Regulators of mitochondrial complex I activity: a review of literature and evaluation in postmortem prefrontal cortex from patients with bipolar disorder

Phenomenologically, bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by biphasic increases and decreases in energy. As this is a state-related phenomenon, identifying regulators responsible for this phasic dysregulation has the potential to uncover key elements in the pathophysiology of BD. Given the evidence suggesting mitochondrial complex I dysfunction in BD, we aimed to identify the main regulators of complex I in BD by reviewing the literature and using the published microarray data to examine their gene expression profiles. We also validated protein expression levels of the main complex I regulators by immunohistochemistry. Upon reviewing the literature, we found PARK-7, STAT-3, SIRT-3 and IMP-2 play an important role in regulating complex I activity. Published microarray studies however revealed no significant direction of regulation of STAT-3, SIRT-3, and IMP-2, but a trend towards downregulation of PARK-7 was observed in BD. Immunocontent of DJ-1 (PARK-7-encoded protein) were not elevated in post mortem prefrontal cortex from patients with BD. We also found a trend towards upregulation of DJ-1 expression with age. Our results suggest that DJ-1 is not significantly altered in BD subjects, however further studies are needed to examine DJ-1 expression levels in a cohort of older patients with BD.

Autism behind bars : a review of the research literature and discussion of key issues

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience difficulties coping at all levels of involvement in the criminal justice system. Questions remain, however, regarding the presence and type of difficulties faced by individuals with ASD in the context of incarceration within prison settings. Despite the potential impact for community safety and concerns regarding justice, these issues have received very little academic attention. The research that does exist is generally limited by poor methodology and small sample sizes. The current paper provides a brief review and discussion of the limited extant literature regarding the experiences of prisoners with ASD with the view to summarising areas of difficulties potentially faced by such individuals. It is hoped that this brief review may highlight the need for academic attention in order to inform practice and policy regarding the criminal justice response to this potentially vulnerable population.

American and Australian doctoral literature reviewing practices and pedagogies

The literature review is fundamental to the doctoral enterprise of academic disciplines, yet research into how the doctoral literature review is learned, taught or experienced is limited. Responding to an apparent under-examination of the literature review as a critical feature of doctoral learning, this thesis investigates the doctoral literature review process as experienced by American and Australian doctoral candidates, doctoral supervisors and academic librarians. The research followed a qualitative approach shaped by two questions: "How is the doctoral literature review process learned?" and, "What is learned by doing a doctoral literature review?" Data were generated from in-depth interviews conducted with 42 participants in education, nursing and the physical and biological sciences. Critical literacy, critical pedagogy and critical information literacy provided frameworks for interpreting participants‘ experiences and perspectives on literature reviewing practices, disciplinary influences and mutually associated doctoral literacies.

The doctoral literature review is traditionally considered to be two segregated events—literature seeking and writing in an academic genre. The study findings challenge this perspective, proposing instead that doctoral literature reviewing is a complex, comprehensive process characterised by interdependent activities in a cycle of gathering, reflecting upon and synthesising literatures. Moreover, these findings indicate that, by engaging with disciplinary literatures and the literature review process, doctoral researchers become familiar with an array of critical doctoral literacies—disciplinary literacy, information literacy and reading and writing literacies. Thus, the doctoral literature review can be conceptualised as a pedagogy through which candidates acquire the lived practices and craft skills of disciplinary-specific research; learn to manage large bodies of information, literature and knowledge; and learn to read and write as scholars in their disciplines.

This project reconceptualises traditional perspectives on doctoral literature reviewing and recommends further exploration into its pedagogical potential. By approaching the doctoral literature review as a pedagogical process, the inquiry attempts to unpack literacies embedded within the doctoral enterprise, thereby exposing them as explicit aspects of doctoral learning. Becoming aware of the interrelatedness of critical doctoral literacies can mobilise supervisors, librarians and candidates to exploit the literature review process more fully. Ultimately, this research contributes to an international focus on a central feature of the doctorate and, as such, more broadly informs and supports doctoral pedagogy, particularly for those involved in American and Australian doctoral education.

Loss and grief in the workplace. What can we learn from the literature?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine how Australian workplaces, their managers and employees respond to those who are grieving at work, as a result of chronic or terminal illness, or caring for those with chronic or terminal illness. The review draws on Australian and relevant international literature and seeks to answer this question.
Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was undertaken in preparation for an Australian study examining workplace supports for people who are grieving – because they are carers, have experienced a death, or are balancing their own illness with their work. Using a range of search terms, the literature was searched for relevant work between 1980 and 2010. The search found examples of workplace supports throughout the world and some developing Australian literature.
Findings – Despite illness and death occurring at any stage of a person's life, there is little research that identifies workplace issues associated with grief and loss. And while workplace legislation allows for minimal supports, there was evidence that some workplaces have begun to offer flexibility for work life balance.
Practical implications – Effective workplace supports will involve individual and workplace responses, but also require legislative approaches in order to effect broad-based system change.
Originality/value – The paper compares Australian and international literature about workplace supports and provides an overview of the issues arising.

A literature review on vulvodynia and distress

 Distress about a sexual problem is a necessary part of diagnosing female sexual dysfunction. It is an important way to distinguish between a sexual problem and normal sexual variation and has implications for treatment seeking, motivation for therapy and prognosis. The concept of distress, however, has not been clearly defined and is complex and poorly understood. Furthermore, there has been limited research into distress related to genital pain disorders. This paper explores the concept of distress within the field of vulvodynia research, specifically the distress that results from genital pain. Due to the limited research into distress relating specifically to genital pain this review will contextualise the available literature within the larger context of distress related to other female sexual dysfunctions. The discussion includes the current and future Diagnostic and Statistical Manual definitions for genital pain, as well as general definitions of distress. It also explores distress in the genital pain and general female sexual dysfunction literature and discusses its diagnostic, research and clinical implications.

Sexting prevalence and correlates: a systematic literature review

Despite considerable controversy and speculation regarding sexting behaviour and its associated risks, to date there has been no integration and analysis of empirical literature on this topic. To collect and synthesise findings of the prevalence of sexting, its correlates, and the context in which it occurs, a systematic search of databases was conducted. Thirty-one studies, reporting on sexting prevalence and a diverse range of related variables, met inclusion criteria. The estimated mean prevalence weighted by sample size was calculated, with trends indicating sexting is more prevalent amongst adults than adolescents, older age is predictive of sexting for adolescents but not adults, and more individuals report receiving sexts than sending them. The correlates of sexting behaviour were grouped in terms of demographic variables, sexual and sexual risk behaviours, attitudes towards sexting, perceived outcomes of sexting, motivations for sexting, mental health and well-being variables, and attachment dimensions. Findings are discussed in terms of the trends indicated by the data, which provided substantiation that sexting behaviour is associated with numerous behavioural, psychological, and social factors. Limitations of the current research literature and future directions are also presented.

Beckett and Bion: The (Im)patient voice in psychotherapy and literature

This book focuses on Samuel Beckett’s psychoanalytic psychotherapy with W. R. Bion as a central aspect both of Beckett’s and Bion’s radical transformations of literature and psychoanalysis. The recent publication of Beckett’s correspondence during the period of his psychotherapy with Bion provides a starting place for an imaginative reconstruction of this psychotherapy, culminating with Bion’s famous invitation to his patient to dinner and a lecture by C.G. Jung. Following from the course of this psychotherapy, Miller and Souter trace the development of Beckett’s radical use of clinical psychoanalytic method in his writing, suggesting the development within his characters of a literary-analytic working through of transference to an idealized auditor known by various names, apparently based on Bion. Miller and Souter link this pursuit to Beckett’s breakthrough from prose to drama, as the psychology of projective identification is transformed to physical enactment. They also locate Bion’s memory and re-working of his clinical contact with Beckett, who figures as the 'patient zero' of Bion’s pioneering postmodern psychoanalytic clinical theories.

The National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards requirements for orientation and induction within Australian healthcare: a review of the literature

Introduction: A workplace orientation program is a core requirement of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards in Australia. This is particularly important within healthcare as patient safety and the patient experience are at risk if the healthcare workforce is not supported with an effective orientation and induction program. Aim: This study aimed to review the literature and map the requirements of the NSQHS Standards in relation to orientation and induction. Method: This study utilised online databases to search for literature pertaining to orientation and induction within healthcare. Inclusion criteria included relevance to research questions, and originating in a country with a comparative health system to Australia. Results: The search identified a total of 202 articles of potential relevance with 42 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Articles were ranked according to hierarchy of evidence criteria for both qualitative and quantitative studies. The importance of using orientation to detail safety and quality roles, the organisations' risk management system, governance structure, operational processes and procedures was highlighted. Patient-centred care, antimicrobial stewardship, clinical handover and mechanisms for escalation of care and emergency assistance should also be covered within the orientation process. Conclusion: There is a dearth of studies in relation to orientation and induction in the healthcare literature. Orientation content is now clearly prescribed, what is lacking within healthcare is a standardised framework. Concept mapping, educational theory and adult learning methods have been shown to enhance workforce problem solving and engagement with orientation, however further research is needed to enhance practice

Acknowledgement of client diversity and oppression in social work student supervision

An enduring theme of social work literature and education has been the need for workers to recognise and challenge oppressive structures and develop competence in working with diverse client groups. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative research project where student and field educator supervision sessions were recorded, with the view to examining how oppression and diversity were addressed in these sessions. The authors have used the term 'difference' to describe the breach between the student and client experiences. Examples of anti-discriminatory practice were identified in the recordings, however on occasions supervisors had difficulty in assisting students to acknowledge diversity and oppression in supervision. Four factors that related to addressing diversity emerged from the supervision material. These were: the struggle to unmask subtle themes of oppression; the use of questioning to raise student awareness and development of self-knowledge; using student biography to facilitate learning on 'difference'; and field educator use of self-disclosure during discussions on diversity. Successful approaches to anti-oppressive practice and responding to diversity are outlined.

Teaching social work online: dilemmas and debates

The stampede towards delivering tertiary education online has been well documented in the academic literature and newspaper media. A great deal of this writing has been characterised by an acute division between those who support and those who deplore this paradigm shift in the way education is offered to students. Not withstanding a few notable exceptions, social work as a discipline has yet to fully engage in this debate, watching, as emerging technologies radically change the way education and social services are delivered. This article provides an overview of the literature related to online learning in social work. In particular the global context influencing the delivery of education is investigated; the major themes emerging from the literature are highlighted; the opportunities and obstacles for teaching and learning social work online are examined, and finally questions relating to the cultural implications for delivering social work education online are identified using a constructivist framework.

E-commerce and graduate education: is educational quality taking a nose dive?

Purpose: Online education has been growing rapidly, but has not had the benefit of the extensive teaching pedagogy development of traditional face-to-face teaching. This paper aims to provide a review of the current literature and present the results of a survey, conducted to determine the effectiveness of a graduate online subject. Design/methodology/approach: The literature was reviewed to identify measures of success and quality in online education delivery. These measures were then considered in relation to their application in practice via a case study based around a survey conducted at Deakin University in Australia. Findings: A total of 16 relevant measures of teaching quality were identified in the literature. Most measures had elements of bias and some were more generally applicable to online learning. The case study suggested that the value of computer mediated learning in an online environment was limited and that a combination of print and computer mediated conferencing performed better in more of the identified quality matrices. Practice implications: Online learning does not save teaching resources if standards of quality are maintained. It can be used to provide a remote teaching facility, provided it is backed up by resources such as printed study guides. For the subject evaluated, online mediated learning did not the provide the same quality of education. Originality/value: Whilst some research has been conducted in this area, no substantive grounded theory has been applied to postgraduate or fee-paying online education regimes. As a result, case studies of such applications can be very helpful in the design of future teaching systems.

Examining integrated advertising and sponsorship in corporate marketing through televised sport

To determine how integrated TV advertising and event sponsorship should be best managed and evaluated, a theoretical framework derived from global exploratory research of academic literature and consulting reports was validated by 16 experts. To benchmark the current practices against the best practice integration methods, 12 campaigns, which had sponsored a televised event and placed advertisements during the broadcast of the event, were analyzed via case studies. The investigated competitions included the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament in London and the Olympic Games in Sydney. The examined brands comprised automotive, financial services, retail chain, office equipment, and consumer goods. A total of 24 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted-two for each case-one interview with an internal marketing executive from the promoted corporation, and a second with an external respondent from the advertising agency, event management organization, market research firm, or television channel. The study identified the key techniques that led to increased corporate sales-four steps and four objectives with necessary performance measures.

Market research effectiveness : the effects of organisational structure, resource allocation and strategic type

According to the marketing literature and marketing textbooks, market research is required for successful marketing. However organisations differ in the way they both manage and resource their market research. This study hypothesised that market research effectiveness would be a function of internal research buying expertise, resource allocation and strategy. The research was conducted among a sample of 240 Australian marketing managers. Market research effectiveness was measured in terms of a) decision making support, b) contribution to marketing strategy, c) leveraging customer and competitor data, d) its ability to represent the "voice of the customer" and finally, e) bolstering the role of the marketing group and marketing manager within the organisation. The findings showed that having dedicated internal market researchers and allocating internal and external resources to the research function enhanced market research effectiveness. It was also found that organisations with an entrepreneurial strategic orientation were more likely to see value in the market research function, with these organisations being less likely to use market research for internal political purposes.

Understanding environmental influences on nutrition and physical activity behaviors: where should we look and what should we count?

Research interest in the influence of environmental factors on nutrition and physical activity behaviors has surged internationally in recent years. This is evident from a rapidly expanding literature and facilitated by advances in methodological and analytical approaches to assessing multiple levels of influence on health behaviors. However, a number of conceptual challenges complicate research endeavours in this field. The purpose of this paper is to provide a 'state of the science' overview of evidence regarding environmental influences on nutrition and physical activity behaviors. We focus particularly on a number of key conceptual and methodological issues, including: a consideration of how the environment is defined; the selection and operationalization of environmental exposures; and the importance of integrating existing understanding of individual influences on behavior with the emerging data on the role of the environment. We draw on examples from the published literature including our own research studies to illustrate these issues. We conclude by proposing a research agenda to progress understanding of the influences of the environment on population nutrition and physical activity behaviors.