108 research outputs found
Indigenous Social Work Administration: A Qualitative Study
This qualitative study, working from an Indigenous perspective, sought to determine the content and pedagogical process of teaching Indigenous social work administration. An Indigenous philosophical and methodological approach framed a participatory action research approach to the topic; Indigenous leaders, managers, and academics in Canada were interviewed, along with a focus group of Indigenous academics to determine what content and pedagogical approach needs to be included when teaching Indigenous social work administration
Poor physical function in elderly women in low-level aged care is related to muscle strength rather than to measures of sarcopenia
Julie L Woods1, Sandra Iuliano-Burns2, Susannah J King1, Boyd J Strauss1, Karen Z Walker11Nutrition and Dietetics Department, Monash University, Victoria, Australia; 2Endocrine Centre of Excellence, Department of Medicine, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, West Heidelberg, AustraliaPurpose: To determine the prevalence of sarcopenia and investigate relationships among body composition, muscle strength, and physical function in elderly women in low-level aged care.Subjects and methods: Sixty-three ambulatory women (mean age 86 years) participated in this cross-sectional study where body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); ankle, knee, and hip strength by the Nicholas Manual Muscle Tester; and physical function by ‘timed up and go’ (TUG) and walking speed (WS) over 6 meters. Body composition data from a female reference group (n = 62, mean age 29 years) provided cut-off values for defining sarcopenia.Results: Elderly women had higher body mass index (P < 0.001), lower lean mass (P < 0.001), and higher fat mass (P < 0.01) than the young reference group. Only a small proportion (3.2%) had absolute sarcopenia (defined by appendicular skeletal muscle mass/height squared) whereas 37% had relative sarcopenia class II (defined by percentage skeletal muscle mass). Scores for TUG and WS indicated relatively poor physical function, yet these measures were not associated with muscle mass or indices of sarcopenia. In multivariate analysis, only hip abductor strength predicted both TUG and WS (both P = 0.01).Conclusion: Hip strength is a more important indicator of physical functioning than lean mass. Measurement of hip strength may therefore be a useful screening tool to detect those at risk of functional decline and requirement for additional care. Further longitudinal studies with a range of other strength measures are warranted.Keywords: aged care, body composition, muscle strength, sarcopenia 
Reference to the index of 2 scrapbooks compiled by sisters Susannah Jane Earle and Myrtle Walker. Their father was Thomas Blackmore (1848-1929 or 30), farmer of Nugent, and their mother was Louisa Maria, daughter of B Reardon of Forcett.
Both scrapbooks contain mostly undated cuttings from unidentified but chiefly local newspapers (e.g Hobart Mercury and Tasmanian Mail), and magazines (e.g Sydney Bulletin and Mirror). Often cuttings are from Saturday supplements or the 'Pink Page' of the Bulletin. Topics reflect women's interests: anecdotes and folklore; poems and stories by Australian authors {e.g article about Marie Bjelke Peterson, Tasmania, novelist(; local history (e.g paragraph about descendents living in Tasmania of Capt. Michael Connor of the First Fleet); news of members of the family (e.g brother, A R Blackmore enlists and resigns from teaching at Adventure bay School)
OLAC CAPC Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force Final Report and Recommendations, Part IV: Extracting Work-Level Information from Existing MARC Manifestation Records
This subgroup of the Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force of Online Audiovisual Catalogers (OLAC) Cataloging Policy Committee (CAPC) was charged with identifying places in MARC manifestation-level bibliographic records where work-level information may be encoded and examining a sample of MARC records to see how reliably this information might be extrapolated from existing records. Currently we do not have work-level records for moving images, except for a relatively small number of uniform title authority records, which usually contain only title information. Moving image uniform title authority records usually represent works, but tend to include only enough information to uniquely identify the work or expression rather than a more complete description. However, information about moving image works is often embedded in our current manifestation-level bibliographic records. If we wish to move to an environment where we create and share work-level records for moving images, it would be helpful if we could use automated means to extract data from existing bibliographic records to populate provisional work-level records. These provisional records could later be enhanced, verified and corrected by human beings. Therefore, we are interested in determining the extent to which it is possible to accurately extract work-level information from existing bibliographic records
OLAC CAPC Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force Draft Report and Recommendations, Part I: Moving Image Work Definition and Boundaries, Part II: Core Attributes and Relationships
The Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force of Online Audiovisual Catalogers (OLAC) Cataloging Policy Committee (CAPC) was charged with investigating and making recommendations on issues related to FRBR-based work-level records for moving image materials, including, but not limited to: Identifying characteristics of moving image works (possibly with some indication of relative importance) that should be included in work-level records and creating operational definitions of these characteristics. Identifying potential sources of information about these characteristics and examining the reliability of these sources. Examining existing bibliographic records to identify places where work-level information might be recorded and investigating the possibility of extracting information from pools of existing bibliographic records to create provisional work-level records
OLAC CAPC Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force Final Report and Recommendations, Part IIIa: Operational Definitions: A Thought Experiment
This first section of part three examines the types of information and guidance that will be needed by catalogers in order to create, enhance, correct, and maintain work/primary expression records for moving images, which we have often referred to as work records for short
OLAC CAPC Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force Report and Recommendations, Part I: Moving Image Work Definition and Boundaries, Part II: Core Attributes and Relationships
The Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force of Online Audiovisual Catalogers (OLAC) Cataloging Policy Committee (CAPC) was charged with investigating and making recommendations on issues related to FRBR-based work-level records for moving image materials, including, but not limited to: Identifying characteristics of moving image works (possibly with some indication of relative importance) that should be included in work-level records and creating operational definitions of these characteristics. Identifying potential sources of information about these characteristics and examining the reliability of these sources. Examining existing bibliographic records to identify places where work-level information might be recorded and investigating the possibility of extracting information from pools of existing bibliographic records to create provisional work-level records
OLAC CAPC Moving Image Work-Level Records Task Force Final Report and Recommendations, Part IIIb: Data Sources
This second section of part three examines a number of primary and secondary sources that include information about moving images works and provides brief annotations of coverage, assessment of reliability, and a list of elements covered in each source. Print, and free and subscription online sources are included. Information about these sources is being entered into a relational database in the hope that it can be made available on the web in a flexible manner (e.g., by element covered, types of works covered, level of reliability, online vs. print)
Reagent and laboratory contamination can critically impact sequence-based microbiome analyses.
BACKGROUND: The study of microbial communities has been revolutionised in recent years by the widespread adoption of culture independent analytical techniques such as 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomics. One potential confounder of these sequence-based approaches is the presence of contamination in DNA extraction kits and other laboratory reagents. RESULTS: In this study we demonstrate that contaminating DNA is ubiquitous in commonly used DNA extraction kits and other laboratory reagents, varies greatly in composition between different kits and kit batches, and that this contamination critically impacts results obtained from samples containing a low microbial biomass. Contamination impacts both PCR-based 16S rRNA gene surveys and shotgun metagenomics. We provide an extensive list of potential contaminating genera, and guidelines on how to mitigate the effects of contamination. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that caution should be advised when applying sequence-based techniques to the study of microbiota present in low biomass environments. Concurrent sequencing of negative control samples is strongly advised
Patent Human Infections with the Whipworm, Trichuris trichiura, Are Not Associated with Alterations in the Faecal Microbiota
Background: The soil-transmitted helminth (STH), Trichuris trichiura colonises the human large intestine where it may
modify inflammatory responses, an effect possibly mediated through alterations in the intestinal microbiota. We
hypothesised that patent T. trichiura infections would be associated with altered faecal microbiota and that anthelmintic treatment would induce a microbiota resembling more closely that observed in uninfected individuals.
Materials and Methods: School children in Ecuador were screened for STH infections and allocated to 3 groups: uninfected, T. trichiura only, and mixed infections with T. trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides. A sample of uninfected children and those with T. trichiura infections only were given anthelmintic treatment. Bacterial community profiles in faecal samples were studied by 454 pyrosequencing of 16 S rRNA genes.
Results: Microbiota analyses of faeces were done for 97 children: 30 were uninfected, 17 were infected with T. trichiura, and 50 with T. trichiura and A. lumbricoides. Post-treatment samples were analyzed for 14 children initially infected with T. trichiura alone and for 21 uninfected children. Treatment resulted in 100% cure of STH infections. Comparisons of the microbiota at different taxonomic levels showed no statistically significant differences in composition between uninfected
children and those with T. trichiura infections. We observed a decreased proportional abundance of a few bacterial genera from the Clostridia class of Firmicutes and a reduced bacterial diversity among children with mixed infections compared to the other two groups, indicating a possible specific effect of A. lumbricoides infection. Anthelmintic treatment of children with T. trichiura did not alter faecal microbiota composition.
Discussion: Our data indicate that patent human infections with T. trichiura may have no effect on faecal microbiota but that A. lumbricoides colonisation might be associated with a disturbed microbiota. Our results also catalogue the microbiota of rural Ecuadorians and indicate differences with individuals from more urban industrialised societies
- …