Behavioural determinants of the obesity epidemic

Obesity is a serious and growing public health problem affecting developed and developing countries. It is generally agreed that the causes of the current obesity epidemic are not genetic in origin, but are the result of changes in the environments in which we live. While acknowledging the importance of environmental factors, the central role of behaviour in the obesity epidemic cannot be ignored. It is our eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours that form the interface between our biology and the environments to which we are exposed. However, a lack of understanding of the specific behaviours that are important in the aetiology of obesity poses a major constraint to preventing obesity. A better understanding of the behaviours that contribute to weight gain and obesity is critical in order to plan and implement effective obesity prevention initiatives.Theory-driven investigations of eating, physical activity and sedentary behaviours, their determinants, and their role in weight gain and obesity among different population groups are urgent research priorities. Without an understanding of the key behaviours that contribute to weight gain, and the influences on these behaviours, it will remain difficult to identify where to intervene in the environment and be confident that action will prevent obesity.

After three strikes-the continued discriminatory impact of the sentencing system against indigenous Australians: suggested reform

Three strikes laws are discriminatory but not for previously advanced reasons. The three strikes laws are merely an acute example of a fundamentally flawed sentencing system that discriminates against economically and socially disadvantaged people, particularly the group that is the focus of this article – Indigenous Australians. The repeal of the Northern Territory's mandatory sentencing laws has not remedied the unfair manner in which sentencing law and practice operate against Aboriginals; either in the Northern Territory or generally. Criminal punishment systems around the world punish a disproportionate number of socially deprived people. In Australia, Indigenous Australians were grossly over-represented in Australian jails prior to the three strikes laws and will remain so unless steps are taken to address their disadvantage. The obvious solution to redress the over-representation by Indigenous Australians is to provide them with the same social opportunities and resources as the rest of the community. This is overly ambitious – at least in the short term. This article suggests a more attainable change in sentencing law to remedy some of the disadvantages experienced by Aboriginals. It suggests that far less weight should be accorded to prior convictions in the sentencing calculus.

Fundamental determinants of the Australian price-earnings multiple

This paper is the first attempt to investigate the factors fundamental to the setting of the price–earnings (P–E) multiple for the Australian stock market. The quarterly P–E ratio for the ASX 200 index is used as a measure of the market wide P–E multiple. It is demonstrated that a large portion of the variation in the P–E multiple can be explained by the dividend payout ratio, interest rates and GDP growth rates. In addition, consumers' confidence—a leading indicator of future growth opportunities, the Australian–US exchange rate—a key determinant of the competitiveness of domestic companies, and volatility of domestic market returns—a risk factor, have incremental explanatory power.

The role of the print media in informing the community about safety in public hospitals in Victoria, Australia: the case of `golden staph`

Objective. In this article the authors explore how the print media contribute to information and education of the community on issues of safety and quality in the health services, since this is an important avenue of such information and education for many members of the community. Study design. The authors undertook a qualitative study of a random sample of articles in the Australian print press between 1996 and 2004 where ‘golden staph’ was presented as a major issue of risk to the safety of consumers of health services. The content of each article was examined with reference to several criteria including title, the source of the article, and the metaphorical language employed by the journalist.
Results. Results show that while the articles are substantially accurate as sources of information on concrete events, they do not serve as sources of education on issues of safety, typically apportioning blame and serving to maintain the status quo.
Conclusion. The authors conclude that print media are not a good source of community education in areas of safety and quality and do not assist members of the community to participate in addressing issues of safety in health services.

Determinants of native avian richness in suburban remnant vegetation : implications for conservation planning

While urban areas are increasingly recognized as having potential value for biodiversity conservation, the relationship between biodiversity and the structure and configuration of the urban landscape is poorly understood. In this study we surveyed birds in 39 remnant patches of native vegetation of various sizes (range 1–107 ha) embedded in the suburban matrix in Melbourne, Australia. The total richness of species within remnants was strongly associated with the size of remnants. Remnant-reliant species displayed a much stronger response to remnant area than matrix-tolerant species indicating the importance of large remnants in maintaining representative bird assemblages. Large remnants are important for other ecological groups of species including migratory species, ground foraging birds and canopy foraging birds. Other landscape (e.g. amount of riparian vegetation) and structural components (e.g. shrub cover) of remnants have a lesser role in determining the richness of individual remnants. This research provides conservation managers and planners with a hierarchical process to reserve design and management in order to conserve the highest richness of native species within urban areas. First of all, conservation efforts should preferentially focus on the retention of larger remnants of native vegetation. Second, where possible, riparian vegetation should be included within reserves or, where it is already present, should be carefully managed to ensure its integrity. Third, efforts should be focused at maintaining appropriate habitat and vegetation structure and complexity.

An econometric analysis of the determinants of fertility for China, 1952-2000

This study investigates the determinants of the fertility rate in China over the 1952-2000 period. Consistent with theory, the key explanatory variables in our fertility model are real per capita income, infant mortality rate, female illiteracy and female labour force participation rates. The long-run results and the test for cointegration are based on the Johansen (1988) and Johansen & Juselius (1990) approach. Our long-run results conform to theory in that all variables appear with their expected signs, and the dummy variable used to capture the effects of the family planning policy indicates that in the years of the policy, fertility rates have been falling by around 10-12%. Our results suggest that socio-economic development - consistent with the traditional structural hypothesis - played a key role in China's fertility transition.

Exploring the extent and nature of the diversity of the doctoral population in Australia : A profile of the respondents to a 2005 national survey

Although there is general agreement that diversity is a feature of doctoral education in Australia, there are various forms and levels of diversity, many of which are not captured by analyses that rely on categories for analysing the doctoral education population that are those commonly used in education at the undergraduate level, such as sex, age, mode of study, type of enrolment, citizenship, and Broad Field of Study, etc. These categories primarily reflect concerns to do with funding and issues of participation and equity. Our analysis of data from a national survey of doctoral candidates carried out in 2005 as part of a Linkage Grant project “Reconceptualising the doctoral experience’, suggests that not all of these categories are relevant to critical concerns for doctoral education. Nor do analyses at a macro-level represent the particularity of the doctoral experience. They can mask the reality of a highly variable student population, and one that is not necessarily represented accurately or helpfully by ascribing group identities.

An empirical study on the relationship between intellectual ability and an understanding of the legal process in male remand prisoners

Research conducted in Australia and around the world in the last decade has shown that people with significant intellectual impairments are over-represented in all areas of the criminal justice system. They are particularly over-represented in remand populations appearing before court. Previous research has suggested that as many as one-quarter of offenders facing sentencing in court have difficulty in understanding court procedures and it is suspected that a majority of these individuals suffer a significant intellectual impairment. The purpose of this study was to establish whether remandees with significant intellectual impairments (IQ < 70) have an accurate understanding of the court system. Seventy-four remand prisoners took part in the study. Remandees with an IQ of less than 70 demonstrated a significantly poorer understanding of the court system than those remandees with an IQ of 70 and above. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the need for law reform and diversionary practices for this population of remandees.

The role of the surveying profession in reducing carbon emissions of existing office stock in the Melbourne CBD

As professionals, surveyors and property professionals are in the front line and have a moral and ethical duty to take a lead when advising clients appropriately on measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their buildings. As such, surveying professionals and the profession must increase their knowledge base and enhance their skills in respect of built environment sustainability. This research conducted a detailed analysis of energy efficiency in the Melbourne CBD office stock and examined all office buildings to identify what was likely to happen between 2005 and 2020 in respect of carbon emissions. The research profiled a business-as-usual or no change approach, a minor change approach, an intermediate approach, and a major change approach. The study examined variables such as building size, number of employees, occupancy levels, visual appearance and age. After modelling all CBD office buildings, it was recommended that an intermediate change scenario should be adopted. This course of action incorporates a transition period and includes increasing ‘green power’, increasing the number of employees per buildings, as well as reducing electricity and gas consumption. It was concluded that the surveying profession should adopt a proactive stance towards office buildings and climate change, which is currently being stifled by barriers such as a lack of education and perception concerning the long-term benefits of energy efficient office buildings. To date there has been much debate and promotion of policies to encourage the uptake of sustainability practices within the property sector; however, this research concludes that action is needed if targets are to be met.

Relationship-based determinants of building project performance in China

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship-based factors that affect performance of general building projects in China. Eight performance metrics that may be used to measure the success level of construction projects are defined and categorized into two groups namely 'hard' and 'soft' performance. Eight indicators of risks inherent in relationships and seven indicators of tools expected to facilitate relationship building that may affect project success are identified. Data of different projects were collected in China via a self-administered postal survey. By using structural equation modelling techniques, a structural model is developed to help explain the relationship among different variables. It has been found that relational risk has negative influence on project performance. It is recommended that firms in the Chinese construction industry manage the relationship-based factors that are significant in the model so as to achieve project success.

Determinants of efficient risk allocation in privately financed public infrastructure projects in Australia

Risk allocation in privately financed public infrastructure projects, which are mainly referred to as public-private partnership (PPP) projects, is a challenging job due to the nature of incomplete contracting. An investigation into the mechanism that guides the formation of efficient risk allocation strategies is thus desirable. Drawing on the transaction cost economics and resource-based view of organizational capability, this paper has identified five main features of the transactions associated with risk allocation in PPP projects. They include partners’ risk management routine, partners’ risk management mechanism, partners’ cooperation history, risk management environmental uncertainty, and partners’ risk management commitment. For achieving cost efficiency, different risk allocation strategies may suit different conditions of the features. Accordingly, a theoretical framework and five hypotheses were proposed for testing. Data collected in an industrywide survey were analyzed using multiple linear regression technique. It was found that generally, the identified features are determinants in the decision-making process of efficient risk allocation. Therefore, the proposed theoretical framework provides both government and private agencies with not only a logical and holistic understanding of but also a support tool for decision making on risk allocation strategy in PPP projects. Study limitations and future research directions are also set out.

Determinants of electronic commerce adoption in small businesses in New Zealand

The findings of this thesis suggest that the inexpensive nature of eCommerce, the extent of CEO innovativeness, the need to remain competitive, the relevance of the Internet to the type of business, the SME's size and the apparent compatibility of eCommerce in business were the only determinants of eCommerce adoption in SMEs in New Zealand.

Determinants of visual size constancy in different orientations in light and darkness

This project was concerned with the perception of size constancy of simple, elongated and planar objects in the light and dark. The main findings are: transverse, vertical and medial axes give rise to different degrees of size constancy; true size and shape of the objects proved to be a factor in size constancy; the size-distance invariance hypothesis (SDIH) cannot explain underconstancy in the light, and perfect constancy in the dark.

Analysis of the Stat5 genes in zebrafish

This dissertation identified and characterised a key genetic regulator called Stat5 using zebrafish. Up-regulation of Stat5 led to an increase in blood cells, indicative of pre-leukaemia, whilst down-regulation decreased these cells and caused other defects. This work shows that Stat5 is critical in blood cell maturation and early embryonic development.