I-O Psychology in Aotearoa, New Zealand: A world away?

Industrial-organizational psychology has had a fairly long history in this country, dating back to around the 1920s (Jamieson & Paterson, 1993). To a large extent the field developed initially within universities, although the focus of I-O psychologists’ activities in this country has always been very applied. Inclusion of I-O psychology in university curricula originally started at the University of Canterbury (in the south island) and then Massey University (in the north island); now two other universities (University of Auckland and University of Waikato, both in the north island) also provide training programs in the field. There are about a dozen academics in psychology departments who would consider themselves to be I-O psychologists, and a small handful in management or HRM departments. Clearly the number of academics specializing in this field is very small. Although this poses challenges for the development of I-O psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand, at the same time it helps communication among us

N-methyl-N-alkylpyrrolidinium nonafluoro-1-butanesulfonate salts : Ionic liquid properties and plastic crystal behaviour

A series of N-methyl-N-alkylpyrrolidinium nonafluoro-1-butanesulfonate salts were synthesised and characterised. The thermophysical characteristics of this family of salts have been investigated with respect to potential use as ionic liquids and solid electrolytes. N-Methyl-N-butylpyrrolidinium nonafluoro-1-butanesulfonate (p1,4NfO) has the lowest melting point of the family, at 94 &deg;C. Electrochemical analysis of p1,4 NfO in the liquid state shows an electrochemical window of ~6 V. All compounds exhibit one or more solid&ndash;solid transitions at sub-ambient temperatures, indicating the existence of plastic crystal phases.<br /

Nutritional and Metabolic Studies in Term and Preterm Infants

NUTRITIONAL AND METABOLIC STUDIES IN TERM AND PRETERM INFANTS. SUMMARY The nutritional management of the newborn infant continues to be plagued by fundamental issues which are the subject of much confusion and contradiction. There is not only an urgent need to clarify these issues, but also a need to widen our knowledge and understanding of many aspects of infant nutrition especially that relating to the preterm infant. This Thesis considers nutritional issues in both term and preterm infants. The issues addressed in the term infant are first, the aetiology of the condition breast milk jaundice, and second, whether the practice of early solid feeding is harmful to the infant. The studies in the preterm infant are aimed at providing nutritional data on the sick ventilated infant. MEASUREMENT OF ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND NUTRIENT UTILISATION IN VENTILATOR-DEPENDENT VERY LOW BIRTHWEIGHT INFANTS. With neurodevelopmental outcome of very low birth weight infants being adversly affected by inadequate nutrition during the first few weeks of life, there is an urgent need for more specific nutritional data on the sick VLBW ventilator-dependent infant. To date there is no calorimetry data on these infants because of technical difficulties relating to the practice of using continuous flow ventilators for neonatal ventilation. With differences in gas concentrations between inspiratory and expiratory circuits being so small, a system of considerable accuracy and precision is required. INVESTIGATION OF THE AETIOLOGY OF BREAST MILK JAUNDICE The aetiology of breast milk jaundice, an unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia occurring in approximately 2-4% of breast fed infants, remains uncertain. It has been suggested that elevated free fatty acid concentrations within the breast milk inhibit hepatic glucuronyl transferase activity and their presence is the consequence of the activity of an abnormal lipase which has the chemical characteristics of bile salt-stimulated lipase but does not require prior stimulation by bile salts. For this conclusion to be drawn it was assumed that bile salts were not present in breast milk. There being no studies to support this assumption an investigation of breast milk for the presence of bile salts was undertaken. A STUDY TO DETERMINE IF EARLY SOLID FEEDING IS HARMFUL TO THE INFANT. Despite the professional advice that solid foods should not be introduced before 3 months of age the OPCS survey of 1980 showed that 56% of infants were introduced to solids before this time and the proportion increased to 62% when the survey was repeated in 1985. The reasons put forward for discouraging the premature introduction of solids include the possible risk of excessive weight gain, vulnerability of the gut to infection, and increased susceptibility to the development of allergic disease. A prospective clinical study was undertaken to determine the influence of the early introduction of solid foods on weight gain, the risk of gastro-intestinal disease and the risk of allergic disorders during the first 2 years of life. Special consideration was given to design and methodology, in particular, sample size, accuracy of feeding data, definition of outcomes, data collection and potential confounding variables. In this study 9.7% of infants were commenced on solids before 8 weeks and 4 9.4% between 8 and 12 weeks of age. Solids were introduced earlier in infants who were male, who were from lower socio-economic groups and who were bottle fed. After adjustment for confounding variables the introduction of solids before 13 weeks of age was associated with increased weight gain in infants at 8, 13 26 and 52 weeks but not at 104 weeks. Before and after adjustments for confounding factors, the incidence of gastro-intestinal infection was not influenced by the timing of the introduction of solids. Similarly, the early introduction of solids was not associated with an increased incidence of napkin dermatitis or wheeze. The incidence of eczema was increased at two years in infants who received solids between 8-12 weeks. There was increased incidence of respiratory illness at 14-26 weeks, and persistent cough at 14-26 and 27-39 weeks in early solid feeding infants. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

The essentiality of arachidonic acid in infant development

Arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6) is an n-6 polyunsaturated 20-carbon fatty acid formed by the biosynthesis from linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6). This review considers the essential role that ARA plays in infant development. ARA is always present in human milk at a relatively fixed level and is accumulated in tissues throughout the body where it serves several important functions. Without the provision of preformed ARA in human milk or infant formula the growing infant cannot maintain ARA levels from synthetic pathways alone that are sufficient to meet metabolic demand. During late infancy and early childhood the amount of dietary ARA provided by solid foods is low. ARA serves as a precursor to leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and thromboxanes, collectively known as eicosanoids which are important for immunity and immune response. There is strong evidence based on animal and human studies that ARA is critical for infant growth, brain development, and health. These studies also demonstrate the importance of balancing the amounts of ARA and DHA as too much DHA may suppress the benefits provided by ARA. Both ARA and DHA have been added to infant formulas and follow-on formulas for more than two decades. The amounts and ratios of ARA and DHA needed in infant formula are discussed based on an in depth review of the available scientific evidence

Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid in Early Life:What Is the Best Evidence for Policymakers?

Background: A wealth of information on the functional roles of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) from cellular, animal, and human studies is available. Yet, there remains a lack of cohesion in policymaking for recommended dietary intakes of DHA and ARA in early life. This is predominantly driven by inconsistent findings from a relatively small number of randomised clinical trials (RCTs), which vary in design, methodology, and outcome measures, all of which were conducted in high-income countries. It is proposed that this selective evidence base may not fully represent the biological importance of DHA and ARA during early and later life and the aim of this paper is to consider a more inclusive and pragmatic approach to evidence assessment of DHA and ARA requirements in infants and young children, which will allow policymaking to reflect the marked diversity of need worldwide. Summary: Data from clinical RCTs is considered in the context of the extensive evidence from experimental, animal and human observational studies. Although the RCT data shows evidence of beneficial effects on visual function and in specific cognitive domains, early methodological approaches do not reflect current thinking and this undermines the strength of evidence. An outline of a framework for an inclusive and pragmatic approach to policy development on dietary DHA and ARA in early life is described. Conclusion: High-quality RCTs that will determine long-term health outcomes in appropriate real-world settings need to be undertaken. In the meantime, a collective pragmatic approach to evidence assessment, may allow public health policymakers to make comprehensive reasoned judgements on the merits, costs, and expediency of dietary DHA and ARA interventions