NAD-glycohydrolase production and speA and speC distribution in group A streptococcus (GAS) isolates do not correlate with severe GAS diseases in the Australian population

Streptococcus pyogenes isolates from a tropical region and a subtropical region of Australia with high and low incidences of severe streptococcal diseases, respectively, were analyzed for speA, speB, and speC gene distributions and NAD-glycohydrolase expression. No direct correlation of these characteristics with a propensity to cause invasive diseases was observed.

A framework and tool support for the systematic testing of model-based specifications

Formal specifications can precisely and unambiguously define the required behavior of a software system or component. However, formal specifications are complex artifacts that need to be verified to ensure that they are consistent, complete, and validated against the requirements. Specification testing or animation tools exist to assist with this by allowing the specifier to interpret or execute the specification. However, currently little is known about how to do this effectively. This article presents a framework and tool support for the systematic testing of formal, model-based specifications. Several important generic properties that should be satisfied by model-based specifications are first identified. Following the idea of mutation analysis, we then use variants or mutants of the specification to check that these properties are satisfied. The framework also allows the specifier to test application-specific properties. All properties are tested for a range of states that are defined by the tester in the form of a testgraph, which is a directed graph that partially models the states and transitions of the specification being tested. Tool support is provided for the generation of the mutants, for automatically traversing the testgraph and executing the test cases, and for reporting any errors. The framework is demonstrated on a small specification and its application to three larger specifications is discussed. Experience indicates that the framework can be used effectively to test small to medium-sized specifications and that it can reveal a significant number of problems in these specifications.

The Effect of Wrist Rests and Forearm Support during Keyboard and Mouse Use

Supporting the forearm on the work surface during keyboard operation may increase comfort, decrease muscular load of the neck and shoulders, and decrease the time spent in ulnar deviation. Wrist rests are used widely in the workplace and are more commonly being incorporated in keyboard design. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of wrist rest use on wrist posture during forearm Support. A laboratory based, experimental study was conducted (subjects n = 15) to examine muscle activity and wrist Postures during keyboard and mouse tasks in each of' two conditions; wrist rest and no wrist rest. There were no significant differences for right wrist flexion/extension between use of a wrist rest and no wrist rest for keyboard or mouse use. Left wrist extension was significantly higher without a wrist rest than with a wrist rest during keyboard use (df = 14; t = 2.95; p = 0.01; d = 0.38). No differences with respect to use of a wrist rest were found for the left or right hand for ulnar deviation For keyboard or mouse use. There were no differences in muscle activity between the test conditions for keyboard use. Relevance to industry Wrist rests are used widely in the workplace and are more commonly being incorporated in keyboard design. Use of a wrist rest in conjunction with forearm support when using a conventional desk does not appear to have any impact on wrist posture or muscle activity during keyboard use. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The appropriateness and use of focus group methodology across international mental health communities

The ability to interpret collected data across international mental health communities often proves to be difficult. The following paper reports on the use and appropriateness of focus group methodology in helping to Clarify issues that could help substantiate data collection and comparison across different cultures and regions. Field tests of the focus group methodology were undertaken in different regions and this paper describes an overview of the final field test in Sofia, Bulgaria. The findings and experiences with utilizing this methodology were incorporated in subsequent data collections.

The functions of societies and the evolution of group living: Spider societies as a test case

Many models have been advanced to suggest how different expressions of sociality have evolved and are maintained. However these models ignore the function of groups for the particular species in question. Here we present a new perspective on sociality where the function of the group takes a central role. We argue that sociality may have primarily a reproductive, protective, or foraging function, depending on whether it enhances the reproductive, protective or foraging aspect of the animal's life (sociality may serve a mixture of these functions). Different functions can potentially cause the development of the same social behaviour. By identifying which function influences a particular social behaviour we can determine how that social behaviour will change with changing conditions, and which models are most pertinent. To test our approach we examined spider sociality, which has often been seen as the poor cousin to insect sociality. By using our approach we found that the group characteristics of eusocial insects is largely governed by the reproductive function of their groups, while the group characteristics of social spiders is largely governed by the foraging function of the group. This means that models relevant to insects may not be relevant to spiders. It also explains why eusocial insects have developed a strict caste system while spider societies are more egalitarian. We also used our approach to explain the differences between different types of spider groups. For example, differences in the characteristics of colonial and kleptoparasitic groups can be explained by differences in foraging methods, while differences between colonial and cooperative spiders can be explained by the role of the reproductive function in the formation of cooperative spider groups. Although the interactions within cooperative spider colonies are largely those of a foraging society, demographic traits and colony dynamics are strongly influenced by the reproductive function. We argue that functional explanations help to understand the social structure of spider groups and therefore the evolutionary potential for speciation in social spiders.

Performance and endocrine responses of group housed weaner pigs exposed to the air quality of a commercial environment

The growth performance and endocrine responses of male weaner pigs (3 to 8 weeks of age) was evaluated in two different environments (clean and dirty) and housing (single or groups of 10 pigs/pen) conditions. The dirty environment contained significantly elevated ammonia, carbon dioxide and dust levels compared with the clean environment. Pigs grew faster and consumed more feed in the clean environment and this was associated with reduced plasma cortisol concentrations compared with pigs in the dirty environment. Pigs housed in groups in the dirty environment had increased β-endorphin and decreased IGF-I concentrations compared to group housed pigs in the clean environment. Feed conversion efficiency did not differ due to environment or group housing. Plasma concentration of cortisol, p-endorphin, IGF-I and IGF-II did not differ between single and group housed pigs. Activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was greater in response to environmental conditions than group housing, and this was associated with reduced growth in weaner pigs. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring environmental education program impacts and learning in the field: Using an action research cycle to develop a tool for use with young students

Despite the increasing importance of, and interest in, documenting the impact of environmental education programs on students' learning for sustainability, few tools are currently available to measure young students' environmental learning across all the dimensions of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours. This paper reports on the development of such a tool, using an iterative action research process with 134 students, aged six to eleven, attending programs at an Environmental Education Centre in Queensland. The resulting instrument, the Environmental Learning Outcomes Survey (ELOS) incorporates observations of students' engagement in learning processes as well as measuring learning outcomes, and allows both of these aspects to be linked to particular components of the environmental education program. Test data using the instrument are reported to illustrate its potential usefulness. It is envisaged that the refined instrument will enable researchers to measure student environmental learning in the field, investigate environmental education program impacts and identify aspects of programs that are most effective in facilitating student learning. [Author abstract]