The dancer, the choreographer and modern dance scholarship: a critical reading

This paper undertakes a critical re-examination of the ways in which dance-making relationships between the dancer and the choreographer in American modern dance have been conceptualised in dance discourses. The essay proposes that a defining aspect of modern dance practices (from the moment that, after Duncan and Fuller, it became a group as well as a solo form) was the dancing together of the choreographer and the dancer(s) as the central mode of dance creation and transmission. In dance discourses, however, this dancing relationship is frequently not acknowledged. Texts by dance scholars Susan Leigh Foster, Amy Koritz and Randy Martin which draw on theoretical frameworks from outside dance are analysed in terms of the ways the theoretical frameworks that underpin them both make it possible to raise the question of the nature of the dance-making relationship while at the same time can also make the dancer's and the choreographer's dancing together invisible or unrepresentable. The analysis shows how scholarly discourses and the theoretical frameworks upon which they are built are already invested in regimes of intelligibility and visibility which have consequences for the representation of modern dance. This analysis forms the basis for proposing the need for a non-individualised, inter-subjective and intercorporeal understanding of the dancer and the choreographer and their relationship in modern dance.

Effect of carbohydrate ingestion on metabolism during running and cycling

The effects of carbohydrate or water ingestion on metabolism were investigated in seven male subjects during two running and two cycling trials lasting 60 min at individual lactate threshold using indirect calorimetry, U-¹⁴C-labeled tracer-derived measures of the rates of oxidation of plasma glucose, and direct determination of mixed muscle glycogen content from the vastus lateralis before and after exercise. Subjects ingested 8 ml/kg body mass of either a 6.4% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (CHO) or water 10 min before exercise and an additional 2 ml/kg body mass of the same fluid after 20 and 40 min of exercise. Plasma glucose oxidation was greater with CHO than with water during both running (65 ± 20 vs. 42 ± 16 g/h; P < 0.01) and cycling (57 ± 16 vs. 35 ± 12 g/h; P < 0.01). Accordingly, the contribution from plasma glucose oxidation to total carbohydrate oxidation was greater during both running (33 ± 4 vs. 23 ± 3%; P < 0.01) and cycling (36 ± 5 vs. 22 ± 3%; P < 0.01) with CHO ingestion. However, muscle glycogen utilization was not reduced by the ingestion of CHO compared with water during either running (112 ± 32 vs. 141 ± 34 mmol/kg dry mass) or cycling (227 ± 36 vs. 216 ± 39 mmol/kg dry mass). We conclude that, compared with water, 1) the ingestion of carbohydrate during running and cycling enhanced the contribution of plasma glucose oxidation to total carbohydrate oxidation but 2) did not attenuate mixed muscle glycogen utilization during 1 h of continuous submaximal exercise at individual lactate threshold.

Live high: train low increases muscle buffer capacity and submaximal cycling efficiency

This study investigated whether hypoxic exposure increased muscle buffer capacity (βm) and mechanical efficiency during exercise in male athletes. A control (CON, n=7) and a live high:train low group (LHTL, n=6) trained at near sea level (600 m), with the LHTL group sleeping for 23 nights in simulated moderate altitude (3000 m). Whole body oxygen consumption (V˙O₂) was measured under normoxia before, during and after 23 nights of sleeping in hypoxia, during cycle ergometry comprising 4×4-min submaximal stages, 2-min at 5.6 ± 0.4 W kg^–1, and 2-min 'all-out' to determine total work and V˙O_2peak. A vastus lateralis muscle biopsy was taken at rest and after a standardized 2-min 5.6 ± 0.4 W kg^–1 bout, before and after LHTL, and analysed for βm and metabolites. After LHTL, βm was increased (18%, P < 0.05). Although work was maintained, V˙O_2peak fell after LHTL (7%, P < 0.05). Submaximal V˙O₂ was reduced (4.4%, P < 0.05) and efficiency improved (0.8%, P < 0.05) after LHTL probably because of a shift in fuel utilization. This is the first study to show that hypoxic exposure, per se, increases muscle buffer capacity. Further, reduced V˙O₂ during normoxic exercise after LHTL suggests that improved exercise efficiency is a fundamental adaptation to LHTL.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase activation and kinase expression in human skeletal muscle during fasting

Fasting forces adaptive changes in whole body and skeletal muscle metabolism that increase fat oxidation and decrease the oxidation of carbohydrate. We tested the hypothesis that 40 h of fasting would decrease pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity and increase PDH kinase (PDK) isoform mRNA expression in human skeletal muscle. The putative transcriptional activators of PDK isozymes, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) protein, and forkhead homolog in rhabdomyosarcoma (FKHR) mRNA were also measured. Eleven healthy adults fasted after a standard meal (25% fat, 60% carbohydrate, 15% protein) with blood and skeletal muscle samples taken at 3, 15, and 40 h postprandial. Fasting increased plasma free fatty acid, glycerol, and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations and decreased glucose and insulin concentrations. PDH activity decreased from 0.88 ± 0.11 mmol acetyl-CoA · min^-1 · kg wet muscle wt^-1 at 3 h to 0.62 ± 0.10 (P = not significant) and 0.39 ± 0.06 (P < 0.05) mmol · min^-1 · kg wet mass^-1 after 15 and 40 h of fasting. Although all four PDK isoforms were expressed in human skeletal muscle, PDK^-2 and -4 mRNA were the most abundant. PDK^-1 and ^-3 mRNA abundance was ~1 and 15% of the PDK^-2 and 4^- levels, respectively. The 40-h fast had no effect on PDK^-1, ^-2, and ^-3 mRNA expression. PDK-4 mRNA was significantly increased ~3-fold after 15 h and ~14-fold after 40 h of fasting. Skeletal muscle PPAR-α protein and FKHR mRNA abundance were unaffected by the fast. The results suggest that decreased PDH activation after 40 h of fasting may have been a function of the large increase in PDK-4 mRNA expression and possible subsequent increase in PDK protein and activity. The changes in PDK-4 expression and PDH activity did not coincide with increases in the transcriptional activators PPAR-α and FKHR.

Effects of aerobic training on pyruvate dehydrogenase and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase in human skeletal muscle

This study examined the effects of short- and long-term aerobic training on the stable up-regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and PDH kinase (PDK) in human skeletal muscle. We hypothesized that 8 weeks, but not 1 week, of aerobic training would increase total PDH (PDHt) and PDK activities compared to pretraining, and this would be detectable at the level of gene transcription (mRNA) and/or gene translation (protein). Resting muscle biopsies were taken before and after 1 and 8 weeks of aerobic cycle exercise training. PDHt and PDK activities, and their respective protein and mRNA expression, did not differ after 1 week of aerobic training. PDHt activity increased 31% after 8 weeks and this may be partially due to a 1.3-fold increase in PDH-E₁α protein expression. PDK activity approximately doubled after 8 weeks of aerobic training and this was attributed to a 1.3-fold increase in PDK2 isoform protein expression. Similar to 1 week, no changes were observed at the mRNA level after 8 weeks of training. These findings  suggest that aerobically trained human skeletal muscle has an increased maximal capacity to utilize carbohydrates, evident by increased PDHt, but increased metabolic control sensitivity to pyruvate through increased contribution of PDK2 to total PDK activity.

Food and activity in out of school hours care in Victoria

Objective: To describe characteristics of the Victorian out of school hours care (OSHC) sector to assess its potential role in promoting healthy lifestyles to children and their families.

Design: Written questionnaires were sent to 1100 Victorian OSHC programs to collect information about the services, foods and activities offered to children, the training and resources utilised by staff and the type of information sent home to parents/guardians.

Subjects: A total of 426 Victorian OSHC coordinators completed questionnaires in the present descriptive study (39% response rate).

Setting: Out of school hours care provides care for 5–12 years olds before school, after school and/or during school holidays.

Results: Over 80% of coordinators reported offering fruit, breads, cereals, and milk and dairy products. One-third offer vegetables as part of meals or snacks. One-third reported offering cakes, biscuits and/or slices, and chips and/or pastries. About 17% reported offering water, whereas 24% reported offering cordial/soft drinks and fruit juice. Cooking was offered as an after-school activity by about half of those surveyed. Active games were common (62%) as were indoor active games and sports (36%). Sedentary activities were also commonplace (37–51%). Only about 30% of OSHC coordinators had participated in nutrition and/or physical activity training in the previous two years. Few OSHC programs sent home health information to parents/guardians.

Conclusion and application: Opportunities exist to help Victorian OSHC programs with nutrition and physical activity information, resources and training. Although the findings of the present study are specific to Victoria, they highlight the potential role of the growing OSHC sector to help improve the health of Australian children.

The health watch case - control study of leukemia and benzene:the story so far

A case–control study nested in the Health Watch cohort of petroleum industry workers, investigated whether the excess of lymphohematopoetic cancers, identified among male members of the Health Watch cohort, was associated with benzene exposure. Cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (n=31),multiple myeloma (n=15), and leukemia (n=33)were identified between 1981 and 1999. Cases were age-matched to five controls. Exposure was retrospectively estimated for each occupational history using an algorithm in a relational database. Benzene exposure measurements, supplied by Australian petroleum companies, were used to estimate exposure for specific tasks. The tasks carried out within the job, the products handled, and the technology used,were identified from interviews with contemporary colleagues. More than half of the subjects started work after 1965 and had an average exposure period of 20 years. Exposure was low, 85% of the cumulative exposure estimates were<10 ppm years. Matched analyses showed that non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma were not associated with benzene exposure. Leukemia risk, however, was significantly increased for the subjects with greater than 16 ppm years cumulative exposure, odds ratio (OR) 51.9 (5.6–477) or with greater than 0.8 ppm intensity of highest exposed job. Cumulative exposures were similar to those found in comparable studies.The inclusion of occasional high exposures, for example, as a result of spillages, reduced the ORs, when the exposure was treated as either a continuous or a categorical variable. Our data demonstrate a strong association between leukemia and modest benzene exposure. The choice of cut-point and reference group has a marked effect on the ORs, but does not change the overall conclusions.

`Out on the borderlands`: Time, generation and personal agency in women`s lives

What tools can we use in attempting to understand the recurring patterns of some girls’ early school leaving and consequent exclusion from well-paid employment? From which disciplinary fields can we take them? Using Bourdieu’s concept of the ‘scholastic point of view’ - the inherent intellectual bias of a discipline, in his case sociology - as a springboard, we suggest that if one turns to different ‘fields’, approaches might be found which point towards differing perspectives. This article brings Bourdieu into dialogue with the work of feminist historians and their conceptual tools. Carolyn Steedman’s notion of the politics of envy and Sally Alexander’s appropriation from psychoanalysis of the idea of repetition offer generative ways of exploring the ‘unthought categories of thought which delimit the thinkable and predetermine the thought’ (Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992: 40). In their focus on gender, they have much in common with feminist sociologists’ responses to Bourdieu’s work, suggesting that a gendered ‘perspective’ offers a way of avoiding the ‘singular viewpoint’ inherent in any one discipline.

Functional status after bloodstream infection : the survivors' trajectory

There is very little information about the quality of survival for patients after bacterial and fungal bloodstream infections. This study aimed to describe the functional status and level of activities of daily living for a group of survivors of these infections. A prospective exploratory design was used to track adults for 6 months after onset of infection. Survivors were assessed for reduced or full health status. Telephone interviews, using the London Handicap Scale and the Sickness Impact Profile, provided self-assessed functional status for those able to participate; 165 adults were tracked. Before infection, only 25% of adults had an active malignancy and one-tenth required a high level of assistance with activities of daily living. Six months after infection, half of survivors had reduced health and many had not returned to their normal functional activity level. There was considerable continued reduced health in survivors, demonstrating that not only do bloodstream infections result in high short-term mortality but also in considerable longer term morbidity and profound alteration in functional health status for many survivors.

Recolonisation of powerline corridor vegetation by small mammals : timing and the influence of vegetation management

Powerline corridors through forested ecosystems have been criticised due their potential to fragment the landscape and facilitate the intrusion of undesirable species into natural areas. This study investigates the effects of vegetation management (slashing), on: (1) timing of small mammal recolonisation; (2) vegetation characteristics that drive small mammal responses; and (3) the point where corridor resources are sufficient to provide functional habitat for native species. Small mammal trapping was undertaken within Bunyip State Park, Australia, across three sites, once a month from January 2001 to May 2002 and every 2 months thereafter until January 2004. Changes in vegetation around each trap station were assessed annually in the forest and bi-annually in the corridor. Principal components analysis on the vegetation structural complexity values produced factors for use in species abundance models. Native small mammal species recolonised the corridor 1.5–3.5 years after management and the corridor supported a breeding population of small mammals around 2.5 years post-management. Males however, generally recolonised the corridor first, resulting in a sex-biased population in these areas. Species corridor habitat models for five native and one introduced species suggested cover and shelter were more important in determining corridor use than plant species per se. Powerline corridors have the potential to create a mixture of different successional stages, enhancing habitat availability for many species. However, the intensity of current management needs to be reduced and an integrated approach to management needs to be undertaken if powerline corridors are to continuously provide habitat for native small mammal species.

The effect of water deprivation on the tonicity responsive enhancer binding protein (TonEBP) and TonEBP-regulated genes in the kidney of the spinifex hopping mouse, Notomys alexis

In desert rodents, the production of concentrated urine is essential for survival in xeric environments in order to conserve water. Reabsorption of water in the kidney is dependent on large osmotic gradients in the renal medulla. This causes the renal cells to be bathed in a hypertonic extracellular fluid that can compromise cellular function. In response to hypertonicity, kidney cells accumulate compatible, non-ionic osmolytes that lower the ionic strength within the cells to isotonic levels by replacing intracellular ionic electrolytes. The tonicity-responsive enhancer binding protein (TonEBP) is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of genes that encode proteins that catalyse the accumulation of compatible osmolytes. We investigated the expression of TonEBP mRNA and protein and compatible osmolyte genes in the Spinifex hopping mouse, Notomys alexis, an Australian desert rodent that produces a highly concentrated urine. TonEBP mRNA expression was unchanged after 3 days of water deprivation but was significantly increased after 7 and 14 days of water deprivation. Immunohistochemistry showed that during water deprivation TonEBP had translocated from the cytoplasm into the nucleus of cells in the renal medulla and papilla. In addition, 3, 7 and 14 days of water deprivation caused a significant increase in aldose reductase (AR), myo-inositol (SMIT), betaine/GABA (BGT-1) and taurine (TauT) transporter mRNA expression, which is indicative of an increase in TonEBP activity. In desert rodents, TonEBP regulation of gene transcription is probably an important mechanism to protect renal cells in the face of the large corticomedullary gradient that is required to concentrate urine and conserve water.

Features of public open spaces and physical activity among children : findings from the CLAN study

Objective : To examine associations between features of public open spaces, and children's physical activity.
Participants : 163 children aged 8–9 years and 334 adolescents aged 13–15 years from Melbourne, Australia participated in 2004.
Methods : A Geographic Information System was used to identify all public open spaces (POS) within 800 m of participants' homes and their closest POS. The features of all POS identified were audited in 2004/5. Accelerometers measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after school and on weekends. Linear regression analyses examined associations between features of the closest POS and participants' MVPA.
Results : Most participants had a POS within 800 m of their home. The presence of playgrounds was positively associated with younger boys' weekend MVPA (B = 24.9 min/day; p ≤ 0.05), and lighting along paths was inversely associated with weekend MVPA (B = − 54.9 min/day; p ≤ 0.05). The number of recreational facilities was inversely associated with younger girls' MVPA after school (B = − 2.6 min/day; p ≤ 0.05) and on the weekend (B = − 8.7 min/day; p ≤ 0.05). The presence of trees providing shade (5.8 min/day, p ≤ 0.01) and signage regarding dogs (B = 6.8 min/day, p ≤ 0.05) were positively associated with adolescent girls' MVPA after school.
Conclusion : Certain features of POS were associated with participants' MVPA, although mixed associations were evident. Further research is required to clarify these complex relationships.

Clinical placement and rurality of career commencement : a pilot study

This article reports on a project that aimed to discover whether rural placement can influence new graduates to take up rural positions, and what factors play a role in the decision-making. This pilot study reports the findings from a pre-survey of students (n = 110) who completed a questionnaire at the end of their rural placement in the Greater Green Triangle region, Australia. Findings are compared with matched questionnaire responses for students who subsequently completed a post-survey after graduation and who commenced work (n = 28). Rural placement appears to be associated with commencing rural practice after graduation. More graduates with an urban home address commenced rural practice than graduates with a rural home address who started their careers in the city. Longer placements may sway those with a city background to start work in a rural area.

Effect of carotenoids and background colour on the skin pigmentation of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Three 2-factor experiments were conducted to determine the effects of background colour and synthetic carotenoids on the skin colour of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus. Initially, we evaluated the effects on skin colour of supplementing diets for 50 days with 60 mg kg⁻¹ of either astaxanthin (LP; Lucantin^®Pink), canthaxanthin (LR; Lucantin^® Red), apocarotenoic acid ethyl ester (LY; Lucantin^® Yellow), selected combinations of the above or no carotenoids and holding snapper (mean weight=88 g) in either white or black cages. In a second experiment, all snapper (mean weight=142 g) from Experiment 1 were transferred from black to white, or white to white cages to measure the short-term effects of cage colour on skin L*, a* and b* colour values. Skin colour was measured after 7 and 14 days, and total carotenoid concentrations were determined after 14 days.

Cage colour was the dominant factor affecting the skin lightness of snapper with fish from white cages much lighter than fish from black cages. Diets containing astaxanthin conferred greatest skin pigmentation and there were no differences in redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values between snapper fed 30 or 60 mg astaxanthin kg⁻¹. Snapper fed astaxanthin in white cages displayed greater skin yellowness than those in black cages. Transferring snapper from black to white cages increased skin lightness but was not as effective as growing snapper in white cages for the entire duration. Snapper fed astaxanthin diets and transferred from black to white cages were less yellow than those transferred from white to white cages despite the improvement in skin lightness (L*), and the total carotenoid concentration of the skin of fish fed astaxanthin diets was lower in white cages. Diets containing canthaxanthin led to a low level of deposition in the skin while apocarotenoic acid ethyl ester did not alter total skin carotenoid content or skin colour values in snapper.

In a third experiment, we examined the effects of dietary astaxanthin (diets had 60 mg astaxanthin kg⁻¹ or no added carotenoids) and cage colour (black, white, red or blue) on skin colour of snapper (mean weight=88 g) after 50 days. Snapper fed the astaxanthin diet were more yellow when held in red or white cages compared with fish held in black or blue cages despite similar feed intake and growth. The skin lightness (L* values) was correlated with cage L* values, with the lightest fish obtained from white cages. The results of this study suggest that snapper should be fed 30 mg astaxanthin kg⁻¹ in white cages for 50 days to increase lightness and the red colouration prized in Australian markets.

Cage colour and post-harvest K+ concentration affect skin colour of Australian snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

In an attempt to improve post-harvest skin colour in cultured Australian snapper Pagrus auratus, a two-factor experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of a short-term change in cage colour before harvest, followed by immersion in K⁺-enriched solutions of different concentrations. Snapper supplemented with 39 mg unesterified astaxanthin kg⁻¹ for 50 days were transferred to black (for 1 day) or white cages (for 1 or 7 days) before euthanasia by immersing fish in seawater ice slurries supplemented with 0, 150, 300, 450 or 600 mmol L⁻¹ K⁺ for 1 h. Each treatment was replicated with five snapper (mean weight=838 g) held individually within 0.2 m³ cages. L*, a* and b* skin colour values of all fish were measured after removal from K⁺ solutions at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. After immersion in K⁺ solutions, fish were stored on ice. Both cage colour and K⁺ concentration significantly affected post-harvest skin colour (P<0.05), and there was no interaction between these factors at any of the measurement times (P>0.05). Conditioning dark-coloured snapper in white surroundings for 1 day was sufficient to significantly improve skin lightness (L*) after death. Although there was no difference between skin lightness values for fish held for either 1 or 7 days in white cages at measurement times up to 12 h, fish held in white cages for 7 days had significantly higher L* values (i.e. they were lighter) after 24 and 48 h of storage on ice than those held only in white cages for 1 day. K⁺ treatment also affected (improved) skin lightness post harvest although not until 24 and 48 h after removal of fish from solutions. Before this time, K⁺ treatment had no effect on skin lightness. Snapper killed by seawater ice slurry darkened (lower L*) markedly during the first 3 h of storage in contrast with all K⁺ treatments that prevented darkening. After 24 and 48 h of storage on ice, fish exposed to 450 and 600 mmol L⁻¹ K⁺ were significantly lighter than fish from seawater ice slurries. In addition, skin redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) were strongly dependent on K⁺ concentration. The initial decline in response to K⁺ was overcome by a return of a* and b* values with time, most likely instigated by a redispersal of erythrosomes in skin erythrophores. Fish killed with 0 mmol L⁻¹ K⁺ maintained the highest a* and b* values after death, but were associated with darker (lower L*) skin colouration. It is concluded that a combination of conditioning snapper in white surroundings for 1 day before harvest, followed by immersion in seawater ice slurries supplemented with 300–450 mmol L⁻¹ K⁺ improves skin pigmentation after >24 h of storage on ice.