Reported consumption of takeaway food and its contribution to socioeconomic inequalities in body mass index

The aim of this study was to examine whether takeaway food consumption mediated (explained) the association between socioeconomic position and body mass index (BMI). A postal-survey was conducted among 1500 randomly selected adults aged between 25 and 64 years in Brisbane, Australia during 2009 (response rate 63.7%, N=903). BMI was calculated using self-reported weight and height. Participants reported usual takeaway food consumption, and these takeaway items were categorised into "healthy" and "less healthy" choices. Socioeconomic position was ascertained by education, household income, and occupation. The mean BMI was 27.1kg/m(2) for men and 25.7kg/m(2) for women. Among men, none of the socioeconomic measures were associated with BMI. In contrast, women with diploma/vocational education (β=2.12) and high school only (β=2.60), and those who were white-collar (β=1.55) and blue-collar employees (β=2.83) had significantly greater BMI compared with their more advantaged counterparts. However, household income was not associated with BMI. Among women, the consumption of "less healthy" takeaway food mediated BMI differences between the least and most educated, and between those employed in blue collar occupations and their higher status counterparts. Decreasing the consumption of "less healthy" takeaway options may reduce socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity among women but not men.

The IL-6 response to Chlamydia from primary reproductive epithelial cells is highly variable and may be involved in differential susceptibility to the immunopathological consequences of chlamydial infection

Background Chlamydia trachomatis infection results in reproductive damage in some women. The process and factors involved in this immunopathology are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of primary human cellular responses to chlamydial stress response proteases and chlamydial infection to further identify the immune processes involved in serious disease sequelae. Results Laboratory cell cultures and primary human reproductive epithelial cultures produced IL-6 in response to chlamydial stress response proteases (CtHtrA and CtTsp), UV inactivated Chlamydia, and live Chlamydia. The magnitude of the IL-6 response varied considerably (up to 1000 pg ml-1) across different primary human reproductive cultures. Thus different levels of IL-6 production by reproductive epithelia may be a determinant in disease outcome. Interestingly, co-culture models with either THP-1 cells or autologous primary human PBMC generally resulted in increased levels of IL-6, except in the case of live Chlamydia where the level of IL-6 was decreased compared to the epithelial cell culture only, suggesting this pathway may be able to be modulated by live Chlamydia. PBMC responses to the stress response proteases (CtTsp and CtHtrA) did not significantly vary for the different participant cohorts. Therefore, these proteases may possess conserved innate PAMPs. MAP kinases appeared to be involved in this IL-6 induction from human cells. Finally, we also demonstrated that IL-6 was induced by these proteins and Chlamydia from mouse primary reproductive cell cultures (BALB/C mice) and mouse laboratory cell models. Conclusions We have demonstrated that IL-6 may be a key factor for the chlamydial disease outcome in humans, given that primary human reproductive epithelial cell culture showed considerable variation in IL-6 response to Chlamydia or chlamydial proteins, and that the presence of live Chlamydia (but not UV killed) during co-culture resulted in a reduced IL-6 response suggesting this response may be moderated by the presence of the organism.

Expanded scope roles in primary health – what makes them work?

Introduction The demand for better integration between primary and secondary healthcare frequently leads to discussion about expanded scope of practice for nursing, paramedic and allied health professionals and the role these clinicians could play in facilitating improved access to timely and appropriate healthcare. From workforce perspective, expanded scope of practice has also been advocated as a mean of fostering workforce retention. Models of expanded scope roles in nursing and paramedicine have been trialled nationally and internationally in both acute and community care settings. Where they have been successful, trials have resulted in reduction in hospital presentation and admission; improved patient access and timeliness; and patient satisfaction. This paper will examine the characteristics of successful expanded scope programs. Method Exploratory case-study analysis of successful integration of expanded health care roles across primary healthcare settings in rural Australia. Results & Conclusions One size does not fill all. Successful models of integrated expanded health care roles in primary health care settings are built on stakeholder’s capacity and preference; community need; and political will. Collaborative, congruent, multi-disciplinary care teams that prioritise patient-centred care within a dynamic primary care setting have merit and are more likely to foster flexibility and sustainability.

An Interview with Sylvère Lotringer, Jean Baudrillard Chair at the European Graduate School and Professor Emeritus of French Literature and Philosophy at Columbia University, on the Architectural Contribution to Semiotext(e), Schizoculture, and the Early Deleuze and Guattari Scene at Columbia University

An Interview with Sylvère Lotringer, Jean Baudrillard Chair at the European Graduate School and Professor Emeritus of French Literature and Philosophy at Columbia University, on the Architectural Contribution to Semiotext(e), Schizoculture, and the Early Deleuze and Guattari Scene at Columbia University, which took place at the Department of French, Columbia University, New York City, July 2003. This interview exists as an audio cassette tape recording.

High-growth firms : characteristics, job contribution and method observations

Largely as a result of mass unemployment problems in many European countries, the dynamics of job creation has in recent years attracted increased interest on the part of academics as well as policy-makers. In connection to this, a large number of studies carried out in various countries have concluded that SMEs play a very large and/or growing role as job creators (Birch, 1979; Baldwin and Picot, 1995; Davidsson, 1995a; Davidsson, Lindmark and Olofsson, 1993; 1994; 1995; 1997a; 1997b; Fumagelli and Mussati, 1993; Kirchhoff and Phillips, 1988; Spilling, 1995; for further reference to studies carried out in a large number of countries see also Aiginger and Tichy, 1991; ENSR, 1994; Loveman and Sengenberger, 1991; OECD, 1987; Storey and Johnson, 1987). While most researchers agree on the importance of SMEs, there is some controversy as regards whether this is mainly a result of many small start-ups and incremental expansions, or if a small minority of high growth SMEs contribute the lion’s share of new employment. This is known as the ‘mice vs. gazelles’ or ‘flyers vs. trundlers’ debate. Storey strongly advocates the position that the small group of high growth SMEs are the ‘real’ job creators (Storey, 1994; Storey & Johnson, 1987), whereas, e.g., the Davidsson et al research in Sweden (cf. above) gives more support for the ‘mice’ hypothesis.

Nedd4-2(NEDD4L) controls intracellular Na(+)-mediated activity of voltage-gated sodium channels in primary cortical neurons.

Nedd4-2, a HECT (homologous with E6-associated protein C-terminus)-type ubiquitin protein ligase, has been implicated in regulating several ion channels, including Navs (voltage-gated sodium channels). In Xenopus oocytes Nedd4-2 strongly inhibits the activity of multiple Navs. However, the conditions under which Nedd4-2 mediates native Nav regulation remain uncharacterized. Using Nedd4-2-deficient mice, we demonstrate in the present study that in foetal cortical neurons Nedd4-2 regulates Navs specifically in response to elevated intracellular Na(+), but does not affect steady-state Nav activity. In dorsal root ganglia neurons from the same mice, however, Nedd4-2 does not control Nav activities. The results of the present study provide the first physiological evidence for an essential function of Nedd4-2 in regulating Navs in the central nervous system.

Looking back : students' perceptions of the relative enjoyment of primary and secondary school science

This paper reports and discusses a contentious result from an Australia-wide study of the influences on students' decisions about taking senior science subjects. As part of the Choosing Science study (Lyons and Quinn 2010) 3759 Year 10 students were asked to indicate which stage of their schooling (lower primary, upper primary, lower secondary, middle secondary) they had most enjoyed learning science. Crosstabulations of responses revealed that around 78% of students indicated that they had enjoyed learning science more in secondary than in primary school, and 55% enjoyed it the most during Years 9 and 10. The perception that school science was more enjoyable in high school was also found among students who did not intend taking science in Year 11, though to a lesser extent. These findings are unexpected and significant, challenging the prevailing view that enjoyment of school science steadily declines after primary school. The paper elaborates on the findings and suggests that the different conclusions arrived at by studies in this field may be due to the different methodologies employed.

Mesenchymal stromal cells and the repair of cartilage tissue

Articular cartilage has a limited intrinsic repair capacity, and thus defects are more likely to further degrade rather than undergo spontaneous self-repair. Whilst a number of surgical techniques have been developed to repair cartilage defects, their efficacy is generally poor and total joint replacement remains the gold standard, albeit last resort, treatment option. Cell-based therapies hold the greatest promise, as they appear uniquely capable of generating de novo cartilage tissue. Two approved therapies (ACI and MACI) are based on the premise that the transplantation of ex vivo expanded autologous chondrocyte populations, harvested from a non-load bearing region of the same joint, could be utilized to effectively regenerate cartilage tissue in the primary defect site. These therapeutic strategies are partially limited by our inability to harvest and expand adequate numbers of autologous chondrocytes that retain the appropriate phenotype. By contrast, the harvest and expansion of large numbers of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) derived from tissues such as bone marrow and adipose is comparatively straightforward and has become routine in laboratories worldwide. Additionally, our understanding of the biochemical and biophysical signals required to drive the chondrogenic differentiation of MSC is rapidly increasing. It is conceivable that in the near future MSC expansion and differentiation technologies will offer a means to generate sufficient cell numbers, of an appropriate phenotype, for use in cartilage defect repair. In this chapter we review the relative potential of MSC and their likely contribution to cartilage regeneration.

Primary control level of parallel distributed energy resources converters in system of multiple interconnected autonomous microgrids within self-healing networks

To minimise the number of load sheddings in a microgrid (MG) during autonomous operation, islanded neighbour MGs can be interconnected if they are on a self-healing network and an extra generation capacity is available in the distributed energy resources (DER) of one of the MGs. In this way, the total load in the system of interconnected MGs can be shared by all the DERs within those MGs. However, for this purpose, carefully designed self-healing and supply restoration control algorithm, protection systems and communication infrastructure are required at the network and MG levels. In this study, first, a hierarchical control structure is discussed for interconnecting the neighbour autonomous MGs where the introduced primary control level is the main focus of this study. Through the developed primary control level, this study demonstrates how the parallel DERs in the system of multiple interconnected autonomous MGs can properly share the load of the system. This controller is designed such that the converter-interfaced DERs operate in a voltage-controlled mode following a decentralised power sharing algorithm based on droop control. DER converters are controlled based on a per-phase technique instead of a conventional direct-quadratic transformation technique. In addition, linear quadratic regulator-based state feedback controllers, which are more stable than conventional proportional integrator controllers, are utilised to prevent instability and weak dynamic performances of the DERs when autonomous MGs are interconnected. The efficacy of the primary control level of the DERs in the system of multiple interconnected autonomous MGs is validated through the PSCAD/EMTDC simulations considering detailed dynamic models of DERs and converters.

Autism : an introduction to behavioural therapy models used for autism and nursing the person with autism in the primary care setting

Childhood autism falls under the guise of autism spectrum disorders and is generally found in children over two years of age. There are of course variations in severity and clinical manifestations, however the most common features being disinterest in social interaction and engagement in ritualistic and repetitive behaviours. In Singapore the incidence of autism is on the rise as parents are becoming more aware of the early signs of autism and seek healthcare programmes to ensure the quality of life for their child is optimised. Two such programmes, Applied Behaiour Analysis and Floortime approach have proven successful in alleviating some of the behavioural and social skills problems associated with autism. Using positive behaviour reinforcement both Applied Behaviour Analysis and Floortime approach reward behaviour associated with positive social responses.

Making context work in primary health care

Health care in the community setting is one of the more challenging contexts for evidence-based practice. Community-based care comprises more than simply transplanting hospital care into people’s homes; in addition to the provision of supportive services, it also takes a range of approaches to health care practice that promotes optimal health and builds the capacity of individuals and communities to respond to their health needs. Primary health care is comprised of the diverse activities that build sustainable community capacity to achieve health and well-being throughout all of life’s stages. The expansive nature of primary health care means that a map for practice is not feasible; however a framework which can be adapted to suit the variety of situations and practice settings can be identified. The focus of this chapter is to broadly define and explore the principles of primary health care and consider the contexts of primary health care in relation to evidence-based practice.

Reframing Conceptions of Contemporary Literacy Capabilities in Pre-Service Primary Teacher Education

This chapter describes the challenges of integrating new technologies with literacy education in pre-service primary teacher education in Australia. The authors describe the policy context and regulatory mechanisms controlling pre-service education, including a national set of professional standards for graduate teachers, a new national curriculum for school students, the introduction of high stakes national assessment for school students, and the looming threat of decontextualized back-to-the-basics professional entry tests for aspiring teachers. The chapter includes three case studies of the authors’ pedagogical practices that attempt to reframe conceptions of the literacy capabilities of pre-service teachers to reflect the complex and sophisticated requirements of teachers in contemporary schooling. The authors conclude the chapter with a discussion of the implications of these case studies as they illustrate the ways that pre-service teachers can be scaffolded and supported to develop creative capacity and critical awareness of the kinds of literacies required in the digital age despite restrictive regimes.

Primary schools and the delivery of relationships and sexuality education : the experience of Queensland teachers

Primary school provides an appropriate opportunity for children to commence comprehensive relationships and sexuality education (RSE), yet many primary school teachers avoid teaching this subject area. In the absence of teacher confidence and competence, schools have often relied on health promotion professionals, external agencies and/or one-off issue related presentations rather than cohesive, systematic and meaningful health education. This study examines the implementation of a ten-lesson pilot RSE unit of work and accompanying assessment task in two primary schools in South-East Queensland, Australia. Drawing predominantly from qualitative data, this research explores the experiences of primary school teachers as they engage with RSE curriculum resources and content delivery. The results show that the provision of a high quality RSE curriculum resource grounded in contemporary educational principles and practices enables teachers to feel more confident to deliver RSE and minimises potential barriers such as parental objections and fear of mishandling sensitive content.

Educational programmes for primary prevention of skin cancer (Protocol)

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the effects of education programmes for skin cancer prevention in the general population. Description of the condition Skin cancer is a term that includes both melanoma and keratinocyte cancer. Keratinocyte cancer (also known as nonmelanoma skin cancer) generally refers to basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), although it also includes other rare cutaneous neoplasms (Madan 2010). Skin cancer is the most common cancer in populations of predominantly fair-skinned people (Donaldson 2011; Lomas 2012; Stern 2010), with incidence increasing (Garbe 2009; Leiter 2012). There are variations in annual incidence rates between these populations, with Australia reporting the highest rate of skin cancer in the world (Lomas 2012). In 2012, the estimated age-standardised incidence rate for melanoma was almost 63 per 100,000 people for Australian men, and 40 per 100,000 people for Australian women (AIHW 2012). In Europe, incidence rates range from 10 to 15 per 100,000 people (Garbe 2009; Lasithiotakis 2006), with rates highest amongst men (Stang 2006). In the United States, incidence rates are approximately 18 per 100,000 people (Garbe 2009),with the highest rates reported forwomen (Bradford 2010). Keratinocyte cancer is much more common than melanoma. In 2012, the estimated Australian age-standardised rates for BCCand SCC were 884 and 387 per 100,000 people, respectively (Staples 2006). The cumulative three-year risk of developing a subsequent keratinocyte cancer is 18% for SCC and 44% for BCC (Marcil 2000).

An ICT Implementation Strategy for Primary Schools in Fiji

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been embraced with hope and optimism in both developing and developed countries. While in the developed countries most citizens have access to one or many of the devices which utilize this technology (e.g. desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile phone), in developing countries this “luxury” can only be afforded by a privileged few. The use of these technologies in primary schools in developing countries is low. This is due to the fact that there are other bigger issues that some of these countries have to grapple with such as meeting the basic health and education needs of its citizens. Quality primary education and global development partnerships are two of the eight Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations (UNDP, 2012). Many Governments, NGO’s, service organizations, and individuals in developing countries are always looking at ways in which the disparity (not just in terms of ICT) can be narrowed. There has to be a greater collaboration between stakeholders in developing and developed countries (Mutonyi & Norton, 2007). How do stakeholders from developed countries engage with partners in developing countries to deliver meaningful and relevant outcomes for primary school students using ICT? As a first step getting the key stakeholders on side is critical. In the Fijian context, schools are managed and run by committees who are members of the community. Therefore, getting the committee on side together with the head-teachers and teachers is critical. Conversations about teaching and learning with technology can then follow with greater ease. The sustainability of any innovative approaches is also an essential element of this equation. Through this lens, this chapter investigates how ICT can be implemented in primary schools in Fiji. It proposes a three-layered approach which focuses on: (1) the community, school leadership, and teachers; (2) content, pedagogy, and technology, and (3) sustainability.