Resilient creative economies? Creative industries on the urban fringe

The relationship between culture and the economy is of growing interest to researchers, writers and policy makers. Advanced economies have become increasingly ‘culturalised’, pushing culture from the periphery to the centre of policy concerns and action. The economic downturn commencing in late 2008 generated predictions that ranged from the apocalyptic to the sanguine, across all sectors. This article offers an insight into the relationship between the economy, the creative industries and their geographic localities. It investigates creative industries situated away from the urban core, and located in the outer suburbs of Melbourne and Brisbane. We suggest that for creative industries situated in outer suburbs, there are characteristics that may contribute to their economic resilience.

Participatory action research card set

These cards are designed as a resource for implementing participatory action research (PAR) in social programs. Each card covers one of the five key stages of PAR as outlined in the manual 'On PAR- Using participatory Action Research to Improve Early Intervention' (Crane and O'Regan 2010).

An international survey of contact lens prescribing for presbyopia

Purpose: The aim was to determine world-wide patterns of fitting contact lenses for the correction of presbyopia. Methods: Up to 1,000 survey forms were sent to contact lens fitters in each of 38 countries between January and March every year over five consecutive years (2005 to 2009). Practitioners were asked to record data relating to the first 10 contact lens fittings or refittings performed after receiving the survey form. Results: Data were received relating to 16,680 presbyopic (age 45 years or older) and 84,202 pre-presbyopic (15 to 44 years) contact lens wearers. Females are over-represented in presbyopic versus pre-presbyopic groups, possibly reflecting a stronger desire for the cosmetic benefits of contact lenses among older women. The extent to which multifocal and monovision lenses are prescribed for presbyopes varies considerably among nations, ranging from 79 per cent of all soft lenses in Portugal to zero in Singapore. There appears to be significant under-prescribing of contact lenses for the correction of presbyopia, although for those who do receive such corrections, three times more multifocal lenses are fitted compared with monovision fittings. Presbyopic corrections are most frequently prescribed for full-time wear and monthly replacement. Conclusions: Despite apparent improvements in multifocal design and an increase in available multifocal options in recent years, practitioners are still under-prescribing with respect to the provision of appropriate contact lenses for the correction of presbyopia. Training of contact lens practitioners in presbyopic contact lens fitting should be accelerated and clinical and laboratory research in this field should be intensified to enhance the prospects of meeting the needs of presbyopic contact lens wearers more fully.

Nursing and Midwifery Services Strategic Directions, 2011-2015

This document presents the newly updated strategic directions for strengthening nursing and midwifery services (SDNM) for the period 2011–2015. Complementing and building on the 2002–2008 SDNM, it seeks to provide policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders at every level with a flexible framework for broad-based, collaborative action to enhance the capacity of nurses and midwives to contribute to: * universal coverage * people-centred health care * policies affecting their practice and working conditions, and the * scaling up of national health systems to meet global goals and targets. The SDNM for 2011–2015 draws on several key World Health Assembly resolutions, and are underpinned by the associated global policy recommendations and codes of practice. (1,2) After two years of extensive research and consultation, a SDNM task force was developed, and a consensus on a range of specific activities revolving around 13 objectives in five interrelated key results areas (KRAs), was achieved: n health system and service strengthening n policy and practice * education, training and career development * workforce management and * partnership. Stakeholders, although free to prioritize certain parts of the framework to meet their own particular needs, are encouraged to adhere to the cornerstone of collaborative action, namely the common goal enshrined in the core SDNM 2011–2015 vision statement: improved health outcomes for individuals, families and communities through the provision of competent, culturally sensitive, evidence-based nursing and midwifery services.

Towards defining semantic foundations for purpose-based privacy policies

We define a semantic model for purpose, based on which purpose-based privacy policies can be meaningfully expressed and enforced in a business system. The model is based on the intuition that the purpose of an action is determined by its situation among other inter-related actions. Actions and their relationships can be modeled in the form of an action graph which is based on the business processes in a system. Accordingly, a modal logic and the corresponding model checking algorithm are developed for formal expression of purpose-based policies and verifying whether a particular system complies with them. It is also shown through various examples, how various typical purpose-based policies as well as some new policy types can be expressed and checked using our model.

Patterns

In recent years there has been widespread interest in patterns, perhaps provoked by a realisation that they constitute a fundamental brain activity and underpin many artificial intelligence systems. Theorised concepts of spatial patterns including scale, proportion, and symmetry, as well as social and psychological understandings are being revived through digital/parametric means of visualisation and production. The effect of pattern as an ornamental device has also changed from applied styling to mediated dynamic effect. The interior has also seen patterned motifs applied to wall coverings, linen, furniture and artefacts with the effect of enhancing aesthetic appreciation, or in some cases causing psychological and/or perceptual distress (Rodemann 1999). ----- ----- While much of this work concerns a repeating array of surface treatment, Philip Ball’s The Self- Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in Nature (1999) suggests a number of ways that patterns are present at the macro and micro level, both in their formation and disposition. Unlike the conventional notion of a pattern being the regular repetition of a motif (geometrical or pictorial) he suggests that in nature they are not necessarily restricted to a repeating array of identical units, but also include those that are similar rather than identical (Ball 1999, 9). From his observations Ball argues that they need not necessarily all be the same size, but do share similar features that we recognise as typical. Examples include self-organized patterns on a grand scale such as sand dunes, or fractal networks caused by rivers on hills and mountains, through to patterns of flow observed in both scientific experiments and the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.

Chlamydial infection of immune cells : altered function and implications for disease

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that infects the genital and ocular mucosa of humans, causing infections that can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and blinding trachoma. C. pneumoniae is a respiratory pathogen that is the cause of 12–15% of community-acquired pneumonia. Both chlamydial species were believed to be restricted to the epithelia of the genital, ocular, and respiratory mucosa; however, increasing evidence suggests that both these pathogens can be isolated from peripheral blood of both healthy individuals and patients with inflammatory conditions such as coronary artery disease and asthma. Chlamydia can also be isolated from brain tissues of patients with degenerative neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, and also from certain lymphomas. An increasing number of in vitro studies suggest that some chlamydial species can infect immune cells, at least at low levels. These infections may alter immune cell function in a way that promotes chlamydial persistence in the host and contributes to the progression of several chronic inflammatory diseases. In this paper, we review the evidence for the growth of Chlamydia in immune cells, particularly monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells, and describe how infection may affect the function of these cells.

Plantar enthesopathy : thickening of the enthesis is correlated with energy dissipation of the plantar fat pad during walking

Background: The enthesis of the plantar fascia is thought to play an important role in stress dissipation. However, the potential link between entheseal thickening characteristic of enthesopathy and the stress-dissipating properties of the intervening plantar fat pad have not been investigated. Purpose: This study was conducted to identify whether plantar fat pad mechanics explain variance in the thickness of the fascial enthesis in individuals with and without plantar enthesopathy. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: The study population consisted of 9 patients with unilateral plantar enthesopathy and 9 asymptomatic, individually matched controls. The thickness of the enthesis of the symptomatic, asymptomatic, and a matched control limb was acquired using high-resolution ultrasound. The compressive strain of the plantar fat pad during walking was estimated from dynamic lateral radiographs acquired with a multifunction fluoroscopy unit. Peak compressive stress was simultaneously acquired via a pressure platform. Principal viscoelastic parameters were estimated from subsequent stress-strain curves. Results: The symptomatic fascial enthesis (6.7 ± 2.0 mm) was significantly thicker than the asymptomatic enthesis (4.2 ± 0.4 mm), which in turn was thicker than the enthesis (3.3 ± 0.4 mm) of control limbs (P < .05). There was no significant difference in the mean thickness, peak stress, peak strain, or secant modulus of the plantar fat pad between limbs. However, the energy dissipated by the fat pad during loading and unloading was significantly lower in the symptomatic limb (0.55 ± 0.17) when compared with asymptomatic (0.69 ± 0.13) and control (0.70 ± 0.09) limbs (P < .05). The sonographic thickness of the enthesis was correlated with the energy dissipation ratio of the plantar fat pad (r = .72, P < .05), but only in the symptomatic limb. Conclusion: The energy-dissipating properties of the plantar fat pad are associated with the sonograpic appearance of the enthesis in symptomatic limbs, providing a previously unidentified link between the mechanical behavior of the plantar fat pad and enthesopathy.

The patella morphology in trochlear dysplasia : a comparative MRI study

BACKGROUND: Trochlear dysplasia is suspected to have a genetic basis and causes recurrent patellar instability due to insufficient anatomical geometry. Numerous studies about trochlear morphology and the optimal surgical treatment have been carried out, but no attention has been paid to the corresponding patellar morphology.----- ----- PURPOSE: The aim of this study was the evaluation of the patellar morphology in normal and trochlear dysplastic knees. ----- ----- STUDY DESIGN: Biometric analysis. ----- ----- METHODS: Twenty two patellae with underlying trochlear dysplasia (study group--SG) were compared with 22 matched knees with normal trochlear shape (control group--CG) on transverse and sagittal MRI slices. We compared transverse diameter, cartilaginous thickness, Wiberg-index and -angle, length and radius of lateral and medial facet, patellar shape and angle, retropatellar length, and type of trochlear dysplasia. For statistical analysis we used the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. ----- ----- RESULTS: The transverse and sagittal diameter, mean length of medial patellar facet, and mean cartilaginous and subchondral Wiberg-index showed statistical differences between the two groups. ----- ----- CONCLUSIONS: Although the insufficient trochlear depth and decreased lateral trochlear slope are responsible for patellofemoral instability, the patella shows morphological changes in trochlear dysplastic knees. Its overall size and the medial facet are smaller. Although the femoral sulcus angle is larger, the Wiberg-angle and -index are equal to the control group. This may indicate that the patellar morphology may not be a result of missing medial patellofemoral pressure in trochlear dysplastic knees, but a decreased medial patellofemoral traction. This seems to be caused by hypotrophic medial patellofemoral restraints in combination with an increased lateral patellar tilt, both resulting in a decreased tension onto the medial patella facet. Whether there is a genetic component to the patellar morphology remains open.

Integrating Responses to Homelessness: The Contribution of Participatory Action Research

In recent years Participatory Action Research (PAR) and other collaborative inquiry processes have been used in a wide variety of program and service contexts. Early childhood services, Indigenous services, youth drug and alcohol services, and education and vocational training support services have all been sites where PAR has been utilized. Action research is important as it helps improve policy and ensures that best practice and experience can be shared.

Identifying good re-engagement practice : case studies from Brisbane North and West Youth Connections action research

This report summarises the action research undertaken by the Brisbane North and West Youth Connections Consortium during 2010 and facilitated by staff from QUT. The Consortium consists of a lead agency which undertakes both program coordination and direct service delivery (Brisbane Youth Service) and four other agencies across the region who undertake direct service delivery. Funds for Youth Connections are provided by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. This report describes and analyses the participatory action research (PAR) undertaken in 2011, including eight case studies exploring questions seen as important to the re-engagement of young people in education and training.

Youth Homelessness and Early Intervention: Key Characteristics and Challenges

The key requirements for effective early intervention into youth homelessness are discussed. Young people are exposed to the risk of homelessness from a constellation of factors at the structural through to the individual level and early intervention has generally been conceptualized as part of a continuum of responses.

Developing the Practice of Early Intervention into Youth Homelessness

The Australian government has found that early intervention services related to youth homelessness expanded through the Reconnect program have been found to be quite effective and successful. The main things that a good early intervention practice requires are highlighted.

The Myer Centre Youth Protocol

The Myer Centre Youth Protocol outlines agreed guidelines and a grievance procedure in respect of young people's use of The Myer Centre, a shopping centre in central Brisbane. The Protocol was the first of its type in Australia and is a collaboration between the Brisbane City Council, the Myer Centre Management, and the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland. The development of the protocol was undertaken by Phil Crane and Greg Marston of Queensland University of Technology (QUT).