The effect of community interventions on alcohol-related assault in Geelong, Australia

Alcohol has consistently been demonstrated to increase levels of aggression and violence, particularly in late night licensed venues. Since 2005, the City of Geelong in Australia has implemented a substantial number of interventions to reduce alcohol related violence, including a liquor accord, increased police surveillance, ID scanners, CCTV, a radio network and an alcohol industry sponsored social marketing campaign. The aim of the current study is to assess the individual and collective impact of community interventions on indicators of alcohol-related assaults in the Geelong region. This paper reports stage one findings from the Dealing with Alcohol-related problems in the Night-time Economy project (DANTE) and specifically examines assault rate data from both emergency department presentations, ICD-10 classification codes, and police records of assaults. None of the interventions were associated with reductions in alcohol-related as-sault or intoxication in Geelong, either individually or when combined. However, the alcohol industry sponsored social marketing campaign ‘Just Think’ was associated with an increase in assault rates. Community level interventions appeared to have had little effect on assault rates during high alcohol times. It is also possible that social marketing campaigns without practical strategies are associated with increased assault rates. The findings also raise questions about whether interventions should be targeted at reducing whole-of-community alcohol consumption.

Enabling construction innovation : The role of a no-blame culture as a collaboration behavioural driver in project alliances

A no-blame culture is widely accepted as a collaboration driver yet we see surprisingly scant literature on the theoretical underpinnings for the construction and project management context. A no-blame culture in project alliances, as conducted in Australasia, promotes innovative thinking in action. Innovation is dependent upon collaboration and true collaboration is inextricably linked with behavioural drivers. Foremost of these is a culture of openness and willingness to share the pain and gain from experimentation, one that requires that collaborators be protected from the threat of being blamed and held accountable for experimental failure. The Australasian project alliance procurement form has a unique 'no-blame' behavioural contract clause that can result in the type of breakthrough thinking crucial in developing a collaborative culture where innovation can evolve through a process of trial and error. © 2014 Taylor & Francis.

Psychosocial predictors of antiracist bystander action toward indigenous Australians

Racism toward Indigenous people remains a social problem in Australian culture, and racial abuse is part of that social problem. In this research, we investigated whether internal and external motivations, being open-minded, and having racist attitudes predicted the intention to engage in bystander action in support of Indigenous Australians in situations deemed low- and high-risk to personal safety. A total of 168 non-Indigenous community participants completed an anonymous online survey in Perth, Western Australia. In the low-risk scenario, low levels of racism, high internal motivation, and openness predicted the intention to engage in bystander action. In the high-risk scenario, participants with lower levels of racism and being female were more likely to engage in bystander action in support of Indigenous Australians. Coupled with previous research in the field, our findings suggest that internalized values relating to antiracist sentiments are significant predictors of antiracist bystander action.

Protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a web-based healthy relationship tool and safety decision aid for women experiencing domestic violence (I-DECIDE)

BACKGROUND: Domestic violence is a serious problem affecting the health and wellbeing of women globally. Interventions in health care settings have primarily focused on screening and referral, however, women often may not disclose abuse to health practitioners. The internet offers a confidential space in which women can assess the health of their relationships and make a plan for safety and wellbeing for themselves and their children. This randomised controlled trial is testing the effectiveness of a web-based healthy relationship tool and safety decision aid (I-DECIDE). Based broadly on the IRIS trial in the United States, it has been adapted for the Australian context where it is conducted entirely online and uses the Psychosocial Readiness Model as the basis for the intervention. METHODS/DESIGN: In this two arm, pragmatic randomised controlled trial, women who have experienced abuse or fear of a partner in the previous 6 months will be computer randomised to receive either the I-DECIDE website or a comparator website (basic relationship and safety advice). The intervention includes self-directed reflection exercises on their relationship, danger level, priority setting, and results in an individualised, tailored action plan. Primary self-reported outcomes are: self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale) immediately after completion, 6 and 12 months post-baseline; and depressive symptoms (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Revised, 6 and 12 months post-baseline). Secondary outcomes include mean number of helpful actions for safety and wellbeing, mean level of fear of partner and cost-effectiveness. DISCUSSION: This fully-automated trial will evaluate a web-based self-information, self-reflection and self-management tool for domestic violence. We hypothesise that the improvement in self-efficacy and mental health will be mediated by increased perceived support and awareness encouraging positive change. If shown to be effective, I-DECIDE could be easily incorporated into the community sector and health care settings, providing an alternative to formal services for women not ready or able to acknowledge abuse and access specialised services. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registered on 15(th) December 2014 with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614001306606.

Who wants safer cities? Perceptions of public safety and attitudes to migrants among China's urban population

Most extant research in the economics of crime literature has focused on explaining variations in crime rates. Public action to prevent crime, however, is often dependent on the level of concern about public safety that is expressed in public perceptions surveys. The economics of crime literature has largely overlooked responses to such surveys as data sources and therefore it has not accounted for the role that public opinion might have in mobilizing public action against crime. We use a unique survey administered in 2003 in 32 Chinese cities to examine the determinants of perceptions of public safety among China's urban population. One of our major findings is that individuals who have a negative perception of rural-urban migrants living in their city have a poor perception of public safety. We also find that the unemployment rate, the masculinity ratio and expenditure on armed police in the city in which the individual resides, whether the individual lives in the coastal region as opposed to the central or western region and average changes in housing prices and average changes in rental prices in the city in which the individual lives are important predictors of perceptions of public safety. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adolescent substance use and educational attainment: an integrative data analysis comparing cannabis and alcohol from three Australasian cohorts

BACKGROUND: The relative contributions of cannabis and alcohol use to educational outcomes are unclear. We examined the extent to which adolescent cannabis or alcohol use predicts educational attainment in emerging adulthood. METHODS: Participant-level data were integrated from three longitudinal studies from Australia and New Zealand (Australian Temperament Project, Christchurch Health and Development Study, and Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study). The number of participants varied by analysis (N=2179-3678) and were assessed on multiple occasions between ages 13 and 25. We described the association between frequency of cannabis or alcohol use prior to age 17 and high school non-completion, university non-enrolment, and degree non-attainment by age 25. Two other measures of alcohol use in adolescence were also examined. RESULTS: After covariate adjustment using a propensity score approach, adolescent cannabis use (weekly+) was associated with 1½ to two-fold increases in the odds of high school non-completion (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.09-2.35), university non-enrolment (OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.06-2.13), and degree non-attainment (OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.36-2.81). In contrast, adjusted associations for all measures of adolescent alcohol use were inconsistent and weaker. Attributable risk estimates indicated adolescent cannabis use accounted for a greater proportion of the overall rate of non-progression with formal education than adolescent alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: Findings are important to the debate about the relative harms of cannabis and alcohol use. Adolescent cannabis use is a better marker of lower educational attainment than adolescent alcohol use and identifies an important target population for preventive intervention.

Relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to young adulthood

Abstract Background. Heavy episodic drinking (HED) has been associated with increased risk for short- and long-term injury and harms, such as violence and delinquent behaviour; however, the temporal relationship between the two remains unclear, pathways between HED and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Methods. Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project; a population-based longitudinal study that has followed the health and development of participants (and parents) across 30 years from birth in 1982.The analytic sample was 1650 participants and included five measurement waves spanning adolescence (3 waves: 13–18 years) and young adulthood (2 waves; 19–24 years). Results. There was strong continuity across waves of both HED and delinquency, as well as across-time associations between them. Delinquent behaviour in adolescence was associated with up to twofold increases in the odds of HED at each subsequent adolescent wave. HED in the late teens was associated with over fourfold increases in the odds of persistent (two waves) HED in young adulthood. HED in the late teens was associated with increases in the odds of delinquent behaviour in young adulthood (over twofold for male and one and a half-fold for female participants). Conclusions. While delinquent behaviour predicts both future HED and future delinquent behaviour in adolescence, once young people reach the legal drinking age of 18 years, HED becomes a predictor of current and future delinquent behaviour and future HED, suggesting that increased access to alcohol increases the likelihood of young people engaging in delinquent behaviour. [Miller PG, Butler E, Richardson B, Staiger PK, Youssef GJ, Macdonald JA, Sanson A, Edwards B, Olsson CA. Relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to young adulthood. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015]

Improving the implementation of responsible alcohol management practices by community sporting clubs: A randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Despite an increased prevalence of risky alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm among members of sporting groups and at sporting venues, sporting clubs frequently fail to implement alcohol management practices consistent with liquor legislation and best practice guidelines. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a multi-strategy intervention in improving the implementation of responsible alcohol management practices by sports clubs. DESIGN AND METHODS: A randomised controlled trial was conducted with 87 football clubs, with half randomised to receive a multi-strategy intervention to support clubs to implement responsible alcohol management practices. The 2-year intervention, which was based on implementation and capacity building theory and frameworks, included project officer support, funding, accreditation rewards, printed resources, observational audit feedback, newsletters, training and support from state sporting organisations. Interviews were undertaken with club presidents at baseline and post-intervention to assess alcohol management practice implementation. RESULTS: Post-intervention, 88% of intervention clubs reported implementing '13 or more' of 16 responsible alcohol management practices, which was significantly greater than the proportion of control groups reporting this level of implementation (65%) [odds ratio: 3.7 (95% confidence interval: 1.1-13.2); P = 0.04]. All intervention components were considered highly useful and three-quarters or more of clubs rated the amount of implementation support to be sufficient. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The multi-strategy intervention was successful in improving alcohol management practices in community sports clubs. Further research is required to better understand implementation barriers and to assess the long-term sustainability of the change in club alcohol management practices.

Action research in a remote district in Papua New Guinea: final report

This project investigated whether action research could be used to address ‘grassroots’ community problems in a remote district of PNG. The research team introduced, supported and researched the implementation of a pilot action research project from April to November 2015 in Abau, Central Province. The project was funded by the Australian Government and commissioned through the Economic and Public Sector Program (EPSP) managed by Coffey. The action research participants comprised people from throughout Abau with interests in women’s and gender equity issues from community groups and agencies in the district. The action research teams developed evidence-based understandings of the causes and consequences of the problems that they were addressing through their actions. The research team provided each participant with a mobile phone connected to a ‘common user group’ (CUG). This enabled each participant unlimited phone calls and SMS messaging to other participants and to the research team. The research team sent weekly sets of SMS messages to all participants to assist their action research work. The use of mobile phones to support action research in remote communities was an important element of both facilitating the action research and of the research on the pilot project itself. With such knowledge they were strengthened in purpose and intention to help their own community. This suggests that an extension of this work in other remote areas of PNG may be successful.

The human side of project management - an investigation of critical chain concepts in the Argentinean Project Environment

The global marketplace is rapidly intensifying. Longer product sales lives, greater profit margins or simply survival, is dependent on management¿s ability to create and lead change. Project Management has become an important competency, combined with other business practices to adapt to the trend of changing conditions. Critical Chain is a relatively new project methodology, elaborated by Eliyahu Goldratt in order to complete projects faster, make more efficient use of resources and securing the project deliverables. The methodology is based on the assumption that traditional project techniques such as CPM and PERT, do not recognize critical human behavior. The methodology claims that many project failures are a direct result of how safety is built into the task delivery times, and then wasted by human behavior such as Student Syndrome, Parkinson Law and Multitasking. However, there has been little or no previous research regarding this topic in the Argentine marketplace. This study intended to investigate to what extent the human behavior concepts of critical chain project management are present, by performing in-depth interviews with Argentine project stakeholders. It appears that the four human behavior concepts are present in Argentina and that the majority of Argentine companies are yet to apply project management techniques.

Policiamento comunitário no amazonas: ações implementadas e a percepção dos atores envolvidos

Este trabalho tem como objetivo descrever o policiamento comunitário, correlacionando com as ações implementadas no Amazonas, e analisando a percepção dos atores envolvidos no sistema de segurança pública sobre este modelo. As experiências internacionais e nacionais demonstram que a adoção deste modelo requer mudanças estruturais, administrativas e organizacionais. A participação comunitária é uma das principais características deste modelo. O sistema de segurança pública do Amazonas ainda não adota integralmente o modelo comunitário, apesar de constar em seu projeto de revitalização procedimentos semelhantes ao modelo, como interação entre a polícia civil e militar e instalação dos Conselhos Interativos Comunitários de Segurança Pública, embora estes não estejam regulados legalmente. Um fator importante neste processo diz respeito à percepção dos atores envolvidos que necessitam ter uma visão ampla sobre a atuação policial. As entrevistas realizadas com os atores envolvidos no sistema de segurança pública demonstram que o atual modelo não atende as expectativas tanto da sociedade quanto da própria instituição. O policiamento comunitário é visto como alternativa capaz de auxiliar na melhoria do sistema.

Potentialities of two solventless extraction approaches—Stir bar sorptive extraction and headspace solid-phase microextraction for determination of higher alcohol acetates, isoamyl esters and ethyl esters in wines

A stir bar sorptive extraction with liquid desorption followed by large volume injection coupled to gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry (SBSE-LD/LVI-GC–qMS) was evaluated for the simultaneous determination of higher alcohol acetates (HAA), isoamyl esters (IsoE) and ethyl esters (EE) of fatty acids. The method performance was assessed and compared with other solventless technique, the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in headspace mode (HS). For both techniques, influential experimental parameters were optimised to provide sensitive and robust methods. The SBSE-LD/LVI methodology was previously optimised in terms of extraction time, influence of ethanol in the matrix, liquid desorption (LD) conditions and instrumental settings. Higher extraction efficiency was obtained using 60 min of extraction time, 10% ethanol content, n-pentane as desorption solvent, 15 min for the back-extraction period, 10 mL min−1 for the solvent vent flow rate and 10 °C for the inlet temperature. For HS-SPME, the fibre coated with 50/30 μm divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) afforded highest extraction efficiency, providing the best sensitivity for the target volatiles, particularly when the samples were extracted at 25 °C for 60 min under continuous stirring in the presence of sodium chloride (10% (w/v)). Both methodologies showed good linearity over the concentration range tested, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.984 for HS-SPME and 0.982 for SBES-LD approach, for all analytes. A good reproducibility was attained and low detection limits were achieved using both SBSE-LD (0.03–28.96 μg L−1) and HS-SPME (0.02–20.29 μg L−1) methodologies. The quantification limits for SBSE-LD approach ranging from 0.11 to 96.56 μg L−and from 0.06 to 67.63 μg L−1 for HS-SPME. Using the HS-SPME approach an average recovery of about 70% was obtained whilst by using SBSE-LD obtained average recovery were close to 80%. The analytical and procedural advantages and disadvantages of these two methods have been compared. Both analytical methods were used to determine the HAA, IsoE and EE fatty acids content in “Terras Madeirenses” table wines. A total of 16 esters were identified and quantified from the wine extracts by HS-SPME whereas by SBSE-LD technique were found 25 esters which include 2 higher alcohol acetates, 4 isoamyl esters and 19 ethyl esters of fatty acids. Generally SBSE-LD provided higher sensitivity with decreased analysis time.

A oficina como método de desenvolvimento de projeto do produto aplicado à atividade jangadeira de Ponta Negra Natal-RN

The jangadas (brazilian fishing rafts) are rudimentary artisanal vessels intrinsic to the Northeast of Brazil. The fishery with jangadas is highly representative in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, and source of income for many families in addition to being a strong cultural icon. Is still alive despite the difficulties, bringing the history and customs of the fishermen and their people. However, is in process of extinction due to factors such as the low profitability of the activity, tourism and urbanization. From the understanding of activity involving their context and circumstances, based on identified problems regarding the conditions of use of jangadas as the unpredictability, the risk of accidents, poor working conditions, hygiene and housing, this dissertation aims to: analyzing the design of the jangada on the beach of Ponta Negra and its relationship with the activity in relation to health, safety, productivity and environment, and from such assessments, together with the results achieved during the workshops of the project, proposing a cart to move the raft, adapted to the local fisherman activity studied. To perform analysis of jangadeira activity, we used a methodology based on ergonomic work analysis - AET (WISNER, 1987; GUÈRIN, 2001; VIDAL, 2008, SALDANHA, 2004 and Carvalho, 2005). For data collection were used observational and interaction methods as a conversational action, verbalizations, photographs and video. It is emphasized that the search for solutions appropriate to the jangadeira activity was possible through the collaboration of several people, not just an informational level and understanding during the work activity, but effectively contributing to the making decisions

Um Estudo de Politicas e Práticas do uso do GNV no transporte público urbano do Brasil

The use of Natural Gas Vehicle has had a fast increase lately. However, in order to have a continuous success this Program needs to develop converting devices of Otto-cycle engines, gasoline or alcohol, to the use of NGV (Natural Gas Vehicle) that presents low cost, maintaining the same original development of the vehicle and low level of emissions, considering the PROCONVE rules. Due to the need to diversify the matrix in order to avoid energetic dependence and due to strict pollution control, it has increased in the Brazilian market the number of vehicles converted to the use of NGV. The recent regulation of the PROCONVE, determining that the converted engines with kits should be submitted to emission testing, comes to reinforce the necessity of the proposed development. Therefore, if we can obtain kits with the characteristics already described, we can reach a major trust in the market and obtain an increase acceptance of the vehicle conversion for NGV. The use of natural gas as vehicle fuel presents several advantages in relation to liquid fuels. It is a vehicle fuel with fewer indexes of emissions when compared to diesel; their combustion gases are less harmful, with a major level of safety than liquid fuels and the market price is quite competitive. The preoccupation that emerges, and the motivation of this project, is to know which are the main justifications for such technology, well accepted in other countries, with a low index or emission, with a high level of safety, where its maintenance becomes low, reminding that for this it is necessary that this technology has to be used properly, and once available in the market will not motivate interest in the urban transportation companies in Brazil, in research centers in general. Therefore this project exists to show the society in a general way the current vision of the main governmental factors, of the national research centers and of the private companies concerning the use of natural gas vehicles in urban transport vehicles, in order to give a major reliability to the population as well as to motivate national market competitiveness with a low cost and reliable product and to enrich the national technology

Potential and costs for the production of electrolytic hydrogen in alcohol and sugar cane plants in the central and south regions of Brazil

This project verified the potential for the production of hydrogen via water electrolysis by using the exceeding electrical energy resultant from alcohol and sugar plants that use sugar cane bagasse as fuel. The studies were carried out in cogeneration plants authorized by the Electrical Energy National Agency (ANEEL). The processing history of sugar cane considered was based on the 2006/2007 harvests. The total bagasse produced, electrical energy generated and exceeding electrical energy in a year were calculated. It was obtained an average energy consumption value of 5.2 kWh Nm(-3) and the hydrogen production costs regarding the amount of sugar cane processed that ranged from US$ 0.50 to US$ 0.75 Nm(-3). The results pointed that the costs for the production of hydrogen via the bagasse exceeding energy are close to the production costs that use other sources of energy. As the energy generated from the bagasse is a renewable one, this alternative for the production of hydrogen is economical and environmentally viable. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.