Implicit Attitudes to Work and Leisure Among North American and Irish Individuals: A Preliminary Study

The current article reports the findings from two preliminary experiments investigating the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the Implicit Relational Association Procedure (IRAP) as measures of implicit attitudes in the domain of work and leisure among North American and Irish individuals. The IAT and IRAP tasks involved responding under time pressure on a computerized task, with response latency as the dependent variable. The IAT required participants to categorize positively or negatively valenced words with stimuli associated with either Work or Holidays. The IRAP required that participants confirm or deny that Work and Holidays are similar or opposite to positively and negatively valenced words. Participants also completed an explicit measure consisting of a Likert-based questionnaire. In both Experiments, citizens of the United States of America produced performances on the IAT and IRAP that indicated more negative attitudes to work and more positive attitudes to holidays than both Canadian and Irish citizens. Responses on the explicit measures did not accord with this overall pattern of group differences. The results support the use of the IRAP as a measure of implicit attitudes and furthermore the findings appear to be generally consistent with a recent large-scale survey of attitudes to work across 23 countrie

Panel: Teaching with Enterprise Systems

Enterprise Systems (ES) and other large software packages have become a critical component in most large and many medium and small-sized companies. These companies need employees with ES experience to help them install, extend, and achieve benefits from these systems. The challenges universities face in implementing an ES into a curriculum and in achieving educational benefits from such implementations differ from those of business organizations, but are no less difficult. This panel is designed to contribute to the ability of many more universities to provide a stimulating ES-based educational environment for students. It will address issues such as: ES educational objectives and audiences, ES-based skills for students, the ES software suites being used, ES textbooks, lab exercises and cases, technical infrastructure support issues, acquiring support and maintaining commitment from the school and its faculty, faculty resistance and how to overcome it, training the faculty, and achieving your ES educational objectives. This panel is composed of educators with many years of experience in providing an ES educational environment. They will present the lessons they learned from their experiences and will answer questions posed by the audience. For further information on their ES educational activities, see (Antonucci, Corbitt, Stewart and Harris, 2004; Corbitt and Mensching, 2000; Fedorowicz, Gelinas, Usoff and Hachey, 2004; Stewart, Tracy, Boykin, Najm, Rosemann, Carpinetti and Watson, 2002; Strong, Johnson and Mistry, 2004; Watson and Schneider, 1999)

Implicit Attitudes to Work and Leisure Among North American and Irish Individuals: A Preliminary Study

The current article reports the findings from two preliminary experiments investigating the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the Implicit Relational Association Procedure (IRAP) as measures of implicit attitudes in the domain of work and leisure among North American and Irish individuals. The IAT and IRAP tasks involved responding under time pressure on a computerized task, with response latency as the dependent variable. The IAT required participants to categorize positively or negatively valenced words with stimuli associated with either Work or Holidays. The IRAP required that participants confirm or deny that Work and Holidays are similar or opposite to positively and negatively valenced words. Participants also completed an explicit measure consisting of a Likert-based questionnaire. In both Experiments, citizens of the United States of America produced performances on the IAT and IRAP that indicated more negative attitudes to work and more positive attitudes to holidays than both Canadian and Irish citizens. Responses on the explicit measures did not accord with this overall pattern of group differences. The results support the use of the IRAP as a measure of implicit attitudes and furthermore the findings appear to be generally consistent with a recent large-scale survey of attitudes to work across 23 countrie

Indigenous Voice Closing the Gap and Putting Communication for Social Change into Practice

Australian journalism schools are full of students who have never met an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and who do not know their history. Journalism educators are illequipped to redress this imbalance as the large majority are themselves non-Indigenous and many have had little or no experience with the coverage of Indigenous issues. Such a situation calls for educational approaches that can overcome these disadvantages and empower journalism graduates to move beyond the stereotypes that characterise the representation of Indigenous people in the mainstream media. This paper will explore three different courses in three Australian Tertiary Journalism Education Institutions who use Work Integrated Learning approaches to instil the cultural competencies necessary to encourage a more informed reporting of Indigenous issues. The findings from the three projects illustrate the importance of adopting a collaborative approach between the industry, the Indigenous community and educators to ensure a significant impact on the students’ commitment to quality journalism practices when covering Indigenous issues

The effect of different body positions on anthropometric measurements and derived estimates of body composition

Ms Gail Carin-Levy was funded by the Stroke Association, UK (TSA 03/02). We are grateful to the staff of the Clinical Research Facility, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, where this work was performed.Purpose: Measurement of cross-sectional lean limb area using physical anthropometry is usually performed in the standing position, but sometimes this may be impractical. Our aim was to determine the effect of different positions on cross-sectional lean area of the upper arm, calf and thigh derived from girth and skin-fold measurements. Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers participated. Girth and skin-fold thickness of the upper arm, calf and thigh were measured in the standing, sitting and supine positions. We derived lean cross-sectional area (cm2), and calculated the mean difference, its 95% confidence intervals (CI), and the 95% limits of agreement (LOA) between standing and the other two positions. Results: For the upper arm, mean differences in lean cross-sectional area for the supine-standing and sitting-standing positions were 0.7cm2, (95% CI -0.6 to 2.0) and -0.6cm2, (95% CI -1.4 to 0.3) respectively. Mean differences for thigh were 3.9cm2 (95% CI -2.3 to 10.1) and -4.3cm2 (95% CI -8.6 to 0.0) for supine-standing and sitting-standing respectively. For the calf, mean difference for supine-standing was -3.1cm2 (95% CI -5.3 to -0.9), while for sitting-standing it was 0.3cm2 (95% CI -1.8 to 2.4). The range of values expected to cover agreement for 95% of subjects (LOA) was widest for the thigh and narrowest for the upper arm. Conclusion: In young healthy subjects, lean cross-sectional area differs according to measurement position, particularly for the lower limb. The same measurement method should be used in any one individual when monitoring change.sch_occ1. Matiega J, The testing of physical efficiency. Am J Phys Anthropol 1921; 4: 223-230. 2. Behnke AR, Feen GB, Welham WC. The specific gravity of healthy men. JAMA 1942; 118: 495-501. 3. Durnin JVGA, Womersley J. Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 years. Br J Nutr 1974; 32: 77-97. 4. Jackson AS, Pollock ML. Generalized equations for predicting body density of men. Br J Nutr 1978; 40: 497-504. 5. Lohman TG, Roche AF, Martorell R (Eds). Anthropometric standardization reference manual. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics, 1988: 1-90. 6. ISAK International Standards for Anthropometric Assessment. The International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry, Potchefstroom, South Africa, 2001: 57-72, 73-88. 7. Brynningsen PK, Damsgaard EMS, Husted SE Improved nutritional status in elderly patients 6 months after stroke The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 2007;11:75-79 8. Bland MJ, Altman DG. Statistical Methods for Assessing Agreement Between Two Methods of Clinical Measurement. Lancet I; 1986: 307-10. 9. Martin AD, Spenst LF, Drinkwater DT, Clarys JP. Anthropometric estimation of muscle mass in men. Med Sci Sports Exerc; 1990: 22, 729-733. 10. Tothill P, Stewart AD. Estimation of Thigh Muscle and Adipose Tissue Volume using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Anthropometry. J Sports Sci 2002; 20: 563-576. 11. Altman DG. Practical Statistics for Medical Research. London: Chapman and Hall, London, 1995: 396-400. 12. Carin-Levy G, Greig C, Lewis S, Hannan J, Young A, Mead G. Longitudinal changes in muscle strength and mass after stroke. Cerebrovasc Dis 2006; 21:201-207.6pub605pub

Constitutive TRIM22 expression within the respiratory tract identifies tissue-specific and cell-type dependent intrinsic immune barriers to influenza A virus infection

We hypothesized that increased expression of antiviral host factors at portals of viral entry may protect exposed tissues from the constant threat of invading pathogens. Comparative transcriptomic analysis identified the broad-acting restriction factor TRIM22 (TRIpartite Motif 22) to be among the most abundantly expressed antiviral host factors in the lung, a major portal of entry for many respiratory pathogens. This was surprising, as TRIM22 is currently considered to be an interferon stimulated gene (ISG) product that confers protection following the activation of pathogen-induced cytokine-mediated innate immune defences. Using human respiratory cell lines and the airways of rhesus macaques, we experimentally confirmed high levels of constitutive TRIM22 expression in the lung. In contrast, TRIM22 expression in many widely used transformed cell lines could only be observed following immune stimulation. Endogenous levels of TRIM22 in non-transformed cells were sufficient to restrict human and avian influenza A virus (IAV) infection by inhibiting the onset of viral transcription independently of cytokine-mediated innate immune defences. Thus, TRIM22 confers a pre-existing (intrinsic) tissue-specific immune barrier to IAV infection in the respiratory tract. We investigated whether the constitutive expression of TRIM22 was a characteristic shared by other ISGs in human lung tissue. Transcriptomic analysis identified a large group of ISGs and IAV immuno-regulatory host factors that were similarly enriched in the lung relative to other mucosal tissues, but whose expression was downregulated in transformed cell-lines. We identify common networks of immune gene downregulation which correlated with enhanced permissivity of transformed cells to initiate IAV replication. Our data highlight the importance of tissue-specific and cell-type dependent patterns of pre-existing immune gene expression in the intrinsic intracellular restriction of IAV; findings highly relevant to the immune regulation of many clinically important respiratory pathogens

A close halo of large transparent grains around extreme red giant stars

Intermediate-mass stars end their lives by ejecting the bulk of their envelope via a slow dense wind back into the interstellar medium, to form the next generation of stars and planets. Stellar pulsations are thought to elevate gas to an altitude cool enough for the condensation of dust, which is then accelerated by radiation pressure from starlight, entraining the gas and driving the wind. However accounting for the mass loss has been a problem due to the difficulty in observing tenuous gas and dust tens of milliarcseconds from the star, and there is accordingly no consensus on the way sufficient momentum is transferred from the starlight to the outflow. Here, we present spatially-resolved, multi-wavelength observations of circumstellar dust shells of three stars on the asymptotic giant branch of the HR diagram. When imaged in scattered light, dust shells were found at remarkably small radii (<~ 2 stellar radii) and with unexpectedly large grains (~300 nm radius). This proximity to the photosphere argues for dust species that are transparent to starlight and therefore resistant to sublimation by the intense radiation field. While transparency usually implies insufficient radiative pressure to drive a wind, the radiation field can accelerate these large grains via photon scattering rather than absorption - a plausible mass-loss mechanism for lower-amplitude pulsating stars.Comment: 13 pages, 1 table, 6 figure

General public awareness and views of community pharmacy services in Scotland: the 'first port of call' study.

Background: The recently published 'Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care: a Strategy for Scotland' urges community pharmacy (CP) to make itself the 'first port of call' for healthcare advice. Purpose: To explore the Scottish general public's awareness of CP services and their openness to consider CP their 'first port of call' for health care advice. Methods: A Scotland-wide survey was administered up to 20 times in each of 117 CPs by pre-registration pharmacy graduates. It included Likert scales of attitudinal statements with items developed from existing literature. Ethical approval had been gained. Results: To date, the 2260 surveys have been completed from 117 CPs giving a response rate of 96.5%. Varying ages and standards of health are represented. Respondents were aware CPs 'are contracted to the NHS' (87.4%) and that 'pharmacists with an additional qualification can diagnose and prescribe' (53.3%). 87.6% would likely/very likely view CP as their 'First port of Call' for common illnesses. However, 71.4% were unlikely/very unlikely to approach CP with 'more serious symptoms'. Intentions for 'monitor or review of regular medicines' were less clear (unlikely/very unlikely (38.2%) against likely/very likely (35.1%)). 44% lacked an awareness of CP services in general. 75.3% indicated the pharmacist 'should have access to read and update relevant parts of my electronic health record' and pharmacist access to electronic records would make 67.8% more likely to view CP as a 'first port of call' for health issues. Conclusions: This Scotland-wide survey indicated the general public's positivity and openness to access community pharmacy services, however, being recognised as a 'First Port of Call' may require awareness raising

Prevalence and Determinants of Vitamin D Deficiency in 1825 Cape Town Primary Schoolchildren: A Cross-Sectional Study

Vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D[25(OH)D] &lt;50 nmol/L) is common among adults in Cape Town, South Africa, but studies investigating vitamin D status of children in this setting are lacking. We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence and determinants of vitamin D deficiency in 1825 Cape Town schoolchildren aged 6&ndash;11 years. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 7.6% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 6.5% to 8.9%). Determinants of vitamin D deficiency included month of sampling (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for July&ndash;September vs. January&ndash;March 10.69, 95% CI 5.02 to 22.77; aOR for October&ndash;December vs. January&ndash;March 6.73, 95% CI 2.82 to 16.08), older age (aOR 1.25 per increasing year, 95% CI: 1.01&ndash;1.53) and higher body mass index (BMI; aOR 1.24 per unit increase in BMI-for-age Z-score, 95% CI: 1.03&ndash;1.49). In a subset of 370 participants in whom parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations were measured; these were inversely related to serum 25(OH)D concentrations (p &lt; 0.001). However, no association between participants with hyperparathyroidism (PTH &gt;6.9 pmol/L) and vitamin D deficiency was seen (p = 0.42). In conclusion, we report that season is the major determinant of vitamin D status among Cape Town primary schoolchildren, with prevalence of vitamin D deficiency ranging from 1.4% in January&ndash;March to 22.8% in July&ndash;September