of Dope It's Not That Bad": Formative Research For A Drug-Driving Social Marketing Campaign In The Act, Sandra C. Jones, Elizabeth M. Wiese, Lance R. Barrie

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Road traffic accidents are one of the two leading specific causes of disease and injury burden in people aged 15-24 years. There are a number of factors that have been found to be associated with motor vehicle accidents and fatalities some of which (e.g., speeding and drink-driving) have been heavily targeted by social marketing campaigns and legislative actions. Drug driving has been found to be associated with motor vehicle accidents, particularly among younger drivers, but the potential for social marketing in this area has received little attention. This paper reports on a qualitative study designed to examine young drivers knowledge …

Effects Of Simulated Viewpoint Jitter On Visually Induced Postural Sway, Stephen A. Palmisano, Gavin J. Pinniger, April Ash, Julie R. Steele

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In this study we examined the effects of simulated horizontal and vertical viewpoint jitter on the vection and postural sway induced by radial patterns of optic flow. During each trial, observers were exposed sequentially to 20 s periods of radially expanding flow, radially contracting flow, and static visual scenes. For half the trials, simulated viewpoint jitter was added to the radially expanding/contracting optic flow patterns. In experiment 1, we found that, while this jitter increased the backward postural sway induced by radial expansion, it actually decreased forward postural sway induced by radial contraction. However, in experiment 2 we found that …

Excitatory And Inhibitory Neurotransmission Is Chronically Altered Following Perinatal Nmda Receptor Blockade, Kelly A. Newell, Xu-Feng Huang, Chao Deng, Teresa M. Du Bois, Mei Han

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blockade in rodents induces behavioural and neurochemical changes reminiscent of schizophrenia symptoms and pathology. To examine how NMDA receptor blockade affects glutamatergic and GABAergic pathways when administered during early brain development, [3H]MK-801 and [3H]muscimol binding to NMDA and GABAA receptors was examined at four time-points following injections of phencyclidine (PCP) or saline on postnatal days (PN)7, 9 and 11. [3H]MK-801 binding was significantly increased in PCP-treated rats in the thalamus from PN18 to PN96, in the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices at PN32, and in the hippocampus at PN96. In a similar manner, [3H]muscimol binding was increased …

Aripiprazole Differentially Affects Mesolimbic And Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Transmission: Implications For Long-Term Drug Efficacy And Low Extrapyramidal Side-Effects, Xu-Feng Huang, Chao Deng, Mei Han

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Aripiprazole has been used effectively to treat schizophrenia in the clinic ; however, its mechanisms ofaction are not clear. This study examined how short- and long-term aripiprazole treatment affects dopaminergic transmission in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal pathways. For comparison, the effects of haloperidol and olanzapine treatment were also examined. Aripiprazole significantly increased D2 receptor mRNA expression and decreased tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) after 1- and 12-wk treatment, but had no effect in substantia nigra (SN) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Aripiprazole also decreased dopamine transporter (DAT) binding density in NAc (for 1- and 12- wk …

Glideslope Perception During Aircraft Landing, Rebecca Murray, Robert S. Allison, Stephen A. Palmisano

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Ideally, when a pilot approaches a runway on their final approach for landing, they must maintain a constant trajectory, or glideslope, of typically 3°-4°. If pilots misperceive their glideslope and alter their flight path accordingly, they are likely to overshoot or undershoot their desired touch down point on the runway. This experiment examined the accuracy of passive glideslope perceptions during simulated fixed-wing aircraft landings. 17 university students were repeatedly exposed to the following four landing scene conditions: (i) a daylight scene of a runway surrounded by buildings and lying on a 100 km deep texture mapped ground plane; (ii) a …

Action Or Inaction? Food And Nutrition In Australian Local Governments, Heather Yeatman

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To determine the current level of activity of Australian local governments in twenty-nine food and nutrition action areas and whether the level of activity had changed between 1995 and 2007.Design: A cross-sectional study utilising a postal survey was undertaken of all local governments in Australia. The same instrument and protocol were used in 1995 and 2007.Setting: Australian local governments.Results: Local governments in Australia continue to be engaged in food and nutrition activities. This involvement has constricted in range in the last 12 years but higher levels of engagement are reported for several areas. The levels of involvement of local …

Stroke And Plasma Markers Of Milk Fat Intake - A Prospective Nested Case-Control Study, Bengt Vessby, Eva M. Warensjo, Goran Hallmans, Lars Weinehall, Ingegerd Johansson, Birgitta Stegmayr, Annika Smedman

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

Dairy products are high in saturated fat and are traditionally a risk factor for vascular diseases. The fatty acids 15:0 and 17:0 of plasma lipids are biomarkers of milk fat intake. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk of a first-ever stroke in relation to the plasma milk fat biomarkers.

Methods

A prospective case-control study was nested within two population based health surveys in Northern Sweden. Among 129 stroke cases and 257 matched controls, plasma samples for fatty acid analyses were available in 108 cases and 216 control subjects. Proportions of 15:0 and 17:0 of …

Whose Standards? An Examination Of Community Attitudes Towards Australian Advertising, Sandra C. Jones, Katherine Eagleton

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There is considerable ongoing debate in Australia, as in other countries, about the ethicality of current advertising practices. In recent years there has been an increase in the public focus on offensive or unacceptable advertising – such as overt sex appeals, racial vilification, and promotion of unsafe use of consumer products – arguing that many of these advertisements (ads) are contrary to community standards. The industry, on the other hand, argues that it produces ads that are designed to meet and appeal to community standards. There is no comprehensive data on the nature of community standards in relation to advertising, …

Large-Scale Training In The Essentials Of Dementia Care In Australia: Dementia Care Skills For Aged Care Workers Project, Richard Fleming, Diana Fitzgerald

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Dementia has been identified as a national health priority in Australia. National programs in the areas of research, education and training have been established. The Dementia Care Skills for Aged Care Workers program is a three-year project that commenced in 2006. It has the goal of providing training in the essentials of dementia care to 17,000 staff of aged care services across Australia. Successful completion of the training results in the award of a nationally recognized qualification. Although the delivery of the training has been difficult in some areas – because of the long distances to be covered by trainers …

Effect Of High Amylose Maize Starches On Colonic Fermentation And Apoptotic Response To Dna-Damage In The Colon Of Rats, Ian L. Brown, Richard K. Le Leu, Graeme P. Young, Ying Hu

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background

We investigated in rats the effects of feeding different forms of high amylose maize starches (HAMS) rich in resistant starch (RS) to understand what the implications of RS heterogeneity might be for colonic biology, including innate cellular responses to DNA-damage.

Methods

A range of maize starches were compared: digestible cornstarch (Control), HYLON^® VII, Hi-maize^® 1043, Hi-maize^® 240, Hi-maize^® 260 and NOVELOSE^® 330. Included in the comparison was Cellulose. End-points after 4 weeks included: pH, short chain fatty acids (SCFA) levels, colonic epithelial cell kinetics and apoptotic response to carcinogen 'azoxymethane' in the colonic epithelium. …

Can Social Cognitive Theory Constructs Explain Socio-Economic Variations In Adolescent Eating Behaviours? A Mediation Analysis, Kylie Ball, D Crawford, Francis A. Worsley, Gayle Savige, N Andrianopoulos, A. Macfarlane

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Adolescents of low socio-economic position (SEP) are less likely than those of higher SEP to consume diets in line with current dietary recommendations. The reasons for these SEP variations remain poorly understood. We investigated the mechanisms underlying socioeconomic variations in adolescents eating behaviours using a theoretically derived explanatory model. Data were obtained from a community- based sample of 2529 adolescents aged 12 to15 years, from 37 secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. Adolescents completed a webbased survey assessing their eating behaviours, self-efficacy for healthy eating, perceived importance of nutrition and health, social modelling and support and the availability of foods in …

Benchmarking In The Non-Government Sector, Peter Kelly, Frank Deane, Trevor Crowe, Carla Morgan

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

[extract] A Question to Ponder - How does your service compare to other similar services in the industry? How would knowing this help your organisation?

Benchmarking Across Sectors: Comparisons Of Residential Dual Diagnosis And Mental Health Programs, Frank P. Deane, Peter Kelly, Talia Gonda, Ganapathi Murugesan, Robyn Jeffrey

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

[extract] A Question to Ponder: How does your service compare to other similar services in the industry? How would knowing this help your organisation?

Where's The Harm? A Social Marketing Approach To Reframing 'Problem' Drinking Cultures, M Carrigan, Andrew Lindridge, S Macaskill, D Eadie, R Gordon, D Heim

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Alcohol consumption is often linked to a broad range of social and health problems, yet alcohol also plays a fundamental role in social bonding between people. This paper considers the potential of social marketing to contribute to alcohol consumption reduction and reframe social norms that encourage ‘problem’ drinking. Based on qualitative research with a variety of Scottish drinkers, the paper emphasises how and why a better understanding of the culturally bound meanings of alcohol (e.g. social identity, self-concept) are of crucial importance to inform any social marketing approach to reframing excessive drinking.

Critical Social Marketing: Assessing The Impact Of Alcohol Marketing On Youth Drinking, Ross Gordon, Fiona Harris, Anne Marie Mackintosh

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Multiple Myeloma; Clinical Update On A Rare And Treatable Cancer, Moira Stephens

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer, contributing 1% of cancers and 15% of haematological malignancies. Myeloma is an incurable, yet increasingly treatable cancer with people often living in a chronic (controlled) state of relapse, i.e. living with a low level of disease for many years. Survival with myeloma varies from a few months to decades. Nurses play a valuable role in caring for people with myeloma and with their specialist knowledge of the pathophysiology of myeloma and the effects of treatment, together with their therapeutic relationship with the patient and the family, are in an important position to influence care …

Water-Immersion Treatments For Exertional Hyperthermia, Joanne Caldwell, Anne Van Den Heuvel, Pete Kerry, Mitchell Clark, Mark Patterson, Gregory E. Peoples, Nigel A.S Taylor

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Ice--cold water immersion can rapidly extract heat from hyperthermic patients. However, access to ice or cold water is limited when in the field, and some researchers have concerns regarding the possible adverse impact of the sudden cold-water immersion of hyperthennic individuals. We hypothesised that wanner-water immersions could still facilitate rapid cooling in profoundly hypertbennic people, and this would be due to less powerful cutaneous vasoconstrictor responses. These hypotheses were tested in two separate experiments.

Tilt Aftereffects And Tilt Illusions Induced By Fast Translational Motion: Evidence For Motion Streaks, Deborah Apthorp, David Alais

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Fast-moving visual features are thought to leave neural 'streaks' that can be detected by orientation-selective cells. Here, we tested whether 'motion streaks' can induce classic tilt aftereffects (TAEs) and tilt illusions (TIs). For TAEs, participants adapted to random arrays of small Gaussian blobs drifting at 9.5 deg/s. Following adaptation to directions of 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 degrees (clockwise from vertical) subjective vertical was measured for a briefly presented test grating. For TIs, the same motions were presented in an annular surround and subjective vertical was measured for a simultaneously presented central grating. All motions were 50% coherent, …

An Evaluation Of P50 Suppression Methodologies, Anna Dalecki, Rodney J. Croft, Stuart J. Johnstone

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

'P50 suppression', an index of sensory gating, has demonstrated utility in schizophrenia research. It is widely reported that P50 suppression is deficient in schizophrenia patients and an endophenotypic marker for the disorder. However, unresolved methodological issues including the unestablished reliability of the measure, unknown effects of time-on-task and long protocol undermine its usefulness. In order to address these methodological issues, twenty healthy participants' P50 suppression was measured in a long P50 paradigm. This enabled the measurement of within-session reliability, temporal course of P50 suppression, and effects of the inter-pair interval parameter. Results indicated good within-session reliability for P50 suppression (ICC …

Observing Children's Playground Activity Levels At 13 Illawarra Primary Schools Using Cast2, Anne-Maree Parrish, Don Iverson, Ken Russell, Heather Yeatman

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Declining levels of children’s physical activity may contribute to Australia’s increasing childhood obesity epidemic. School recess is an underutilized opportunity to increase children’s physical activity. Methods: Thirteen regional Australian public primary schools participated in the study (2946 children). The Children’s Activity Scanning Tool 2 (CAST2) collected observational playground physical activity data. The research also addressed: length of break, socioeconomic status (SES), gender, number of scanning days, and instrument calibration. Results: The proportions of Moderate or Vigorous Physically Activity (MVPA) children at the observed schools ranged from 0.4 to 0.7. The odds ratio of boys being MVPA relative to girls ranged …

A New Sterilization Technique Of Bovine Pericardial Biomaterial Using Microwave Radiation, Yuri Shamis, Shital Patel, Alex Taube, Yos Morsi, Igor Sbarski, Yuri Shramkov, Rodney J. Croft, Russell J. Crawford, Elena P. Ivanova

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Bioprosthetic valves created from chemically treated natural tissues such as bovine pericardial biomaterial are used as heart valve scaffolds. Methods currently available for sterilization of biomaterial for transplantation include the application of gamma radiation and chemical sterilants. These techniques, however, can be problematic because they can be expensive and lead to a reduction in tissue integrity. Therefore, improved techniques are needed that are cost effective and do not disrupt the physical properties, functionality, and lifespan of the valvular leaflets. This study examined a novel technique using nonthermalmicrowave radiation that could lead to the inactivation of bacteria in bovine pericardial biomaterial …

Factors Associated With Short And Long Sleep, Christopher A. Magee, Don Iverson, Peter Caputi

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objective: Short (< 7 h) and long sleep durations (≥ 9 h) have recently been linked with increased mortality in the US, Europe and Asia, but little is known about the sleep patterns of Australian adults. The present study examined the sleep habits of Australian adults and identified socio-demographic and health-related factors associated with short and long sleep. Methods: This study analyzed cross-sectional and self-reported data from 49,405 Australian adults aged 45 to 65 years collected between 2006 and 2008. Socio-demographic and health-related factors were entered into multinomial logistic regression models predicting self-reported sleep duration. Results: Short and long sleep were reported by 16.6% and 13.9% of participants respectively. Short sleep was associated with long working hours (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08, 1.28) and obesity (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.41); long sleep was associated with recent treatment for cancer (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.34, 2.02) and heart …

Cortical Lateralization Patterns Related To Self-Estimation Of Emotional State, Miroslaw Wyczesany, Jan Kaiser, R. J. Barry

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The relationships between subjectively-reported emotional state and hemispheric laterality were investigated. Participants’ emotional state was modified using emotional slides. Self-estimation of Energy Arousal and Hedonic Tone (positive valence) as well as Tense Arousal (negative valence) was derived from the Activation-Deactivation Adjective Checklist and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist. Energy arousal was found to be associated with right frontal dominance in the alpha2 (10–12 Hz) band, together with left frontal dominance in the beta2 (16–24 Hz) band. It was also related to left alpha2 dominance in the central and centro-parietal cortex. The effects for the Hedonic Tone scale were limited to …

Comparison Of Seal Oil To Tuna Oil On Plasma Lipid Levels And Blood Pressure In Hypertriglyceridaemic Subjects, Barbara J. Meyer, A E. Lane, N J. Mann

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

As meat is a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acid docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and Australians consume six times more meat than fish, investigation of the potential health benefit of DPA is warranted. The aims were to compare the effects of seal oil supplementation with fish oil, on measures of plasma lipids and blood pressure in hypertriglyceridaemic subjects. Forty-eight volunteers were recruited from the Wollongong community and were randomly allocated to one of three groups either receiving 1 g/day of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) using one of three oils: seal oil capsules (340 mg eicosapentaenoic acid …

Borderline Personality Or Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? An Update On The Controversy, Kate L. Lewis, Brin Grenyer

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There remains controversy surrounding the nature of the relationship between borderline personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, with strong arguments that it would be more accurate and less stigmatizing for the former to be considered a trauma spectrum disorder. This article reviews the major criticisms of the DSM-IV diagnosis of borderline personality disorder that have fueled this controversy, including the absence of an etiology for the disorder, which is widely believed to be associated with early traumatic experiences. Also reviewed are recent attempts to redefine the disorder as a trauma spectrum variant based on the apparent overlap in symptomatology, rates …

Dietary Intakes Of Children With Crohn's Disease, Rachel Pons, Kylie E. Whitten, Helen Woodhead, Steven T. Leach, Daniel A. Lemberg, Andrew S. Day

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Approximately 25 % of individuals with Crohn's disease (CD), a life-long relapsing-remitting disease, are diagnosed during childhood and adolescence. Symptoms of CD, including abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhoea, can lead to reduced food intake, which may negatively have an impact on nutritional status during this critical period of growth and development. The aims of the present study were to assess the growth and adequacy of dietary intakes of children with CD at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, and compare with healthy controls. Sixty-three subjects aged 10–16 years were recruited, including: children with active CD (n 18), children with CD in …

Developing Korean Academy Of Medical Sciences Guideline For Rating The Impairment In Mental And Behavioural Disorders; A Comparative Study Of Knpa's New Guidelines And Ama's 6th Guides, Gordon R. Davies

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

I refer to the paper by Ryu, Hong, Jung, Hwang, Jung, Jeong, Rah and Suh (2009) (1). The assessment of psychiatric disability is difficult and fraught with methodological problems and the review by Ryu and colleagues tends to perpetuate the use of methods of assessment which have no firm evidence base as well as ignoring some significant problems with the use of the American Medical Association Guides as well as the Psychiatric Impairment Rating Scale (PIRS).