24 research outputs found
PEACHâą Queensland program improved child eating behaviours and reduced BMI z-score for overweight children (pilot study)
Background/Aims: Parenting, Eating and Activity for Child Health (PEACHâą) Queensland is a 6-month family-focussed child weight management program currently targeting 1400 Queensland children. This study aims to investigate changes in child BMI and eating behaviours during the pilot phase. Methods: From 2013 â 2014, 251 overweight children (US-CDC BMI percentile â„ 85th) were enrolled in the pilot phase of PEACHâą Queensland, using pre-defined inclusion criteria which included having a child above a healthy weight for their age (5 â 11 years). Baseline and follow-up data were collected from parents by questionnaire and included child eating behaviours, measured by core food intake and Childrenâs Dietary Questionnaire (CDQ). Children attending sessions were weighed and measured by a trained facilitator. Results: Children attending sessions were 80% obese (IOTF cut-points), 60% female, with average age of 9.0 ± 1.9 years. For the subset of children with complete anthropometry (n = 69), we observed significant decreases in US-CDC z-scores for weight and BMI, 2.3 ± 0.7 to 2.2 ± 0.7 (p < 0.001) and 2.2 ± 0.5 to 2.1 ± 0.7 (p < 0.0001), respectively. This reduction in BMI z-score was accompanied by increases in the proportion meeting recommendations for serves of fruit and vegetables, and significantly lower scores for sweetened beverages and discretionary food intake as measured by CDQ. Conclusions: The PEACHâą Queensland pilot reduced child weight and BMI z-scores, and improved eating behaviours (increased fruit and vegetable intake, decreased intake of discretionary foods and sweetened beverages) although there is need for further improvement
Mechanochemical tuning of a kinesin motor essential for malaria parasite transmission
Plasmodium species cause malaria and kill hundreds of thousands annually. The microtubule-based motor kinesin-8B is required for development of the flagellated Plasmodium male gamete, and its absence completely blocks parasite transmission. To understand the molecular basis of kinesin-8Bâs essential role, we characterised the in vitro properties of kinesin-8B motor domains from P. berghei and P. falciparum. Both motors drive ATP-dependent microtubule gliding, but also catalyse ATP-dependent microtubule depolymerisation. We determined these motorsâ microtubule-bound structures using cryo-electron microscopy, which showed very similar modes of microtubule interaction in which Plasmodium-distinct sequences at the microtubule-kinesin interface influence motor function. Intriguingly however, P. berghei kinesin-8B exhibits a non-canonical structural response to ATP analogue binding such that neck linker docking is not induced. Nevertheless, the neck linker region is required for motility and depolymerisation activities of these motors. These data suggest that the mechanochemistry of Plasmodium kinesin-8Bs is functionally tuned to support flagella formation
The Behavioral Roots of Information Systems Security:Exploring Key Factors Related to Unethical IT Use
Unethical information technology (IT) use, related to activities such as hacking, software piracy, phishing, and spoofing, has become a major security concern for individuals, organizations, and society in terms of the threat to information systems (IS) security. While there is a growing body of work on this phenomenon, we notice several gaps, limitations, and inconsistencies in the literature. In order to further understand this complex phenomenon and reconcile past findings, we conduct an exploratory study to uncover the nomological network of key constructs salient to this phenomenon, and the nature of their interrelationships. Using a scenario-based study of young adult participants, and both linear and nonlinear analyses, we uncover key nuances of this phenomenon of unethical IT use. We find that unethical IT use is a complex phenomenon, often characterized by nonlinear and idiosyncratic relationships between the constructs that capture it. Overall, ethical beliefs held by the individuals, along with economic, social, and technological considerations are found to be relevant to this phenomenon. In terms of practical implications, these results suggest that multiple interventions at various levels may be required to combat this growing threat to IS security
eHealth technology use in health and behavioural interventions for children and adolescents: A systematic review
Sources of sodium at meal and non-meal time eating occasions in adults: Secondary analysis of Australian Health Survey data
(Not) Using the Remote Commercial Television Service to Dispel Distance in Rural and Remote Western Australia
Instructional discourse strategies: differences between hearing and deaf mothers of deaf children
Instructional discourse strategies: differences between hearing and deaf mothers of deaf children
'Have you seen Bloomberg?': satellite news channels as agents of the new visibility
With the proliferation of transnational television flows, viewers can see their national affairs, traditionally covered predominantly by national news, portrayed by cross-border news channels. This article examines how transnational satellite news coverage of national events enhances nations' global visibility, and influences national public debate over national narratives. An analysis of the public debates in Spain and France over transnational channels' coverage of the March 2004 terror bombings in Madrid and the October 2005 French riots, respectively, provides the basis for discussing the implications of the `new visibility' (Thompson, 2005) of nations, in today's media age. The analysis demonstrates how transnational networks' coverage of these events generated estrangement, de-familiarized and cast doubt on national narratives and commonsensical discourses of us/them, thereby offering viewers an alternative distance from their national unit and encouraging a self-reflexive process of introspection and critical discussion. This process may open up the possibility for a more inclusive national space and strengthen democratic culture, but at the same time it triggers instabilities, which might contribute to citizens' loss of trust in the news media â a dangerous scenario for democracy