Role of dietary factors in the development of basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer of the skin

The role of dietary factors in the development of skin cancer has been investigated for many years; however, the results of epidemiologic studies have not been systematically reviewed. This article reviews human studies of basal cell cancer (BCC) and squamous cell cancer (SCC) and includes all studies identified in the published scientific literature investigating dietary exposure to fats, retinol, carotenoids, vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium. A total of 26 studies were critically reviewed according to study design and quality of the epidemiologic evidence. Overall, the evidence suggests a positive relationship between fat intake and BCC and SCC, an inconsistent association for retinol, and little relation between ß-carotene and BCC or SCC development. There is insufficient evidence on which to make a judgment about an association of other carotenoids with skin cancer. The evidence for associations between vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium and both BCC and SCC is weak. Many of the existing studies contain limitations, however, and further well-designed and implemented studies are required to clarify the role of diet in skin cancer. Additionally, the role of other dietary factors, such as flavonoids and other polyphenols, which have been implicated in skin cancer development in animal models, needs to be investigated.

Optimization of MLP parameters on mineral potential mapping tasks

Mineral potential mapping is the process of combining a set of input maps, each representing a distinct geo-scientific variable, to produce a single map which ranks areas according to their potential to host deposits of a particular type. The maps are combined using a mapping function which must be either provided by an expert (knowledge-driven approach), or induced from sample data (data-driven approach). Current data-driven approaches using multilayer perceptrons (MLPs) to represent the mapping function have several inherent problems: they rely heavily on subjective judgment in selecting training data and are highly sensitive to this selection; they do not utilize the contextual information provided by unlabeled data; and, there is no objective interpretation of the values output by the MLP. This paper presents a novel approach which overcomes these three problems.

Assessing financial competence in older adults with cognitive impairment

One common problem brought before Courts and Tribunals in Australia is whether or not someone is able to manage his or her own financial affairs. The problem is that currently in Australia there are no universally agreed upon standards for assessing financial competence. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of a new measure of financial competence, The Financial Competence Assessment Inventory (FCAI), in assessing financial competency of older adults with a cognitive impairment. The sample comprised 18 older adults with acquired brain injury, 10 adults with schizophrenia, 21 adults with dementia and 27 older adults without cognitive impairment. Ages ranged from 55 to 91. Each participant was individually interviewed using the FCAI. The findings revealed that the FCAI is a reliable and valid assessment tool for assessing financial competence of older adults with different types and levels of cognitive impairment. In particular, the FCAI was able to distinguish between older adults with global brain impairment and older adults with specific brain impairment; and older adults who had a legal administrator and older adults who did not. In addition, using the FCAI it was possible to obtain a profile of participants’ strengths and weaknesses across six domains of financial competence including; everyday financial abilities, financial judgment, estate management, cognitive based financial tasks, debt management, and support resources. The FCAI has the potential to assist clinicians and legal decision-makers regarding ‘least restrictive alternatives’ when financial competence is in question.

Motivations for developing direct trade relationships

Purpose – This study aims to understand buyer and supplier motives for developing direct relationships with their trade partners.

Design/methodology/approach – A total of 18 in-depth interviews were conducted across Victoria and Tasmania (Australia); eight with retail buyers and ten with fresh produce suppliers. Both parties were involved in a direct relationship with their trade partner.

Findings – The research reveals a large variety of motivations that influence buyers and suppliers when deciding whether to operate in a direct or non-direct relationship with their trade partner. Motivations for both parties are remarkably similar, with buyers and suppliers ultimately attempting to minimise the inherent risk associated with operating in a volatile environment.

Research limitations/implications – The study may be limited by the fact that buyers and suppliers of different commodities were included in the study. In addition, the varied nature of the respondents' role may have impacted their judgment. The inability to interview dyads in all cases also limits the research.

Practical implications – This research has implications for both researchers and practitioners already involved in, or considering becoming involved in, a direct trade relationship. Clarification of motivations for bypassing intermediaries shows how both trade partners can minimise external risk and strengthen competitive advantage by assuming a direct relationship.

Originality/value – Extant research within this literary field is largely quantitatively based with researchers focusing on distinct relationship constructs, the definition of relationship marketing and the process of relationship development. In response to these limitations, this research adopted a qualitative approach in examining the core motivations for developing a direct trade relationship within the fresh produce industry.

Analysis and control in children with SLI

Purpose: E. Bialystok and E. B. Ryan (1985) have outlined two operations, analysis and control, which are required for grammaticality judgments. In this model, analysis is involved in determining the grammaticality of a sentence, and control is required so that irrelevant information is ignored. This study examined these processes in specific language impairment (SLI).

Method: Sixteen children with SLI and 20 typically developing (TD) children between 8;6 (years;months) and 10;6 were presented with a grammatical judgment task. Analysis was measured by recording children's decision times in determining grammaticality. Control was assessed by examining accuracy for judgments made for semantically odd sentences.

Results: Relative to the TD group, it was found that the children with SLI took longer in judging sentences associated with the process of analysis. Children with SLI were also found to have more difficulty, in terms of accuracy, with items requiring control (e.g., semantically odd sentences) than did the TD group.

Conclusion: It is argued that the longer time required for children with SLI to respond to semantically normal sentences reflects a degree of difficulty with completing analysis. The SLI group's lower level of accuracy on semantically odd sentences reflects a problem with a control and is consistent with previously reported problems with cognitive inhibition in SLI

Substituted consent : from lunatics to corpses

This analysis traces the origins and evolution of the doctrine of surrogate or substituted judgment, especially its application to medical treatment, including non-therapeutic sterilisation, decisions regarding life and death choices, and more recently, removal of sperm or eggs from incompetent, dying or dead males and females. It argues that the doctrine, which has been acknowledged to be a legal fiction, has an effect of devolving legal and moral responsibility for life and death choices, as well as non-consensual, non-beneficial intrusive procedures, from the competent decision-makers to the incompetent patient. It focuses on the subjective nature of the substituted judgment standard; the problematic nature of evidence propounded to establish the putative choices of the incompetent person; lack of transparency relating to the conflict of interest in the process of substituted judgment decision-making; and the absence of voluntariness, which is an essential element of a valid consent.

Assessment in experiential learning : the case of a public policy internship

Assessment is a significant issue for learning in the workplace. In some professions there are key indicators of success shared by workplace and academic supervisors alike. Beyond specific professions, however, assessment becomes more diffuse in workplaces that do not have explicit criteria established to judge performance of students in experiential learning. Assessing learning in these workplaces may be associated with methods that rely more upon student self appraisal and workplace supervisor reports. This article reports on the approach used for assessment in a public policy internship program in one Australian university - Deakin University in Victoria. The article argues that assessment, rather than being an add-on or a test of pre-ordained information, is central to the process of learning itself. This means that before students embark upon a policy internship they need to build their critical thinking abilities; i.e. a process of purposeful, self- regulatory judgment. Secondly they need to discuss how to negotiate their tasks in different workplaces and how to produce the criteria to be used in their evaluation.

Pup production and population trends of the Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus)

We estimated the number of live Australian fur seal pups using capture-markresights, direct ground counts, or aerial photography at all breeding sites following the pupping season of November-December 2002. Pups were recorded at 17 locations; nine previously known colony sites, one newly recognized colony and seven haul-out sites where pups are occasionally born. In order of size, the colonies were Lady Julia Percy Island (5,899 pups), Seal Rocks (4,882), The Skerries (2,486), Judgment Rocks (2,427), Kanowna Island (2,301), Moriarty Rocks (1,007), Reid Rocks (384), West Moncoeur Island (257), and Tenth Island (124). The newly recognized site was Rag Island, in the Cliffy Group, where we recorded 30 pups. We also recorded pups at the following haul-out sites: Cape Bridge-water (7 pups), Bull Rock (7), Wright Rock (5), Twin Islet (1), The Friars (1), He des Phoques (1), and Montague Island (1). In total, we estimate there were 19,819 (SE = 163) live pups at the time of the counts. We discuss trends in pup numbers and derive current population estimates for the Australian fur seal.

The effects of accounting students` ethical reasoning and personal factors on their ethical sensitivity

Purpose – Rest posited that to behave morally, an individual must have performed at least four basic psychological processes: moral sensitivity; moral judgment; moral motivation; and moral character. Though much ethics research in accounting has been focused on component two, ethical judgment, less research has been undertaken on the other three components. The purpose of this study is to focus on component one, ethical sensitivity, of Rest's four-component model.
Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 156 accounting undergraduates was employed to investigate the ethical sensitivity of accounting students and the effects of their ethical reasoning and personal factors on their ethical sensitivity.
Findings – Results of this study show that accounting students vary in their ability to detect the presence of ethical issues in a professional scenario. There is no significant relationship between accounting students' ethical sensitivity and their ethical reasoning (P-score). Accounting students characterized as “internals” are more likely to show an ability to recognize ethical issues than those characterized as “externals.” The results also indicate that an accounting ethics intervention may have positive effect on accounting students' ethical sensitivity development. Hence, an individual who possesses the ability to determine what is ethically right or wrong (high ethical reasoning) may fail to behave ethically due to a deficiency in identifying ethical issues (low ethical sensitivity) in a situation.
Originality/value – Whilst much research has concentrated on ethical reasoning and ethics education to enhance the ethical conduct of accountants, it is important that the profession and researchers also direct their attention and efforts to cultivating the ethical sensitivity of accountants. The findings of this study provide additional evidence to support Rest's theory of a more comprehensive cognitive model of ethical decision-making and suggest a more balanced research effort in evaluating the ethical development of individuals.

Evidence-based clinical policy: case report of a reproducible process to encourage understanding and evaluation of evidence

We report within a case study a reproducible process to facilitate the explicit incorporation of evidence by a multidisciplinary group into clinical policy development. To support the decision-making of a multidisciplinary Intersectoral Advisory Group (IAG) convened by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Health Policy Unit, a systematic review of randomized controlled trials about environmental tobacco smoke and smoking cessation interventions in paediatric settings was first undertaken. As reported in detail here, IAG members were then formally engaged in a transparent and replicable process to understand and interpret the synthesized evidence and to proffer their independent reactions regarding policy, practice and research. Our intention was to ensure that all IAG members were democratically engaged and made aware of the available evidence. As clinical policy must engage stakeholder representatives from diverse backgrounds, a process to equalize understanding of the evidence and 'democratize' judgment about its implications is needed. Future research must then examine the benefits of such explicit steps when guidelines, in turn, are implemented. We hypothesize that changes to future practice will be more likely if processes undertaken to develop guidelines are transparent to clinicians and other target groups.

Using a monitored sip test to assess risk of aspiration in perioperative patients.

• PULMONARY ASPIRATION is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Older adult patients have been shown to be particularly at risk for aspiration.

• A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL was conducted to investigate the efficacy of a simple, noninvasive screening test—the monitored sip test—in identifying patients at risk for aspiration, including “silent aspirators.”

• BASED ON CLINICAL JUDGMENT using the study's outcome measures, incidence of aspiration-related lung injury was high (ie, 37.5%); however, no identification of patients at risk for aspiration occurred after either the use of the monitored sip test or routine cautious introduction of fluids during the data collection phase of the study.

The proposed goodwill impairment test - implications for preparers, auditors and corporate governance

Accounting for goodwill is again controversial as Australia adopts international accounting standards from 1 January 2005. The current method of accounting for goodwill will change dramatically as detailed in the AASB's E0109 and IASB's E03. Goodwill acquired in a business combination will no longer be amortised but rather goodwill will be tested for impairment annually (E03, para 54). This paper explores the potential impact of the proposed changes to goodwill accounting for preparers, auditors and those involved with corporate governance. We compare and discuss the current goodwill treatment and the proposed treatment of goodwill, demonstrating the advantages and complexities of the proposed treatment for preparers and auditors. Auditors will be required in many instances to use their professional judgment and rely on managements' abilities and integrity as well as sound corporate governance mechanisms (such as audit committees) in auditing the 'fair' valuation of goodwill and associated transactions. This paper raises the issues and challenges that preparers, independent auditors and those involved in corporate governance will face with the introduction of the new treatment for goodwill accounting.

"So that's when I thought to myself : 'my life is just horrible'" : everyday judgements of life satisfaction

Objectives : The study was designed to investigate life satisfaction (l.s.) judgments as they occur spontaneously in everyday life, rather than being constructed in response to a researcher's question.
Methods : A convenience sample of 50 adults from Melbourne, Australia, was employed.
Half had at least some university education; the other half did not. In an in-depth, structured interview, participants were asked to recall – if they could do so – an occasion when they had spontaneously made a judgment about their l.s. The circumstances in which the judgment had been made and the thoughts that had entered into it were elicited.
Results : Main findings included :
(a) All participants were able to recall an occasion when they had spontaneously made a l.s.
judgment.
(b) Judgments that life was good and that life was bad were equally common.
(c) Judgments invariably involved comparisons with various standards (e.g., what one had versus
what one wanted, what one had versus what one deserved, what one had versus what one
expected to have).
(d) However, upward and downward social comparisons were relatively rare.
(e) Judgments were commonly based on events relating to just one or two areas of life, rather
than a review of many different areas.
(f) The areas of life involved were invariably those impacting very directly on participants.
(g) While the thoughts entering into the judgment generally went beyond consideration just of a
specific situation, they usually did not encompass large sweeps of time.
(h) There was very little to distinguish judgments of more- and less-educated participants.
Conclusions : Findings are compared and contrasted with those typically obtained using the more standard approach of asking participants to rate their 1.s.

Australia's first moral rights decision : a critical approach to Meskenas v ACP Publishing

Judgment in Australia's first moral rights case concerned issues of attribution and false attribution of authorship - reasoning in judgment is open to question - ways in which moral rights provisions in the Copyright Act may have been misunderstood - importance of distinguishing between UK right against false attribution and its Australian counterpart.

The effects of time pressure and experience on nurses' risk assessment decisions : a signal detection analysis

Background: Time pressure and, occasionally, suboptimal assessment decisions are features of nursing in acute care.

Objectives: To explore the effect of generic and specialist clinical experience on the ability to detect the need to take action in acute care and the impact of time pressure on nurses' decision-making performance.

Methods: Experienced acute care registered nurses (n = 241) were presented with 50 vignettes of real clinical risk assessments. Each vignette contained seven information cues. In response to these vignettes, nurses had to decide whether to intervene or not. The 26 vignettes were time limited and mixed randomly into the 50 cases. Signal detection analysis was used to establish nurses' performance, personal decision thresholds ([beta]), and their abilities (d') to distinguish a signal of clinical risk from the clinical noise of noncontributory information.

Results: Nurses had significantly lower d' and were significantly less likely to indicate intervening under time pressure. For ability-but not threshold-there was a significant interaction of time pressure and years of experience in acute care. With no time pressure, d' increased in line with years of experience. Under time pressure, there was no effect.

Discussion: Time pressure reduced nurses' ability to detect the need and the tendency to report intervening. Thus, there were more failures to report appropriate intervention under time pressure, and the positive effects of clinical experience were negated under time pressure. More and larger scale research on the effect on clinical outcomes of time pressured nursing choices is required.