Review of direct measurement of inner prosthesis loading in transfemoral amputation: Potential benefits for evidence-based practice

The understanding of the load applied on the residuum through the prosthesis of individuals with transfemoral amputation (TFA) is essential to address a number of concerns that could strongly reduce their quality of life (e.g., residuum skin lesion, prosthesis fitting, alignment). This inner prosthesis loading could be estimated using a typical gait laboratory relying on inverse dynamics equations. Alternative, technological advances proposed over the last decade enabled direct measurement of this kinetic information in a broad variety of situations that could potentially be more relevant in clinical settings. The purposes of this presentation are (A) to review the literature about recent developments in measure and analyses of inner prosthesis loading of TFA, and (B) to extract information that could potentially contribute to a better evidence-based practice.

Predicting intentions and behaviours in populations with or at-risk of diabetes: A systematic review

Purpose To systematically review the Theory of Planned Behaviour studies predicting self-care intentions and behaviours in populations with and at-risk of diabetes. Methods A systematic review using six electronic databases was conducted in 2013. A standardised protocol was used for appraisal. Studies eligibility included a measure of behaviour for healthy eating, physical activity, glucose monitoring, medication use (ii) the TPB variables (iii) the TPB tested in populations with diabetes or at-risk. Results Sixteen studies were appraised for testing the utility of the TPB. Studies included cross-sectional (n=7); prospective (n=5) and randomised control trials (n=4). Intention (18% – 76%) was the most predictive construct for all behaviours. Explained variance for intentions were similar across cross-sectional (28 -76%); prospective (28 -73%); and RCT studies (18 - 63%). RCTs (18 - 43%) provided slightly stronger evidence for predicting behaviour. Conclusions Few studies tested predictability of the TPB in populations with or at-risk of diabetes. This review highlighted differences in the predictive utility of the TPB suggesting that the model is behaviour and population specific. Findings on key determinants of specific behaviours contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms of behaviour change and are useful in designing targeted behavioural interventions for different diabetes populations.

Book review: "Hip Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization’ by Ian Condry, Durham: Duke University Press

Had it been published a decade earlier, Hip-hop Japan might have been cited as a good example of the kind of multi-sited ethnography George Marcus (1998) proposes. Hip-hop Japan is a critical study of cultural globalisation. It presents as much theoretical interpretation, discussions of Japanese popular culture in general, and reviews of formulations of the Japanese self by Japanese scholars, as it does of Japanese hip-hop per se. In fact, the latter is relatively thinly described, as Condry’s project is to demonstrate how Japanese hip-hop’s particularities are made up from a mix of US hip-hop, Japanese modes of fandom, contestatory uses of the Japanese language and the specific logics of the Japanese popular music recording industry. The book journeys into these worlds as much as it does into the world of Japanese hip-hop.

Book review: Politics and the media in twenty-first century Indonesia: Decade of democracy

This is the third (but first edited) volume in Sen and Hill’s corpus on Indonesian media. An anthology built from contributions to a 2006 workshop, it is necessarily more fragmented than the editors’ earlier monographs. While this fragmented character helps to evoke a fractured context, it also makes for unwieldiness...

Licensing system in Oman and literature review. Report to the Research Council of Oman, Muscat

This document reviews the existing literature in the area of novice driver behaviour and the impact of Graduated Driver Licencing (GDL) as a key response to young driver management. The document focuses on consolidating the available research evidence and identifying existing gaps in the current knowledge. The chapter reviews novice driver crash risk, the factors that influence novice driver behaviour, countermeasures used to address the problem, the learner phase, the provisional phase, The Australian example of GDL, compliance with the road laws and parental involvement in the GDL process...

Book Review: "Below the Line: Producers and Production Studies in the New Television Economy by Vicki Mayer", Duke University Press, 2012

Vicki Mayer’s book is unusual in that, despite its title, it is not about television producers at all, or at least not in the sense that scholars and the television industry itself have traditionally understood the role. Rather than referring to those in creative, managerial or financial control, or those with substantial intellectual input into a program, Mayer uses the term in a deliberately broad sense to mean, essentially, anyone ‘whose labor, however small, contributes to [television] production’ (179).

Emergency department models of care in the context of care quality and cost: A systematic review

To identify current ED models of care and their impact on care quality, care effectiveness, and cost. A systematic search of key health databases (Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane, EMbase) was conducted to identify literature on ED models of care. Additionally, a focused review of the contents of 11 international and national emergency medicine, nursing and health economic journals (published between 2010 and 2013) was undertaken with snowball identification of references of the most recent and relevant papers. Articles published between 1998 and 2013 in the English language were included for initial review by three of the authors. Studies in underdeveloped countries and not addressing the objectives of the present study were excluded. Relevant details were extracted from the retrieved literature, and analysed for relevance and impact. The literature was synthesised around the study's main themes. Models described within the literature mainly focused on addressing issues at the input, throughput or output stages of ED care delivery. Models often varied to account for site specific characteristics (e.g. onsite inpatient units) or to suit staffing profiles (e.g. extended scope physiotherapist), ED geographical location (e.g. metropolitan or rural site), and patient demographic profile (e.g. paediatrics, older persons, ethnicity). Only a few studies conducted cost-effectiveness analysis of service models. Although various models of delivering emergency healthcare exist, further research is required in order to make accurate and reliable assessments of their safety, clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.

Book Review: "Gender and Global Justice edited by Alison M. Jaggar, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2014"

Hidden aspects of assumed gender-neutral global policies and transnational institutions that have “systematically disparate and often burdensome consequences for specific groups of women in both the global North and the global South” (10) are the focus of Gender and Global Justice edited by Alison M Jagger. In response to the frequent neglect of gender in considerations of moral philosophy in global issues, the chapters assembled in this edited collection highlight the manifold ways in which our attention to a broad range of questions of justice at a global level is enhanced by close attention to the gendered dimensions of injustice and inequality.

Links between unlicensed and unregistered driving: Literature review. Report to Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads

Vehicle registration represents an important component of the management of the road transport system in Queensland, with most vehicles required to be registered before they can be driven or parked on a public road (Department of Transport and Main Roads, 2010b). In addition to the collection of taxes for road construction and maintenance, the current registration system also: • Sets the safety standards required for vehicles to be allowed on public roads; • Allows driver behaviour to be managed by identifying vehicles, and the responsible owners of vehicles, for enforcement purposes; and • Facilitates the collection of insurance premiums for the Queensland Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance scheme.

A comparison of methods to estimate the extent of unlicensed driving: Literature review. Final report to Queensland Transport

Unlicensed driving is a serious problem in many countries, despite ongoing improvements in traffic law enforcement practices and technology. The term ‘unlicensed driver' is generally used to refer to people who operate a motor vehicle or motorcycle without a valid driver's licence, including those who: • have let their licence expire; • have been disqualified or suspended from driving; • hold an inappropriate class of licence for the vehicle they drive; • drive outside the restrictions of a special licence; • don’t currently hold a licence; or • have never held a licence.

Crash involvement patterns of unlicensed drivers: Literature review. Report to Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads

There is a lack of definitive evidence available relating to the extent and nature of unlicensed driving. Analysis of the crash involvement of unlicensed drivers provides an opportunity to better understand the behaviours of this group. This paper reviews the available literature relating to crash involvement patterns of unlicensed drivers. Key areas discussed include the prevalence of unlicensed driving as indicated by studies of crashes involving this group and associations between unlicensed driving and higher levels of risk-taking on the road. This paper also notes differences found in the characteristics and on-road behaviour of unlicensed drivers and the degree to which these factors, in particular alcohol and drug misuse, may influence crash involvement patterns. Drawing on Australian and international studies, this paper consolidates the available research evidence and identifies gaps in current knowledge relating to crash involvement patterns of unlicensed drivers.

Three-dimensional printing in the construction industry: A review

3D printing (3Dp) has long been used in the manufacturing sector as a way to automate, accelerate production and reduce waste materials. It is able to build a wide variety of objects if the necessary specifications are provided to the printer and no problems are presented by the limited range of materials available. With 3Dp becoming cheaper, more reliable and, as a result, more prevalent in the world at large, it may soon make inroads into the construction industry. Little is known however, of 3Dp in current use the construction industry and its potential for the future and this paper seeks to rectify this situation by providing a review of the relevant literature. In doing this, the three main 3Dp methods of contour crafting, concrete printing and D-shape 3Dp are described which, as opposed to the traditional construction method of cutting materials down to size, deliver only what is needed for completion, vastly reducing waste. Also identified is 3Dp’s potential to enable buildings to be constructed many times faster and with significantly reduced labour costs. In addition, it is clear that construction 3Dp can allow the further inclusion of Building Information Modelling into the construction process - streamlining and improving the scheduling requirements of a project. However, current 3Dp processes are known to be costly, unsuited to large-scale products and conventional design approaches, and have a very limited range of materials that can be used. Moreover, the only successful examples of construction in action to date have occurred in controlled laboratory environments and, as real world trials have yet to be completed, it is yet to be seen whether it can be it equally proficient in practical situations. Key Words: 3D Printing; Contour Crafting; Concrete Printing; D-shape; Building Automation.

Final Report: University of Technology, Sydney Student Feedback Survey Review

This evaluation was commissioned by Martin Hanlon, Director of the Planning and Quality Unit of the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) to investigate the Student Feedback Survey (SFS) system, engagement in stakeholder feedback and provide recommendations against the Terms of Reference.

Synthesis of organoclays: A critical review and some unresolved issues

The synthesis of organoclays (OC) by intercalation of quaternary ammonium cation (QAC) into expanding clay minerals, notably montmorillonite (Mt), has attracted a great deal of attention during the past two decades. The OC have also found applications in the manufacture of clay polymer nanocomposites (CPN) and environmental remediation. Despite the wealth of information that exists on the formation and properties of OC, some problems remain to be resolved. The present contribution is an attempt at clarifying two outstanding issues, based on the literature and experimental data obtained by the authors over the past years. The first issue concerns the relationship between the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the Mt and the basal spacing of the OC which, in turn, is dependent on the concentration and the nature of the added QAC. At a concentration less than 1 CEC, organo-Mt (OMt) formed using the QAC with a short alkyl chain length with nc < 16 (e.g., dodecyl trimethylammonium) gives basal spacings of 1.4–1.6 nm that are essentially independent of the CEC. However, for long-chain QAC with nc ≥ 16 (e.g., hexadecyl trimethylammonium), the basal spacing varies with the QAC concentration. For Mt with a CEC of 80–90 meq/100 g, the basal spacing of the OC increases gradually with the CEC and shows a sudden (stepwise) increase to 3.2–3.8 nm at a QAC concentration of 1.5 CEC and to 3.5–4.0 nm at a concentration of 2.0 CEC. The second issue pertains to the “locking” effect in QAC- and silane-modified pillared interlayered clays (PILC) and Mt. For silylated Mt, the “locking” effect results from the covalent bonding of silane to two adjacent layers within a single clay mineral particle. The same mechanism can operate in silane-grafted PILC but in this case, the “locking” effect may primarily be ascribed to the pillaring of adjacent basal surfaces by metal hydr(oxides).