A darn good hiding or the naughty step? : ideas on child discipline in New Zealand 1890-2008 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University

This thesis examines the history of child discipline in New Zealand since 1890, taking into account both trends in child-rearing advice and the common practices of ordinary parents. It explores the common stereotype that children "these days" are ill-disciplined in comparison with their earlier counterparts, and argues that while physical punishment is used less often than in the past, and usually in a milder form, it is still used more frequently and harshly than would be expected from the results of recent opinion polls. Child discipline has always been about setting a child up to live a happy life. As ideas on how to achieve this goal have changed, so too have the acceptable forms of punishment. During the 1890s-1920s, the difference between good discipline and abuse was simply a matter of frequency, and this idea was shared by both parenting advisors and the general public. Since the 1930s, however, parenting experts were frequently out of step with the parents they were trying to teach, and that their influence on parenting practice was at best delayed, and at worst entirely contradictory to that which they intended. Letters magazine and newspaper articles and contemporary studies on attitudes to discipline are used to show that parenting practice was often very different to that promoted by parenting advisors. Finally, this thesis concludes that a contextualist approach best suits the history of child-rearing advice in New Zealand, while an evolutionist approach is more appropriate in terms of common practice

The early postnatal period: Exploring women's views, expectations and experiences of care using focus groups in Victoria, Australia

Background: There is growing evidence from Australia and overseas that the care provided in hospital in the early postnatal period is less than ideal for both women and care providers. Many health services face increasing pressure on hospital beds and have limited physical space available to care for mothers and their babies. We aimed to gain a more in-depth understanding of women\u27s views, expectations and experiences of early postnatal care.Methods: We conducted focus groups in rural and metropolitan Victoria, Australia in 2006. Fifty-two people participated in eight focus groups and four interviews. Participants included eight pregnant women, of whom seven were pregnant with their first baby; 42 women who were in the postpartum period (some up to twelve months after the birth of their baby); and two partners. All participants were fluent in English. Focus group guides were developed specifically for the study and explored participants\u27 experiences and/or expectations of early postnatal care in hospital and at home, with an emphasis on length of hospital stay, professional and social support, continuity of care, and rest. Discussions were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. A thematic network was constructed to describe and connect categories with emerging basic, organizing, and global themes.Results: Global themes that emerged were: anxiety and/or fear; and the transition to motherhood and parenting. The needs of first time mothers were considered to be different to the needs of women who had already experienced motherhood. The women in this study were generally concerned about the safety of their new baby, and lacked confidence in themselves as new mothers regarding their ability to care for their baby. There was a consistent view that the physical presence and availability of professional support helped alleviate these concerns, and this was especially the case for women having a first baby.Conclusion: Women have anxieties and fears around early parenting and their changing role, and may consider that the physical availability of professional care providers will help during this time. Care providers should be cognisant of these potential issues. It is crucial that women\u27s concerns and needs be considered when service delivery changes are planned. If anxiety around new parenting is a predominant view then care providers need to recognise this and ensure care is individualised to address each woman\u27s/families particular concerns.<br /

Allegiance, Foreign Citizenship and the Constitutional Right to Stand for Parliament

In 2017, in Re Canavan, the High Court of Australia found five sitting Members of the Commonwealth Parliament to be citizens of a 'foreign power' and thus ineligible, under s 44(i) of the Constitution, to hold their seats. In 2018, in Re Gallagher, the High Court found that a Senator who had attempted unsuccessfully to renounce her British citizenship prior to her Senate candidature was similarly ineligible. In this article, we argue that the conclusion in Re Canavan was incorrect: that both the Court's reasoning about the purpose of s 44(i) - to avoid 'split allegiance' - and its methodology for determining foreign citizenship were inconsistent in their own right and also against its reasoning in Re Gallagher. We challenge the Court’s conflation of citizenship and allegiance with obedience to a state. We examine the rules of international law for identifying a person's citizenship, as well as exceptions to these rules, including what came to be known as the 'constitutional imperative', which the Court held will exempt a foreign citizen from s 44(i) disqualification under certain circumstances. We conclude that the Court, in seeking to avoid ‘uncertainty and instability’ in its interpretation of s 44(i), did the opposite. Had it looked, instead, to the relevant foreign state for an authoritative determination of a person’s citizenship, confusion and uncertainty surrounding s 44(i) could have been avoided, and a democratic understanding of Australian citizenship could have been prioritised

A statewide review of postnatal care in private hospitals in Victoria, Australia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Concerns have been raised in Australia and internationally regarding the quality and effectiveness of hospital postnatal care, although Australian women receiving postnatal care in the private maternity sector rate their satisfaction with care more highly than women receiving public maternity care. In Victoria, Australia, two-thirds of women receive their maternity care in the public sector and the remainder in private health care sector. A statewide review of public hospital postnatal care in Victoria from the perspective of care providers found many barriers to care provision including the busyness of postnatal wards, inadequate staffing and priority being given to other episodes of care; however the study did not include private hospitals. The aim of this study was replicate the review in the private sector, to explore the structure and organisation of postnatal care in private hospitals and identify those aspects of care potentially impacting on women's experiences and maternal and infant care. This provides a more complete overview of the organisational structures and processes in postnatal care in all Victorian hospitals from the perspective of care providers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A mixed method design was used. A structured postal survey was sent to all Victorian private hospitals (n = 19) and key informant interviews were undertaken with selected clinical midwives, maternity unit managers and obstetricians (n = 11). Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics and interview data analysed thematically.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Private hospital care providers report that postnatal care is provided in very busy environments, and that meeting the aims of postnatal care (breastfeeding support, education of parents and facilitating rest and recovery for women following birth) was difficult in the context of increased acuity of postnatal care; prioritising of other areas over postnatal care; high midwife-to-woman ratios; and the number and frequency of visitors. These findings were similar to the public review. Organisational differences in postnatal care were found between the two sectors: private hospitals are more likely to have a separate postnatal care unit with single rooms and can accommodate partners' over-night; very few have a policy of infant rooming-in; and most have well-baby nurseries. Private hospitals are also more likely to employ staff other than midwives, have fewer core postnatal staff and have a greater dependence on casual and bank staff to provide postnatal care.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There are similarities and differences in the organisation and provision of private postnatal care compared to postnatal care in public hospitals. Key differences between the two sectors relate to the organisational and aesthetic aspects of service provision rather than the delivery of postnatal care. The key messages emerging from both reviews is the need to review and monitor the adequacy of staffing levels and to develop alternative approaches to postnatal care to improve this episode of care for women and care providers alike. We also recommend further research to provide a greater evidence-base for postnatal care provision.</p

Confirming nasogastric tube position with electromagnetic tracking versus pH or X-ray and tube radio-opacity

Recent evidence suggests official statistics greatly underestimate the occurrence of complications from misplaced nasogastric (NG) tubes, even when detected. Current methods of confirming tube position do not provide adequate protection from misplacement. In addition, some tubes are inadequately radio-opaque. We prospectively audited placement of Cortrak polyurethane tubes (PUTs) to determine: accuracy of the electromagnetic (EM) trace in confirming tube position, radio-opacity of PUTs compared with previously placed polyvinylchloride (PVC) Ryles tubes and whether 12 French PUTs can be used to aspirate gastric residual volumes (GRVs). A total of 127 PUTs were placed in 113 patients. EM traces accurately confirmed tube position compared with X-ray (100% agreement). A 'gastric' EM trace has been defined for future use by other operators. PUTs were adequately radio-opaque with good agreement between interpreters (>98%) whereas PVC Ryles tubes were insufficiently radio-opaque (57-73%), invisible in 23% of cases and with poor agreement between interpreters leaving risk of error. The alternative of using pH confirmation was not possible in 44%. In these cases subsequent X-ray incurred a 2-hour delay to feed and medicines. In addition, neither post-placement pH testing nor X-ray warn of lung placement and potential trauma, whereas the EM trace warned of lung placement prior to damage in 7% of placements. 12 French, single-port PUTs appear adequate to aspirate large GRVs. EM tracing may be considered a standalone method of confirming NG tube position. Corflo (Cortrak) PUTs are adequately radio-opaque. Use of PVC Ryles and other inadequately radio-opaque tubes should stop

Importing ArrayExpress datasets into R/Bioconductor

Summary:ArrayExpress is one of the largest public repositories of microarray datasets. R/Bioconductor provides a comprehensive suite of microarray analysis and integrative bioinformatics software. However, easy ways for importing datasets from ArrayExpress into R/Bioconductor have been lacking. Here, we present such a tool that is suitable for both interactive and automated use

Weather Forecasts are for Wimps: Why Water Resource Managers Don't Use Climate Forecasts

The research described here examined the question of why water resource managing institutions in the United States do or do not use probabilistic forecast information about seasonal and interannual climate variability in their planning. The study sought to describe water resource decision making processes in sufficient detail to enable us to identify the institutional conditions under which increased use could be made of probabilistic climate forecasting information to benefit society as a whole. Better hydrologic management strategies may not only improve viability of local water supplies, but also help mitigate tensions in areas where there is competition for water rights. The research methodology for this study was developed in such a way that the approach may be modified for application to other resource management systems, such as forestry, and in other countries, such as those of the tropical and sub-tropical regions that are most directlyaffected by ENSO-related climate fluctuations

A randomised controlled clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of bandaging compared to the JuxtaCures™ device in the management of people with venous ulceration: Feasibility study

Introduction: The mainstay of treatment for venous ulceration remains compression therapy. Velcro Wrap devices are being increasingly used in these patients despite limited evidence. This feasibility study aimed to compare standard bandaging to the JuxtaCures™ Velcro wrap device. Methods: A single centre, unblinded RCT compared participants with venous ulceration randomised to either the JuxtaCures™ device or short stretch bandaging. Participants were followed up for 26 weeks. Results: 160 participants were screened with 40 randomised. 3 participants in bandaging and 1 in JuxtaCures™ didn’t complete the study. 60% in JuxtaCures™ healed v 55% in bandaging despite larger ulcers in the JuxtaCures™ arm (9.33 cm2 v 6.97 cm2). There was no significant difference in time to healing (12.17 v 13.64 weeks). JuxtaCures™ showed improved ulcer reduction for those that didn’t heal (14.91–5.00 cm2 v 14.20–8.62 cm2; P = 0.06). JuxtaCures™ had more consistent sub-bandage pressure dropping from 39–36 mmHg versus 41–25 mmHg in bandaging between application and removal (P < 0.001). Quality of life (EQ5D) was improved in JuxtaCures at 3 months (mean difference 0.14, p = 0.04), but not at 1 and 6 months, or in disease specific quality of life. Cost was lower in JuxtaCures™ £842.47 v £1064.68. Duration of appointment was significantly shorter in JuxtaCures™ (41 minutes v 53 minutes; P = 0.003). Conclusion: This study has shown the feasibility and necessity of running a multicentre trial to evaluate the use of Velcro wrap devices for venous ulceration. It highlights the potential benefits of more consistent pressure, increased self-care, and potential with regards to ulcer healing, cost, nursing resource and quality of life