Content and functionality of alcohol and other drug websites : results of an online survey

Background: There is a growing trend for individuals to seek health information from online sources. Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use is a significant health problem worldwide, but access and use of AOD websites is poorly understood. ----- ----- Objective: To investigate content and functionality preferences for AOD and other health websites. Methods: An anonymous online survey examined general Internet and AOD-specific usage and search behaviors, valued features of AOD and health-related websites (general and interactive website features), indicators of website trustworthiness, valued AOD website tools or functions, and treatment modality preferences. ----- ----- Results: Surveys were obtained from 1214 drug (n = 766) and alcohol website users (n = 448) (mean age 26.2 years, range 16-70). There were no significant differences between alcohol and drug groups on demographic variables, Internet usage, indicators of website trustworthiness, or on preferences for AOD website functionality. A robust website design/navigation, open access, and validated content provision were highly valued by both groups. While attractiveness and pictures or graphics were also valued, high-cost features (videos, animations, games) were minority preferences. Almost half of respondents in both groups were unable to readily access the information they sought. Alcohol website users placed greater importance on several AOD website tools and functions than did those accessing other drug websites: online screening tools (χ²2 = 15.8, P < .001, n = 985); prevention programs (χ²2 = 27.5, P < .001, n = 981); tracking functions (χ²2 = 11.5, P = .003, n = 983); self help treatment programs (χ²2 = 8.3, P = .02, n = 984); downloadable fact sheets for friends (χ²2 = 11.6, P = .003, n = 981); or family (χ²2 = 12.7, P = .002, n = 983). The most preferred online treatment option for both the user groups was an Internet site with email therapist support. Explorations of demographic differences were also performed. While gender did not affect survey responses, younger respondents were more likely to value interactive and social networking features, whereas downloading of credible information was most highly valued by older respondents. ----- ----- Conclusions: Significant deficiencies in the provision of accessible information on AOD websites were identified, an important problem since information seeking was the most common reason for accessing these websites, and, therefore, may be a key avenue for engaging website users in behaviour change. The few differences between AOD website users suggested that both types of websites may have similar features, although alcohol website users may more readily be engaged in screening, prevention and self-help programs, tracking change, and may value fact sheets more highly. While the sociodemographic differences require replication and clarification, these differences support the notion that the design and features of AOD websites should target specific audiences to have maximal impact.

Adhesion and dispersion of salmeterol xinofoate from lactose interactive mixtures for inhalation - can surface roughness of carriers determine performance

The objective was to understand the influence of the surface roughness of lactose carriers on the adhesion and dispersion of salmeterol xinafoate (SX) from interactive mixtures. The surface roughness of lactose carriers was determined by confocal microscopy. Particle images and adhesion forces between SX and lactose particles were determined by Atomic Force Microscopy. The dispersion of SX (2.5%) from interactive mixtures with lactose was determined using a twin-stage impinger (TSI) with a Rotahaler® at an airflow rate of 60L/min. SX was analysed using a validated HPLC assay. The RMS Rq of lactose carriers ranged from 0.93-2.84μm, the Fine Particle Fraction (FPF) of SX ranged between 4 and 24 percent and average adhesion force between a SX and lactose particles ranged between 49 and 134 nN. No direct correlation was observed between the RMS Rq of lactose carriers and either the FPF of SX for the interactive mixtures or the adhesion force of a SX on the lactose particles; however, the presence of fine lactose associated with the carrier surface increased the FPF of SX. Dispersion through direct SX detachment from the carrier surface was not consistent with the poor correlations described and was more likely to occur through complex particulate interactions involving fine lactose.

Effects of reduced contrast on the perception and control of speed when driving

Misperception of speed under low-contrast conditions has been identified as a possible contributor to motor vehicle crashes in fog. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of reduced contrast on drivers’ perception and control of speed while driving under real-world conditions. Fourteen participants drove around a 2.85 km closed road course under three visual conditions: clear view and with two levels of reduced contrast created by diffusing filters on the windscreen and side windows. Three dependent measures were obtained, without view of the speedometer, on separate laps around the road course: verbal estimates of speed; adjustment of speed to instructed levels (25 to 70 km h-1); and estimation of minimum stopping distance. The results showed that drivers traveled more slowly under low-contrast conditions. Reduced contrast had little or no effect on either verbal judgments of speed or estimates of minimum stopping distance. Speed adjustments were significantly slower under low-contrast than clear conditions, indicating that, contrary to studies of object motion, drivers perceived themselves to be traveling faster under conditions of reduced contrast. Under real-world driving conditions, drivers’ ability to perceive and control their speed was not adversely affected by large variations in the contrast of their surroundings. These findings suggest that perceptions of self-motion and object motion involve neural processes that are differentially affected by variations in stimulus contrast as encountered in fog.

Heat effects of promoters and determination of burn criterion in promoted combustion testing

Promoted ignition testing (NASA) Test 17) [1] is used to determine the relative flammability of metal rods in oxygen-enriched atmospheres. A promotor is used to ignite a metal sample rod, initiating sample burning. If a predetermined length of the sample burns, beyond the promotor, the material is considered flammable at the condition tested. Historically, this burn length has been somewhat arbitrary. Experiments were performed to better understand this test by obtaining insight into the effect a burning promotor has on the preheating of a test sample. Test samples of several metallic materials were prepared and coupled to fast-responding thermocouples along their length. Thermocouple measurements and test video were synchronized to determine temperature increase with respect to time and length along each test sample. A recommended flammability burn length, based on a sample preheat of 500 degrees fahrenheit, was determined based on the preheated zone measured from these tests. This length was determined to be 30 mm (1.18 in.). Validation of this length and its rationale are presented.

Queensland Government’s people’s question time : the challenges and opportunities of population growth in Queensland

As AITPM National President, I was invited by Queensland’s Premier, Hon. Anna Bligh MP, as an audience guest to People’s Question Time on Wednesday 24 March 2010, which focused on ‘The Challenges and Opportunities of Population Growth in Queensland’. On the panel were: Premier and Minister for the Arts, Anna Bligh; Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Kate Jones; Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, Stirling Hinchliffe; Michael Rayner – Growth Management Summit Advisory Panel, Principal Director, Cox Rayner Architects; and Greg Hallam – Executive Director, Local Government Association of Queensland. The moderator for this session was Law Academic Erin O’Brien, of Queensland University of Technology.

Queer/error : gay media systems and processes of abjection

Gay community media functions as a system with three nodes, in which the flows of information and capital theoretically benefit all parties: the gay community gains a sense of cohesion and citizenship through media; the gay media outlets profit from advertisers’ capital; and advertisers recoup their investments in lucrative ‘pink dollar’ revenue. But if a necessary corollary of all communication systems is error or noise, where—and what—are the errors in this system? In this paper we argue that the ‘error’ in the gay media system is Queerness, and that the gay media system ejects (in a process of Kristevan abjection) these Queer identities in order to function successfully. We examine the ways in which Queer identities are excluded from representation in such media through a discourse and content analysis of The Sydney Star Observer (Australia’s largest gay and lesbian paper). First, we analyse the way Queer bodies are excluded from the discourses that construct and reinforce both the ideal gay male body and the notions of homosexual essence required for that body to be meaningful. We then argue that abject Queerness returns in the SSO’s discourses of public health through the conspicuous absence of the AIDS-inflicted body (which we read as the epitome of the abject Queer), since this absence paradoxically conjures up a trace of that which the system tries to expel. We conclude by arguing that because the ‘Queer error’ is integral to the SSO, gay community media should practise a politics of Queer inclusion rather than exclusion.

Test and evaluation of non conventional instrument transformers and sampled value process bus on Powerlink's transmission network

IEC 61850 Process Bus technology has the potential to improve cost, performance and reliability of substation design. Substantial costs associated with copper wiring (designing, documentation, construction, commissioning and troubleshooting) can be reduced with the application of digital Process Bus technology, especially those based upon international standards. An IEC 61850-9-2 based sampled value Process Bus is an enabling technology for the application of Non-Conventional Instrument Transformers (NCIT). Retaining the output of the NCIT in its native digital form, rather than conversion to an analogue output, allows for improved transient performance, dynamic range, safety, reliability and reduced cost. In this paper we report on a pilot installation using NCITs communicating across a switched Ethernet network using the UCAIug Implementation Guideline for IEC 61850-9-2 (9-2 Light Edition or 9-2LE). This system was commissioned in a 275 kV Line Reactor bay at Powerlink Queensland’s Braemar substation in 2009, with sampled value protection IEDs 'shadowing' the existing protection system. The results of commissioning tests and twelve months of service experience using a Fibre Optic Current Transformer (FOCT) from Smart Digital Optics (SDO) are presented, including the response of the system to fault conditions. A number of remaining issues to be resolved to enable wide-scale deployment of NCITs and IEC 61850-9-2 Process Bus technology are also discussed.

Ureaplasma colonization of amniotic fluid and efficacy of antenatal corticosteroids for preterm lung maturation in sheep

Objective: To assess the efficacy of maternal betamethasone for improving preterm lung function, in the presence of inflammation induced by amniotic fluid ureaplasma colonization. ----- ----- Study design: Ewes bearing single fetuses were randomized to receive an intra-amniotic injection of Ureaplasma parvum (serovar 6; 2×107 colony forming units) or vehicle at 86±2 days of pregnancy (mean±SD: term is 150d), followed by maternal intramuscular betamethasone (0.5mg/kg) or saline, either 2 or 7 days before delivery of lambs at 123±1d. ----- ----- Results: Amniotic fluid IL-8 was elevated by ureaplasmas (p=0.049) but unaffected by betamethasone. Lung inflammation induced by ureaplasmas was not affected by betamethasone. Lung compliance was increased by ureaplasma colonization (p=0.009) and betamethasone (p=0.042), and effects were additive. Lung surfactant was increased by ureaplasma colonization (p<0.001) and betamethasone 7 days (p=0.001), but not 2 days, before delivery. ----- ----- Conclusion: Inflammation improves preterm lung function due to increases in surfactant. Antenatal corticosteroids further augment lung function, through an apparently independent mechanism.

Design and implementation of the Exercise for Health trial – a pragmatic exercise intervention for women with breast cancer

Background Exercise for Health was a pragmatic, randomised, controlled trial comparing the effect of an eight-month exercise intervention on function, treatment-related side effects and quality of life following breast cancer, compared with usual care. The intervention commenced six weeks post-surgery, and two modes of delivering the same intervention was compared with usual care. The purpose of this paper is to describe the study design, along with outcomes related to recruitment, retention and representativeness, and intervention participation. Methods: Women newly diagnosed with breast cancer and residing in a major metropolitan city of Queensland, Australia, were eligible to participate. Consenting women were randomised to a face-to-face-delivered exercise group (FtF, n=67), telephone-delivered exercise group (Tel, n=67) or usual care group (UC, n=60) and were assessed pre-intervention (5-weeks post-surgery), mid-intervention (6 months post-surgery) and 10 weeks post-intervention (12 months post-surgery). Each intervention arm entailed 16 sessions with an Exercise Physiologist. Results: Of 318 potentially eligible women, 63% (n=200) agreed to participate, with a 12-month retention rate of 93%. Participants were similar to the Queensland breast cancer population with respect to disease characteristics, and the randomisation procedure was mostly successful at attaining group balance, with the few minor imbalances observed unlikely to influence intervention effects given balance in other related characteristics. Median participation was 14 (min, max: 0, 16) and 13 (min, max: 3, 16) intervention sessions for the FtF and Tel, respectively, with 68% of those in Tel and 82% in FtF participating in at least 75% of sessions. Discussion: Participation in both intervention arms during and following treatment for breast cancer was feasible and acceptable to women. Future work, designed to inform translation into practice, will evaluate the quality of life, clinical, psychosocial and behavioural outcomes associated with each mode of delivery.

Systematics and biogeography of the Gondwanan Orthocladiinae (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Restrictions to effective dispersal and gene flow caused by the fragmentation of ancient supercontinents are considered to have driven diversification and speciation on disjunct landmasses globally. Investigating the role that these processes have played in the development of diversity within and among taxa is crucial to understanding the origins and evolution of regional biotas. Within the chironomid (non-biting midge) subfamily Orthocladiinae (Diptera: Chironomidae), a group of genera that are distributed across the austral continents (Australia, New Zealand, South America) have been proposed to represent a relict Gondwanan clade. We used a molecular approach to resolve relationships among taxa with the aim to determine the relative roles that vicariance and dispersal may have played in the evolution of this group. Continental biotas did not form monophyletic groups, in accordance with expectations given existing morphological evidence. Patterns of phylogenetic relationships among taxa did not accord with expected patterns based on the geological sequence of break-up of the Gondwanan supercontinent. Likewise, divergence time estimates, particularly for New Zealand taxa, largely post-dated continental fragmentation and implied instead that several transoceanic dispersal events may have occurred post-vicariance. Passive dispersal of gravid female chironomid adults is the most likely mechanism for transoceanic movement, potentially facilitated by West Wind Drift or anti-cyclone fronts. Estimated timings of divergence among Australian and South American Botryocladius, on the other hand, were congruent with the proposed ages of separation of the two continents from Antarctica. Taken together, these data suggest that a complex relationship between both vicariance and dispersal may explain the evolution of this group. The sampling regime we implemented here was the most intensive yet performed for austral members of the Orthocladiinae and unsurprisingly revealed several novel taxa that will require formal description.

Shear strength and design of LiteSteel beams

This paper presents the details of a parametric study based on finite element analyses (FEA) and development of design rules for the shear strength of a recently developed, cold-formed steel channel beam known as LiteSteel Beam (LSB). The LSB sections are commonly used as flexural members in residential, in-dustrial and commercial buildings. In order to ensure safe and efficient designs of LSBs, many research stu-dies have been undertaken on the flexural behaviour of LSBs. However, no research has been undertaken on the shear behaviour of LSBs. Therefore a detailed investigation including both numerical and experimental studies was undertaken to investigate the shear behaviour of LSBs. Both the experimental and FEA parametric study results showed that the current design rules in cold-formed steel design codes are very conservative for the shear design of LSBs. New shear strength equations for LSBs were proposed based on the experimental and FEA parametric study results.

Validation and automation of the DYNJAWS component module of the BEAMnrc Monte Carlo code

The purpose of this work is to validate and automate the use of DYNJAWS; a new component module (CM) in the BEAMnrc Monte Carlo (MC) user code. The DYNJAWS CM simulates dynamic wedges and can be used in three modes; dynamic, step-and-shoot and static. The step-and-shoot and dynamic modes require an additional input file defining the positions of the jaw that constitutes the dynamic wedge, at regular intervals during its motion. A method for automating the generation of the input file is presented which will allow for the more efficient use of the DYNJAWS CM. Wedged profiles have been measured and simulated for 6 and 10 MV photons at three field sizes (5 cm x 5 cm , 10 cm x10 cm and 20 cm x 20 cm), four wedge angles (15, 30, 45 and 60 degrees), at dmax and at 10 cm depth. Results of this study show agreement between the measured and the MC profiles to within 3% of absolute dose or 3 mm distance to agreement for all wedge angles at both energies and depths. The gamma analysis suggests that dynamic mode is more accurate than the step-and-shoot mode. The DYNJAWS CM is an important addition to the BEAMnrc code and will enable the MC verification of patient treatments involving dynamic wedges.

Overview of the INEX 2010 XML mining track : clustering and classification of XML documents

The XML Document Mining track was launched for exploring two main ideas: (1) identifying key problems and new challenges of the emerging field of mining semi-structured documents, and (2) studying and assessing the potential of Machine Learning (ML) techniques for dealing with generic ML tasks in the structured domain, i.e., classification and clustering of semi-structured documents. This track has run for six editions during INEX 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The first five editions have been summarized in previous editions and we focus here on the 2010 edition. INEX 2010 included two tasks in the XML Mining track: (1) unsupervised clustering task and (2) semi-supervised classification task where documents are organized in a graph. The clustering task requires the participants to group the documents into clusters without any knowledge of category labels using an unsupervised learning algorithm. On the other hand, the classification task requires the participants to label the documents in the dataset into known categories using a supervised learning algorithm and a training set. This report gives the details of clustering and classification tasks.

Size and habit of mineral particles in bone and mineralized callus during bone healing in sheep

Bone healing is known to occur through the successive formation and resorption of various tissues with different structural and mechanical properties. To get a better insight into this sequence of events, we used environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) together with scanning small-angle X-ray scattering (sSAXS) to reveal the size and orientation of bone mineral particles within the regenerating callus tissues at different healing stages (2, 3, 6, and 9 weeks). Sections of 200 µm were cut from embedded blocks of midshaft tibial samples in a sheep osteotomy model with an external fixator. Regions of interest on the medial side of the proximal fragment were chosen to be the periosteal callus, middle callus, intercortical callus, and cortex. Mean thickness (T parameter), degree of alignment (ρ parameter), and predominant orientation (ψ parameter) of mineral particles were deduced from resulting sSAXS patterns with a spatial resolution of 200 µm. 2D maps of T and ρ overlapping with ESEM images revealed that the callus formation occurred in two waves of bone formation, whereby a highly disordered mineralized tissue was deposited first, followed by a bony tissue with more lamellar appearance in the ESEM and where the mineral particles were more aligned, as revealed by sSAXS. As a consequence, degree of alignment and mineral particle size within the callus increased with healing time, whereas at any given moment there were structural gradients, for example, from periosteal toward the middle callus.

The dynamics and performance of the building and construction product system

During 1999 the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (ISR) published 4 research reports it had commissioned from the Australian Expert Group in Industry Studies (AEGIS), a research centre of the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur. ISR will shortly publish the fifth and final report in this series. The five reports were commissioned by the Department, as part of the Building and Construction Action Agenda process, to investigate the dynamics and performance of the sector, particularly in relation its innovative capacity. Professor Jane Marceau, PVCR at the University of Western Sydney and Director of AEGIS, led the research team. Dr Karen Manley was the researcher and joint author on three of the five reports. This paper outlines the approach and key findings of each of the five reports. The reports examined 5 key elements of the ‘building and construction product system’. The term ‘product system’ reflects the very broad range of industries and players we consider to contribute to the performance of the building and construction industries. The term ‘product system’ also highlights our focus on the systemic qualities of the building and construction industries. We were most interested in the inter-relationships between key segments and players and how these impacted on the innovation potential of the product system. The ‘building and construction product system’ is hereafter referred to as ‘the industry’ for ease of presentation. All the reports are based, at least in part, on an interviewing or survey research phase which involved gathering data from public and private sector players nationally. The first report ‘maps’ the industry to identify and describe its key elements and the inter-relationships between them. The second report focuses specifically on the linkages between public-sector research organisations and firms in the industry. The third report examines the conditions surrounding the emergence of new businesses in the industry. The fourth report examines how manufacturing businesses are responding to customer demands for ‘total solutions’ to their building and construction needs, by providing various services to clients. The fifth report investigates the capacity of the industry to encourage and undertake energy efficient building design and construction.