Contextual determinants of alcohol consumption changes and preventive alcohol policies: a 12-country European study in progress.

Beginning with France in the 1950s, alcohol consumption has decreased in Southern European countries with few or no preventive alcohol policy measures being implemented, while alcohol consumption has been increasing in Northern European countries where historically more restrictive alcohol control policies were in place, even though more recently they were loosened. At the same time, Central and Eastern Europe have shown an intermediate behavior. We propose that country-specific changes in alcohol consumption between 1960 and 2008 are explained by a combination of a number of factors: (1) preventive alcohol policies and (2) social, cultural, economic, and demographic determinants. This article describes the methodology of a research study designed to understand the complex interactions that have occurred throughout Europe over the past five decades. These include changes in alcohol consumption, drinking patterns and alcohol-related harm, and the actual determinants of such changes.

Adopting web-based learning and teaching: a case study in higher education

Most universities worldwide are becoming distance education providers through adopting web-based learning and teaching via the introduction of learning management systems that enable them to open their courses to both on- and off-campus students. Whether this is an effective introduction depends on factors that enable and impede the adoption of such systems and their related pedagogical strategies. This study examines such factors related to adopting a learning management system in a large multicampus urban Australian university. The research method used case study approaches and purposively selected the sample consisting of innovative teaching academics from across the university, who used web-based approaches to teach both on- and off-campus learners. The data were analyzed using a combination of Rogers' theory of diffusion of innovations and actor-network theory and revealed a series of enabling and impeding factors faced by pioneering technology-adopter teaching academics, some of which are technology related while others are policy related and common to large multicampus institutions. The study found that safe adoption environments recognizing career priorities of academics are a result of the continuous negotiation between the evolving institution and its innovative and creative staff. The article concludes with a series of conditions that would form a safe, enabling, and encouraging environment for technology-adopter teaching academics in a large multicampus higher education setting.

Central obesity as a precursor to the metabolic syndrome in the AusDiab study and Mauritius

Evidence from epidemiologic studies that central obesity precedes future metabolic change and does not occur concurrently with the appearance of the blood pressure, glucose, and lipid abnormalities that characterize the metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been lacking. Longitudinal surveys were conducted in Mauritius in 1987, 1992, and 1998, and in Australia in 2000 and 2005 (AusDiab). This analysis included men and women (aged 25 years) in three cohorts: AusDiab 2000–2005 (n = 5,039), Mauritius 1987–1992 (n = 2,849), and Mauritius 1987–1998 (n = 1,999). MetS components included waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting and 2-h postload plasma glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) (representing insulin sensitivity). Linear regression was used to determine which baseline components predicted deterioration in other MetS components over 5 years in AusDiab and 5 and 11 years in Mauritius, adjusted for age, sex, and ethnic group. Baseline waist circumference predicted deterioration (P < 0.01) in four of the other six MetS variables tested in AusDiab, five of six in Mauritius 1987–1992, and four of six in Mauritius 1987–1998. In contrast, an increase in waist circumference between baseline and follow-up was only predicted by insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) at baseline, and only in one of the three cohorts. These results suggest that central obesity plays a central role in the development of the MetS and appears to precede the appearance of the other MetS components.

Social networking and teaching : an Australian case study

In recent years, the Internet has impacted all aspects of modern society. We have now seen the phenomenon of social networking and the impact that this had upon all aspects of modern society including higher education. An issue is how can these social networking technologies relate to tertiary education and how can they be used in this educational context. This paper is based on two case studies which were conducted at an Australian University into the usage of two social networking systems in a teaching environment. The results of these case studies were assessed using a socio-technical framework.

A cross-national study of teaching and learning in primary science classrooms

This presentation reports on the methodological issues confronting an Australian-German-Taiwanese team planning comparative video ethnographic research into primary science classrooms. The issues that will be canvassed include: the benefits of cross-cultural comparisons in providing perspectives on local practice, the theoretical justifications of such comparisons, selection of cases for comparison and possibilities for claiming cultural representativeness, the planning of appropriate data sets, the different comparative stories offered by different analytical frames, practical issues of communication and data sharing, and issues of entanglement of language and culture in the analysis.

Alcohol consumption, obesity, and psychological distress in farming communities — an Australian study

Purpose: Alcohol consumption patterns nationally and internationally have been identified as elevated in rural and remote populations. In the general Australian population, 20.5% of adult males and 16.9% of adult females drink at short-term, high-risk levels. Farmers are more likely to drink excessively than those living in major cities. This study seeks to explore the relationships between farmers’ physical and mental health and their alcohol consumption patterns. Our hypothesis is that farmers consume alcohol at high-risk levels more often than the Australian average and that this consumption is associated with obesity and psychological distress.

Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive data were collected within Australian farming communities from 1,792 consenting adults in 97 locations across Australia. Data on anthropometric measurements, general physical attributes and biochemical assessments were used to explore the interrelationships of self-reported alcohol consumption patterns with obesity, psychological distress, and other physical health parameters.

Findings: There was a higher prevalence of short-term, high-risk alcohol consumption (56.9% in men and 27.5% in women) reported in the study compared with national data. There was also a significant positive association between the prevalence of high-risk alcohol consumption and the prevalence of obesity and abdominal adiposity in psychologically distressed participants.

Conclusions: The prevalence of short-term, high-risk alcohol consumption practices in this cohort of farming men and women is significantly higher than the Australian average. These consumption practices are coupled with a range of other measurable health issues within the farming population, such as obesity, hypertension, psychological distress, and age.

Prospective study of fetal DNA in serum and disease activity during pregnancy in women with inflammatory arthritis

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) usually improves during pregnancy and recurs postpartum. Fetal cells and cell-free DNA reach the maternal circulation during normal pregnancy. The present study investigated dynamic changes in levels of fetal DNA in serum from women with RA and inflammatory arthritis during and after pregnancy to test the hypothesis that the levels of circulating fetal DNA correlate with arthritis improvement. METHODS: Twenty-five pregnant patients were prospectively studied. A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction panel targeting unshared, paternally transmitted HLA sequences, a Y chromosome-specific sequence, or an insertion sequence within the glutathione S-transferase M1 gene was used to measure cell-free fetal DNA. Results were expressed as fetal genomic equivalents per milliliter (gE/ml) of maternal serum. Physical examinations were conducted during and after pregnancy. RESULTS: Levels of fetal DNA in women with improvement in or remission of arthritis were higher than those in women with active disease, especially in the third trimester. Overall, an inverse relationship between serum fetal DNA levels and disease activity was observed (P < 0.001). Serum fetal DNA increased with advancing gestation, reaching median levels of 24 gE/ml (range 0-334), 61 gE/ml (range 0-689), and 199 gE/ml (range 0-2,576) in the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively, with fetal DNA clearance observed postpartum. Arthritis improvement was initially noted in the first trimester for most patients, increased further or was sustained with advancing gestation, and was active postpartum. CONCLUSION: Changes in serum fetal DNA levels correlated with arthritis improvement during pregnancy and recurrence postpartum. Immunologic mechanisms by which pregnancy might modulate RA activity are described.

A case study of teachers' mathematics content knowledge and attitudes toward mathematics and teaching

This study intended to measure teacher mathematical content knowledge both before and after the first year of teaching and taking graduate teacher education courses in the Teach for America (TFA) program, as well as measure attitudes toward mathematics and teaching both before and after TFA teachers’ first year. There was a significant increase in both mathematical content knowledge and attitudes toward mathematics over the TFA teachers’ first year teaching. Additionally, several significant correlations were found between attitudes toward mathematics and content knowledge. Finally, after a year of teaching, TFA teachers had significantly better attitudes toward mathematics and teaching than neutral.

An experimental study on Aerobic Gymnastic: performance analysis as an effective evaluation for technique and teaching of motor gestures

Aerobic Gymnastic is the ability to perform complex movements produced by the traditional aerobic exercises, in a continuous manner, with high intensity, perfectly integrated with soundtracks. This sport is performed in an aerobic/anaerobic lactacid condition and expects the execution of complex movements produced by the traditional aerobic exercises integrated with difficulty elements performed with a high technical level. An inaccuracy about this sport is related to the name itself “aerobic” because Aerobic Gymnastic does not use just the aerobic work during the competition, due to the fact that the exercises last among 1’30” and 1’45” at high rhythm. Agonistic Aerobics exploit the basic movements of amateur Aerobics and its coordination schemes, even though the agonistic Aerobics is so much intense than the amateur Aerobics to need a completely different mix of energetic mechanisms. Due to the complexity and the speed with which you perform the technical elements of Aerobic Gymnastic, the introduction of video analysis is essential for a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of athletes’ performance during the training. The performance analysis can allow the accurate analysis and explanation of the evolution and dynamics of a historical phenomenon and motor sports. The notational analysis is used by technicians to have an objective analysis of performance. Tactics, technique and individual movements can be analyzed to help coaches and athletes to re-evaluate their performance and gain advantage during the competition. The purpose of the following experimental work will be a starting point for analyzing the performance of the athletes in an objective way, not only during competitions, but especially during the phases of training. It is, therefore, advisable to introduce the video analysis and notational analysis for more quantitative and qualitative examination of technical movements. The goal is to lead to an improvement of the technique of the athlete and the teaching of the coach.

Attitudinal and behavioral changes of alcohol impaired drivers and analytical study of the alcohol education program of the Boston Alcohol Safety Action Project. Analytical studies 5 and 6.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Pregnant; drugs and alcohol can hurt your unborn baby.

"October 1990"--P. [19].