Individual differences in children's suggestibility : a comparison between intellectually disabled and mainstream samples

This study examined whether age, gender, intelligence, communication ability and shyness predict intellectually disabled children’s susceptibility to an interviewer’s misleading suggestions. Further, the study examined whether the relative influence of these factors differs between intellectually disabled and mainstream samples. Participants included 75 children with mild and borderline intellectual disabilities (aged 77–158 months) and 83 mainstream children (aged 68–152 months). All children were individually administered the Yield and Shift subscales of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (Form 2) as well as standardised measures of IQ, shyness and communication ability. For the intellectually disabled children, multiple regression analyses revealed that age, IQ and communication inversely predicted Yield suggestibility, however, none of the factors predicted Shift suggestibility. For the mainstream children, age made a significant independent contribution to both Yield and Shift suggestibility, while IQ was a significant predictor of Shift suggestibility. When comparing the relative impact of these factors across the samples, age had a significantly greater impact on mainstream (compared with intellectually disabled) children’s Shift suggestibility, while IQ had a significantly greater influence on intellectually disabled (compared with mainstream) children’s Yield scores. These findings highlight the limited generalisability of previous findings involving mainstream children’s suggestibility to intellectually disabled samples.

A theoretical framework of analysis of accounting propensity in different religions

“Can accounting practices be analyzed in a religious system of beliefs framework?”- this paper discusses and develops a theoretical framework for answering the question based on Hofstede and Gray’s model and an analysis of accounting practices in an Islamic agenda. The paper has three purposes. First, it analyses Hofstede and Gray’s model of accounting practices derived from a cultural framework including authority, measurement, enforcement and disclosure. Then, it is argued that Hofstede’s cultural values drive to depict the Islamic societal values by referencing Holy books verses of Muslim; Koran. Third, the study utilizes the Islamic societal values by applying Gray’s model to develop a theory for determining Islamic accounting practices. The model developed here provides a reasonably sound explanation of how religion as one cultural factor affects accounting practices in different societies. In examining Islam as one of the influential religions in the world, the paper reasons that Islamic accounting configuration attends to statutory control in accounting authority, moderate in disclosure of financial information, uniformity in using accounting methods and principles, and optimism in regard to accounting measurements.

Alternating heat transfer between objects of large geometrical difference

The heat transfer on the surface of an object in a gas fluidised bed is sequentially and alternately induced by particle-packet and gas bubble. This phenomenon is studied with computational simulation. The particle-packet and bubble are modelled by a double particle-layers and porous medium model and a hemispherical model, respectively. The heat transfer to and within the object is simulated concurrently. Different grid schemes are applied and different grid sizes are used in meshing the particle-packet and the object as there is a very large difference in their geometrical sizes. Based on theoretical analysis, an approximate method is developed to calculate the heat flux at the surface of the object. The simulation is implemented in a CFD package and the results are compared with experiments.

Ecotourism in Costa Rica: an economic framework of analysis

Costa Rica is a small Central American nation that has gained an international reputation as a leader in environmental conservation. This has formed the base for its highly successful and lucrative small-scale ecotourism industry. However, there are threats from high rates of deforestation and expanding large scale tourism that is trading on strong environmental credentials. This paper sets out an ecologically sustainable economic framework to firstly examine the Costa Rican experience, and then analyse lessons for general policy development of any ecotourism industry. The analysis is conducted from a political economy perspective on the trade-offs between small-scale and large-scale tourism.

Effects of differential methods of compensation and employee empowerment on customer satisfaction and loyalty in service recovery

This research examined the effects of varying compensation (refund and replacement) and employee empowerment (empowered and non-empowered) in service recover situations, using a 2x2 experiment. Analysis was undertaken using mean contrasts and ANOVA's. Findings suggest that empowerment and refund independently impact on post recovery consumer loyalty and satisfaction, but there is no interaction effect.

Scapegoating, self-confidence and risk comparison : the functionality of risk neutralisation and lay epidemiology by injecting drug users

This paper investigates the competing rationalities of scientific and lay epidemiology and how the tension between the two impacts on the efficacy of health promotion messages for injecting drug users (IDUs). It proposes that behaviours, which may be difficult to understand when viewed at an individual level, are, in fact, rational within particular cultural contexts. The study used qualitative semi-structured interviews with 60 heroin users. A number of different types of risk neutralisation were observed in this group of interviewees, including: scapegoating, self-confidence and risk comparison. Interviewees commonly used lay epidemiology to justify and rationalise their risk neutralisation strategies. The paper provides concrete examples of the ways in which this group of IDUs neutralise risk through the use of these strategies. The findings illustrate how many of the psychological constructs surrounding the perception of risk which focus on individual behaviour are fundamentally simplistic and often unhelpful in understanding the behaviours of this group of people. It is concluded that some ‘risk’ behaviours are often functional and rational within the context of prohibitionist drug policies which create an environment in which the IDU often has little real agency to reduce the risks associated with their drug use.

The relationship between characteristics of context and research utilization in a pediatric setting

Background
Research utilization investigators have called for more focused examination of the influence of context on research utilization behaviors. Yet, up until recently, lack of instrumentation to identify and quantify aspects of organizational context that are integral to research use has significantly hampered these efforts. The Alberta Context Tool (ACT) was developed to assess the relationships between organizational factors and research utilization by a variety of healthcare professional groups. The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a pilot study using the ACT to elicit pediatric and neonatal healthcare professionals' perceptions of the organizational context in which they work and their use of research to inform practice. Specifically, we report on the relationship between dimensions of context, founded on the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework, and self-reported research use behavior.

Methods
A cross-sectional survey approach was employed using a version of the ACT, modified specifically for pediatric settings. The survey was administered to nurses working in three pediatric units in Alberta, Canada. Scores for three dimensions of context (culture, leadership and evaluation) were used to categorize respondent data into one of four context groups (high, moderately high, moderately low and low). We then examined the relationships between nurses` self-reported research use and their perceived context.

Results
A 69% response rate was achieved. Statistically significant differences in nurses' perceptions of culture, leadership and evaluation, and self-reported conceptual research use were found across the three units. Differences in instrumental research use across the three groups of nurses by unit were not significant. Higher self-reported instrumental and conceptual research use by all nurses in the sample was associated with more positive perceptions of their context.

Conclusions
Overall, the results of this study lend support to the view that more positive contexts are associated with higher reports of research use in practice. These findings have implications for organizational endeavors to promote evidence-informed practice and maximize the quality of care. Importantly, these findings can be used to guide the development of interventions to target modifiable characteristics of organizational context that are influential in shaping research use behavior.

Relationship between indices of adiposity obtained by peripheral quantitative computed tomography and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in pre-pubertal children

Background/Aim: The study investigated the relationship between indices of adiposity measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in pre-pubertal children.

Subjects and methods: DXA-derived per cent body fat (%BF) was measured in 284 boys and 288 girls, aged 7–10 years. Cross-sections of the forearm (n=427) and lower leg (n=560) were obtained by pQCT to measure total cross-sectional area of the limb (Total CSA), Muscle CSA, Fat CSA, %Fat CSA (Fat CSA/Total CSA×100) and muscle density.

Results: Peripheral QCT-derived %Fat CSA in the forearm and lower leg correlated strongly with DXA-derived %BF (r=0.83–0.89, p<0.01) in both boys and girls. However, forearm and lower leg %Fat CSA were higher than whole body %BF by 5% and 10%, respectively. A better prediction of whole-body %BF was achieved by including %Fat CSA, muscle density and height into a hierarchical regression model. Using sex-specific regression equations, 87.7% of the boys and 83.7% of the girls had a predicted %BF within 3% units of the %BF obtained by DXA.

Conclusion: In pre-pubertal children, pQCT measures of adiposity are strongly associated with whole-body per cent body fat. This reproducible method could be an alternative technique to estimate body composition in this population.

Methods of coating textiles with soluble conducting polymers

Soluble conducting alkyl polypyrrole polymers have been applied by either chemical polymerization of the 3-alkyl monomers or direct application of polymer emulsion to the surface. Solution, vapor and spray polymerization methods of coating poly(3-alkylpyrroles) to the surface of woven wool fabrics are explored. Conductive textile samples have also been prepared by applying emulsions of soluble prepolymerized 3-alkylpyrrole to the fabric surface. Direct applications of a conductive paint to the textile surface eliminate the exposure of the substrate to damaging oxidizing agents which allow the coating of more sensitive and delicate substrates. All textiles produced are tested for abrasion resistance and conductivity. For alkyl polypyrrole coated fabrics, the optimum carbon chain lengths are between n=10 and n=14, which result in optimum values of conductivity and solubility. The darkness of the tone is inversely related to the surface resistivity of the resulting conductive fabric. Therefore, deep black coatings have low resistivity whereas light gray coatings on a white fabric surface have higher surface resistivity. Longer alkyl chains result in higher surface resistivity in fabrics. The conductive coating of poly(3-decanylpyrrole) on the textile surface has a better abrasion resistance compared to that of an unsubstituted polypyrrole coating.

Forces between bilayers of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide in micellar solutions

A direct force-measuring technique has been used to study the interaction forces between adsorbed CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) bilayers at concentrations well above the CMC (critical micelle concentration). An analysis of these results based on the Poisson-Boltzmann equations leads to the conclusion that CTAB micelles and adsorbed bilayers are about 22(±4)% dissociated. The apparent agreement of bilayer and micellar ion binding parameters raises an important challenge for theories of double-layer interactions. In addition, the double-layer decay lengths observed in these micellar solutions appear to be due entirely to the dissociated bromide and free CTA+ ions, with no apparent contribution from charged micelles.

First year pre-service teachers' mathematical content knowledge : methods of solution to a ratio question

In this article, pre-service teachers' mathematics content knowledge is explored through the analysis of two items about ratio from a Mathematical Competency, Skills and Knowledge Test. Pre-service teachers' thinking strategies, common errors and misconceptions in their responses are presented and discussed. Of particular interest was the range and nature of common incorrect responses for one whole-whole ratio question. Results suggested pre-service teachers had difficulty interpreting a worded multi-step, ratio (scale) question, with errors relating to ratio and/or conversion of measurement knowledge. These difficulties reveal underdeveloped knowledge of mathematical structure and mathematical connections as well as an inability to deconstruct key components of a mathematical problem. Most pre-service teachers also lacked knowledge of standard procedures and methods of solutions.

Metabolic rate and membrane fatty acid composition in birds : a comparison between long-living parrots and short-living fowl

Both basal metabolic rate (BMR) and maximum lifespan potential (MLSP) vary with body size in mammals and birds and it has been suggested that these are mediated through size-related variation in membrane fatty acid composition. Whereas the physical properties of membrane fatty acids affect the activity of membrane proteins and, indirectly, an animal's BMR, it is the susceptibility of those fatty acids to peroxidation which influence MLSP. Although there is a correlation between body size and MLSP, there is considerable MLSP variation independent of body size. For example, among bird families, Galliformes (fowl) are relatively short-living and Psittaciformes (parrots) are unusually long-living, with some parrot species reaching maximum lifespans of more than 100 years. We determined BMR and tissue phospholipid fatty acid composition in seven tissues from three species of parrots with an average MLSP of 27 years and from two species of quails with an average MLSP of 5. 5 years. We also characterised mitochondrial phospholipids in two of these tissues. Neither BMR nor membrane susceptibility to peroxidation corresponded with differences in MLSP among the birds we measured. We did find that (1) all birds had lower n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content in mitochondrial membranes compared to those of the corresponding tissue, and that (2) irrespective of reliance on flight for locomotion, both pectoral and leg muscle had an almost identical membrane fatty acid composition in all birds.

Strain differences in coping behaviour, novelty seeking behaviour, and susceptibility to socially conditioned fear : a comparison between Wistar and Sprague Dawley rats

The aim of the current study was to generate socially conditioned fear in two different strains of rat (Wistar, W and Sprague Dawley, SD) using social conflict, in order to investigate whether the magnitude of the conditioned fear responses in each strain was related to behaviour exhibited prior to or during fear induction (i.e. social conflict). On day one of the study, all intruders were assessed for exploratory activity in a novel environment. Twenty four hours following the novel environment test the locomotor activity of the intruders was assessed, while they underwent a single familiarisation exposure to the arena in which the conflict was subsequently to occur in. Twenty-four hours following familiarisation, intruders underwent either a 10 min social conflict or sham conflict session. One day later we examined the response of the intruders when they were returned to the vacant resident's cage. Upon return to the conflict context, we examined the intruder's ultrasonic distress vocalisations and the extent to which locomotor activity was inhibited. We found that W rats displayed significantly more immobility (i.e. conditioned fear) upon return to context than did SD rats (p < 0.05). Importantly, we observed that the differences in the two strains behaviour upon return to context appeared to be related to their quite different patterns of coping behaviour. The results of the current study indicate that preclinical between-strain comparisons potentially have much to offer in regard to understanding the basis of resilience to social stress.

Does parkland influence walking? The relationship between area of parkland and walking trips in Melbourne, Australia

Background : Using two different measures of park area, at three buffer distances, we sought to investigate the ways in which park area and proximity to parks, are related to the frequency of walking (for all purposes) in Australian adults. Little previous research has been conducted in this area, and results of existing research have been mixed.

Methods : Residents of 50 urban areas in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia completed a physical activity survey (n = 2305). Respondents reported how often they walked for >=10 minutes in the previous month. Walking frequency was dichotomised to 'less than weekly' (less than 1/week) and 'at least weekly' (1/week or more). Using Geographic Information Systems, Euclidean buffers were created around each respondent's home at three distances: 400metres (m), 800 m and 1200 m. Total area of parkland in each person's buffer was calculated for the three buffers. Additionally, total area of 'larger parks', (park space >= park with Australian Rules Football oval (17,862 m2)), was calculated for each set of buffers. Area of park was categorised into tertiles for area of all parks, and area of larger parks (the lowest tertile was used as the reference category). Multilevel logistic regression, with individuals nested within areas, was used to estimate the effect of area of parkland on walking frequency.

Results : No statistically significant associations were found between walking frequency and park area (total and large parks) within 400 m of respondent's homes. For total park area within 800 m, the odds of walking at least weekly were lower for those in the mid (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.46-0.91) and highest (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44-0.95) tertile of park area compared to those living in areas with the least amount of park area. Similar results were observed for total park area in the 1200 m buffers. When only larger parks were investigated, again more frequent walking was less likely when respondents had access to a greater amount of park area.

Conclusions : In this study we found that more park area in residential environments reduced the odds of walking more frequently. Other area characteristics such as street connectivity and destinations may underlay these associations by negatively correlating with park area.