Old company records: The effect of custodial history on the arrangement and description of selected archival collections of business records

This thesis takes up Terry Cook\u27s idea that through their work, archivists are active shapers rather than passive keepers. In taking this idea further, this thesis discusses case studies comparing the custodial history of the records of four companies that were created in the seventeenth century. Consideration is given to how archival practitioners influenced the arrangement and description of the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), the English East India Company (EIC), the Royal African Company (RAC) and the Hudson\u27s Bay Company (HBC) during critical periods of their custodial history

The review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content within an undergraduate paramedicine degree curriculum

A review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content within an accredited paramedicine degree curriculum was undertaken as part of major course review and ongoing evaluation of the program. The aim of which was to ensure the course content was appropriate and relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. All content and teaching activities were audited where specific content was explored and noted. Findings were presented to a review team where good practice was highlighted and areas for development were addressed. This has encouraged staff to seek opportunities to embed content in both clinical and non-clinical skills, knowledge teaching and experiences. In addition to encouraging further review of other diverse communities

Emotional literacy: an investigation into changes in outcomes and mechanisms following a small group targeted intervention. A case study with primary aged children

This study aimed to explore what changes happen to a group’s outcomes and mechanisms, in relation to emotional literacy, following a small group targeted emotional literacy intervention. This was achieved through the use of a single case study design which employed the use of semi – structured group interviews and numerical data. The qualitative and quantitative measures were used prior to and after the intervention to allow for consideration of change over time. The statistical analysis indicates that access to a needs led targeted intervention is effective in producing positive outcomes in relation to emotional literacy levels for the pupils that access it. The thematic analysis provided a rich and in depth insight into the mechanisms that facilitate this change and demonstrated a positive movement in the group’s emotional literacy thoughts, skills, knowledge and practices. This study provides an original contribution to the existing research into emotional literacy by taking an exploratory and explanatory approach

Recent high school graduates support mandatory cardiopulmonary resuscitation education in Australian high schools

Objective: To evaluate recent high school graduates\u27 opinions on mandatory cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in the high school curriculum as a solution to improving bystander CPR rates. Methods: Participants completed questionnaires assessing their CPR training history during their high school education, their willingness to learn CPR during their high school years and their opinion on making CPR training mandatory for high school curricula. Results: Of the 178 participants in this study, 60% had undertaken CPR training during their high school education. Of those who had not undertaken CPR training, 75% reported that they would have been willing to learn CPR had they been provided with the opportunity. A total of 97% of participants were in support of mandatory CPR training in high school education. Conclusion: Implementing mandatory CPR training in high school education would be embraced by students. Implications for public health: Findings of this study support our recommendation to implement mandatory CPR training in the high school curriculum. This will likely increase the number of bystanders in the community who would spontaneously administer CPR, thereby improving outcomes for patients experiencing out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest

Some key issues for the East Asian food sector

This collection of five papers constitutes the second of two volumes on Japanese agricultural policy. The first paper, by Masayoshi Honma, looks at agricultural policy reform in Japan from a political economy perspective, especially in respect of the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreement and the next round of negotiations. Ray Trewin then picks up the implications of East Asian approaches to food security for the next WTO round, mainly contrasting Japan’s self-sufficiency approach with China’s more open trade and investment policies. Regional arrangements to address food security are promoted in the paper. A paper by Malcolm Bosworth and Leanne Holmes develops and applies a framework for assessing the costs and benefits of Japan’s sanitary and phytosanity (SPS) measures, especially in respect of the WTO SPS agreement. The implication for Japan’s SPS policies are drawn out in the paper. Randy Stringer looks at the constraining role of land institutions and regulations, which are similar in East Asia, on structural adjustment, especially in agriculture, and the costs and benefits of such institutions and regulations. The final paper, by Yoshihisa Godo, explains, for the first time in English, the reasons behind the small size of Japanese farming that has constrained productivity, and the distortions in land use and farm output caused by farmland use regulations and taxation. Desirable directions for Japanese agricultural policy reform are also discussed in the paper. It is expected that this collection of papers will assist Australian and Japanese agencies and businesses, and those from other countries, to develop strategies for improving Japanese agricultural policies during the upcoming WTO round

A randomised controlled feasibility study of group cognitive behavioural therapy for people with severe asthma

Objectives: Evidence for the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in asthma is developing but it is not known if this translates to benefits in severe asthma or if a group approach is acceptable to this patient group. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of Group-CBT in severe asthma. Method: This was a two-centre, randomised controlled parallel group feasibility study. Eligible participants (patients with severe asthma and a clinically significant diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression – Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) score greater than 8 for the anxiety or depression sub-scale) received Group-CBT in weekly sessions for eight consecutive weeks and usual care or usual care only. Follow-up was for 16 weeks and end points were: Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, Asthma Control Questionnaire, HAD, Dyspnoea-12, EuroQual-5D and EuroQuol-VAS. Results: 51 patients were randomised: 36% (51 out of 140) consent rate and 25% (13/51) attrition at week 16. Screening logs indicated that study take-up was influenced by patients living long distances from the treatment centre and inability to commit to the weekly demands of the programme. Drop-out was higher in Group-CBT compared due to inability to commit to the weekly programme because of poor health. Participants who contributed to focus group discussions reported that Group-CBT contributed to a better understanding of their illness and related approaches to anxiety management and acceptance of their asthma condition. Although weekly face-to-face sessions were challenging, this was the preferred method of delivery for these participants. Conclusions: This feasibility study shows that Group-CBT warrants further investigation as a potentially promising treatment option for patients with severe asthma. It has been possible but not easy to recruit and retain the sample. Options for a less demanding intervention schedule, such as less frequent face-to-face visits and the use of web-based interventions, require careful consideration

A randomised controlled feasibility trial of Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for people with severe asthma

Evidence for the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in asthma is developing but it is not known if this translates to benefits in severe asthma or if a group approach is acceptable to this patient group. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of Group-CBT in severe asthma.This was a two-centre, randomised controlled parallel group feasibility study. Eligible participants (patients with severe asthma and a clinically significant diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression - Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD) score greater than 8 for the anxiety or depression sub-scale) received Group-CBT in weekly sessions for eight consecutive weeks and usual care or usual care only. Follow-up was for 16 weeks and end points were: Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, Asthma Control Questionnaire, HAD, Dyspnoea-12, EuroQual-5D and EuroQuol-VAS.51 patients were randomised: 36% (51 out of 140) consent rate and attrition at week 16 was 12. Screening logs indicated that study take-up was influenced by patients living long distances from the treatment centre and inability to commit to the weekly demands of the programme. Drop-out was higher in Group-CBT compared due to inability to commit to the weekly programme because of poor health. Participants who contributed to focus group discussions reported that Group-CBT contributed to a better understanding of their illness and related approaches to anxiety management and acceptance of their asthma condition. Although weekly face-to-face sessions were challenging, this was the preferred method of delivery for these participants.This feasibility study shows that Group-CBT warrants further investigation as a potentially promising treatment option for patients with severe asthma. It has been possible but not easy to recruit and retain the sample. Options for a less demanding intervention schedule, such as less frequent face-to-face visits and the use of web-based interventions, require careful consideration

Improving working memory in children with low language abilities

This study investigated whether working memory training is effective in enhancing verbal memory in children with low language abilities (LLA). Cogmed Working Memory Training was completed by a community sample of children aged 8–11 years with LLA and a comparison group with matched non-verbal abilities and age-typical language performance. Short-term memory (STM), working memory, language, and IQ were assessed before and after training. Significant and equivalent post-training gains were found in visuo-spatial short-term memory in both groups. Exploratory analyses across the sample established that low verbal IQ scores were strongly and highly specifically associated with greater gains in verbal STM, and that children with higher verbal IQs made greater gains in visuo-spatial short-term memory following training. This provides preliminary evidence that intensive working memory training may be effective for enhancing the weakest aspects of STM in children with low verbal abilities, and may also be of value in developing compensatory strategies

Biomaterial modification of urinary catheters with antimicrobials to give long-term broadspectrum antibiofilm activity

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the commonest hospital-acquired infection, accounting for over 100,000 hospital admissions within the USA annually. Biomaterials and processes intended to reduce the risk of bacterial colonization of the catheters for long-term users have not been successful, mainly because of the need for long duration of activity in flow conditions. Here we report the results of impregnation of urinary catheters with a combination of rifampicin, sparfloxacin and triclosan. In flow experiments, the antimicrobial catheters were able to prevent colonization by common uropathogens Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli for 7 to 12 weeks in vitro compared with 1–3 days for other, commercially available antimicrobial catheters currently used clinically. Resistance development was minimized by careful choice of antimicrobial combinations. Drug release profiles and distribution in the polymer, and surface analysis were also carried out and the process had no deleterious effect on the mechanical performance of the catheter or its balloon. The antimicrobial catheter therefore offers for the first time a means of reducing infection and its complications in long-term urinary catheter users

Effects of human footprint and biophysical factors on the body-size structure of fished marine species

Marine fisheries in coastal ecosystems in many areas of the world have historically removed large-bodied individuals, potentially impairing ecosystem functioning and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Reporting on size-based indicators that link to food-web structure can contribute to ecosystem-based management, but the application of these indicators over large (cross-ecosystem) geographical scales has been limited to either fisheries-dependent catch data or diver-based methods restricted to shallow waters (<20 m) that can misrepresent the abundance of large-bodied fished species. We obtained data on the body-size structure of 82 recreationally or commercially targeted marine demersal teleosts from 2904 deployments of baited remote underwater stereo-video (stereo-BRUV). Sampling was at up to 50 m depth and covered approximately 10,000 km of the continental shelf of Australia. Seascape relief, water depth, and human gravity (i.e., a proxy of human impacts) were the strongest predictors of the probability of occurrence of large fishes and the abundance of fishes above the minimum legal size of capture. No-take marine reserves had a positive effect on the abundance of fishes above legal size, although the effect varied across species groups. In contrast, sublegal fishes were best predicted by gradients in sea surface temperature (mean and variance). In areas of low human impact, large fishes were about three times more likely to be encountered and fishes of legal size were approximately five times more abundant. For conspicuous species groups with contrasting habitat, environmental, and biogeographic affinities, abundance of legal-size fishes typically declined as human impact increased. Our large-scale quantitative analyses highlight the combined importance of seascape complexity, regions with low human footprint, and no-take marine reserves in protecting large-bodied fishes across a broad range of species and ecosystem configurations.publishedVersio