International frameworks supported by national principles in Australia stipulate that prisoners s... more International frameworks supported by national principles in Australia stipulate that prisoners should be provided with health services equivalent to those provided in the general community. However, a number of barriers unique to the prison system may hinder the provision of equitable healthcare for this population. In Australia, Indigenous people carry a greater burden of cancer mortality, which the Cancer Data and Aboriginal Disparities (CanDAD) project is seeking to address. During the course of recruiting participants to the CanDAD study, Indigenous Australian prisoners with cancer emerged as an important, under-researched but difficult to access sub-group. This scoping review sought to identify barriers and facilitators of access to adequate and equitable healthcare for Indigenous Australian prisoners with cancer in Australia. This review demonstrated a lack of research and, as such, the scoping review was extended to prisoners with cancer in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. This approach was taken in order to summarise the existing body of evidence regarding the barriers and facilitators of access to adequate and equitable healthcare for those who are incarcerated and suffering from cancer, and highlight areas that may require further investigation. Eight studies or commentaries were found to meet the inclusion criteria. This limited set of findings pointed to a range of possible barriers faced by prisoners with cancer, including a tension between the prisons' concern with security versus the need for timely access to medical care. Findings identified here offer potential starting points for research and policy development. Further research is needed to better elucidate how barriers to adequate cancer care for prisoners may be identified and overcome, in Australia and internationally. Furthermore, given Indigenous Australians' over-burden of cancer mortality and over-representation in the prison system, further research is needed to identify whether there are a unique set of barriers for this group.
Indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand and Canada carry a greater burden of chronic kidney ... more Indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand and Canada carry a greater burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than the general populations in each country, and this burden is predicted to increase. Given the human and economic cost of dialysis, understanding how to better manage CKD at earlier stages of disease progression is an important priority for practitioners and policy-makers. A systematic review of mixed evidence was undertaken to examine the evidence relating to the effectivness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of chronic kidney disease management programs designed for Indigenous people, as well as barriers and enablers of implementation of such programs. Published and unpublished studies reporting quantitative and qualitative data on health sector-led management programs and models of care explicitly designed to manage, slow progression or otherwise improve the lives of Indigenous people with CKD published between 2000 and 2014 were considered for inclusion. Data on clinical effectiveness, ability to self-manage, quality of life, acceptability, cost and cost-benefit, barriers and enablers of implementation were of interest. Quantitative data was summarized in narrative and tabular form and qualitative data was synthesized using the Joanna Briggs Institute meta-aggregation approach. Ten studies were included. Six studies provided evidence of clinical effectiveness of CKD programs designed for Indigenous people, two provided evidence of cost and cost-effectiveness of a CKD program, and two provided qualitative evidence of barriers and enablers of implementation of effective and/or acceptable CKD management programs. Common features of effective and acceptable programs were integration within existing services, nurse-led care, intensive follow-up, provision of culturally-appropriate education, governance structures supporting community ownership, robust clinical systems supporting communication and a central role for Indigenous Health Workers. Given the human cost of dialysis and the growing population of people living with CKD, there is an urgent need to draw lessons from the available evidence from this and other sources, including studies in the broader population, to better serve this population with programs that address the barriers to receiving high-quality care and improve quality of life.
ABSTRACT Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-controlled block copolymer synth... more ABSTRACT Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-controlled block copolymer synthesis using dispersion polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) shows unprecedented control over blocking efficiency. For PMMA-b-PBzMA and PMMA-b-PSt the blocking efficiency was quantified by measuring homopolymer contaminants using the techniques of GPC deconvolution, gradient polymer elution chromatography (GPEC), and GPC dual RI/UV detection. A new, promising method was also developed which combined GPC deconvolution and GPEC. All techniques showed that blocking efficiency was significantly improved by reducing the radical concentration and target molecular weight. Estimated values agreed well with (and occasionally exceeded) theory for PMMA-b-PBzMA. The heterogeneous process in scCO2 appeared to cause little or no further hindrance to the block copolymerization procedure when reaction conditions were optimized. High blocking efficiencies were achieved (up to 82%) even at high conversion of MMA (>95%) and high molecular weight. These data compare favorably to numerous published reports of heterogeneous syntheses of block copolymers.
Proceedings of the Asia Pacific Symposium on Information Visualisation Volume 24, 2003
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analyzing and comprehending large volume... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analyzing and comprehending large volumes of data, and to detect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using non-graphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data visualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range of applied problems, including data exploration and mining, information retrieval, and intelligence analysis. Unfortunately, while a variety of different approaches are available for data visualization, there have been few rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness. This paper presents the results of a controlled experiment comparing the ability four different visualization approaches to help people answer meaningful questions for binary data sets. Two of these visualizations, Chernoff faces and star glyphs, represent objects using simple icon-like displays. The other two visualizations use a spatial arrangement of the objects, based on a model of human mental representation, where more similar objects are placed nearer each other. One of these spatial displays uses a common features model of similarity, while the other uses a distinctive features model. It is found that both glyph visualizations lead to slow, inaccurate answers being given with low confidence, while the faster and more confident answers for spatial visualizations are only accurate when the common features similarity model is used.
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans,in analysing and comprehending,large volume... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans,in analysing and comprehending,large volumes ofdata, and to detect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using non- graphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data visualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range ofapplied problems, including data exploration and mining, inf ormation retrieval, and intelligence analysis. Unfortunately,
Copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) was employed to synthesize DNA block copolyme... more Copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) was employed to synthesize DNA block copolymers (DBCs) with a range of polymer blocks including temperature-responsive poly(N-isoproylacrylamide) (poly(NIPAM)) and highly hydrophobic poly(styrene). Exceptionally high yields were achieved at low DNA concentrations, in organic solvents, and in the absence of any solid support. The DNA segment of the DBC remained capable of sequence-specific hybridization: it was used to assemble a precisely defined nanostructure, a DNA tetrahedron, with pendant poly(NIPAM) segments. In the presence of an excess of poly(NIPAM) homopolymer, the tetrahedron-poly(NIPAM) conjugate nucleated the formation of large, well-defined nanoparticles at 40 °C, a temperature at which the homopolymer precipitated from solution. These composite nanoparticles were observed by dynamic light scattering and cryoTEM, and their hybrid nature was confirmed by AFM imaging. As a result of the large effective surface area of the tetrahedron, only very low concentrations of the conjugate were required in order for this surfactant-like behavior to be observed.
Controlling the order and spatial distribution of self-assembly in multicomponent supramolecular ... more Controlling the order and spatial distribution of self-assembly in multicomponent supramolecular systems could underpin exciting new functional materials, but it is extremely challenging. When a solution of different components self-assembles, the molecules can either coassemble, or self-sort, where a preference for like-like intermolecular interactions results in coexisting, homomolecular assemblies. A challenge is to produce generic and controlled 'one-pot' fabrication methods to form separate ordered assemblies from 'cocktails' of two or more self-assembling species, which might have relatively similar molecular structures and chemistry. Self-sorting in supramolecular gel phases is hence rare. Here we report the first example of the pH-controlled self-sorting of gelators to form self-assembled networks in water. Uniquely, the order of assembly can be predefined. The assembly of each component is preprogrammed by the pK a of the gelator. This pH-programming method will enable higher level, complex structures to be formed that cannot be accessed by simple thermal gelation.
An ecological approach to health and health promotion targets individuals and the environmental d... more An ecological approach to health and health promotion targets individuals and the environmental determinants of their health as a means of more effectively influencing health outcomes. The approach has potential value as a means to more accurately capture the holistic nature of Australian First Peoples' health programs and the way in which they seek to influence environmental, including social, determinants of health. We report several case studies of applying an ecological approach to health program evaluation using a tool developed for application to mainstream public health programs in North America - Richard's ecological coding procedure. We find the ecological approach in general, and the Richard procedure specifically, to have potential for broader use as an approach to reporting and evaluation of health promotion programs. However, our experience applying this tool in academic and community-based program evaluation contexts, conducted in collaboration with First Peoples of Australia, suggests that it would benefit from cultural adaptations that would bring the ecological coding procedure in greater alignment with the worldviews of First Peoples and better identify the aims and strategies of local health promotion programs. Establishing the cultural validity of the ecological coding procedure is necessary to adequately capture the underlying program activities of community-based health promotion programs designed to benefit First Peoples, and its collaborative implementation with First Peoples supports a human rights approach to health program evaluation.
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2015
The health inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are well... more The health inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are well documented but there are few empirical data outlining the burden, consequences, experience and expression of depressive illness. This paper seeks to address the lack of accessible, culturally specific measures of psychosocial stress, depression or quality of life developed for, and validated within, this population. Building on an extensive qualitative phase of research, a psychosocial questionnaire comprising novel and adapted scales was developed and piloted with 189 Aboriginal men across urban and remote settings in central Australia. With a view to refining this tool for future use, its underlying structure was assessed using exploratory factor analysis, and the predictive ability of the emergent psychosocial constructs assessed with respect to depressive symptomatology. The latent structure of the psychosocial questionnaire was conceptually aligned with the components of the a priori model on which the questionnaire was based. Regression modelling indicated that depressive symptoms were driven by a sense of injury and chronic stress and had a non-linear association with socioeconomic position. This represents the first community-based survey of psychosocial stress and depression in Aboriginal men. It provides both knowledge of, and an appropriate process for, the further development of psychometric tools, including quality of life, in this population. Further research with larger and more diverse samples of Aboriginal people is required to refine the measurement of key constructs such as chronic stress, socioeconomic position, social support and connectedness. The further refinement, validation against criterion-based methods and incorporation within primary care services is essential.
It is recognized that a range of psychosocial factors contribute to the poor state of Indigenous ... more It is recognized that a range of psychosocial factors contribute to the poor state of Indigenous health in Australia. Connection to community, including positive role models, is one such factor identified by members of the Koori community of the Goulburn Valley, southeastern Australia. There is evidence that good role-modelling and mentoring can promote a sense of empowerment and positive health behaviours in young people. This paper focuses on leadership and role modelling as psychosocial mediators of health within the Rumbalara Football Netball Club, a key Aboriginal communitycontrolled organization in the region. In-depth interviews were conducted with six Indigenous Club members, who met specific criteria, to improve understanding of the concept of Indigenous leadership in this setting; the attributes that are particularly sought amongst good Indigenous leaders and role models; the levels of leadership and types of role models that resonated with the participants; and how role modelling and leadership may be further developed in this organization. Participants identified "respect," employment status, consistently doing "the right thing" both on and off the field, a responsible approach to drugs and alcohol, and transcending family conflict as positive attributes of Indigenous leaders and role models. Although role models were identified in almost all areas of life, participants tended to identify senior players, in particular, as role models. It is hoped that this research will assist ongoing efforts to promote leadership and role modelling in the local Koori community.
Asia Pacific Symposium on Information Visualisation, 2003
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in ana- lyzing and comprehending large volu... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in ana- lyzing and comprehending large volumes of data, and to de- tect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using non-graphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data vi- sualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range of applied problems, including data exploration and mining, information retrieval,
... Ryan J. Pounder, Helen Willcock, Nga Sze Ieong, Rachel K. O′Reilly and Andrew P. Dove*. Depar... more ... Ryan J. Pounder, Helen Willcock, Nga Sze Ieong, Rachel K. O′Reilly and Andrew P. Dove*. Department of Chemistry, University of ... The MeO-PEO-OH macroinitiator enabled simple calculation of the degree of polymerization (DP) by comparison of the methylene resonance of ...
A system for multistep DNA-templated synthesis is controlled by the sequential formation of DNA j... more A system for multistep DNA-templated synthesis is controlled by the sequential formation of DNA junctions. Reactants are attached to DNA adapters which are brought together by hybridization to DNA template strands. This process can be repeated to allow sequencecontrolled oligomer synthesis while maintaining a constant reaction environment, independent of oligomer length, at each reaction step. Synthesis can take place in a single pot containing all required reactive monomers. Different oligomers can be synthesized in parallel in the same vessel, and the products of parallel synthesis can be ligated, reducing the number of reaction steps required to produce an oligomer of a given length.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 2003
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analysing and comprehending large volume... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analysing and comprehending large volumes of data, and to detect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using nongraphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data visualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range of applied problems, including data exploration and mining, information retrieval, and intelligence analysis. Unfortunately, while various different approaches are available for data visualization, there have been few rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness. This paper presents the results of three controlled experiments comparing the ability of four different visualization approaches to help people answer meaningful questions for binary data sets. Two of these visualizations, Chernoff faces and star glyphs, represent objects using simple icon-like displays. The other two visualizations use a spatial arrangement of the objects, based on a model of human mental representation, where more similar objects are placed nearer each other. One of these spatial displays uses a common features model of similarity, while the other uses a distinctive features model. The first experiment finds that both glyph visualizations lead to slow, inaccurate answers being given with low confidence, while the faster and more confident answers for spatial visualizations are only accurate when the common features similarity model is used. The second experiment, which considers only the spatial visualizations, supports this finding, with the common features approach again producing more accurate answers. The third experiment measures human performance using the raw data in tabular form, and so allows the usefulness of visualizations in facilitating human performance to be assessed. This experiment confirms that people are faster, more confident and more accurate when an appropriate visualization of the data is made available. r
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2013
Objective: Effective interventions to improve population and individual health require environmen... more Objective: Effective interventions to improve population and individual health require environmental change as well as strategies that target individual behaviours and clinical factors. This is the basis of implementing an ecological approach to health programs and health promotion. For Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islanders, colonisation has made the physical and social environment particularly detrimental for health. Methods and Results: We conducted a literature review to identify Aboriginal health interventions that targeted environmental determinants of health, identifying 21 different health programs. Program activities that targeted environmental determinants of health included: Caring for Country; changes to food supply and/or policy; infrastructure for physical activity; housing construction and maintenance; anti-smoking policies;
Objective. The Heart Health Project is an ongoing community-directed health promotion programme e... more Objective. The Heart Health Project is an ongoing community-directed health promotion programme encompassing the collection of health-related data and interventions promoting cardiovascular health. Following research which has emphasised the importance of psychological factors including mastery, or personal control, in mitigating cardiovascular health outcomes, this qualitative study explored whether such constructs were relevant from Indigenous perspectives, or whether there were other, more meaningful and relevant psychosocial factors identified by participants that should be incorporated into models of Indigenous health and which could be effective targets for change.
Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 2013
There has been increasing attention over the last decade on the issue of indigenous youth suicide... more There has been increasing attention over the last decade on the issue of indigenous youth suicide. A number of studies have documented the high prevalence of suicide behavior and mortality in Australia and internationally. However, no studies have focused on documenting the correlates of suicide behavior for indigenous youth in Australia. To examine the prevalence of suicide ideation and attempt and the associated factors for a community1 cohort of Koori2 (Aboriginal) youth. Data were obtained from the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) Young People's Project (YPP), a community initiated cross-sectional data set. In 1997/1998, self-reported data were collected for 172 Koori youth aged 12-26 years living in Melbourne, Australia. The data were analyzed to assess the prevalence of current suicide ideation and lifetime suicide attempt. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to identify closely associated social, emotional, behavioral, and cultural variables at baseline and Cox regression modeling was then used to identify associations between PCA components and suicide ideation and attempt. Ideation and attempt were reported at 23.3% and 24.4%, respectively. PCA yielded five components: (1) emotional distress, (2) social distress A, (3) social distress B, (4) cultural connection, (5) behavioral. All were positively and independently associated with suicide ideation and attempt, while cultural connection showed a negative association. Suicide ideation and attempt were common in this cross-section of indigenous youth with an unfavorable profile for the emotional, social, cultural, and behavioral factors.
International frameworks supported by national principles in Australia stipulate that prisoners s... more International frameworks supported by national principles in Australia stipulate that prisoners should be provided with health services equivalent to those provided in the general community. However, a number of barriers unique to the prison system may hinder the provision of equitable healthcare for this population. In Australia, Indigenous people carry a greater burden of cancer mortality, which the Cancer Data and Aboriginal Disparities (CanDAD) project is seeking to address. During the course of recruiting participants to the CanDAD study, Indigenous Australian prisoners with cancer emerged as an important, under-researched but difficult to access sub-group. This scoping review sought to identify barriers and facilitators of access to adequate and equitable healthcare for Indigenous Australian prisoners with cancer in Australia. This review demonstrated a lack of research and, as such, the scoping review was extended to prisoners with cancer in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. This approach was taken in order to summarise the existing body of evidence regarding the barriers and facilitators of access to adequate and equitable healthcare for those who are incarcerated and suffering from cancer, and highlight areas that may require further investigation. Eight studies or commentaries were found to meet the inclusion criteria. This limited set of findings pointed to a range of possible barriers faced by prisoners with cancer, including a tension between the prisons' concern with security versus the need for timely access to medical care. Findings identified here offer potential starting points for research and policy development. Further research is needed to better elucidate how barriers to adequate cancer care for prisoners may be identified and overcome, in Australia and internationally. Furthermore, given Indigenous Australians' over-burden of cancer mortality and over-representation in the prison system, further research is needed to identify whether there are a unique set of barriers for this group.
Indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand and Canada carry a greater burden of chronic kidney ... more Indigenous peoples in Australia, New Zealand and Canada carry a greater burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than the general populations in each country, and this burden is predicted to increase. Given the human and economic cost of dialysis, understanding how to better manage CKD at earlier stages of disease progression is an important priority for practitioners and policy-makers. A systematic review of mixed evidence was undertaken to examine the evidence relating to the effectivness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of chronic kidney disease management programs designed for Indigenous people, as well as barriers and enablers of implementation of such programs. Published and unpublished studies reporting quantitative and qualitative data on health sector-led management programs and models of care explicitly designed to manage, slow progression or otherwise improve the lives of Indigenous people with CKD published between 2000 and 2014 were considered for inclusion. Data on clinical effectiveness, ability to self-manage, quality of life, acceptability, cost and cost-benefit, barriers and enablers of implementation were of interest. Quantitative data was summarized in narrative and tabular form and qualitative data was synthesized using the Joanna Briggs Institute meta-aggregation approach. Ten studies were included. Six studies provided evidence of clinical effectiveness of CKD programs designed for Indigenous people, two provided evidence of cost and cost-effectiveness of a CKD program, and two provided qualitative evidence of barriers and enablers of implementation of effective and/or acceptable CKD management programs. Common features of effective and acceptable programs were integration within existing services, nurse-led care, intensive follow-up, provision of culturally-appropriate education, governance structures supporting community ownership, robust clinical systems supporting communication and a central role for Indigenous Health Workers. Given the human cost of dialysis and the growing population of people living with CKD, there is an urgent need to draw lessons from the available evidence from this and other sources, including studies in the broader population, to better serve this population with programs that address the barriers to receiving high-quality care and improve quality of life.
ABSTRACT Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-controlled block copolymer synth... more ABSTRACT Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-controlled block copolymer synthesis using dispersion polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) shows unprecedented control over blocking efficiency. For PMMA-b-PBzMA and PMMA-b-PSt the blocking efficiency was quantified by measuring homopolymer contaminants using the techniques of GPC deconvolution, gradient polymer elution chromatography (GPEC), and GPC dual RI/UV detection. A new, promising method was also developed which combined GPC deconvolution and GPEC. All techniques showed that blocking efficiency was significantly improved by reducing the radical concentration and target molecular weight. Estimated values agreed well with (and occasionally exceeded) theory for PMMA-b-PBzMA. The heterogeneous process in scCO2 appeared to cause little or no further hindrance to the block copolymerization procedure when reaction conditions were optimized. High blocking efficiencies were achieved (up to 82%) even at high conversion of MMA (>95%) and high molecular weight. These data compare favorably to numerous published reports of heterogeneous syntheses of block copolymers.
Proceedings of the Asia Pacific Symposium on Information Visualisation Volume 24, 2003
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analyzing and comprehending large volume... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analyzing and comprehending large volumes of data, and to detect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using non-graphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data visualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range of applied problems, including data exploration and mining, information retrieval, and intelligence analysis. Unfortunately, while a variety of different approaches are available for data visualization, there have been few rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness. This paper presents the results of a controlled experiment comparing the ability four different visualization approaches to help people answer meaningful questions for binary data sets. Two of these visualizations, Chernoff faces and star glyphs, represent objects using simple icon-like displays. The other two visualizations use a spatial arrangement of the objects, based on a model of human mental representation, where more similar objects are placed nearer each other. One of these spatial displays uses a common features model of similarity, while the other uses a distinctive features model. It is found that both glyph visualizations lead to slow, inaccurate answers being given with low confidence, while the faster and more confident answers for spatial visualizations are only accurate when the common features similarity model is used.
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans,in analysing and comprehending,large volume... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans,in analysing and comprehending,large volumes ofdata, and to detect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using non- graphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data visualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range ofapplied problems, including data exploration and mining, inf ormation retrieval, and intelligence analysis. Unfortunately,
Copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) was employed to synthesize DNA block copolyme... more Copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) was employed to synthesize DNA block copolymers (DBCs) with a range of polymer blocks including temperature-responsive poly(N-isoproylacrylamide) (poly(NIPAM)) and highly hydrophobic poly(styrene). Exceptionally high yields were achieved at low DNA concentrations, in organic solvents, and in the absence of any solid support. The DNA segment of the DBC remained capable of sequence-specific hybridization: it was used to assemble a precisely defined nanostructure, a DNA tetrahedron, with pendant poly(NIPAM) segments. In the presence of an excess of poly(NIPAM) homopolymer, the tetrahedron-poly(NIPAM) conjugate nucleated the formation of large, well-defined nanoparticles at 40 °C, a temperature at which the homopolymer precipitated from solution. These composite nanoparticles were observed by dynamic light scattering and cryoTEM, and their hybrid nature was confirmed by AFM imaging. As a result of the large effective surface area of the tetrahedron, only very low concentrations of the conjugate were required in order for this surfactant-like behavior to be observed.
Controlling the order and spatial distribution of self-assembly in multicomponent supramolecular ... more Controlling the order and spatial distribution of self-assembly in multicomponent supramolecular systems could underpin exciting new functional materials, but it is extremely challenging. When a solution of different components self-assembles, the molecules can either coassemble, or self-sort, where a preference for like-like intermolecular interactions results in coexisting, homomolecular assemblies. A challenge is to produce generic and controlled 'one-pot' fabrication methods to form separate ordered assemblies from 'cocktails' of two or more self-assembling species, which might have relatively similar molecular structures and chemistry. Self-sorting in supramolecular gel phases is hence rare. Here we report the first example of the pH-controlled self-sorting of gelators to form self-assembled networks in water. Uniquely, the order of assembly can be predefined. The assembly of each component is preprogrammed by the pK a of the gelator. This pH-programming method will enable higher level, complex structures to be formed that cannot be accessed by simple thermal gelation.
An ecological approach to health and health promotion targets individuals and the environmental d... more An ecological approach to health and health promotion targets individuals and the environmental determinants of their health as a means of more effectively influencing health outcomes. The approach has potential value as a means to more accurately capture the holistic nature of Australian First Peoples' health programs and the way in which they seek to influence environmental, including social, determinants of health. We report several case studies of applying an ecological approach to health program evaluation using a tool developed for application to mainstream public health programs in North America - Richard's ecological coding procedure. We find the ecological approach in general, and the Richard procedure specifically, to have potential for broader use as an approach to reporting and evaluation of health promotion programs. However, our experience applying this tool in academic and community-based program evaluation contexts, conducted in collaboration with First Peoples of Australia, suggests that it would benefit from cultural adaptations that would bring the ecological coding procedure in greater alignment with the worldviews of First Peoples and better identify the aims and strategies of local health promotion programs. Establishing the cultural validity of the ecological coding procedure is necessary to adequately capture the underlying program activities of community-based health promotion programs designed to benefit First Peoples, and its collaborative implementation with First Peoples supports a human rights approach to health program evaluation.
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2015
The health inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are well... more The health inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are well documented but there are few empirical data outlining the burden, consequences, experience and expression of depressive illness. This paper seeks to address the lack of accessible, culturally specific measures of psychosocial stress, depression or quality of life developed for, and validated within, this population. Building on an extensive qualitative phase of research, a psychosocial questionnaire comprising novel and adapted scales was developed and piloted with 189 Aboriginal men across urban and remote settings in central Australia. With a view to refining this tool for future use, its underlying structure was assessed using exploratory factor analysis, and the predictive ability of the emergent psychosocial constructs assessed with respect to depressive symptomatology. The latent structure of the psychosocial questionnaire was conceptually aligned with the components of the a priori model on which the questionnaire was based. Regression modelling indicated that depressive symptoms were driven by a sense of injury and chronic stress and had a non-linear association with socioeconomic position. This represents the first community-based survey of psychosocial stress and depression in Aboriginal men. It provides both knowledge of, and an appropriate process for, the further development of psychometric tools, including quality of life, in this population. Further research with larger and more diverse samples of Aboriginal people is required to refine the measurement of key constructs such as chronic stress, socioeconomic position, social support and connectedness. The further refinement, validation against criterion-based methods and incorporation within primary care services is essential.
It is recognized that a range of psychosocial factors contribute to the poor state of Indigenous ... more It is recognized that a range of psychosocial factors contribute to the poor state of Indigenous health in Australia. Connection to community, including positive role models, is one such factor identified by members of the Koori community of the Goulburn Valley, southeastern Australia. There is evidence that good role-modelling and mentoring can promote a sense of empowerment and positive health behaviours in young people. This paper focuses on leadership and role modelling as psychosocial mediators of health within the Rumbalara Football Netball Club, a key Aboriginal communitycontrolled organization in the region. In-depth interviews were conducted with six Indigenous Club members, who met specific criteria, to improve understanding of the concept of Indigenous leadership in this setting; the attributes that are particularly sought amongst good Indigenous leaders and role models; the levels of leadership and types of role models that resonated with the participants; and how role modelling and leadership may be further developed in this organization. Participants identified "respect," employment status, consistently doing "the right thing" both on and off the field, a responsible approach to drugs and alcohol, and transcending family conflict as positive attributes of Indigenous leaders and role models. Although role models were identified in almost all areas of life, participants tended to identify senior players, in particular, as role models. It is hoped that this research will assist ongoing efforts to promote leadership and role modelling in the local Koori community.
Asia Pacific Symposium on Information Visualisation, 2003
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in ana- lyzing and comprehending large volu... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in ana- lyzing and comprehending large volumes of data, and to de- tect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using non-graphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data vi- sualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range of applied problems, including data exploration and mining, information retrieval,
... Ryan J. Pounder, Helen Willcock, Nga Sze Ieong, Rachel K. O′Reilly and Andrew P. Dove*. Depar... more ... Ryan J. Pounder, Helen Willcock, Nga Sze Ieong, Rachel K. O′Reilly and Andrew P. Dove*. Department of Chemistry, University of ... The MeO-PEO-OH macroinitiator enabled simple calculation of the degree of polymerization (DP) by comparison of the methylene resonance of ...
A system for multistep DNA-templated synthesis is controlled by the sequential formation of DNA j... more A system for multistep DNA-templated synthesis is controlled by the sequential formation of DNA junctions. Reactants are attached to DNA adapters which are brought together by hybridization to DNA template strands. This process can be repeated to allow sequencecontrolled oligomer synthesis while maintaining a constant reaction environment, independent of oligomer length, at each reaction step. Synthesis can take place in a single pot containing all required reactive monomers. Different oligomers can be synthesized in parallel in the same vessel, and the products of parallel synthesis can be ligated, reducing the number of reaction steps required to produce an oligomer of a given length.
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 2003
Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analysing and comprehending large volume... more Data visualization has the potential to assist humans in analysing and comprehending large volumes of data, and to detect patterns, clusters and outliers that are not obvious using nongraphical forms of presentation. For this reason, data visualizations have an important role to play in a diverse range of applied problems, including data exploration and mining, information retrieval, and intelligence analysis. Unfortunately, while various different approaches are available for data visualization, there have been few rigorous evaluations of their effectiveness. This paper presents the results of three controlled experiments comparing the ability of four different visualization approaches to help people answer meaningful questions for binary data sets. Two of these visualizations, Chernoff faces and star glyphs, represent objects using simple icon-like displays. The other two visualizations use a spatial arrangement of the objects, based on a model of human mental representation, where more similar objects are placed nearer each other. One of these spatial displays uses a common features model of similarity, while the other uses a distinctive features model. The first experiment finds that both glyph visualizations lead to slow, inaccurate answers being given with low confidence, while the faster and more confident answers for spatial visualizations are only accurate when the common features similarity model is used. The second experiment, which considers only the spatial visualizations, supports this finding, with the common features approach again producing more accurate answers. The third experiment measures human performance using the raw data in tabular form, and so allows the usefulness of visualizations in facilitating human performance to be assessed. This experiment confirms that people are faster, more confident and more accurate when an appropriate visualization of the data is made available. r
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2013
Objective: Effective interventions to improve population and individual health require environmen... more Objective: Effective interventions to improve population and individual health require environmental change as well as strategies that target individual behaviours and clinical factors. This is the basis of implementing an ecological approach to health programs and health promotion. For Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islanders, colonisation has made the physical and social environment particularly detrimental for health. Methods and Results: We conducted a literature review to identify Aboriginal health interventions that targeted environmental determinants of health, identifying 21 different health programs. Program activities that targeted environmental determinants of health included: Caring for Country; changes to food supply and/or policy; infrastructure for physical activity; housing construction and maintenance; anti-smoking policies;
Objective. The Heart Health Project is an ongoing community-directed health promotion programme e... more Objective. The Heart Health Project is an ongoing community-directed health promotion programme encompassing the collection of health-related data and interventions promoting cardiovascular health. Following research which has emphasised the importance of psychological factors including mastery, or personal control, in mitigating cardiovascular health outcomes, this qualitative study explored whether such constructs were relevant from Indigenous perspectives, or whether there were other, more meaningful and relevant psychosocial factors identified by participants that should be incorporated into models of Indigenous health and which could be effective targets for change.
Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 2013
There has been increasing attention over the last decade on the issue of indigenous youth suicide... more There has been increasing attention over the last decade on the issue of indigenous youth suicide. A number of studies have documented the high prevalence of suicide behavior and mortality in Australia and internationally. However, no studies have focused on documenting the correlates of suicide behavior for indigenous youth in Australia. To examine the prevalence of suicide ideation and attempt and the associated factors for a community1 cohort of Koori2 (Aboriginal) youth. Data were obtained from the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (VAHS) Young People's Project (YPP), a community initiated cross-sectional data set. In 1997/1998, self-reported data were collected for 172 Koori youth aged 12-26 years living in Melbourne, Australia. The data were analyzed to assess the prevalence of current suicide ideation and lifetime suicide attempt. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to identify closely associated social, emotional, behavioral, and cultural variables at baseline and Cox regression modeling was then used to identify associations between PCA components and suicide ideation and attempt. Ideation and attempt were reported at 23.3% and 24.4%, respectively. PCA yielded five components: (1) emotional distress, (2) social distress A, (3) social distress B, (4) cultural connection, (5) behavioral. All were positively and independently associated with suicide ideation and attempt, while cultural connection showed a negative association. Suicide ideation and attempt were common in this cross-section of indigenous youth with an unfavorable profile for the emotional, social, cultural, and behavioral factors.
Uploads
Papers by Rachel Reilly