Australian pre-service teachers' Knowledge and understanding of cyberbullying: Implications for school climate

The beliefs, attitudes and understandings of pre-service teachers towards bullying and more recently, cyberbullying remains unclear. Previous studies have found them to be generally lacking confidence to address bullying, which could impact negatively on school climate if, when they enter the profession, these beliefs undermine existing anti-bullying initiatives. This study explores Australian pre-service teachers' (N= 717) understanding and knowledge of traditional bullying and cyberbullying and their confidence and capacity to deal with it. Findings from self-report, anonymous questionnaires from students attending three universities in Australia indicated that two thirds (66%) of current pre-service teachers felt informed to very informed and capable to very capable (62%) of dealing with school bullying and 90% could discern cyber and traditional bullying behaviours from other online and offline aggressive acts. Gender and Year level differences were found. The potential impact of their knowledge and understanding of bullying and cyberbullying on school climate, and sustaining and maintaining anti-bullying interventions as they enter the profession is discussed.

Screen production enquiry: A study of five Australian doctorates

Within Australian universities, doctoral research in screen production is growing significantly. Two recent studies have documented both the scale of this research and inconsistencies in the requirements of the degree. These institutional variations, combined with a lack of clarity around appropriate methodologies for academic research through film and television practice, create challenges for students, supervisors, examiners and the overall development of the discipline. This paper will examine five recent doctorates in screen production practice at five different Australian universities. It will look at the nature of the films made, the research questions the candidates were investigating, the new knowledge claims that were produced and the subsequent impact of the research. The various methodologies used will be given particular attention because they help define the nature of the research where film production is a primary research method.

Influential parameters on particle concentration and size distribution in the mainstream of e-cigarettes

Electronic cigarette-generated mainstream aerosols were characterized in terms of particle number concentrations and size distributions through a Condensation Particle Counter and a Fast Mobility Particle Sizer spectrometer, respectively. A thermodilution system was also used to properly sample and dilute the mainstream aerosol. Different types of electronic cigarettes, liquid flavors, liquid nicotine contents, as well as different puffing times were tested. Conventional tobacco cigarettes were also investigated. The total particle number concentration peak (for 2-s puff), averaged across the different electronic cigarette types and liquids, was measured equal to 4.39 ± 0.42 × 109 part. cm−3, then comparable to the conventional cigarette one (3.14 ± 0.61 × 109 part. cm−3). Puffing times and nicotine contents were found to influence the particle concentration, whereas no significant differences were recognized in terms of flavors and types of cigarettes used. Particle number distribution modes of the electronic cigarette-generated aerosol were in the 120–165 nm range, then similar to the conventional cigarette one.

Building an evaluation instrument for China's hospital emergency preparedness: A systematic review of preparedness instruments

Objectives: The aim of this report is to identify from the literature common themes relating to the concept of hospital preparedness for emergencies to develop an agreed framework for evaluation. Method: A systematic literature search identified appropriate articles for critical appraisal. A meta-ethnography approach was used to synthesize the findings, using both reciprocal translation and line-of-argument synthesis. Results: From an initial 2162 articles, we identified 13 articles that specifically addressed the aims of this review and formed the basis of the intended analysis. Conclusion: Hospital emergency preparedness is essential for effective disaster relief. Developing a systematic and structured methodology is necessary to assess hospital preparedness. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness: 2014:0:1-9)

Single-walled carbon nanotube-based polymer monoliths for the enantioselective nano-liquid chromatographic separation of racemic pharmaceuticals

Many protocols have been used for extraction of DNA from Thraustochytrids. These generally involve the use of CTAB, phenol/chloroform and ethanol. They also feature mechanical grinding, sonication, N2 freezing or bead beating. However, the resulting chemical and physical damage to extracted DNA reduces its quality. The methods are also unsuitable for large numbers of samples. Commercially-available DNA extraction kits give better quality and yields but are expensive. Therefore, an optimized DNA extraction protocol was developed which is suitable for Thraustochytrids to both minimise expensive and time-consuming steps prior to DNA extraction and also to improve the yield. The most effective method is a combination of single bead in TissueLyser (Qiagen) and Proteinase K. Results were conclusive: both the quality and the yield of extracted DNA were higher than with any other method giving an average yield of 8.5 µg/100 mg biomass.

A compliant, banded outflow cannula for decreased afterload sensitivity of rotary right ventricular assist devices

Biventricular support with dual rotary ventricular assist devices (VADs) has been implemented clinically with restriction of the right VAD (RVAD) outflow cannula to artificially increase afterload and, therefore, operate within recommended design speed ranges. However, the low preload and high afterload sensitivity of these devices increase the susceptibility of suction events. Active control systems are prone to sensor drift or inaccurate inferred (sensor-less) data, therefore an alternative solution may be of benefit. This study presents the in vitro evaluation of a compliant outflow cannula designed to passively decrease the afterload sensitivity of rotary RVADs and minimize left-sided suction events. A one-way fluid-structure interaction model was initially used to produce a design with suitable flow dynamics and radial deformation. The resultant geometry was cast with different initial cross-sectional restrictions and concentrations of a softening diluent before evaluation in a mock circulation loop. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was increased from 50 dyne s/cm5 until left-sided suction events occurred with each compliant cannula and a rigid, 4.5 mm diameter outflow cannula for comparison. Early suction events (PVR ∼ 300 dyne s/cm5) were observed with the rigid outflow cannula. Addition of the compliant section with an initial 3 mm diameter restriction and 10% diluent expanded the outflow restriction as PVR increased, thus increasing RVAD flow rate and preventing left-sided suction events at PVR levels beyond 1000 dyne s/cm5. Therefore, the compliant, restricted outflow cannula provided a passive control system to assist in the prevention of suction events with rotary biventricular support while maintaining pump speeds within normal ranges of operation.

Short-term effects of electronic and tobacco cigarettes on exhaled nitric oxide

The objective of this study was to compare the short-term respiratory effects due to the inhalation of electronic and conventional tobacco cigarette-generated mainstream aerosols through the measurement of the exhaled nitric oxide (eNO). To this purpose, twenty-five smokers were asked to smoke a conventional cigarette and to vape an electronic cigarette (with and without nicotine), and an electronic cigarette without liquid (control session). Electronic and tobacco cigarette mainstream aerosols were characterized in terms of total particle number concentrations and size distributions. On the basis of the measured total particle number concentrations and size distributions, the average particle doses deposited in alveolar and tracheobronchial regions of the lungs for a single 2-s puff were also estimated considering a subject performing resting (sitting) activity. Total particle number concentrations in the mainstream resulted equal to 3.5 ± 0.4 × 109, 5.1 ± 0.1 × 109, and 3.1 ± 0.6 × 109 part. cm− 3 for electronic cigarettes without nicotine, with nicotine, and for conventional cigarettes, respectively. The corresponding alveolar doses for a resting subject were estimated equal to 3.8 × 1010, 5.2 × 1010 and 2.3 × 1010 particles. The mean eNO variations measured after each smoking/vaping session were equal to 3.2 ppb, 2.7 ppb and 2.8 ppb for electronic cigarettes without nicotine, with nicotine, and for conventional cigarettes, respectively; whereas, negligible eNO changes were measured in the control session. Statistical tests performed on eNO data showed statistically significant differences between smoking/vaping sessions and the control session, thus confirming a similar effect on human airways whatever the cigarette smoked/vaped, the nicotine content, and the particle dose received.

Patient reported adherence to hypertension treatment: A revalidation study

Background Adherence to hypertension management in patients with hypertension is known to influence their blood pressure control. It is important to measure patients’ adherence behaviours to assist with designing appropriate interventions to improve blood pressure control. Aims The purposes of this study were to use confirmatory factor analysis to revalidate the Therapeutic Adherence Scale for Hypertensive Patients (TASHP), and to calculate the cut-off score for classifying adherence behaviours into two groups: satisfactory and low adherence behaviours. Methods Systematic random sampling was used to recruit patients with hypertension in China. Demographic characteristics, the TASHP and blood pressure were collected. The psychometric tests of the TASHP included: construct validity, criteria-related validity, internal reliability, and split-half reliability. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve and Youden index were used to identify the cut-off score of the TASHP for blood pressure control. Results This study involved 366 patients. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-component structure of the TASHP proposed in the original scale development study. The TASHP has a satisfactory internal reliability (Cronbach’s α > 0.7) and a satisfactory split-half reliability (Spearman–Brown coefficients > 0.7). The patients with overall scores of the TASHP ⩾ 109 points were considered to have satisfactory adherence behaviours. Conclusion The TASHP is a validated and reliable instrument to measure the adherence to hypertension management in Chinese patients with hypertension. The cut-off score of 109 points can be considered as an effective measure to classify the level of adherence into satisfactory and low adherence behaviours.

Childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual dysfunction: Response to commentary by Rind and Tromovitch (2007)

Rind and Tromovitch (2007) raised four concerns relating to our article (Najman, Dunne, Purdie, Boyle, & Coxeter, 2005. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 517-526.) which suggested a causal association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adult sexual dysfunction. We consider each of these concerns: magnitude of effect, cause and effect, confounding, and measurement error. We suggest that, while the concerns they raise represent legitimate reservations about the validity of our findings, on balance the available evidence indicates an association between CSA and sexual dysfunction that is of "moderate" magnitude, probably causal, and unlikely to be a consequence of confounding or measurement error.

Identification of IL6R and chromosome 11q13.5 as risk loci for asthma

We aimed to identify novel genetic variants affecting asthma risk, since these might provide novel insights into molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. We did a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 2669 physician-diagnosed asthmatics and 4528 controls from Australia. Seven loci were prioritised for replication after combining our results with those from the GABRIEL consortium (n=26 475), and these were tested in an additional 25 358 independent samples from four in-silico cohorts. Quantitative multi-marker scores of genetic load were constructed on the basis of results from the GABRIEL study and tested for association with asthma in our Australian GWAS dataset. Two loci were confirmed to associate with asthma risk in the replication cohorts and reached genome-wide significance in the combined analysis of all available studies (n=57 800): rs4129267 (OR 1·09, combined p= 2·4×10-8) in the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) gene and rs7130588 (OR 1·09, p=1·8×10-8) on chromosome 11q13.5 near the leucine-rich repeat containing 32 gene (LRRC32, also known as GARP). The 11q13.5 locus was significantly associated with atopic status among asthmatics (OR 1·33, p=7×10-4), suggesting that it is a risk factor for allergic but not non-allergic asthma. Multi-marker association results are consistent with a highly polygenic contribution to asthma risk, including loci with weak effects that might be shared with other immune-related diseases, such as NDFIP1, HLA-B, LPP, and BACH2. The IL6R association further supports the hypothesis that cytokine signalling dysregulation affects asthma risk, and raises the possibility that an IL6R antagonist (tocilizumab) may be effective to treat the disease, perhaps in a genotype-dependent manner. Results for the 11q13.5 locus suggest that it directly increases the risk of allergic sensitisation which, in turn, increases the risk of subsequent development of asthma. Larger or more functionally focused studies are needed to characterise the many loci with modest effects that remain to be identified for asthma. National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. A full list of funding sources is provided in the webappendix. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Association between glaucoma and at–fault motor vehicle collision involvement among older drivers

Objective To examine the association between glaucoma and motor vehicle collision (MVC) involvement among older drivers, including the role of visual field impairment that may underlie any association found. Design A retrospective population-based study Participants A sample of 2,000 licensed drivers aged 70 years and older who reside in north central Alabama. Methods At-fault MVC involvement for five years prior to enrollment was obtained from state records. Three aspects of visual function were measured: habitual binocular distance visual acuity, binocular contrast sensitivity and the binocular driving visual field constructed from combining the monocular visual fields of each eye. Poisson regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Main Outcomes Measures At-fault MVC involvement for five years prior to enrollment. Results Drivers with glaucoma (n = 206) had a 1.65 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20-2.28, p = 0.002) times higher MVC rate compared to those without glaucoma after adjusting for age, gender and mental status. Among those with glaucoma, drivers with severe visual field loss had higher MVC rates (RR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.09-4.09, p = 0.027), whereas no significant association was found among those with impaired visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. When the visual field was sub-divided into six regions (upper, lower, left, and right visual fields; horizontal and vertical meridians), we found that impairment in the left, upper or lower visual field was associated with higher MVC rates, and an impaired left visual field showed the highest RR (RR = 3.16, p = 0.001) compared to other regions. However, no significant association was found in deficits in the right side or along the horizontal or vertical meridian. Conclusions A population-based study suggests that older drivers with glaucoma are more likely to have a history of at-fault MVC involvement than those without glaucoma. Impairment in the driving visual field in drivers with glaucoma appears to have an independent association with at-fault MVC involvement, whereas visual acuity and contrast sensitivity impairments do not.

Mechanical properties of a hollow-cylindrical-joint honeycomb

In this paper, we constructed a new honeycomb by replacing the three-edge joint of the conventional regular hexagonal honeycomb with a hollow-cylindrical joint, and developed a corresponding theory to study its mechanical properties, i.e., Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, fracture strength and stress intensity factor. Interestingly, with respect to the conventional regular hexagonal honeycomb, its Young's modulus and fracture strength are improved by 76% and 303%, respectively; whereas, for its stress intensity factor, two possibilities exist for the maximal improvements which are dependent of its relative density, and the two improvements are 366% for low-density case and 195% for high-density case, respectively. Moreover, a minimal Poisson's ratio exists. The present structure and theory could be used to design new honeycomb materials.

Characterisation of carotid atheroma in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients using high resolution MRI

Background and purpose: To prospectively evaluate differences in carotid plaque characteristics in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients using high resolution MRI. Methods: 20 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic patients, with at least 50% carotid stenosis as determined by Doppler ultrasound, underwent preoperative in vivo multispectral MRI of the carotid arteries. Studies were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively in a randomised manner by two experienced readers in consensus, blinded to clinical status, and plaques were classified according to the modified American Heart Association (AHA) criteria. Results: After exclusion of poor quality images, 109 MRI sections in 18 symptomatic and 19 asymptomatic patients were available for analysis. There were no significant differences in mean luminal stenosis severity (72.9% vs 67.6%; p = 0.09) or plaque burden (median plaque areas 50 mm2 vs 50 mm 2; p = 0.858) between the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. However, symptomatic lesions had a higher incidence of ruptured fibrous caps (36.5% vs 8.7%; p = 0.004), haemorrhage or thrombus (46.5% vs 14.0%; p<0.001), large necrotic lipid cores (63.8% vs 28.0%; p = 0.002) and complicated type VI AHA lesions (61.5% vs 28.1%; p = 0.001) compared with asymptomatic lesions. The MRI findings of plaque haemorrhage or thrombus had an odds ratio of 5.25 (95% CI 2.08 to 13.24) while thin or ruptured fibrous cap (as opposed to a thick fibrous cap) had an odds ratio of 7.94 (95% CI 2.93 to 21.51) for prediction of symptomatic clinical status. Conclusions: There are significant differences in plaque characteristics between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid atheroma and these can be detected in vivo by high resolution MRI.

Implications of gain functions in fisheries management

The appealing concept of optimal harvesting is often used in fisheries to obtain new management strategies. However, optimality depends on the objective function, which often varies, reflecting the interests of different groups of people. The aim of maximum sustainable yield is to extract the greatest amount of food from replenishable resources in a sustainable way. Maximum sustainable yield may not be desirable from an economic point of view. Maximum economic yield that maximizes the profit of fishing fleets (harvesting sector) but ignores socio-economic benefits such as employment and other positive externalities. It may be more appropriate to use the maximum economic yield that which is based on the value chain of the overall fishing sector, to reflect better society's interests. How to make more efficient use of a fishery for society rather than fishing operators depends critically on the gain function parameters including multiplier effects and inclusion or exclusion of certain costs. In particular, the optimal effort level based on the overall value chain moves closer to the optimal effort for the maximum sustainable yield because of the multiplier effect. These issues are illustrated using the Australian Northern Prawn Fishery.