Patterns of alcohol use and associated physical and lifestyle characteristics according to new Australian guidelines

Objective: To describe the pattern of alcohol consumption and associated physical and lifestyle characteristics in a population-based sample of Australian men.
Method: A community-based age-stratifi ed random sample of 1420 men (median age 56 years, range 20 – 93) participating in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study, an epidemiological study set in south-eastern Australia. Daily alcohol intake was ascertained from a detailed food frequency questionnaire and categorized according to the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 2009 guidelines (non-drinkers, greater than zero but ≤ 2 drinks per day, > 2 drinks per day), with a standard drink equivalent to 10 g of ethanol. Anthropometry was measured and lifestyle factors self-reported. Body composition was determined using dual energy absorptiometry. Socio-economic status was categorized according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Results were age standardized to the Australian male population figures.
Results: The median daily ethanol consumption was 12 g (IQR 2 – 29) per day with a range of 0 – 117 g/day. The age-standardized proportion of non-drinkers was 8.7%, 51.5% consumed up to two drinks per day ( ≤ 20 g ethanol/day), and 39.9% exceeded 2 standard drinks per day ( > 20 g ethanol/day). Alcohol consumption was positively associated with cigarette smoking, weight, higher SES and inversely with age and physical activity.
Conclusions: Approximately, 40% of Australian men consume alcohol at levels in excess of current recommendations, which in combination with other risk factors may adversely impact upon health.

Women in ICT : guidelines for evaluating intervention programmes

Many intervention programmes to increase the number of women in theInformation and Communications Technology (ICT) profession have been implemented over the last twenty years. Detailed evaluations help us to determine the effectiveness of these programmes yet few comprehensive evaluations appear in the literature.The research reported here describes an investigation of the evaluation of the intervention programmes focusing on increasing the enrolment and retention of females in ICT in Australia. This paper describes an empirical study which explores how evaluation has been and might be conducted and concludes with guidelines for evaluation for those developing programmes for increasing the participation of women in ICT.The guidelines encourage evaluation to be considered early, highlight the importance of establishing objective outcomes and promote the publication of results to build knowledge for those planning programmes in the future. Further, the developed guidelines could adapted and used with other ICT intervention programs.

Research progress and materials selection guidelines on mixed conducting perovskite-type ceramic membranes for oxygen production

Oxygen production by air separation is of great importance in both environmental and industrial processes as most large scale clean energy technologies require oxygen as feed gas. Currently the conventional cryogenic air separation unit is a major economic impediment to the deployment of these clean energy technologies with carbon capture (i.e. oxy-fuel combustion ). Dense ceramic perovskite membranes are envisaged to replace the cryogenics and reduce O2 production costs by 35% or more; which can significantly cut the energy penalty by 50% when integrated in oxy-fuel power plant for CO2 capture. This paper reviews the current progress in the development of dense ceramic membranes for oxygen production. The principles, advantages or disadvantages, and the crucial problems of all kinds of membranes are discussed. Materials development, optimisation guidelines and suggestions for future research direction are also included. Some areas already previously reviewed are treated with less attention.

Patient perspective workshop : moving towards OMERACT guidelines for choosing or developing instruments to measure patient-reported outcomes

The workshop Choosing or Developing Instruments held at the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) 10 meeting was designed to help participants think about the underlying methods of instrument development. Conference pre-reading material and 3 brief introductory presentations elaborated the issues, and participants broke into discussion groups before reconvening to share insights, engage in a more general discussion of the issues, and vote on recommendations. Trade offs between using current imperfect measures and the long and complex process of developing new instruments were considered, together with the need for rigor in patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument development. The main considerations for PRO instrument development were listed and a research agenda for action produced. As part of the agenda for action, it is recommended that researchers and patient partners work together to tackle these issues, and that OMERACT bring forward proposals for acceptable instrument development protocols that would meet an enhanced “Truth” statement in the OMERACT Filter.

Ethical considerations and guidelines in web analytics and digital marketing : a retail case study

Within the information economy customers utilise the media that interests them, view the news that affects them and read about the people that inspire them. Web analytics enables an organisation to collect customers' data as they interact with an organisation. Then with analysis of the captured data, organisations can offer a unique online experience, tailored to the customer's individual preferences and create direct marketing campaigns that target individual consumers. This paper discusses the ethical considerations of collecting customer data and highlights how ethical guidelines can better inform organisational behaviour.

Developing lspr design guidelines

Applications of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) such as surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) devices, biosensors, and nano-optics are growing. Investigating and understanding of the parameters that affect the LSPR spectrum is important for the design and fabrication of LSPR devices. This paper studies different parameters, including geometrical structures and light attributes, which affect the LSPR spectrum properties such as plasmon wavelength and enhancement factor. The paper also proposes a number of rules that should be considered in the design and fabrication of LSPR devices

A consensus statement for safety monitoring guidelines of treatments for major depressive disorder

Objective: This paper aims to present an overview of screening and safety considerations for the treatment of clinical depressive disorders and make recommendations for safety monitoring.
Method: Data were sourced by a literature search using MEDLINE and a manual search of scientific journals to identify relevant articles. Draft guidelines were prepared and serially revised in an iterative manner until all co-authors gave final approval of content.
Results: Screening and monitoring can detect medical causes of depression. Specific adverse effects associated with antidepressant treatments may be reduced or identified earlier by baseline screening and agent-specific monitoring after commencing treatment.
Conclusion: The adoption of safety monitoring guidelines when treating clinical depression is likely to improve overall physical health status and treatment outcome. It is important to implement these guidelines in the routine management of clinical depression.

Development of guidelines for caregivers of people with bipolar disorder : a Delphi expert consensus study

Objectives: Close family and friends are often a primary source of support for a person with bipolar disorder. However, there is a lack of
information for caregivers about ways to provide helpful support and take care of themselves. Rates of caregiver burden are high and increase the risk of caregiver depression and health problems. This study aimed to develop guidelines to assist caregivers of adults with bipolar disorder to be informed about bipolar disorder and to support the person without neglecting their own wellbeing.
Methods: The Delphi method was used to assess consensus between international expert panels of 45 caregivers, 47 consumers, and 51 clinicians about what information to include in the caregiver guidelines. Initial online survey items were based on the existing literature. Subsequent surveys included new or reworded items suggested by panel members and items that needed re-rating. Items endorsed by at least 80% of all three panels formed the content of the guidelines.
Results: Nearly 86% of the 626 survey items were endorsed. The items covered information on the illness, treatment, and suggestions on ways caregivers can provide support and take care of themselves in the different phases of illness and wellness, and information on dealing with specific real-life challenges. Although consensus rates were high, meaningful areas of difference between panels were found (e.g., collaboration issues).
Conclusions: The guidelines provide comprehensive introductory information, suggestions, and resources for caregivers. Access to relevant information may help caregivers to cope constructively with the person’s bipolar disorder and their caregiving situation. The content of the guidelines could be used to help formulate a stepped-care approach to supporting caregivers, ranging from basic information and pamphlets to brief training courses and specialized family or caregiver interventions based on need and accessibility.