Raising the profile of depression in the workplace

The prevalence of depression in the Australian workforce is unknown. Epidemiological surveys (e.g., the National Health Survey and National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing) do not routinely include a depression scale and within the mental health field, few studies focus on depression and employment groups specifically. Although the inclusion of a direct measure of depression in  national surveys is preferable, the prevalence of depression may be inferred from short screening scales of general mental health. In this paper, scores on the  General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) for a sample of employed persons were mapped onto the CES-D (Iowa) measure of depression. The results of this study indicate that the  recommended GHQ-12 cut-off point is appropriate for estimating work-related depression prevalence. However, the cut-off point on the K10 (the short-scale  currently used in Australian national surveys) may need to be substantially  reduced if scores on the K10 are to be used to identify workers at risk of  depression. The routine inclusion of a direct depression measure in national  surveys is recommended, particularly considering the number of employed persons in Australia and large proportion of the sample classified as depressed in this study.

Raising the profile of public health ethics in Australia : time for debate

This paper argues for greater dialogue on public health ethics. There has been little discussion in Australia about the significant ethical dilemmas in this field, and there is no agreed framework for analysing and responding to these challenges. We highlight concerns about the suitability of biomedical principles-based ethics for public health, and encourage public health professionals in this country to reflect on ethical challenges in public health research. A focus on research ethics concerns will deliver concrete examples demonstrating the need for a public health ethics frame work. Recommendations are offered for how public health ethics promotion may occur locally.

Planar waveguide refractive index profile reconstruction using global optimization

The approach taken here of reconstruction of the refractive index profile of planar waveguides involves solving a non-linear integral equation with Tikhonov regularization. Using global optimization with the new cutting angle and discrete gradient methods has yielded an acceptable reconstruction, even in the presence of significant noise in the data.

Height and cost of buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong

Initial findings indicated that the curved relationships of height-cost of residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibit different profiles. The differences suggest that, Hong Kong contractors have more expertise in multi-story and high-rise construction than contractors in Shanghai. The dissimilarities also imply that different sets of criteria should be applied in the judgement of height affects on cost in different locations.

Australia's informal venture capitalists : an exploratory profile

In Australia, as elsewhere, finding and acquiring equity capital is one of the major problems facing start-up or growing entrepreneurial ventures. The informal venture capital market, comprising high net worth non-institutional private equity investors (or 'business angels') provides risk capital directly to new and growing businesses and has been shown to be considerably more significant than institutional providers as a source of finance for entrepreneurial businesses. Building upon research undertaken internationally, this study generated and evaluated data resulting from an investigation of 36 carefully screened Australian business angels. It focused upon three primary research questions: (i) Who are Australia's informal venture capitalists (business angels)? (ii) How do they behave? (iii) What are their investment criteria? The study initiates Australian angel research into the developing international continuum of informal venture capital research and can serve as the generator of empirically testable hypotheses for future research and theory development.

The seraphim profile of Australia's business angels : a survey of the identifying characteristics, behaviour patterns and investment criteria of informal venture capitalists in Australia

In Australia, as it is all over the world, finding and acquiring equity capital is one of the major problems facing entrepreneurs who are starting or growing entrepreneurial ventures. The informal venture capital market, made up of high net worth non-institutional private equity investors (or 'business Angels') provides risk capital directly to new and growing businesses and has been shown to be considerably more significant than institutional providers as a source of finance for entrepreneurial businesses. Building upon and comporting with Angel research undertaken overseas, this study generated and evaluated data resulting from an investigation of Australian business Angels which focused upon three primary research questions: (i) Who are Australia's Informal Venture Capitalists (Business Angels)? (ii) How do they behave? (iii) What are their investment criteria? Analysis of answers resulting from the in-depth survey of 36 carefully screened respondents produced a detailed portrait, summarised and depicted in twelve key graphs. Together, the graphs form a descriptive construct - the 'Seraphim Profile' - which articulates Australian business Angels' identifying characteristics, patterns of investment behaviour and investment criteria.

The convergent validity of two sensory processing scales used with school - age children : comparing the sensory profile and the sensory processing measure

Abstract: Aim: To investigate the convergent validity between the Sensory Profile, the Sensory Profile School Companion, and the Home and Main Classroom Forms of the Sensory Processing Measure.

Method: Thirty mothers completed the Sensory Profile and the Sensory Processing Measure - Home Form on one child each. Nineteen teachers of the same children completed the Sensory Profile School Companion and the Sensory Processing Measure - Main Classroom Form.

Results: The Sensory Profile and the Sensory Processing Measure - Home Form were significantly correlated (rho=0.86, p less-than .01). The Sensory Profile School Companion and Sensory Processing Measure - Main Classroom Form were also significantly correlated (rho=.74, p less-than .01).

Conclusion: The two sets of sensory processing scales had moderate levels of convergent validity.

Analyzing international travelers' profile with self-organizing maps

It is generally agreed that knowledge is the most valuable asset to an organization. Knowledge enables a business to effectively compete with its competitors. In the tourism context, an in-depth knowledge of the profile of international travelers to a destination has become a crucial factor for decision makers to formulate their business strategies and better serve their customers. In this research, a self-organizing map (SOM) network was used for segmenting international travelers to Hong Kong, a major travel destination in Asia. An association rules discovery algorithm is then utilized to automatically characterize the profile of each segment. The resulting maps serve as a visual analysis tool for tourism managers to better understand the characteristics, motivations, and behaviors of international travelers.

Height and construction costs of residential high-rise buildings in Shanghai

A widely recognized theme of construction economics suggests that the cost of construction per square meter increases as building height rises. However, over a number of years, research conducted regarding the height and cost issue has established a classic relationship between the two factors which can be represented by a U-shaped curve. This paper describes the study of the height-cost relationship of high-rise residential buildings in Shanghai in terms of the total construction cost and elemental costs while considering the context and commonality of buildings. This research was developed as an extension of the previous work, which examined data for buildings in Hong Kong. Initial findings indicate that the curves illustrating the relationships between height and cost of residential buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong exhibit different profiles. The dissimilarities indicate that different sets of criteria should be applied in the judgment of height that affects cost in different locations. In terms of elemental costs, the findings suggest that there are differences in the way these costs react to changes in the building height.

Investigating the female profile of autism

An investigation into the hypothesis that females with high functioning autism present in a way that is not congruent with our current understanding of autism, as our current understanding is largely based on a male profile of autism. Autistic females were found to present differently socially, emotionally and behaviourally from autistic males.