Women on the Heritage Register : the case of Nellie McCredie and Uanda House

Uanda house is of historical importance to Queensland both in terms of its architectural design and its social history. Uanda is a low set, single story house built in 1928, located in the inner city Brisbane suburb of Wilston. Architecturally, the house has a number of features that distinguish it from the surrounding bungalow influenced inter-war houses. The house has been described as a Queensland style house with neo-Georgian influences. Historically, it is associated with the entry of women into the profession of architecture in Queensland. Uanda is the only remaining intact work of architect/draftswoman Nellie McCredie and one of a very few examples of works by pioneering women architects in Queensland. The house was entered into the Queensland Heritage Register, in 2000, after an appeal against Brisbane City Council’s refusal of an application to demolish the house was disputed in the Queensland Planning and Environment court in 1998/1999. In the court’s report, Judge Robin QC, DCJ, stated that, “The importance of preserving women's history and heritage, often previously marginalised or lost, is now accepted at government level, recognising that role models are vital for bringing new generations of women into the professions and public life.” While acknowledging women’s contribution to the profession of architecture is an important endeavour, it also has the potential to isolate women architects as separate to a mainstream history of architecture. As Julie Willis writes, it can imply an atypical, feminine style of architecture. What is the impact or potential implications of recognising heritage buildings designed by women architects? The Judge also highlights the absence of a recorded history of unique Brisbane houses and questions the authority of the heritage register. This research looks at these points of difference through a case study of the Uanda house. The paper will investigate the processes of adding the house to the heritage register, the court case and existing research on Nellie McCredie and Uanda House.

Evaluating equal employment opportunity and its impact on the increased participation of men and women in the transport industry

This paper seeks to identify the approaches undertaken in implementing equal employment opportunity in the transport industry in Australia and the links between these approaches and indicators of increased participation of women. This male dominated industry employs limited numbers of women with fewer numbers of women in management. The study analyses data from a unique set of equal opportunity progress reports from all organisations in the transport industry that are required to provide public reports under Australian legislation. The findings indicate a correlation between some approaches to equal opportunity and increased numbers of women in some areas. The study is equally remarkable for what it does not find. Despite widespread equal opportunity implementation across a broad number of employment measures there are limited measures that predict increases in the numbers of women in management or in non-traditional roles. This study differs from others in that it identifies issues specific to one industry and links organisational approach to equal opportunity with the employment status of both women and men.

The effect of housing characteristics and occupant activities on the respiratory health of women and children in Lao PDR

The paper presents the results of a study conducted into the relationship between dwelling characteristics and occupant activities with the respiratory health of resident women and children in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). Lao is one of the least developed countries in south-east Asia with poor life expectancies and mortality rates. The study, commissioned by the World Health Organisation, included questionnaires delivered to residents of 356 dwellings in nine districts in Lao PDR over a five month period (December 2005-April 2006), with the aim of identifying the association between respiratory health and indoor air pollution, in particular exposures related to indoor biomass burning. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated for each health outcome separately using binary logistic regression. After adjusting for age, a wide range of symptoms of respiratory illness in women and children aged 1-4 years were positively associated with a range of indoor exposures related to indoor cooking, including exposure to a fire and location of the cooking place. Among women, “dust always inside the house” and smoking were also identified as strong risk factors for respiratory illness. Other strong risk factors for children, after adjusting for age and gender, included dust and drying clothes inside. This analysis confirms the role of indoor air pollution in the burden of disease among women and children in Lao PDR.

Assessing the impact of a food supplement on the nutritional status and body composition of HIV-infected Zambian women on ARVs

Background Zambia is a sub-Saharan country with one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV, currently estimated at 14%. Poor nutritional status due to both protein-energy and micronutrient malnutrition has worsened this situation. In an attempt to address this combined problem, the government has instigated a number of strategies, including the provision of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment coupled with the promotion of good nutrition. High-energy protein supplement (HEPS) is particularly promoted; however, the impact of this food supplement on the nutritional status of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) beyond weight gain has not been assessed. Techniques for the assessment of nutritional status utilising objective measures of body composition are not commonly available in Zambia. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the impact of a food supplement on nutritional status using a comprehensive anthropometric protocol including measures of skinfold thickness and circumferences, plus the criterion deuterium dilution technique to assess total body water (TBW) and derive fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM). Methods/Design This community-based controlled and longitudinal study aims to recruit 200 HIV-infected females commencing ARV treatment at two clinics in Lusaka, Zambia. Data will be collected at four time points: baseline, 4-month, 8-month and 12-month follow-up visits. Outcome measures to be assessed include body height and weight, body mass index (BMI), body composition, CD4, viral load and micronutrient status. Discussion This protocol describes a study that will provide a longitudinal assessment of the impact of a food supplement on the nutritional status of HIV-infected females initiating ARVs using a range of anthropometric and body composition assessment techniques.

Infertility in Australia circa 1980 : an historical population perspective on the uptake of fertility treatment by Australian women born in 1946-51

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of lifetime infertility in Australian women born in 1946-51 and examine their uptake of treatment. Methods: Participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health born in 1946-51 (n=13,715) completed up to four mailed surveys from 1996 to 2004. The odds of infertility were estimated using logistic regression with adjustment for socio-demographic and reproductive factors. Results: Among participants, 92.1% had been pregnant. For women who had been pregnant (n=12738): 56.5% had at least one birth but no pregnancy loss (miscarriage and/or termination); 39.9% experienced both birth and loss; and 3.6% had a loss only. The lifetime prevalence of infertility was 11.0%. Among women who reported infertility (n=1511), 41.7% used treatment. Women had higher odds of infertility when they had reproductive histories of losses only (OR range 9.0-43.5) or had never been pregnant (OR=15.7, 95%CI 11.8-20.8); and higher odds for treatment: losses only (OR range 2.5-9.8); or never pregnant (1.96, 1.28-3.00). Women who delayed their first birth until aged 30+ years had higher odds of treatment (OR range 3.2-4.3). Conclusions: About one in ten women experienced infertility and almost half used some form of treatment, especially those attempting pregnancy after 1980. Older first time mothers had an increased uptake of treatment as assisted reproductive technologies (ART) developed. Implications: This study provided evidence of the early uptake of treatment prior to 1979 when the national register of invasive ART was developed and later uptake prior to 1998 when data on non-invasive ART were first collected.

Influence of drying conditions on the moisture diffusion during single stage and two stage fluidized bed drying of bovine intestine for pet food

Bovine intestine samples were heat pump fluidized bed dried at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures below and above the material freezing points equipped with a continuous monitoring system. The investigation of the drying characteristics has been conducted in the temperature range -10~25oC and the airflow in the range 1.5~2.5 m/s. Some experiments were conducted as a single temperature drying experiments and others as two stage drying experiments employing two temperatures. An Arrhenius-type equation was used to interpret the influence of the drying air parameters on the effective diffusivity, calculated with the method of slopes in terms of energy activation, and this was found to be sensitivity of the temperature. The effective diffusion coefficient of moisture transfer was determined by Fickian method using uni-dimensional moisture movement in both moisture, removal by evaporation and combined sublimation and evaporation. Correlations expressing the effective moisture diffusivity and drying temperature are reported.

Influence of drying conditions on the moisture diffusion and fluidization quality during multi-stage fluidized bed drying of bovine intestine for pet food

In order to establish the influence of the drying air characteristics on the drying performance and fluidization quality of bovine intestine for pet food, several drying tests have been carried out in a laboratory scale heat pump assisted fluid bed dryer. Bovine intestine samples were heat pump fluidized bed dried at atmospheric pressure and at temperatures below and above the materials freezing points, equipped with a continuous monitoring system. The investigation of the drying characteristics have been conducted in the temperature range −10 to 25 ◦C and the airflow in the range 1.5–2.5 m/s. Some experiments were conducted as single temperature drying experiments and others as two stage drying experiments employing two temperatures. An Arrhenius-type equation was used to interpret the influence of the drying air temperature on the effective diffusivity, calculated with the method of slopes in terms of energy activation, and this was found to be sensitive to the temperature. The effective diffusion coefficient of moisture transfer was determined by the Fickian method using uni-dimensional moisture movement in both moisture, removal by evaporation and combined sublimation and evaporation. Correlations expressing the effective moisture diffusivity and drying temperature are reported. Bovine particles were characterized according to the Geldart classification and the minimum fluidization velocity was calculated using the Ergun Equation and generalized equation for all drying conditions at the beginning and end of the trials. Walli’s model was used to categorize stability of the fluidization at the beginning and end of the dryingv for each trial. The determined Walli’s values were positive at the beginning and end of all trials indicating stable fluidization at the beginning and end for each drying condition.

The effects of flexible fixation on early stage bone fracture healing

The mechanical microenvironment at a fracture site could potentially influence the outcomes of bone fracture healing. It is known that, should the fixation construct be too stiff, or the gap between the fracture ends be too large, bones are less likely to heal. Flexible fixation or so-called “biological fixation” has been shown to encourage the formation of fracture callus, and therefore result in better healing outcomes. However, till date the nature of the relationship between the degree of mechanical stability provided by a flexible fixation and optimal healing fracture healing outcomes has not been fully understood. This paper presents a computational model that can predict healing out-comes from early stage healing data under various fixation configurations. The results of the simulations demonstrate that the change of mechanical microenvironment of fracture site resulting from the different fixation configurations is of importance for the healing outcomes.

Improving treatment for obese women with early stage cancer of the uterus : rationale and design of the levonorgestrel intrauterine device ±Metformin ±weight loss in endometrial cancer (feMME) trial

Purpose Endometrial adenocarcinoma (EC) is the most common gynaecologic cancer. Up to 90% of EC patients are obese which poses a health threat to patients post-treatment. Standard treatment for EC includes hysterectomy, although this has significant side effects for obese women at high risk of surgical complications and for women of childbearing age. This trial investigates the effectiveness of non-surgical or conservative treatment options for obese women with early stage EC. The primary aim is to determine the efficacy of: levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LNG-IUD); with or without metformin (an antidiabetic drug); and with or without a weight loss intervention to achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) in EC at six months from study treatment initiation. The secondary aim is to enhance understanding of the molecular processes and to predict a treatment response by investigating EC biomarkers. Methods An open label, three-armed, randomised, phase-II, multi-centre trial of LNG-IUD ± metformin ± weight loss intervention. 165 participants from 28 centres are randomly assigned in a 3:3:5 ratio to the treatment arms. Clinical, quality of life and health behavioural data will be collected at baseline, six weeks, three and six months. EC biomarkers will be assessed at baseline, three and six months. Conclusions There is limited prospective evidence for conservative treatment for EC. Trial results could benefit patients and reduce health system costs through a reduction in hospitalisations and through lower incidence of adverse events currently observed with standard treatment.

'Women on a Wiki’ : the role of interactive websites in reflective learning practices for undergraduate women’s health students

Aim Our pedagogical research addressed the following research questions: 1) Can shared ‘cyber spaces’, such as a ‘wiki’, be occupied by undergraduate women’s health students to improve their critical thinking skills? 2) What are the learning processes via which this occurs? 3) What are the implications of this assessment trial for achieving learning objectives and outcomes in future public health undergraduate courses? Methods The students contributed written, critical reflections (approximately 250 words) to the Wiki each week following the lecture. Students reflected on a range of topics including the portrayal of women in the media, femininity, gender inequality, child bearing and rearing, domestic violence, mental health, Indigenous women, older women, and LGBTIQ communities. Their entries were anonymous, but visible to their peers. Each wiki entry contained a ‘discussion tab’ wherein online conversations were initiated. We used a social constructivist approach to grounded theory to analyse the 480 entries posted over the semester. (http://pub336womenshealth.wikispaces.com/) Results The social constructivist approach initiated by Vygotsky (1978) and further developed by Jonasson (1994) was used to analyse the students’ contributions in relation to four key thematic outcomes including: 1) Complexities in representations across contexts; 2) Critical evaluation in real world scenarios; 3) Reflective practice based on experience, and; 4) Collaborative co-construction of knowledge. Both text and image/visual contributions are provided as examples within each of these learning processes. A theoretical model depicting the interactive learning processes that occurred via discussion of the textual and visual stimulus is presented.

The effects of psychosocial factors on the emotional well-being of women during pregnancy: A cross-cultural study of Britain and Greece

The effects of life events, social support and the emotional well-being of partner on the emotional well-being of the mother during pregnancy was examined within the cultural contexts of Britain and Greece. It was proposed that social support, impact of life events and relationship of the mother with her partner would be affected by the different social structures of each culture and would influence emotional well-being. A sample of 200 Greek and 156 British mothers and their partners completed questionnaires which included a life event inventory, measure of social support and measure of emotional well-being (Crown-Crisp Experiential Index). Greek mothers were found to score significantly higher on measures of depression, anxiety and somaticism, experience more stressful life events (most relating to family issues) and report feeling less supported than British mothers. Life events, particularly those relating to family stresses were found to predict poor emotional well-being among Greek mothers. For British mothers, social support was the strongest predictor of emotional well-being. Findings were discussed in the light of differences in social structure and it was suggested that future research might focus on the disruption of established social support structures rather than the differences in availability of social support per se when considering maternal emotional well-being.