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Gender by Preferred Gambling Activity in Treatment Seeking Problem Gamblers: A Comparison of Subgroup Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes
No full textAuthor version made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication [April 25 2016] in accordance with publisher copyright policy. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10899-016-9614-x.Background: Problem gambling is a growing public health concern and treatment incompletion levels remain high. The study aims to support and extend previous studies in relation to the heterogeneity of the gambling population based on gender and gambling type, and the implications of subgroup differences on treatment outcomes. Additionally, the concept of drop-out is addressed in terms of categorical treatment measures. The empirical findings are examined in the context of the theoretical framework of the pathways model.
Methods: Participants were recruited from the Statewide Gambling Therapy Service and stratified into subgroups based on gender and gambling mode preference (Electronic Gambling Machines
[EGM] or track race betters). Baseline predictors collected and analysed using multinomial logistical regression included demographic information as well as gambling variables, while treatment outcomes consisted of three therapist rated measures.
Results: Significant differences between the subgroups were found for age, marital and employment status, gambling duration, alcohol use and the Kessler 10 measure of psychological distress. Specifically, male track race gamblers were younger, married, employed, had a longer duration of gambling, higher alcohol use and lower psychological distress relative to EGM users. No difference was found in any of the treatment outcomes, however, consistent with previous studies, all subgroups had high treatment incompletion levels.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the importance of screening, assessing and treating problem gamblers as a heterogeneous group with different underlying demographics and psychopathologies. It is also hoped future studies will continue to address treatment incompletion with a re-conceptualisation of the term drop-out
Conjecture: A Possible nnΛ Resonance
No full textThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.We address the question of whether there might exist a resonance in the nnΛ system, using a rank one separable potential formulation of the Hamiltonian. We explore the eigenvalues of the kernel of the Faddeev equation in the complex energy plane using contour rotation to allow us to analytically continue the kernel onto the second energy sheet. We follow the largest eigenvalue as the nΛ potentials are scaled and the nnΛ continuum is turned into a resonance and then into a bound state of the system
Tethered and Polymer Supported Bilayer Lipid Membranes: Structure and Function
No full textThis article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Solid supported bilayer lipid membranes are model systems to mimic natural cell
membranes in order to understand structural and functional properties of such systems. The use
of a model system allows for the use of a wide variety of analytical tools including atomic
force microscopy, impedance spectroscopy, neutron reflectometry, and surface plasmon resonance
spectroscopy. Among the large number of different types of model membranes polymer-supported
and tethered lipid bilayers have been shown to be versatile and useful systems. Both systems consist
of a lipid bilayer, which is de-coupled from an underlying support by a spacer cushion. Both systems
will be reviewed, with an emphasis on the effect that the spacer moiety has on the bilayer properties
The Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus and Panton-Valentine Leucocidin (pvl) in Central Australia, 2006-2010
No full textOpen Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to
the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver
(http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background: The Central Australian Indigenous population has a high incidence of Staphylococcus aureus
bacteremia (SAB) but little is known about the local molecular epidemiology.
Methods: Prospective observational study of bacteremic and nasal colonizing S.aureus isolates between June 2006
to June 2010. All isolates underwent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping and testing for the
presence of the Panton-Valentine Leucocidin (pvl) gene.
Results: Invasive isolates (n = 97) were predominantly ST93 (26.6 %) and pvl positive (54.3 %), which was associated
with skin and soft tissue infections (OR 4.35, 95 % CI 1.16, 16.31). Non-multiresistant MRSA accounted for 31.9 % of
bacteremic samples and showed a trend to being healthcare associated (OR 2.16, 95 % CI 0.86, 5.40). Non-invasive
isolates (n = 54) were rarely ST93 (1.9 %) or pvl positive (7.4 %).
Conclusions: In Central Australia, ST93 was the dominant S.aureus clone, and was frequently pvl positive and
associated with an aggressive clinical phenotype. Whether non-nasal carriage is more important with invasive
clones or whether colonization occurs only transiently remains to be elucidated
Southgate digital equity tool
No full textMade available with permission from author and publisher.The Southgate Digital Equity Tool has been developed to assist policy makers and practitioners in making informed decisions about the way they engage consumers in services and programs in the digital era. Initially developed for use by health organisations, the tool can be adapted for use by any organisation to guide thinking around the impact of traditional and digital communication on different client/consumer/population groups, with a focus on the impact of shifting to, or increasing, digital engagement with them. The basis for the tool is the assumption that digital engagement strategies will impact on client/consumer groups differently, with a differential impact on intended outcomes, especially on accessibililty of services, information and participation. The tool can be used to examine one strategy or a set of communication strategies which address a particular issue, a geographic area, a group or a population.
Part 1 is a Workbook and Part 2 is a Guide to assist in completing the Workbook, including descriptions and examples.
The digital equity tool can help you and your organisation to examine:
(1) The current mix of communication and engagement modes across a certain service or issue;
(2) A proposed change in this mix;
(3) The impact of a change in mix retrospectively;
(4) Mitigation strategies to limit negative impacts
A Comparison of Sound Levels in Open Plan Versus Pods in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
No full textAuthor version made available in accordance with publisher copyright policy.OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this study was to compare the noise levels recorded in two different neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings: a pod and an open plan NICU located in the same hospital.
BACKGROUND:
The NICU is a busy environment with ambient noise levels that often exceed established recommendations. This noise deleteriously affects the physiological stability and developmental outcomes of sick and preterm infants. Pods have reduced numbers of cots (in this case, 6) compared to open plan NICUs (in this case, 11), yet the noise levels in pods have not been reported.
METHOD:
This study compared real-time decibel (dB) levels in an A-weighted scale, captured continuously by sound dosimeters mounted in both NICU settings for a period of 4 weeks: a pod setting and an open plan NICU. Researchers also collected observational data.
RESULTS:
The average noise level recorded in the pod was 3 dBs less than in the open plan NICU. This result was statistically significant. However, dB recordings in both areas were over the recommended limits by 4-6 dBs, with isolated peaks between 74.5 dBs (NICU) and 75.9 dBs (pod). Observational data confirmed this correlation.
CONCLUSIONS:
Further research to evaluate interventions to decrease the noise levels in both settings are needed, especially during times of peak activity. Staff working in these settings need to be more aware that control of acoustic levels is important in the neuroprotection of neonates. Coupling this with careful consideration to structural components and evidence-based design planning may contribute to lowering dB levels in the NICU environment
Targeting Endothelial Adhesion Molecule Transcription for Treatment of Inflammatory Disease: A Proof-of-Concept Study
No full textThis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Targeting the endothelial adhesion molecules that control leukocyte trafficking into a tissue has been explored as a biological therapy for inflammatory diseases. However, these molecules also participate in leukocyte migration for immune surveillance, and inhibiting the physiological level of an adhesion molecule might promote infection or malignancy. We explored the concept of targeting endothelial adhesion molecule transcription during inflammation in a human system. Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) mediates leukocyte migration across the retinal endothelium in noninfectious posterior uveitis. We observed an increase in the transcription factor, nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells 1 (NF-κB1), in parallel with ICAM-1, in human retinal endothelial cells treated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and identified putative binding sites for NF-κB1 within the ICAM-1 regulatory region. We targeted induced NF-κB1 expression in endothelial cells with small interfering (si)RNA. Knockdown of NF-κB1 significantly decreased cell surface expression of ICAM-1 protein induced by TNF-α but did not reduce constitutive ICAM-1 expression. Consistently, NF-κB1 knockdown significantly reduced leukocyte binding to cell monolayers in the presence of TNF-α but did not impact baseline binding. Findings of this proof-of-concept study indicate that induced transcription of endothelial adhesion molecules might be targeted therapeutically for inflammatory disease in humans
Diversification rates and phenotypic evolution in venomous snakes (Elapidae)
No full textPublished by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.The relationship between rates of diversification and of body size change (a common proxy for phenotypic evolution) was investigated across Elapidae, the largest radiation of highly venomous snakes. Time-calibrated phylogenetic trees for 175 species of elapids (more than 50% of known taxa) were constructed using seven mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Analyses using these trees revealed no evidence for a link between speciation rates and changes in body size. Two clades (Hydrophis, Micrurus) show anomalously high rates of diversification within Elapidae, yet exhibit rates of body size evolution almost identical to the general elapid ‘background’ rate. Although correlations between speciation rates and rates of body size change exist in certain groups (e.g. ray-finned fishes, passerine birds), the two processes appear to be uncoupled in elapid snakes. There is also no detectable shift in diversification dynamics associated with the colonization of Australasia, which is surprising given that elapids appear to be the first clade of venomous snakes to reach the continent
Review of The Beautiful Anxiety by Jill Jones
No full textReview of The Beautiful Anxiety by Jill Jones