bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applying the World Health Organization Mental Health Action Plan to evaluate policy on addressing co-occurrence of physical and mental illnesses in Australia
Authors: Happell Brenda , Platania-Phung Chris , Webster Stephanie , McKenna Brian , Millar Freyja , Stanton Robert , Galletly Cherrie , Castle David , Furness Trentham , Liu Dennis , Scott David
Published: March 2015

Objectives The aim of the present study was to document Australian policies on the physical health of people with mental illness and evaluate the capacity of policy to support health needs. Methods A search of state and federal policies on mental and physical illness was conducted, as well as detailed analysis of policy content and the relationships between policies, by applying the World Health Organization Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020 as an evaluative framework. Results National policy attention to the physical health of people with mental illness has grown, but there is little interconnection at the national and state levels. State policies across the country are inconsistent, and there is little evidence of consistent policy implementation. Conclusions A coherent national health policy framework on addressing co-occurring physical and mental illnesses that includes healthcare system reforms and ensuring the interconnectedness of other relevant services should be prioritised. What is known about the topic? People with mental illness have a lower life expectancy and poorer physical health than people who do not have a mental illness. Government policy is critical to reducing inequalities in physical health and increasing longevity. What does this paper add? Evaluating policy developments against the World Health Organization’s Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020, this review identified a lack of cohesive national-level policy on how to improve the physical health of people with mental illness. Although there are some state-based policies regarding strategies for better prevention and management of the physical health of people with mental illness, evidence of policy implementation is either scarce or inconsistent. The capacity of current policy to translate into reforms that increase the physical and overall health of people suffering mental health difficulties seems very limited. What are the implications for practitioners? This paper outlines major policy gaps and an overall need for a national-level policy. National-level leadership on integrated health care is required, with monitoring to ensure health care reforms are genuinely informed by consumer and clinician views and are effective.
Distinct localisation of lipids in the ovarian follicular environment
Authors: Pantasri Tawiwan , Wu Linda L. , Hull M. Louise , Sullivan Thomas R. , Barry Michael , Norman Robert J. , Robker Rebecca L.
Published: March 2015

Obesity is associated with decreased pregnancy rates due, in part, to compromised oocyte quality. The aim of the present cross-sectional study of 84 women undergoing oocyte aspiration was to: (1) compare insulin, lipids and glucose in follicular fluid with serum; (2) determine whether increased body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, hyperinsulinaemia, dyslipidaemia or metabolic syndrome altered follicular fluid metabolites; and (3) determine relative lipid content in oocytes to reveal any influence of these parameters on oocyte quality and IVF outcomes. Insulin, glucose, triglyceride and free fatty acids were lower in follicular fluid than blood and not strictly correlated between compartments. Insulin, glucose and triglyceride positively correlated with increasing BMI and waist circumference in blood and follicular fluid. Insulin increased in follicular fluid in association with metabolic syndrome. Free fatty acid composition analysis showed saturated fatty acids, particularly palmitic and stearic acid, to be more prevalent in follicular fluid than blood. There were no associations between follicular fluid metabolites or oocyte lipid content and clinical outcomes; however, oocyte immaturity correlated with follicular fluid glucose and fatty acid levels, as well as metabolic syndrome. The present study confirms that the human ovarian follicular environment surrounding the oocyte exhibits a unique metabolite profile compared with blood, with distinct localisation of lipids within follicular fluid and oocytes.
Blastocyst metabolism
Authors: Gardner David K. , Harvey Alexandra J.
Published: March 2015

The mammalian blastocyst exhibits an idiosyncratic metabolism, reflecting its unique physiology and its ability to undergo implantation. Glucose is the primary nutrient of the blastocyst, and is metabolised both oxidatively and through aerobic glycolysis. The production of significant quantities of lactate by the blastocyst reflects specific metabolic requirements and mitochondrial regulation; it is further proposed that lactate production serves to facilitate several key functions during implantation, including biosynthesis, endometrial tissue breakdown, the promotion of new blood vessel formation and induction of local immune-modulation of the uterine environment. Nutrient availability, oxygen concentration and the redox state of the blastocyst tightly regulate the relative activities of specific metabolic pathways. Notably, a loss of metabolic normality is associated with a reduction in implantation potential and subsequent fetal development. Even a transient metabolic stress at the blastocyst stage culminates in low fetal weights after transfer. Further, it is evident that there are differences between male and female embryos, with female embryos being characterised by higher glucose consumption and differences in their amino acid turnover, reflecting the presence of two active X-chromosomes before implantation, which results in differences in the proteomes between the sexes. In addition to the role of Hypoxia-Inducible Factors, the signalling pathways involved in regulating blastocyst metabolism are currently under intense analysis, with the roles of sirtuins, mTOR, AMP-activated protein kinase and specific amino acids being scrutinised. It is evident that blastocyst metabolism regulates more than the production of ATP; rather, it is apparent that metabolites and cofactors are important regulators of the epigenome, putting metabolism at centre stage when considering the interactions of the blastocyst with its environment.
Steroids in the equine oviduct: synthesis, local concentrations and receptor expression
Authors: Nelis Hilde , Vanden Bussche Julie , Wojciechowicz Bartosz , Franczak Anita , Vanhaecke Lynn , Leemans Bart , Cornillie Pieter , Peelman Luc , Van Soom Ann , Smits Katrien
Published: March 2015

Steroids play an important role in mammalian reproduction and early pregnancy. Although systemic changes in steroid concentrations have been well documented, it is not clear how these correlate with local steroid concentrations in the genital tract. We hypothesised that, in the horse, the preimplantation embryo may be subjected to high local steroid concentrations for several days. Therefore, we measured progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 17β-oestradiol, testosterone and 17α-testosterone concentrations in equine oviductal tissue by ultra-HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, and progesterone, 17β-oestradiol, oestrone and testosterone concentrations in oviduct fluid by radioimmunoassay, with reference to cycle stage and side of ovulation. Progesterone concentrations were high in oviductal tissue and fluid ipsilateral to the ovulation side during dioestrus, whereas other steroid hormone concentrations were not influenced by the side of ovulation. These results suggest that the high ipsilateral progesterone concentration is caused by: (1) contributions from the follicular fluid in the oviduct and diffusion of follicular fluid steroids after ovulation; (2) local transfer of steroids via blood or lymph; (3) local synthesis of progesterone in the oviduct, as evidenced by the expression of steroidogenic enzymes; and (4) a paracrine contribution from follicular cells. These data provide a basis for the study of the importance of endocrine and paracrine signalling during early embryonic development in the horse.
Seeking sex online: social and sexual risk factors among adolescent and young gay and bisexual men
Authors: Shilo Guy , Mor Zohar
Published: March 2015

Background
With the increased use of the Internet to seek sex, research has documented its associated sexual risk behaviours, especially among gay and bisexual men. Only a few studies to date have been conducted among adolescent and young men, and these have focussed on behavioural components to do with seeking sex online, without considering the role of same-sex identity formation processes. The current study aimed to identify behavioural and identity formation variables associated with seeking sex online among adolescents and youth. Methods: A web sampling of young Israeli gay and bisexual men aged 12–30 years (n = 445) was used to assess their seeking sex online characteristics, mental health, sexual risk behaviours, substance use, same-sex disclosure and acceptance and coping resources. Results: Nearly half of the sample used the Internet to seek sex, which was correlated with substance use and sexual risk behaviour. Young adults seek for sex online more commonly than adolescents. Higher numbers of: sexual partners, level of outness, levels of friends support and stronger connectedness to the gay community predicted seeking sex online. Seeking sex online was found to be more of predictor for sexual risk behaviour than any other predictor. Conclusions: Seeking sex online is influenced by the gay sub-culture climate and peer group relationships, rather than by social stressor variables related to sexual orientation formation processes, or by the subject’s general mental health condition. These results underscore the possible risks pertaining to seeking sex among gay and bisexual men and the possible use for this venue to convey safe-sex messages to adolescents and young adults.
The role of case in A-bar extraction asymmetries
Authors: Coon Jessica , Mateo Pedro Pedro , Preminger Omer
Published: March 2015

Many morphologically ergative languages display asymmetries in the extraction of core arguments: while absolutive arguments (transitive objects and intransitive subjects) extract freely, ergative arguments (transitive subjects) cannot. This falls under the label “syntactic ergativity” (see, e.g. Dixon 1972, 1994; Manning 1996; Polinsky to appear(b)). These extraction asymmetries are found in many languages of the Mayan family, where in order to extract transitive subjects (for focus, questions, or relativization), a special construction known as the “Agent Focus” (AF) must be used. These AF constructions have been described as syntactically and semantically transitive because they contain two non-oblique DP arguments, but morphologically intransitive because the verb appears with only a single agreement marker and takes an intransitive status suﬃx (Aissen 1999; Stiebels 2006). In this paper we oﬀer a proposal for (i) why some morphologically ergative languages exhibit extraction asymmetries, while others do not; and (ii) how the AF construction in Q’anjob’al circumvents this problem. We adopt recent accounts which argue that ergative languages vary in the locus of absolutive case assignment (Aldridge 2004, 2008a; Legate 2002, 2008), and propose that this variation is present within the Mayan family. Based primarily on comparative data from Q’anjob’al and Chol, we argue that the inability to extract ergative arguments does not reflect a problem with properties of the ergative subject itself, but rather reflects locality properties of absolutive case assignment in the clause. We show how the AF morpheme -oncircumvents this problem in Q’anjob’al by assigning case to internal arguments.
A typology of Bantu subject inversion
Authors: Marten Lutz , van der Wal Jenneke
Published: March 2015

This study charts variation in subject inversion constructions in Bantu languages. It distinguishes between seven types of inversion constructions: formal locative inversion, semantic locative inversion, instrument inversion, patient inversion, (clausal) complement inversion, default agreement inversion and agreeing inversion. Based on a set of nine surface variables, a matrix of inversion constructions is developed which identifies characteristics of the set of constructions overall as well as of each individual construction type. The distribution of the different inversion constructions is documented with reference to a sample of 46 Bantu languages, from which geographical and typological generalisations are drawn. For example, languages with instrument inversion or with patient inversion always have locative inversion (but not vice versa), or if a language has at least one inversion construction, it always has at least either default agreement inversion or agreeing inversion. Finally, underlying parameters potentially accounting for the variation are discussed, such as the status of preverbal locatives as DP or PP, the agreement parameter and the syntactic and thematic restrictions on the preverbal element.
“If Death is Just, What is Injustice?” Illicit Rage in “Rostam and Sohrab” and “The Knight's Tale”
Authors: Cross Cameron
Published: March 2015

This is a comparative study of anger and narrative control in two tragic stories cast in an epic-heroic register, the “Tale of Rostam and Sohrab” of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh and “The Knight's Tale” of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The narrators of both stories are heavily invested in upholding a certain normative interpretation of the events they recount, a fatalistic worldview that justifies itself through the necessarily agnostic optimism that these senseless catastrophes gain meaning when situated within a greater order that is beyond the capacity of man to comprehend. The emotional responses of outrage and grief therefore have no legitimate place in this worldview, and must be submitted to a process of rationalization and violent suppression in order to be kept in check. However, this same process also reveals the underlying aporias of its own normative logic, producing a subtextual counter-narrative that resists and undermines the dominant voice of the text. The resulting fragmentation and narrative collapse provides a fruitful opportunity to investigate how both texts respond to a crucial ontological topic in medieval literature and philosophy: what does it mean to be an autonomous subject within a divinely ordered universe, and how can one distinguish justice from tyranny in a world entirely governed by fate?
The 2014 Josephine Waters Bennett Lecture: “Certain of Death”: Michelangelo’s Late Life and Art*
Authors: Wallace William E.
Published: March 2015

This essay is a preliminary sketch for a book that examines Michelangelo Buonarroti’s final eighteen years, from his appointment as architect of St. Peter’s until his death in 1564, that is, from age seventy-one to a few weeks shy of eighty-nine. This period represents nearly a quarter of his approximately seventy-five-year artistic career, yet it remains the least familiar segment of Michelangelo’s long life. It is paradoxical that in the final phase of his career, Michelangelo remained prodigiously creative and influential without being prolific — as he had been earlier in his career. His late life was concerned less with making things than with finding the courage and devotion to continue tasks that he knew he would never see to fruition, and this despite the loss of his closest friends, greatest patron, and his entire family.
Women’s Fashions and Politics in Seventeenth-Century Spain: The Rise and Fall of theGuardainfante*
Authors: Wunder Amanda
Published: March 2015

Women’s clothes were at the center of political debate in the Spain of Philip IV (r. 1621–65), and no garment inspired more controversy than the wide-hipped farthingale, or hoopskirt, known as theguardainfante. Considered scandalous with its reputation for hiding illicit pregnancies, theguardainfantewas banned in 1639. Nonetheless, theguardainfantebecame more popular than ever and turned into an enduring icon of Golden Age Spain during the reign of Philip’s second queen, Mariana of Austria (1649–65). Despite theguardainfante’s high level of visibility, most notably in court portraits by Diego Velázquez, very little is known about the historical experiences of the women who wore it. This article demonstrates that real women really did wear theguardainfantein a variety of contexts outside of portraiture and the theater. In Madrid and in cities throughout the Spanish empire, women of different stations and convictions participated in the political culture of their times by making, disseminating, and debating this controversial garment.
Tracking molecular dynamics without tracking: image correlation of photo-activation microscopy
Authors: Pandžić Elvis , Rossy Jérémie , Gaus Katharina
Published: March 2015

Measuring protein dynamics in the plasma membrane can provide insights into the mechanisms of receptor signaling and other cellular functions. To quantify protein dynamics on the single molecule level over the entire cell surface, sophisticated approaches such as single particle tracking (SPT), photo-activation localization microscopy (PALM) and fluctuation-based analysis have been developed. However, analyzing molecular dynamics of fluorescent particles with intermittent excitation and low signal-to-noise ratio present at high densities has remained a challenge. We overcame this problem by applying spatio-temporal image correlation spectroscopy (STICS) analysis to photo-activated (PA) microscopy time series. In order to determine under which imaging conditions this approach is valid, we simulated PA images of diffusing particles in a homogeneous environment and varied photo-activation, reversible blinking and irreversible photo-bleaching rates. Further, we simulated data with high particle densities that populated mobile objects (such as adhesions and vesicles) that often interfere with STICS and fluctuation-based analysis. We demonstrated in experimental measurements that the diffusion coefficient of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) fused to PAGFP in live COS-7 cells can be determined in the plasma membrane and revealed differences in the time-dependent diffusion maps between wild-type and mutant Lck in activated T cells. In summary, we have developed a new analysis approach for live cell photo-activation microscopy data based on image correlation spectroscopy to quantify the spatio-temporal dynamics of single proteins.
Effect of Therapeutic Hypercapnia on Inflammatory Responses to One-lung Ventilation in Lobectomy Patients
Authors: Gao Wei , Liu Dong-Dong , Li Di , Cui Guang-xiao
Published: March 2015

AbstractAbstract

Fifty patients undergoing lobectomy under intravenous anesthesia randomly received carbon dioxide at partial pressures of 35 to 45 mmHg or 60 to 70 mmHg for approximately 210 min. The bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the patients in the higher carbon dioxide group had decreased the total number of cells, total protein, and some cytokines after surgery.

Background:

One-lung ventilation (OLV) can result in local and systemic inflammation. This prospective, randomized trial was to evaluate the effect of therapeutic hypercapnia on lung injury after OLV.

Method:

Fifty patients aged 20 to 60 yr undergoing lobectomy were randomly provided with air or carbon dioxide (partial pressure of carbon dioxide: 35 to 45 mmHg or 60 to 70 mmHg). Peak pressure, plateau pressure, and lung compliance were recorded. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood samples were collected. Adverse events were monitored. The primary outcome was the concentration of BALF tumor necrosis factor, and the secondary outcomes were serum cytokine concentrations.

Results:

The BALF tumor necrosis factor was lower in the carbon dioxide group than in the air group (median [range], 51.1 [42.8 to 76.6] vs. 71.2 [44.8 to 92.7]; P = 0.034). Patients in the carbon dioxide group had lower concentrations of serum and BALF interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and IL-8, but higher serum concentrations of IL-10, accompanied by reduced numbers of cells and neutrophils as well as lower concentrations of protein in the BALF. Also, patients in the carbon dioxide group had lower peak (mean ± SD, 22.2 ± 2.9 vs. 29.8 ± 4.6) and plateau pressures (20.5 ± 2.4 vs. 27.1 ± 2.9), but higher dynamic compliance (46.6 ± 5.8 vs. 38.9 ± 6.5). Furthermore, patients in the carbon dioxide group had higher postoperation oxygenation index values. Ten patients experienced slightly increased blood pressure and heart rate during OLV in the carbon dioxide group.

Conclusion:

Under intravenous anesthesia, therapeutic hypercapnia inhibits local and systematic inflammation and improves respiratory function after OLV in lobectomy patients without severe complications.
Intragenomic homogeneity on Liberibacter 16S rDNA confirms phylogeny and explains ecological strategy
Authors: Nelson Warrick R , Wulff Nelson A , Bové Joseph M
Published: March 2015

Three of the five currently recognized “Candidatus Liberibacter” spp., “Ca. L. asiaticus” (Las), “Ca. L. americanus” (Lam) and “Ca. L. solanacearum”, and the newly erected genus Liberibacter species, L. crescens (Lcr), have had their genomes sequenced. In all four cases there are three homogeneous copies of the 16S rRNA gene, one present as the reverse complement of the other two. 16S intragenic homogeneity is common within the α-Proteobacteria. The presence of three 16S rRNA copies indicates an advantage for a rapid response of population increase to favourable growth conditions. The metabolic cost of carrying multiple copies is avoided during periods of low cellular activity as this situation occurs at low temperatures, for example overwintering in deciduous plants or in a dormant insect host. A large insertion in the 16S rDNA sequence of three species compared to the other three species indicates a dichotomy in the Liberibacter genus and provides a phylogenetic signal of closeness to the proximal node within the Rhizobiaceae. In spite of similar symptoms in Citrus crops associated with Lam and Las infections, these species belong on either side of this dichotomy, thus confirming Lam as phylogenetically closer to the proximal node than Las.
Synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic properties of (acetato-κ2O,O′)bis(5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine-κ2N,N′)nickel(II) perchlorate monohydrate
Authors: Farkašová Nela , Černák Juraj , Falvello Larry R. , Orendáč Martin , Boča Roman
Published: March 2015

The title hydrated ionic complex, [Ni(CH3COO)(C12H12N2)2]ClO4·H2O or [Ni(ac)(5,5′-dmbpy)2]ClO4·H2O (where 5,5′-dmbpy is 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine and ac is acetate), (1), was isolated as violet crystals from the aqueous ethanolic nickel acetate–5,5′-dmbpy–KClO4system. Within the complex cation, the NiIIatom is hexacoordinated by two chelating 5,5′-dmbpy ligands and one chelating ac ligand. The mean Ni—N and Ni—O bond lengths are 2.0628 (17) and 2.1341 (15) Å, respectively. The water solvent molecule is disordered over two partially occupied positions and links two complex cations and two perchlorate anions into hydrogen-bonded centrosymmetric dimers, which are further connected by π–π interactions. The magnetic properties of (1) at low temperatures are governed by the action of single-ion anisotropy,D, which arises from the reduced local symmetry of thecis-NiO2N4chromophore. The fitting of the variable-temperature magnetic data (2–300 K) givesgiso= 2.134 andD/hc= 3.13 cm−1.
Tetrahydroberberine, a pharmacologically active naturally occurring alkaloid
Authors: Pingali Subramanya , Donahue James P. , Payton-Stewart Florastina
Published: March 2015

Tetrahydroberberine (systematic name: 9,10-dimethoxy-5,8,13,13a-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[g][1,3]benzodioxolo[5,6-a]quinolizine), C20H21NO4, a widely distributed naturally occurring alkaloid, has been crystallized as a racemic mixture about an inversion center. A bent conformation of the molecule is observed, with an angle of 24.72 (5)° between the arene rings at the two ends of the reduced quinolizinium core. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds that play an apparent role in crystal packing are 1,3-benzodioxole –CH2...OCH3and –OCH3...OCH3interactions between neighboring molecules.
Dignity and respect: important in volunteer settings too!
Authors: Paull Megan , Omari Maryam
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Volunteers in some organisations are subject to new protections under legislative amendments in Australia which proscribe workplace bullying. These new protections provide impetus for the question of whether workplace bullying is an issue for (unpaid) volunteers and (paid or unpaid) volunteer managers. The purpose of this paper is to outline key exploratory findings.

Design/methodology/approach

– This exploratory and descriptive qualitative study employed an online survey to collect data on the experiences of participants and on their perception of what constitutes bullying in volunteering.

Findings

– The evidence suggests that many of the negative behaviours which might be found in workplaces are also found in volunteering, but there are also aspects unique to this setting.

Research limitations/implications

– This study was exploratory in nature and will benefit from further expansion and empirical testing.

Practical implications

– Many respondents reported that they have been subject to, or witnessed events which they considered to be bullying. Recognition of the possibility of bullying in volunteering is a step towards amelioration.

Social implications

– Volunteering has benefits for individuals and organisations, as well as contributing to social capital. Organisations which are cognisant of, and actively build positive cultures are better able to attract and retain talented and committed volunteers and managers.

Originality/value

– There is an absence of research relating to workplace bullying in volunteer settings. As context plays a significant role in workplace bullying scenarios, this study opens up a unique perspective to this negative behaviour in a new setting.
An account of the 2014 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference held at Technische Universitat Munchen, Munich
Authors: Maharaj Anita
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report on the 2014 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference held at Technische Universitat Munchen, Munich.

Design/methodology/approach

– The report is based on delegate observations, notes and audience reactions to papers presented on research conducted.

Findings

– The papers presented new boundaries on diversity research. This included research on the importance of cultural diversity in the outcomes in the hotel industry by being led by foreign managers in Cyprus; how skilled Romanians construct and understand their identities as skilled professionals and members of stigmatised European migrants and how a diverse workforce experiences power utilising a Foucauladian understanding of power.

Originality/value

– This report integrates a number of themes from diversity research across the world, highlighting progress and the suggested direction for future diversity research.
Aspirational guidance for wiser futures: toward open-sourced ascension from ego-centric to eco-centric human communities
Authors: Markley Oliver
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore and demonstrate how the meme of aspiration can help guide human cultures through an epochal transformation triggered by a global megacrisis and leading to sustainable maturation of human cultures.

Design/methodology/approach

– Aspirational futures process, intuition-based visioning and “Type II” thinking that has high credibility for knowledgeable experts but low credibility to most others.

Findings

– Megacrisis is a Type II wild card needing anticipatory mitigation via strategies such as are suggested. While descent paths may be a suitable meme for technical professionals, ascent paths to higher levels of civilizational maturity are a better guiding image for the public. Aspirational methods whose core involves intuition-based creativity, wisdom and co-creative emergence are a vital complement to rational/analytic futures methods, especially in times of epochal change and uncertainty when a new “regime” of guiding world views, institutional processes and innovative technologies may emerge.

Research limitations/implications

– Results represent a high degree of uncertainly as well as “fringe” thinking needing to be more widely considered.

Practical implications

– Strategic suggestions based on Type II thinking are a unique category for “leading edge” funding and application.

Originality/value

– The Type II perspective offered here is unique and offers a promising approach for transformative megacrisis mitigation.
Drug and alcohol use and treatment for Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous prisoners: demand reduction strategies
Authors: Dolan Kate , Rodas Ana , Bode Adam
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to compare the use of drugs and alcohol by Indigenous and non-Indigenous prisoners and examine relevant treatment in Australian prisons.

Design/methodology/approach

– Prison authorities were surveyed about alcohol and drug use by prisoners prior to and during imprisonment and drug and alcohol treatment programs in prison. The literature was review for information on alcohol and drug use and treatment in Australian prisons.

Findings

– In 2009, over 80 percent of Indigenous and non-Indigenous inmates smoked. Prior to imprisonment, many Indigenous and non-Indigenous inmates drank alcohol at risky levels (65 vs 47 percent) and used illicit drugs (over 70 percent for both groups). Reports of using heroin (15 vs 21 percent), ATS (21 vs 33 percent), cannabis (59 vs 50 percent) and injecting (61 vs 53 percent) were similarly high for both groups. Prison-based programs included detoxification, Opioid Substitution Treatment, counselling and drug free units, but access was limited especially among Indigenous prisoners.

Research limitations/implications

– Drug and alcohol use was a significant issue in Australian prisons. Prisoners were over five times more likely than the general population to have a substance use disorder. Imprisonment provides an important opportunity for rehabilitation for offenders. This opportunity is especially relevant to Indigenous prisoners who were more likely to use health services when in prison than in the community and given their vast over representations in prison populations.

Practical implications

– Given the effectiveness of treatment in reducing re-offending rates, it is important to expand drug treatment and especially culturally appropriate treatment programs for Indigenous inmates.

Originality/value

– Very little is known about Indigenous specific drug and alcohol programs in Australian prisons.
Importance of locus of control in offenders with intellectual disability
Authors: Raymond Matthew , Hayes Susan
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Locus of control (LOC) is the manner in which one attributes their ability to make change in life. This could be through others, fate or chance (externalised), or through oneself (internalised). An internalised LOC results in greater self-belief in the ability to change one's behaviour. Non-disabled offenders with an internalised LOC are more likely to benefit from treatment through therapy and in turn have reduced rates of re-offending. The relationship between LOC and response to treatment is only understood in a limited way for offenders with intellectual disability (ID) who participate in treatment programmes. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– To better understand LOC for offenders with ID, this paper investigates its role in community-based therapy outcomes along with its use as a common pre-/post-measure of treatment success in mainstream offender populations. Drawing upon these findings information more specific to people with ID will be discussed.

Findings

– This paper will then explore the importance of LOC in treating offenders with ID through a review of the current published literature, which generally indicates offenders with ID demonstrate a tendency towards an external LOC in comparison with non-disabled or non-offender groups.

Originality/value

– Given the negative implications for treatment that external LOC may play, several significant therapeutic strategies that can contribute to development of internalised LOC are discussed, in addition to a consideration of other possible variables separate from ID that may play a role in both developing or perpetuating an external LOC.
Real Work Opportunities: establishing an accessible vocational rehabilitation programme within a forensic intellectual disability service
Authors: Cox Alyssa , Simmons Hayley , Painter Ginny , Philipson Pippa , Hill Rachel , Chester Verity
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Patients treated within secure/forensic settings experience numerous barriers to meaningful vocation, including restrictions under the Mental Health Act, which limit community access. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of Real Work Opportunities, an inclusive and accessible vocational rehabilitation programme within a forensic intellectual disability service. The programme involved setting up employment and interview workshops, interviews, and interview feedback, and job roles within the secure service, to simulate the real work process.

Design/methodology/approach

– A reflective account of the development and implementation of the Real Work Opportunity programme with a forensic intellectual disability population.

Findings

– The programme was well received by the patients involved and a high attendance rate was maintained over time despite the demands that were expected. Roles have been advertised for two employment periods and have had two sets of successful candidates. Patients demonstrated skills development throughout the employment process, including general work-based skills, punctuality and time management, managing duties, responsibility, specific role-related skills, interpersonal skills and personal presentation.

Research limitations/implications

– Despite limited experience of work prior to admission, many patients were enthusiastic and motivated to work. The initial trial of the programme has been well received by both patients and staff. Future developments will include widening the number and types of opportunity offered by the programme.

Originality/value

– This paper describes a vocational rehabilitation programme for a particularly marginalised population, people with intellectual disabilities within a forensic service. The programme proved highly popular with patients, and enabled them to develop transferable employment skills.
Forensic learning disability nursing: what's it really like?
Authors: Dalgarno Mark F , Riordan Sharon A
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the lived experiences of learning disability nurses working within forensic services, and their views on their practice as a speciality.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative, semi-structured interview-based design was used and participant's voices were examined through interpretive phenomenological analysis.

Findings

– Nurses explored a range of topics related to their practice and overall, five superordinate themes were developed. Forensic nursing as being both the same and different to generic nursing, the journey, and the emotional challenge of forensic nursing, the balancing act of everyday practice and the role of language within forensic nursing practice.

Originality/value

– Very little research has examined the views of learning disability nurses within the forensic field. This study gives both a voice to these nurses and suggests areas of interest both for research and for clinicians to consider in their practice.
Credit cards preferences of Islamic and conventional credit card
Authors: Mohd Dali Nuradli Ridzwan Shah , Yousafzai Shumaila , Abdul Hamid Hanifah
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The main aim of this paper is to identify whether certain consumers behave irrationally when it comes to select banking products. This paper builds on one of the most significant banking products that is the credit card.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is an exploratory research paper. Therefore, only descriptive analysis on the differences between three credit card user groups such as the Islamic credit card users, conventional card users and users who decide to use both credit cards, conventional and Islamic, were presented.

Findings

– The demographic and psychographic factors for the three different groups differ. In addition, there are four factors that influence the credit card selection. The factors are insurance/takaful provided by the credit issuers, cost associated with the credit card, the reward points programme offered and the convenience factors. Furthermore, the study found that three of the factors except insurance/takaful are significantly different between three credit card groups.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper is limited to the context of Malaysia and the respondents are mostly from the same ethnic. Therefore, it could not be generalised in the context of other countries and further studies comparing different culture or ethnic could benefit and enrich the topic of study.

Practical implications

– The Islamic and conventional banks could focus on several factors influencing customers’ selection and could focus to improve certain lacking areas as perceived by the consumers. The ability to increase the perceptions of the consumers regarding their credit cards will enable their products to be chosen in the market.

Originality/value

– There was a significant amount of literature discussed in the Islamic banking selection factors. However, little attention being paid to the selection of a specific bank’s product. This study offers a study that looks into the selection of the credit card offered by the banks in respect to the irrational behaviours of the religious consumers in economic activities as compared to the conventional economists. This paper will contribute to the body of existing literature of banking selection.
Building holistic brands: an exploratory study of Halal cosmetics
Authors: Aoun Isabelle , Tournois Laurent
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– Branding in faith-based consumer markets, in which marketing practices, religion, and consumption intersect, is largely unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how brands integrate religious concerns into their strategies through Halal branding. The central logic of authors’ view is that branding applied in a particular consumer market (i.e., Muslim) could enrich dominant (Western) branding theory.

Design/methodology/approach

– Although challenging, qualitative research offers a valuable lens in international marketing research in allowing researchers to study organizations and contexts in their natural settings, enabling a more holistic approach, instead of imposing one’s culturally informed pre-conceptions (Boyacigiller and Adler, 1991). In this regard, a multiple case study approach considering Halal cosmetic brands is used. A replication logic is applied in interpreting the data.

Findings

– Holistic branding is a broader concept than what mainstream theory acknowledges; brand attributes go beyond the functional and emotional, offering insights into a spiritual dimension. The proposed model identifies attributes that reflect the brand’s worldview and contribute to holistic branding: spiritual ethos and belief system, sustainable and eco-ethical philosophy, wholesomeness and inclusiveness.

Research limitations/implications

– This exploratory research represents the initial step for faith-based/Halal branding; the discussion is confined to the cases under study. The results are not conclusive and require further empirical research to validate their broader applicability.

Practical implications

– The study highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to branding of faith-based products. The Halal market (cosmetics and toiletries) may be attractive to companies that seek to widely develop products targeting faith-based Muslim consumer markets.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to an area of growing concern from an academic point of view (i.e. Halal branding) by proposing to add a spiritual dimension to holistic branding. Several questions remain and should stimulate further research. Hence, researchers would be able to understand more clearly the meaning of the religious environment and the impact that environmental forces are likely to exert on business decisions.
The use of digital talking books by people with print disabilities: a literature review
Authors: Lundh Anna Hampson , Johnson Genevieve Marie
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse empirical studies regarding the use of digital talking books (Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) books) as well as the possibilities and limitations that users with print disabilities encounter when using these books. Upon fulfilment of this purpose, it is also possible to identify research needs in the area of talking books.

Design/methodology/approach

– An analysis of 12 empirical studies concerning the use of DAISY books is conducted. The concept of affordances is employed in the analysis, which focuses on: users of talking books, talking books as objects, and the social settings in which talking books are used.

Findings

– First, the reviewed literature indicates that the navigational features of the DAISY talking book appear to provide unprecedented affordances in terms of the users’ approaches to reading. However, the affordances of talking books depend, to some extent, on whether the users have visual impairments or dyslexia/reading and writing difficulties. Second, the reviewed literature illustrates that the affordances provided by talking books depend on the settings in which they are used, both in terms of specific social situations and wider socio-political contexts.

Originality/value

– Although the need for assistive reading technologies, such as digital talking books, is large, research in this area is scarce, particularly from a user perspective. This paper describes the results of those studies which have actually been conducted on this topic and highlights areas that require further study.
Assessing the accuracy of vendor-supplied accessibility documentation
Authors: DeLancey Laura
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– In an effort to ensure vendor compliance with Section 508, some libraries have begun requesting Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) or other documentation of accessibility compliance. The purpose of this paper is to assess the accuracy of vendor-supplied compliance documentation, and to identify common accessibility issues highlighted by the VPATs. A detailed discussion of vendor responses to each Section 508 checkpoint is provided in the Appendix.

Design/methodology/approach

– Researchers compared 17 VPATs with the results of an automated accessibility scan to identify inconsistencies and common problems.

Findings

– Vendors reported being fully compliant with 64 percent of the applicable VPAT items, and partially compliant with a further 24 percent. However, in 16 of 17 cases, there were discrepancies between the information on the VPAT and the results of the scan. Of the total 189 VPAT checkpoints the author scanned, 19.6 percent had errors (meaning the information on the VPAT was inaccurate 19.6 percent of the time).

Research limitations/implications

– Several VPAT checkpoints could not be automatically verified by the scan. Instead they require manual/visual verification, which the author did not do. Because the author only scanned three pages of each resource, the author was not able to check all content.

Practical implications

– Vendor-supplied accessibility documentation should not be taken at face value, but requires verification and follow up to ensure its accuracy. This study also identified some of the most common accessibility issues, which will help both librarians and vendors improve their products and services.

Originality/value

– Other studies have analyzed the accessibility of library resources and specifically vendor databases, but none have assessed the accuracy of vendor-supplied Section 508 compliance documentation.
Ease of use and usefulness as measures of student experience in a multi-platform e-textbook pilot
Authors: Johnston David James , Berg Selinda Adelle , Pillon Karen , Williams Mita
Published: March 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of how students accept and use e-textbooks in higher education by assessing their experiences with e-textbooks from Flat World Knowledge (FWK) and Nelson Education during a two year campus pilot.

Design/methodology/approach

– Students enrolled in one of 11 classes involved in the library’s e-textbook pilot were recruited to complete an online survey including questions related to the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of electronic textbooks, as well as their general habits with the textbook. This study uses the Technology Acceptance Model as a framework for analysis.

Findings

– Students experienced a drop in enthusiasm for e-textbooks from the beginning to the end of the pilot. While research suggests that students prefer for print over electronic in some contexts, students rarely acted on that preference by seeking out available alternative print options. Student experience with the open/affordable textbook (FWK) was very comparable to that of the high cost commercial text (Nelson).

Originality/value

– While previous research suggests that students have a general preference for textbooks in print rather than electronic, the study suggests that preference may not dictate the likelihood that students will use print options. Students appear to be willing and able to easily make use of the content and functions in their e-textbooks. Despite overall positive reviews for the e-textbooks, students experienced a drop in enthusiasm for e-textbooks from the beginning to the end of the pilot.