"It's about freedom": contesting dominant representations of devout Muslim women in the space of the nation

Since September 11 there has been a rise of Islamophobia in Australian public discourse, matched by a growth of racialised attacks on visibly identifiable Muslims in public space. These cultural racisms have arisen in a context where Islamic religious signifiers and practices have come to be read as signs of fundamentalism, terrorism and threat to national political traditions and cultural values. In particular, the hijab has become a symbol of these tensions, with the veiled woman being read as the embodiment of a ‘repressive and fundamentalist religion’. However, as some Muslim and feminist scholars have proposed, these readings rob Muslim women of their ability to articulate the reasons why wear the veil or engage in gendered religious practices. This paper argues that this enacts a form of disembodiment, whereby Muslim womens’ ability to comfortably inhabit their bodies and assert themselves in the public sphere is limited. In particular the paper draws upon two case studies which express this disembodiment, whilst highlighting the counter-strategies that devout Muslim women are adopting to reinsert their bodies and narratives in the national frame. The first refers to the recent media backlash which followed a public lecture held at Melbourne University by Islamic organization Hikmah Way, where the audience was segregated along gender lines. The second draws upon interviews conducted with veiled Muslim women in Sydney, following the Cronulla riot. These interviews show how Muslim women are contesting dominant representations of the hijab in western popular discourse by recoding it as a signifier of religious and national identity, and as an expression of democratic freedom.

Improving peak shapes with counter gradients in two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography

To achieve the greatest peak capacity in two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography (2D-HPLC) a gradient should be operated in both separation dimensions. However, it is known that when an injection solvent that is stronger than the initial mobile phase composition is deleterious to peak performance, thus causing problems when cutting a portion from one gradient into another. This was overcome when coupling hydrophilic interaction with reversed phase chromatography by introducing a counter gradient that changed the solvent strength of the second dimension injection. It was found that an injection solvent composition of 20% acetonitrile in water gave acceptable results in one-dimensional simulations with an initial composition of 5% acetonitrile. When this was transferred to a 2D-HPLC separation of standards it was found that a marked improvement in peak shape was gained for the moderately retained analytes (phenol and dimethyl phthalate), some improvement for the weakly retained caffeine and very little change for the strongly retained n-propylbenzene and anthracene which already displayed good chromatographic profiles. This effect was transferred when applied to a 2D-HPLC separation of a coffee extract where the indecipherable retention profile was transformed to a successful application multidimensional chromatography with peaks occupying 71% of the separation space according to the geometric approach to factor analysis.

Analyses and comparison of counter-movement jump performance and self-rated recovery in state under-18s Australian Rules Football players during a national championship

Recovery of team sport athletes during multiple competitive games is an important area for strength and conditioning coaches to monitor as it facilitates for athletes to be ready to perform (11,13). Utilising athletic performance data in conjunction with self-rated reporting measures can help determine if in fact a player or team has recovered sufficiently or shown a trend towards recovery prior to a competitive match (11). Positive improvement in recovery variables can provide confidence in the effectiveness of recovery methods used and assist in determining the training schedule in order to positively manipulate the fitness-fatigue relationship (3).

Various methods of analysing the recovery of athletes have been reported in the literature and are available to the strength and conditioning coach. These include subjective, self-rated scales and perceived level of recovery questionnaires (11,12,13). Athletic performance measures during exercises such as the counter movement jump (CMJ) have also been analysed, predominantly utilising force plates to obtain kinetic data. (5,13,14). However, such equipment can be difficult to transport, requires continual calibration and is costly to purchase. A linear transducer can provide important information on CMJ variables in the assessment of athletic movements and due to its size and portability could serve as a valuable tool to assist strength and conditioning coaches, (8,10), and potentially enable the monitoring of recovery.

Previous studies have investigated the fatigue effects of competitive games in various sports (11,13,14) including Australian Rules Football (AFL) at the senior elite league level (5, 6). To the authors’ knowledge, however, there is yet to be a study investigating the recovery response in AFL players, specifically in players 18 years and under competing in the National Under 18s Championships. Australian Rules football is an extremely physically demanding and fatiguing sport where players participate in games time exceeding 120 minutes duration, covering large distances (~12-18km, position dependent) with many high intensity efforts performed at random times throughout the game (2,6,16). Hence, it would seem pertinent to analyse the fatigue effects of competitive matches in an Australian Rules Under-18’s National Championship and the subsequent recovery from these games.

The aim of this study was to analyse and compare two self-rated subjective measures of recovery; they being muscle soreness (MS) of the lower body, overall perceived total recovery (TR), and the performance measure of peak velocity (PV) obtained from a CMJ analysed with a linear transducer. Data collection occurred between rounds four and five of the Australian Football League Under-18’s National Championship, representing a four-day recovery analysis period between matches.

Computer hacking and cyber terrorism: The real threats in the new millennium?

As the new millennium approaches, we are living in a society that is increasingly dependent upon information technology. However, whilst technology can deliver a number of benefits, it also introduces new vulnerabilities that can be exploited by persons with the necessary technical skills. Hackers represent a well-known threat in this respect and are responsible for a significant degree of disruption and damage to information systems. However, they are not the only criminal element that has to be taken into consideration. Evidence suggests that technology is increasingly seen as potential tool for terrorist organizations. This is leading to the emergence of a new threat in the form of 'cyber terrorists', who attack technological infrastructures such as the Internet in order to help further their cause. The paper discusses the problems posed by these groups and considers the nature of the responses necessary to preserve the future security of our society.

Counter-credit-risk yield spreads: a puzzle in China's corporate bond market

In this paper, using China's risk-free and corporate zero yields together with aggregate credit risk measures and various control variables from 2006 to 2013, we document a puzzle of counter-credit-risk corporate yield spreads. We interpret this puzzle as a symptom of the immaturity of China's credit bond market, which reveals a distorted pricing mechanism latent in the fundamental of this market. We also find interesting results about relationships between corporate yield spreads and interest rates and risk premia and the stock index, and these results are somewhat attributed to this puzzle.

Prescription and over-the-counter pain medication in arthritis: awareness of active ingredients and attitudes to medication borrowing and sharing

Background:
Many Australians with arthritis self-manage their pain with prescription and/or over-the-counter pain medications, containing paracetamol. If taken appropriately, these medications are relatively safe; however, if mismanaged through patients' iinability to understand medication labels and instructions, these medications may cause adverse drug events and/or toxicities.
Aim:
This study explored the prescription and over-the-counter pain medications most commonly used by people with arthritis and the ability of these patients to correctly identify paracetamol as an active ingredient in commonly available preparations. The study also investigated the functional health literacy of these patients and their inclination to borrow and/or share pain medications.
Method:
Adult participants diagnosed with arthritis were invited to complete an anonymous survey which included questions about their prescription and over-the-counter pain medications; their medication borrowing and sharing behaviours; their functional health literacy; and their knowledge about preparations containing paracetamol as an active ingredient.
Results:
Most of the 254 participants used analgesic agents containing paracetamol, as combination tablets (paracetamol 500 mg and codeine 30 mg) or paracetamol-only tablets (paracetamol 665 mg) to self-manage their pain. Respondents with low functional health literacy scores were significantly less likely to identify paracetamol as an active ingredient in both combination and paracetamol-only pharmaceutical products, and were more likely to guess or did not know how to identify that paracetamol was an active ingredient in these products. Almost 30% of the respondents indicated that they had and/or intended to borrow/share their over-the-counter
pain medications whereas less than 10% suggested that they had and/or intended to borrow/share their prescription pain medication.
Conclusion:
Australians with arthritis, especially those with low functional health literacy scores, self-managing their pain with paracetamol-containing products, do not always recognise paracetamol as an active ingredient in combination products, and may risk potential paracetamol-related adverse effects and/or toxicities.

When Catholics turn right: the effects of the Islamic terrorism threat on the fragmented Catholic Italian voters

Italy, as well as most European countries, has been hit by a wave of anxiety arising from groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, whose effects on political attitudes are still under-examined. This article investigates the effect of the perceived threat of Islamic terrorism as a potential driver for a ‘right turn’ in the Catholic Italian electorate with open-ended interviews and an Internet-based experiment in which voters were randomly assigned to a terrorism threat manipulation and to a control condition (N = 138). The results show that the Islamic terroristic threat significantly increased the support for centre-right leaders who promoted in-group identity and out-group hostility towards Muslims. Implications for the debate about the effects of perceived threat on political opinions and the relevance of the findings beyond the Italian case are discussed at the end of the article.

Counter-pressure-assisted ITP with electrokinetic injection under field-amplified conditions for bacterial analysis

Counter-pressure was used to extend the duration of field-amplified sample injection in isotachophoresis (FASI-ITP) in order to improve the detection of bacterial cells. Using 0.51-μm negatively charged encapsulated fluorescent beads as a model, the counter-pressure, injection and separation voltages, and times were optimized. Using 6-min 8,963-Pa counter-pressure FASI-ITP injections at −12 kV followed by mobilization of the ITP band with continued injection at −6 kV, the limit of detection (LOD) for Escherichia coli was improved to 78 cells/mL, a factor of 4 when compared with FASI-ITP without counter-pressure.

Doing the counter-regulation shuffle: the importance of flexibility and hunger for predicting food consumption following a preload

Objectives
This study utilised the preload paradigm to evaluate whether trait-like dieting attitudes and behaviours (dietary restraint and flexibility in dieting rules) and context-specific factors (negative mood and hunger) predict food consumption among male and female participants.
Methods
Following a high calorie preload, 79 participants aged 18–40 completed a deceptive taste test in which they were encouraged to eat as much of the taste test foods as desired, and this ad libitum intake was measured.
Results
Although each predictor (except negative mood) predicted consumption when tested individually, regression analyses revealed that dieting flexibility and current hunger were the strongest unique predictors of intake. Mood failed to directly predict food consumption, nor did it moderate the relationship between restraint and food intake.ConclusionCollectively, findings suggest that emphasis on dietary restraint in preload studies may be misplaced, as other proximal and stable factors may better predict food consumption.

Safeguarding Australia from cyber-terrorism: a SCADA risk framework

Terrorist groups are currently using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to orchestrate their conventional attacks. More recently, terrorists have been developing a new form of capability within the cyber-arena to coordinate cyber-based attacks. This chapter identifies that cyber-terrorism capabilities are an integral, imperative, yet under-researched component in establishing, and enhancing cyber-terrorism risk assessment models for SCADA systems. This chapter examines a cyber-terrorism SCADA risk framework that has been adopted and validated by SCADA industry practitioners. The chapter proposes a high level managerial framework, which is designed to measure and protect SCADA systems from the threat of cyber-terrorism within Australia. The findings and results of an industry focus group are presented in support of the developed framework for SCADA industry acceptance.