Modified texture menu analysis

Lower energy and protein intakes are well documented in patients on texture modified diets. In acute hospital settings, the provision of appropriate texture modified foods to meet industry standards is essential for patient safety and nutrition outcomes. The texture modified menu at an acute private hospital was evaluated in accordance with their own nutritional standards (NS) and Australian National Standards (Dietitians Association of Australia and Speech Pathology Australia, 2007). The NS documents portion sizes and nutritional requirements for each menu. Texture B and C menus were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively over 9 days of a 6 day cyclic menu for breakfast (n=4), lunch (n=34) and dinner (n=34). Results indicated a lack of portion control, as specified by the NS, across all meals including breakfast (65–140%), soup (55–115%), meat (45–165%), vegetables (55–185%) and desserts (30–300%). Dilution factors and portion sizes influenced the protein and energy availability of Texture B & C menus. While the Texture B menu provided more energy, neither menu met the NS. Limited dessert options on the Texture C menu restricted the ability of this menu to meet protein NS. A lack of portion control and menu items incorrectly modified can compromise protein and energy intakes. Strategies to correct serving sizes and provision of alternate protein sources were recommended. Suggestions included cost-effectively increasing the variety of foods to assist protein and energy intake and the procurement of standardised equipment and visual aids to assist food preparation and presentation in accordance with texture modified guidelines and the NS.

Vapour phase assembly of a halogen bonded complex of an isoindoline nitroxide and 1,2-diiodotetrafluorobenzene

Vapour phase assembly has been used for the first time to prepare co-crystals in which the primary intermolecular interaction is halogen bonding. Co-crystals of the nitroxide 1,1,3,3-tetramethylisoindolin-2-yloxyl (TMIO) and 1,2-diiodotetrafluorobenzene (1,2-DITFB) are readily formed under standard sublimation conditions. Single crystal X-ray diffraction confirmed the structure of a 2:2 cyclic tetramer, (TMIO)2·(1,2-DITFB)2, which exhibits a new halogen bonding motif, with each nitroxide oxygen atom accepting two halogen bonds. Powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the homogeneity of the bulk sample. The crystalline complex was further characterized in the solid state using thermal analysis and vibrational spectroscopy (infrared and Raman). Density functional theory calculations were also used to evaluate the enthalpy of formation, electrostatic potential and unpaired electron density of the complex. These findings illustrate the preparation of co-crystals where solution state methodology is problematic and the potential of this approach for the formation of novel organic spin systems.

What health problems overcrowd hospital emergency departments in Queensland and has this changed over time? A case study of two hospitals in Queensland 2001 - 2009

Aim: to describe what health problems patients attending emergency department with and whether this changed over time. Methods: Electronic data was retrieved from EDIS (Emergency Department Information System) and HBCIS (Hospital Based Clinical Information System) in two hospitals in Queensland in the period 2001-2009. The ICD-10 code of patient's diagnosis was then extrapolated and then group into ICD-10 chapters, such that the health problem can be presented. Results: Among the specific health problems, Chapter XIX 'Injury and poisoning' ranked number one consistently (ranging from 22.1% to 31.2% of the total presentations) in both the urban and remote hospitals in Queensland. The top ten specific presenting health problems in both the urban and remote hospital include Chapter XI 'Digestive system', Chapter XIV 'Genitourinary system', Chapter IX 'Circulatory system', and Chapter XIII 'Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue'. Chapter X 'Respiratory system' made the top ten presenting Chapters in both hospitals, but ranked much higher (number four consistently for the eight years, ranging from 6.8% to 8.3%) in the remote hospital. Chapter XV 'Pregnancy childbirth and puerperium' made to the top ten in the urban hospital only while Chapter XII 'Skin and subcutaneous tissue', Chapter I 'Infectious and parasitic diseases' made the top ten in the remote hospital only. Conclusion: The number one health problem presenting to both the urban and remote hospitals in Queensland is Chapter XIX 'Injury and poisoning', and it did not change in the period 211 - 2009.

Communications materials on methods of development of revenue and cost estimates to non-technical audiences

This CDROM includes PDFs of presentations on the following topics: "TXDOT Revenue and Expenditure Trends;" "Examine Highway Fund Diversions, & Benchmark Texas Vehicle Registration Fees;" "Evaluation of the JACK Model;" "Future highway construction cost trends;" "Fuel Efficiency Trends and Revenue Impact"

Impact of opening a new emergency department on healthcare service and patient outcomes : analyses based on linking ambulance, emergency and hospital databases

Background Emergency department (ED) crowding caused by access block is an increasing public health issue and has been associated with impaired healthcare delivery, negative patient outcomes and increased staff workload. Aim To investigate the impact of opening a new ED on patient and healthcare service outcomes. Methods A 24-month time series analysis was employed using deterministically linked data from the ambulance service and three ED and hospital admission databases in Queensland, Australia. Results Total volume of ED presentations increased 18%, while local population growth increased by 3%. Healthcare service and patient outcomes at the two pre-existing hospitals did not improve. These outcomes included ambulance offload time: (Hospital A PRE: 10 min, POST: 10 min, P < 0.001; Hospital B PRE: 10 min, POST: 15 min, P < 0.001); ED length of stay: (Hospital A PRE: 242 min, POST: 246 min, P < 0.001; Hospital B PRE: 182 min, POST: 210 min, P < 0.001); and access block: (Hospital A PRE: 41%, POST: 46%, P < 0.001; Hospital B PRE: 23%, POST: 40%, P < 0.001). Time series modelling indicated that the effect was worst at the hospital furthest away from the new ED. Conclusions An additional ED within the region saw an increase in the total volume of presentations at a rate far greater than local population growth, suggesting it either provided an unmet need or a shifting of activity from one sector to another. Future studies should examine patient decision making regarding reasons for presenting to a new or pre-existing ED. There is an inherent need to take a ‘whole of health service area’ approach to solve crowding issues.

Hydrogen-bonding in the structures of the 1:1 salts of isonipecotamide with a set of four polyfunctional monocyclic heteroaromatic carboxylic acids

The crystal structures of the 1:1 proton-transfer compounds of isonipecotamide (piperidine-4-carboxamide) with the monocyclic heteroaromatic carboxylic acids, isonicotinic acid, picolinic acid, dipicolinic acid and pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid have been determined at 200 K and their hydrogen-bonding patterns examined. The compounds are respectively anhydrous 4-carbamoylpiperidinium pyridine-4-carboxylate (1), the partial hydrate 4-carbamoylpiperidinium pyridine-2-carboxylate 0.25 water (2), the solvate 4-carbamoylpiperidinium 6-carboxypyridine-2-carboxylate methanol monosolvate (3), and anhydrous 4-carbamoylpiperidinium 3-carboxypyrazine-2-carboxylate (4). In compounds 1 and 3, hydrogen-bonding interactions give two-dimensional sheet structures which feature enlarged cyclic ring systems, while in compounds 2 and 4, three-dimensional structures are found. The previously described cyclic R2/2(8) hydrogen-bonded amide-amide dimer is present in 2 and 3. The hydrogen-bonding in 2 involves the partial-occupancy water molecule while the structure of 4 is based on inter-linked homomolecular hydrogen-bonded cation-cation and anion-anion associated chains comprising head-to-tail interactions. This work further demonstrates the utility of the isonipecotamide cation in the generation of chemically stable hydrogen-bonded systems, particularly with aromatic carboxylate anions, providing crystalline solids.

Emergency department in hospitals, a window of the world : a preliminary comparison between Australia and China

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to make a preliminary comparison of emergency department (ED) presentations between Australia and China. The comparison could provide insights into the health systems and burden of diseases and potentially stimulate discussion about the development of acute health system in China. METHODS: An observational study was performed to compare Australian ED presentations using data obtained from a single adult tertiary-referral teaching hospital in metropolitan Brisbane against Chinese ED presentations using public domain information published in existing Chinese and international medical journals. RESULTS: There are major differences in ED presentations between Australia and China. In 2008, 1) 35.4% of patients arrived at a tertiary teaching hospital ED in Brisbane, Australia by ambulance; 2) 1.7% were treated for poisoning; 3) 1.4% for cerebral vascular disease; 4) 1.7% for cardiac disease; and 5) 42.6% for trauma. The top events diagnosed were mental health problems including general psychiatric examination, psychiatric review, alcohol abuse, and counselling for alcohol abuse, which accounted for 5.5% of all ED presentations. Among ED patients in China, 6.7% arrived at a tertiary teaching hospital by ambulance in Shenyang in 1997; 3.7% were treated for poisoning in Shanxi Zhouzhi County People's Hospital ED in 2006; 14.9% for cerebral vascular diseases at Qinghai People's Hospital ED in 1993-1995; 1.7% for cardiac diseases at the Second People's Hospital ED, Shenzhen Longgang in 1993; and 44.3% for trauma at Shanxi Zhouzhi County People's Hospital ED in 2006. The top events were trauma and poisoning among the young and cerebral infarction in the older population. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with Australian, Chinese ED patients had 1) lower ambulance usage; 2) higher proportion of poisoning; 3) higher proportion of cerebral vascular diseases; 4) similar proportion of cardiac disease; 5) similar proportion of trauma; and 6) little reported mental health problems. Possible explanations for these differences in China include a pay for service pre-hospital care system, lack of public awareness about poisons, inadequate hypertension management, and lack of recognition of mental health problems.

Isopropyl 2,2-bis(4-bromophenyl)-2-hydroxyacetate

In the structure of the title compound C17H16Br2O3, which is a restricted commercial acaricide (common name bromopropylate), has two independent and conformationally similar molecules in the asymmetric unit [dihedral angle between the planes of the two phenyl rings in each, 68.7(4) and 77.4(5)deg]. The C-atoms of the isopropyl group of one of the molecules are disordered over two sites with occupancies of 0.638 and 0.362. Minor non-merohedral twinning was also present in the crystal. Intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the hydroxy groups and carboxyl O-atom acceptors give separate centrosymmetric homodimers through cyclic hydrogen-bonding motifs [graph set R2/2(10)].

More is not necessarily better. A biomechanical study on distal screw numbers in volar locking distal radius plates

INTRODUCTION: Currently available volar locking plates for the treatment of distal radius fractures incorporate at least two distal screw rows for fixation of the metaphyseal fragment and have a variable-angle locking mechanism which allows placement of the screws in various directions There is, however no evidence that these plates translate into better outcomes or have superior biomechanical properties to first generation plates, which had a single distal screw row and fixed-angle locking. The aim of our biomechanical study was to compare fixed-angle single-row plates with variable-angle multi-row plates to clarify the optimal number of locking screws. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five different plate-screw combinations of three different manufacturers were tested, each group consisting of five synthetic fourth generation distal radius bones. An AO type C2 fracture was created and the fractures were plated according to each manufacturer's recommendations. The specimens then underwent cyclic and load-to-failure testing. An optical motion analysis system was used to detect displacement of fragments. RESULTS: No significant differences were detected after cyclic loading as well as after load-to-failure testing, neither in regard to axial deformation, implant rigidity or maximum displacement. The fixed-angle single-row plate showed the highest pre-test rigidity, least increase in post-testing rigidity and highest load-to-failure rigidity and least radial shortening. The radial shortening of plates with two distal screw rows was 3.1 and 4.3 times higher, respectively, than that of the fixed-angle single-row plate. CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicate that two distal screw rows do not add to construct rigidity and resistance against loss of reduction. Well conducted clinical studies based on the findings of biomechanical studies are necessary to determine the optimal number of screws necessary to achieve reproducibly good results in the treatment of distal radius fractures.

Compass points : the locations, landscapes and coordinates of identities in contemporary performance making : proceedings of the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama & Performance Studies (ADSA) Conference 2012

Compass Points: The Locations, Landscapes and Coordinates of Identities' the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies (ADSA) Conference 2012 was held at Queensland University of Technology, July 3-6 2012. The Conference was sponsored by the Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies (ADSA), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Ian Potter Foundation, Arts Queensland, La Boite Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre Company. The papers selected for this collection represent a small sample of the scope, depth and diversity of scholarship presented at the conference - they cover a range of genres, cultures and contexts in contemporary performance making from autobiography, to playwrighting, to public space performance and beyond. The papers collected have been peer-reviewed to Australia’s Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) standards - each has been subject to two blind reviews, followed by acceptance, rejection or revision, and editing of accepted papers - by colleagues from Australasia and overseas. The review process for the conference publication was separate from the review process for acceptance of abstracts for the actual conference presentations. The conference convenors, Bree Hadley and Caroline Heim, edited the collection, and would like to thank all those who gave their time to advise on the peer review process and act as reviewers - Tom Burvill, Christine Comans, Sean Edgecomb, Angela Campbell, Natalie Lazaroo, Jo Loth, Meg Mumford, Ulrike Garde, Laura Ginters, Andre Bastian, Sam Trubridge, Delyse Ryan, Georgia Seffrin, Gillian Arrighi, Rand Hazou, Rob Pensalfini, Sue Fenty-Studham, Mark Radvan, Rob Conkie, Kris Plummer, Lisa Warrington, Kate Flaherty, Bryoni Tresize, Janys Hayes, Lisa Warrington, Teresa Izzard, Kim Durban, Veronica Kelly, Adrian Keirnander, James Davenport, Julie Robson and others. We, and the authors, appreciate the rigour and care with which peers have approached the scholarship presented here. This collection was published in final form on July 3rd 2012, the first day of the ADSA Conference 2012.

Community-based asylum seekers’ use of primary health care services in Melbourne

Objective: To investigate primary health care service utilisation and health presentations among asylum seekers living in Melbourne. Design and setting: Retrospective audit of files of people who attended three Melbourne asylum-seeker health clinics between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2006. Main outcome measures: Rates of reasons for the encounter, diagnostic tests or investigations required, treatments prescribed and referrals. Results: Data were collected from 998 consultations corresponding to 341 people. Eighty-eight per cent of visits involved people with no Medicare access, owing to their visa status. The most common reasons for the encounter were general and unspecified symptoms or problems (rate, 59.9 per 100 encounters; 95% CI, 55–65), followed by musculoskeletal conditions (27.1; 95% CI, 24–30), and psychological problems (26.5; 95% CI, 23–30). The rate of referrals was 18.3 per 100 encounters (95% CI, 16–21). Conclusions: The three clinics providing services to asylum seekers in Melbourne are delivering care to a considerable number of people with complex health needs. A substantial number of asylum seekers present to clinics with psychological and social problems. Most cannot access government-subsidised health care. This must be addressed urgently by policy change at the federal and state and territory levels.

The Australian screen producer: Understanding screen production cultures in a period of industrial transition [Abstract]

The screen producer plays a vital role in shaping the creative, commercial and entrepreneurial dimensions of production. And yet Australian film history is most often presented as an appreciation of film directors or an examination of industrial governance measures. On the other hand, public funding agencies in Australia have, for the most part, supported independent film and television production as a producer-led, or producer-as-auteur production system, and as such the producer has played a critical role in shaping the broader independent production landscape. In recent years, fundamental changes to distribution and consumption practices have had a major impact on the nature of screen production. Screen producers are increasingly migrating into emerging online, transmedia and cross-media production; generating both opportunities and challenges for traditional producers. However, the production cultures and motivations of producers operating in these emergent spaces remain poorly understood. This presentation will focus on the largely unremarked role of the producer in Australian screen scholarship. It will explore the ways in which the practice of screen producing is evolving and the migratory pathways of traditional producers moving into digital/new media production. The presentation’s primary findings are drawn from the 2011 Australian Screen Producer Survey; a national study of the activities of Australian screen producers conducted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI), Queensland University of Technology, with support from the Centre for Screen Business /Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). From longitudinal analysis, the presentation will compare and contrast data from the 2009 and 2011 survey across film, television, corporate production and new media industry segments. In so doing the presentation will delineate the practices, attitudes, strategies, and aspirations of screen producers operating in a convergent digital media marketplace and suggest ways forward for a more industrially cognisant approach to screen history.

Interactive conference voting

We describe and analyze opinion polling results from interactive voting procedures undertaken before and after presentations during the Outcome Measures in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials Conference (OMERACT II) in Ottawa, Canada, June 30-July 2, 1994. The scoring procedure was a matched voting design; when a participant used the same keypad at the beginning and end of voting, change within a participant could be estimated. Participants, experienced in the rheumatic diseases included clinicians, researchers, methodologists, regulators, and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry. Patients under consideration were those with any rheumatic diseases. Questions were constructed to evaluate the change in voting behavior expected from the content of the presentation. Statistically significant and substantively important changes were evident in most questions.

A yellow filter improves response times to low-contrast targets and traffic hazards

Purpose Anecdotal evidence suggests that some sunglass users prefer yellow tints for outdoor activities, such as driving, and research has suggested that such tints improve the apparent contrast and brightness of real-world objects. The aim of this study was to establish whether yellow filters resulted in objective improvements in performance for visual tasks relevant to driving. Methods Response times of nine young (age [mean ± SD], 31.4 ± 6.7 years) and nine older (age, [mean ± SD], 74.6 ± 4.8) adults were measured using video presentations of traffic hazards (driving hazard perception task) and a simple low-contrast grating appeared at random peripheral locations on a computer screen. Response times were compared when participants wore a yellow filter (with and without a linear polarizer) versus a neutral density filter (with and without a linear polarizer). All lens combinations were matched to have similar luminance transmittances (˜27%). Results In the driving hazard perception task, the young but not the older participants responded significantly more rapidly to hazards when wearing a yellow filter than with a luminance-matched neutral density filter (mean difference, 450 milliseconds). In the low-contrast grating task, younger participants also responded more quickly for the yellow filter condition but only when combined with a polarizer. Although response times increased with increasing stimulus eccentricity for the low-contrast grating task, for the younger participants, this slowing of response times with increased eccentricity was reduced in the presence of a yellow filter, indicating that perception of more peripheral objects may be improved by this filter combination. Conclusions Yellow filters improve response times for younger adults for visual tasks relevant to driving.

Bear With Me

This project investigates musicalisation and intermediality in the writing and devising of composed theatre. Its research question asks “How does the narrative of a musical play differ when it emerges from a setlist of original songs?”, the aim being to create performance event that is neither music nor theatre. This involves composition of lyrics, music, action and spoken text, projected image: gathered in a script and presented in performance. Scholars such as Kulezic-Wilson(in Kendrick, L and Roesner, D 2011:34) outline the acoustic dimension to the ‘performative turn’ (Mungen, Ernst and Bentzweizer, 2012) as heralding “…a shift of emphasis on how meaning is created (and veiled) and how the spectrum of theatrical creation and reception is widened.” Rebstock and Roesner (2012) capture approaches similar to this, building on Lehmann’s work in the post-dramatic under the new term ‘composed theatre’. This practice led research draws influence from these new theoretical frames, pushing beyond ‘the musical’. Springing from a set of original songs in dialogue with performed narrative, Bear with Me is a 45 minute music driven work for children, involving projected image and participatory action. Bear with Me’s intermedial hybrid of theatrical, screen and concert presentations shows that a simple setlist of original songs can be the starting point for the structure of a complex intermedial performance. Bear with Me was programmed into the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s Out of the Box Festival. It was first performed in the Tony Gould Gallery at the Queensland in June 2012. The season sold out. A masterclass on my playwriting methodology was presented at the Connecting The Dots Symposium which ran alongside the festival.