A comparison of self-report and performance-based measures of physical function in older adults

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the associations between perceived quality of life (QOL)and self-report and performance-based measures of function. An additional purpose of this thesis was to determine whether the afore-mentioned tests could differentiate between independent-living and assisted-living older adults. A total of 36 residents, independent-living (n=22) and assisted-living (n=14), of a continuing care retirement community (age range=65-94) completed the study. Perceived QOL was assessed using the SF-36 and Nottingham Health Profile. The Barthel Index and Functional Status Index (FSI) were used to assess Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Physical function was measured using the reduced Continuous Scale-Physical Functional Performance test (CS-PFP 10). Test/retest data (n=10) revealed good stability of the CS-PFP 10 items (ICCs=0.91-0.99). There were significant associations with age and both ADLs and the CS-PFP 10 composite score. There were also significant associations with dwelling status and both the individual tasks and composite score of the CS-PFP 10 and ADLs, but not with perceived QOL (except for NHP-PM). The scarves and composite score of the CS-PFP 10 were related to the physical composite score of the SF-36 (p\u3c.005). In addition, the FSI pain and difficulty indicators were also closely asssociated with the SF-36 PCS score (p\u3c.05). Multiple regression of these predictors on the SF-36 PCS score revealed that the scarves and FSI pain indicator items provide a strong model of the PCS component of the SF-36 (F=9.51, p\u3c.001). The results of this investigation suggest that the combination of objective and subjective measures of function are associated with the perceived physical aspects of QOL in older adults

Higher order intentionality tasks are cognitively more demanding

A central assumption that underpins much of the discussion of the role played by social cognition in brain evolution is that social cognition is unusually cognitively demanding. This assumption has never been tested. Here, we use a task in which participants read stories and then answered questions about the stories in a behavioural experiment (39 participants) and an fMRI experiment (17 participants) to show that mentalising requires more time for responses than factual memory of a matched complexity and also that higher orders of mentalising are disproportionately more demanding and require the recruitment of more neurons in brain regions known to be associated with theory of mind, including insula, posterior STS, temporal pole and cerebellum. These results have significant implications both for models of brain function and for models of brain evolution

Scaling up Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Programs: National and State Interventions in Australia

Australia has one of the world's largest systematic, government-funded diabetes prevention programs. This chapter describes a federally-funded national program, a state-funded program in Victoria and an implementation trial in New South Wales. A coincidence of events, influential individuals and policy directions has led to these initiatives

Hands-on Computer Use in Science Classrooms: The Skeptics Are Still Waiting

Frank Collea was a friend of Robert Fuller and David Brooks, and a mentor to Brooks. We miss him for his energy, his enthusiasm for teaching science, and his perception about how to improve science education. Frank Collea was not a big fan of using computers in instruction. Frank was neither an advocate of using computers to deliver instruction, nor an advocate of teaching their use as professional tools. Indeed, he thought that most of those of us who advocate computer use make assertions that are unwarranted. A decade ago, desktop computers were beginning to appear in colleges and universities in small numbers, and we began to explore their use (Sowell and Fuller, 1990). Since then, our thinking has changed substantially, moving away from having computers serve as patient teachers of the classical curriculum, and toward using them as professional tools—to extend, to magnify, to expand, and to enhance human reasoning. This article deals with the issues related to students learning to use computers as such professional tools. Two qualitative data sources inform this paper. The first is a recent doctoral dissertation consisting of a case study of a ‘mathematical methods in physics’ course that incorporated the use of Maple™* software (Runge, 1997). The other is an evaluation of a new undergraduate course, ‘multimedia physics,’ that sought to integrate mathematics and physics content, and involved the use of many media forms (Pytlik Z. and Spiegel, 1997)

Iceberg Alley, East Antarctic Margin: Continuously laminated diatomaceous sediments from the late Holocene

A 24-meter jumbo piston core (NBP0101 JPC41) collected from an inner shelf basin in Iceberg Alley reveals an approximately 2000-year history of unusually high primary productivity. Iceberg Alley, an ~ 85 km long and 10–20 km wide cross-shelf trough on the Mac.Robertson Shelf, East Antarctica, reaches depths of 850 m and is bounded on either side by shallow banks that are lined with grounded icebergs. The sediments are laminated on a mm- to cm-scale throughout and are highly biosiliceous. Microscopic examination of smear slides, quantitative diatom slides, and sediment thin sections reveals that the sediments are visually dominated by the diatom Corethron pennatum, a large and lightly silicified species notable for its long and narrow shape; the valves, girdle bands and spines are all exceptionally well-preserved, suggesting rapid sedimentation. Other common species include sea ice-related Fragilariopsis, such as F. curta and F. cylindrus, with lesser contribution from other large diatoms, including Rhizosolenia spp. and Chaetoceros Ehrenberg subg. Chaetoceros. Chaetoceros Ehrenberg subg. Hyalochaete Gran resting spores, typically associated with large early-season blooms and common in many laminated sedimentary sections around the Antarctic margin, are surprisingly rare. Laminae with any significant terrigenous component are also very rare. Individual laminations appear to represent blooms, and in some cases sub-seasonal events are likely preserved. We suggest that this productive system is associated with the continuous presence of low-salinity meltwater derived from a combination of sea ice melt and grounded icebergs, which may be a source for a steady supply of micronutrients such as iron to the surface mixed layer

Life! in Australia : translating prevention research into a large scale intervention

The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes is of great public health concern. In the state of Victoria, Australia, a group-based lifestyle intervention programme, Life! &ndash; Taking Action on Diabetes, was developed for people over the age of 50 years who are at high risk of diabetes. It aims to reduce the risk of diabetes by providing practical skills, including goal setting and problem solving, to encourage participants to adopt a healthy diet and active lifestyle. The programme is delivered by specially trained facilitators who have undergone an accredited three-stage training programme. A quality assurance process is also in place to ensure that it is delivered to a consistently high standard. The Life! programis a direct progression from the Finnish randomised controlled trial and the Greater Green Triangle Diabetes Prevention Project implementation trial. This paper describes how a diabetes prevention programme was implemented at a state-wide level and the training of facilitators to conduct the group sessions. Future studies are needed to examine the cost effectiveness and development of specific programmes for diverse population groups.<br /

Developmental control of convergent floral pigmentation across evolutionary timescales

Convergent phenotypic evolution has been widely documented across timescales, from populations, to species, to major lineages. The extent to which convergent phenotypes arise from convergent genetic and developmental mechanisms remains an open question, although studies to-date reveal examples of both similar and different underlying mechanisms. This variation likely relates to a range of factors, including the genetic architecture of the trait and selective filtering of mutations over time. Here we focus on floral pigmentation, and examine the degree of developmental convergence between white-flowered lineages and white morphs within pigmented species. Using the model clade Iochrominae, we find that white morphs and white-flowered species are biochemically convergent, sharing an absence of colorful anthocyanin pigments. Regression analyses suggest that the expression levels of upstream genes are the strongest drivers of total pigmentation across species, although white species also show sharp down-regulation of the downstream genes. The white morphs do not share this pattern and present overall expression profiles more similar to the pigmented species. These results suggest that the mechanisms underlying variation within populations differ from those which give rise to fixed differences between species. Future work will aim to uncover the genetic changes responsible for this developmental non-convergence.</p

Implementation salvage experiences from the Melbourne diabetes prevention study

Background Many public health interventions based on apparently sound evidence from randomised controlled trials encounter difficulties when being scaled up within health systems. Even under the best of circumstances, implementation is exceedingly difficult. In this paper we will describe the implementation salvage experiences from the Melbourne Diabetes Prevention Study, which is a randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness nested in the state-wide Life! Taking Action on Diabetes program in Victoria, Australia.Discussion The Melbourne Diabetes Prevention Study sits within an evolving larger scale implementation project, the Life! program. Changes that occurred during the roll-out of that program had a direct impact on the process of conducting this trial. The issues and methods of recovery the study team encountered were conceptualised using an implementation salvage strategies framework. The specific issues the study team came across included continuity of the state funding for Life! program and structural changes to the Life! program which consisted of adjustments to eligibility criteria, referral processes, structure and content, as well as alternative program delivery for different population groups. Staff turnover, recruitment problems, setting and venue concerns, availability of potential participants and participant characteristics were also identified as evaluation roadblocks. Each issue and corresponding salvage strategy is presented.Summary The experiences of conducting such a novel trial as the preliminary Melbourne Diabetes Prevention Study have been invaluable. The lessons learnt and knowledge gained will inform the future execution of this trial in the coming years. We anticipate that these results will also be beneficial to other researchers conducting similar trials in the public health field. We recommend that researchers openly share their experiences, barriers and challenges when conducting randomised controlled trials and implementation research. We encourage them to describe the factors that may have inhibited or enhanced the desired outcomes so that the academic community can learn and expand the research foundation of implementation salvage.<br /

A central support system can facilitate implementation and sustainability of a Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genomics

In their 2012 report, the President\u27s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology advocated replacing standard science laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses -a challenging proposition that presents practical and pedagogical difficulties. In this paper, we describe our collective experiences working with the Genomics Education Partnership, a nationwide faculty consortium that aims to provide undergraduates with a research experience in genomics through a scheduled course (a classroom-based undergraduate research experience, or CURE). We examine the common barriers encountered in implementing a CURE, program elements of most value to faculty, ways in which a shared core support system can help, and the incentives for and rewards of establishing a CURE on our diverse campuses. While some of the barriers and rewards are specific to a research project utilizing a genomics approach, other lessons learned should be broadly applicable. We find that a central system that supports a shared investigation can mitigate some shortfalls in campus infrastructure (such as time for new curriculum development, availability of IT services) and provides collegial support for change. Our findings should be useful for designing similar supportive programs to facilitate change in the way we teach science for undergraduates