How well do Australian women comply with dietary guidelines?

Objective: To investigate the proportion of middle-aged Australian women meeting national dietary recommendations and its variation according to selected sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics.

Design: This cross-sectional population-based study used a food-frequency questionnaire to investigate dietary patterns and compliance with 13 commonly promoted dietary guidelines among a cohort of middle-aged women participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Setting: Nation-wide community-based survey.

Subjects: A total of 10 561 women aged 50–55 years at the time of the survey in 2001.

Results: Only about one-third of women complied with more than half of the guidelines, and only two women in the entire sample met all 13 guidelines examined. While guidelines for meat/fish/poultry/eggs/nuts/legumes and ‘extra’ foods (e.g. ice cream, chocolate, cakes, potatoes, pizza, hamburgers and wine) were met well, large percentages of women (68–88%) did not meet guidelines relating to the consumption of breads, cereal-based foods and dairy products, and intakes of total and saturated fat and iron. Women working in lower socio-economic status occupations, and women living alone or with people other than a partner and/or children, were at significantly increased risk of not meeting guidelines.

Conclusions: The present results indicate that a large proportion of middle-aged Australian women are not meeting dietary guidelines. Without substantial changes in their diets, and help in making these changes, current national guidelines appear unachievable for many women.

Monitoring a commercial fermentation with proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with the aid of chemometrics

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) has shown the potential for being a valuable tool in monitoring a commercial fermentation. In this preliminary study, a suite of organic analytes including ethanol, fructose, glucose, methanol, glycerol, malic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, acetic acid and lactic acid were simultaneously determined during the fermentation. Data collection and analysis using chemometric algorithms aided the understanding of key processes including the effects of seeding a wine with bacteria for malo-lactic fermentation.

Determination of urea using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection after automated derivatisation with Xanthydrol

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of urea that incorporates automated derivatisation with xanthydrol (9H-xanthen-9-ol) is described. Unlike the classic xanthydrol approach for the determination of urea, which involves the precipitation of dixanthylurea (N,N′-di-9H-xanthen-9-ylurea), the derivatisation procedure employed in this method produces N-9H-xanthen-9-ylurea, which remains in solution and can be quantified using fluorescence detection (λ_ex = 213 nm; λ_em = 308 nm) after chromatographic separation from interferences. The limit of detection for urea was 5 × 10⁻⁸ M (0.003 mg L⁻¹). This method was applied to the determination of urea in human and animal urine and in wine.

Intent and Method: A Study of Female Characters in Aeschylean and Euripidean Drama

Aeschylus and Euripides used tragic female characters to help fulfill the purpose of religious celebration and to achieve the motivation of public reaction. The playwrights, revising myths about tragic woman and redefining the Greek definition of appropriate femininity, supported or questioned the very customs which they changed. Originally composed as part of a religious festival for Dionysus, the god of wine, revelry and fertility, the tragedies of Aeschylus and Euripides were evaluated by Aristotle. He favored Aeschylus over Euripides, but it appears as if his stipulations for tragic characterization do not apply to Aeschylean and Euripidean women. Modem critics question both Aristotle's analysis in the Poetics as well as the tragedies which he evaluated. As part of the assessment of Aeschylus, the character of the Persian Queen, Atossa, appears as a conradiction the images that Greeks maintain of non-Greeks. The Persians is discussed in relation to modem criticisms and as on its function as a warning against radical changes in Athenian domestic life. The Oresteia, a trilogy, also charts the importance of an atypical woman in Aeschylean tragedy, and how this role, Clytaemnestra, represents an extreme example of the natural and necessary evolution of families, households and kingdoms. In contrast to Aeschylus' plea to retain nomoi (traditional custom and law), EUripides' tragedy, the Medea, demonstrates the importance of a family and a country to provide security, especially for women. Medea's abandonment by Jason and subsequent desperation drives her to commit murder in the hope of revenge. Ultimately, Euripides advocates changes in social convention away from the alienation of non-Greek, non-citizens, and females. Euripides is, unfortunately, tagged a misogynist by some in this tragedy and another example-the Hippolytus. Euripides' Phaedra becomes entangled in a scheme of divine vengeance and ultimately commits suicide in an attempt to avoid societal shame. Far from treatises of hate, Euripidean women take advantage of the little power they possess within a constrictive social system. While both Aeschylus and Euripides revise customary images and expectations of women in the context of religiously-motivated drama, one playwright intends to maintain civic order and the other intends to challenge the secular norm.

Dietary portfolio approach to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease : the polymeal revisited

Aims: The Polymeal was first proposed as a 'tastier and safer' alternative to a polypharmacy approach to cardiovascular disease risk reduction. The present study aimed to examine the affordability of the Polymeal, and to propose modifications based on economic considerations, and the latest scientific evidence, to achieve consistency with current public health recommendations.

Methods: Prices for each food component specified in the Polymeal were obtained from a major and independent supermarket chain in a representative middle socioeconomic demographic region of metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Items included fish (114 g, four times/week), fruits and vegetables (400 g/day), dark chocolate (100 g/day), garlic (2.7 g/day), almonds (68 g/day) and red wine (150 mL/day). Prices were calculated using an average of the major brands, or the most commonly eaten fruits, vegetables or fish. Modifications of the Polymeal were proposed based on published research and public health recommendations since the Polymeal was first proposed.

Results: Average price of the Polymeal was AU$11.89 per day falling to AU$8.46 if the cheapest food items were chosen. Modifications to the Polymeal included: consuming fish oil capsules instead of fish, reduction in the quantity of dark chocolate and removal of red wine. These modifications halved the cost of the Polymeal, while choosing the cheapest food items further lowered the cost to AU$3.49 per day. Modification of the Polymeal gave substantial reductions in both energy and saturated fat (51% and 84%, respectively).

Conclusion: The modified Polymeal is a more affordable variation of the Polymeal, which takes into account current scientific evidence and public health recommendations.

Chemiluminescence as a screening tool for bioactive phytochemicals

The health benefits of antioxidant-rich ‘Mediterranean’ type diets high in grain, olives and red wine are well recognised. Since these foodstuffs consist of a complex matrix of chemical components, to date, the primary challenge lies in prioritising and isolating molecules for a physiologically relevant cell culture assay to assess their human health benefits. Currently, the most common approach requires arduous sample fractionation into smaller ‘crude’ extracts, followed by costly cell culture assays, with the bioactive identified only after a positive response in the cell. The work presented within this poster demonstrates the potential for an acidified potassium permanganate chemiluminescence detector as a much simpler screening tool to identify the best bioactive candidates from a complex sample matrix.

Where do entrepreneurs have the best chances of success? The Asia-Pacific regulatory environment for entrepreneurial Micro And Medium Sized Enterprises (MMES)

Why do some entrepreneurs succeed while others fail in international competition? Perhaps it is better to turn the question around and ask, why is it that a particular country or economy becomes the home base for competitive globally-oriented entrepreneurs? What makes Australia a global leader in wine exports? How did New Zealand make it to global ranks in the creative industries? Why does Singapore have the most businessfriendly environment for entrepreneurs? Why is it “location, location, location”? One of the most powerful factors is the regulatory environment.

Asia-Pacific country-specific and region-specific regulations are diverse, and they seriously affect the climate for start-up entrepreneurs. They range from best-in-the world (e.g. Australia, New Zealand and Singapore) to the dreadful (Indonesia), according to the World Bank. Costs and profits can be affected as much by a government regulation as by a management decision. Fundamental entrepreneurial decisions--such as which lines of business to go into, which products and services to produce and introduce, which investments to finance, how and where to make goods and how to market them, and what prices to charge--are increasingly subject to governmental control.

In this short paper, we examine World Bank and Transparency International data on Asia-Pacific regulatory environments and make statements about how the economies compare to best practice. While I use data collected by other sources, I believe the added value comes through comparing and contrast the regulatory environments of our region in a justifiable and easily understood manner.

Plant bioactive determinations using flow analysis, chromatography with chemiluminescence detection

The development of rapid analytical methodologies for the determination of plant bioactives including antioxidants, amino acids and opium alkaloids was investigated using novel flow analysis and liquid chromatographic techniques. These methodologies were applied to the wine, food and pharmaceutical industries.

The determination of bioactive compounds using HPLC with chemiluminescence detection

This dissertation investigated the selectivity and sensitivity of high performance liquid chromatography with various chemiluminescence detection protocols for the determination of biologically important compounds in beverages, wines and biomedical matrices. The work showed conclusively that this technology could successfully identify wines from different geographic locations and also monitor their maturation.

Agitate (edgy electronic guitar, piano, drums, synth sadness)

Agitate is an instrumental piece featuring some experimental sounds (a crystal wine glass being tapped and a plastic wrapper being ripped and processed) and more traditional sounds piano/guitar and synths (several pads and a drum beat) put together to create an atmosphere of tension. Good for cinema type projects.

Agitate loop 01

Agitate Loop 1 is an instrumental piece featuring some experimental sounds (a crystal wine glass being tapped and a plastic wrapper being ripped and processed) and more traditional sounds piano/guitar and synths (several pads and a drum beat) put together to create an atmosphere of tension.

Agitate loop 02

Agitate Loop 02 is an instrumental piece featuring some experimental sounds (a crystal wine glass being tapped and a plastic wrapper being ripped and processed) and more traditional sounds piano/guitar and synths (several pads and a drum beat) put together to create an atmosphere of tension.

Agitate piano short

Agitate Piano Short is an instrumental piece featuring some experimental sounds (a crystal wine glass being tapped and a plastic wrapper being ripped and processed) and more traditional sounds piano/guitar and synths (several pads and a drum beat) put together to create an atmosphere of tension. Good for cinema type projects.