[Letter to the Editor] Telemonitoring in Patients with Heart Failure

To the Editor: Chaudhry et al. suggest that enhanced support in the use of a telephone-based interactive voice-response system for patients recently discharged after worsening heart failure does not improve outcomes. This finding is broadly consistent with previous systematic reviews of telephone support1 and contrasts with the substantial effect observed with home telemonitoring of vital signs in similar populations.1 The treatment of patients in the control group was excellent, but unrepresentative of usual clinical care and not inferior to the treatment of patients receiving enhanced support. Monitoring alone is unlikely to improve outcomes but may do so when it improves prescription of or adherence to lifesaving treatments. Given enough resources, traditional methods for delivering care may render an interactive voice-response system or a home telemonitoring system ineffective. Nonetheless, there may be more cost-efficient approaches to ensuring quality care.2 Informal post hoc addition of these data to our recent meta-analysis of telephone support1 does not substantially alter the point estimates for death from any cause or heart-failure−related hospitalizations, but it does nullify the small benefit in hospitalizations for any cause, which may not be reduced by a heart-failure−focused intervention.1 Original article: Telemonitoring in Patients with Heart Failure NEJM. December 9, 2010 | S.I. Chaudhry and Others

The motivation and structure of corrupt police networks : theorising the dark side of the ‘thin blue line’

In recent times considerable research attention has been directed to understanding dark networks, especially criminal and terrorist networks. Dark networks are those in which member motivations are self rather than public interested, achievements come at the cost of other individuals, groups or societies and, in addition, their activities are both ‘covert and illegal’ (Raab & Milward, 2003: 415). This ‘darkness’ has implications for the way in which these networks are structured, the strategies adopted and their recruitment methods. Such entities exhibit distinctive operating characteristics including most notably the tension between creating an efficient network structure while retaining the ability to hide from public view while avoiding catastrophic collapse should one member cooperate with authorities (Bouchard 2007). While theoretical emphasis has been on criminal and terrorist networks, recent work has demonstrated that corrupt police networks exhibit some distinctive characteristics. In particular, these entities operate within the shadows of a host organisation - the Police Force and distort the functioning of the ‘Thin Blue Line’ as the interface between the law abiding citizenry and the criminal society. Drawing on data derived from the Queensland Fitzgerald Commission of Enquiry into Police Misconduct and related documents, this paper examines the motivations, structural properties and operational practices of corrupt police networks and compares and contrasts these with other dark networks with ‘bright’ public service networks. The paper confirms the structural differences between dark corrupt police networks and bright networks and suggests. However, structural embeddedness alone is found to be an insufficient theoretical explanation for member involvement in networks and that a set of elements combine to impact decision-making. Although offering important insights into network participation, the paper’s findings are especially pertinent in identifying additional points of intervention for police corruption networks.

Winds of Change

Winds of Change is a short film that contrasts the Tragic Tale of Surachai by tracing the life of a rural Australian man who is left a quadriplegic after a near fatal motorcycle accident. The film highlights issues confronting people living with a disability and its impact on family. This film was developed to raise discussion amongst students studying social work and human services at Queensland University of Technology.

An exploration of the role of web and mobile social media in the implementation of e-Government in Malaysia

This paper reports on an exploratory study of the role of web and social media in e-governments, especially in the context of Malaysia, with some comparisons and contrasts from other countries where such governmental efforts have been underway for awhile. It describes the current e-government efforts in Malaysia, and proposes that applying a theoretical framework would help understand the context and streamline these ongoing efforts. Specifically, it lays out a theoretical and cultural framework based on Mary Douglas’ (1996) Grid-Group Theory, Mircea Georgescu’s (2005) Three Pillars of E-Government, and Gerald Grant’s and Derek Chau’s (2006) Generic Framework for E-Government. Although this study is in its early stages, it has relevance to everyone who is interested in e-government efforts across the world, and especially relevant to developing countries.

Using performance management systems as identity products

This paper explores how the effective use of performance management systems (PMS) essentialises collective identities through the use of textual performances. The discursive effect of PMS operates to simplify members’ logic to allow them to understand and negotiate the complex nature of collective performance. Two case studies, drawing on a qualitative study of the implementation of PMS in two public sector organisations, point to the unique contribution of symbolic effects of one popular PMS, the balanced scorecard (BSC). Findings suggest that the BSC visualising the trajectory of achieving organisational vision through multiple perspectives, measures and linkages is a valuable identity product to achieve organisational success. The case studies also provide an analysis that contrasts aspects of the diffusion and promotion of collective identities through the use of the BSC. This demonstrates that clear direction in the identity management process is an important factor in the design and implementation of successful PMS programs. The value of this paper is to heighten recognition of the symbolic agency of PMS, as it serves as a subtle mechanism for identity management, and also to foster the collaboration of communication specialists and management accountants to achieve common organisational goals.

Collaboration features in current BPM tools

In cross-organizational, distributed environments, Business Process Management requires collaborative technologies to facilitate the process of discovering, modeling, and improving business processes across geographical and organizational boundaries. This paper provides a comprehensive understanding of collaborative business process modeling that is based on a review of literature and a case study of three selected modelling tools. The application of the framework reveals that current process modeling tools consider different perspectives on collaboration, and that the included features are orthogonal. This paper informs practitioners about the state of the art in tool support for collaborative process modelling. It also informs vendors about opportunities to enhance the technology support. For research, our paper paper informs social aspects of BPM technology through its explicit focus on the collaboration of BPM stakeholders in the process of distributed modeling.

Visual acuity with astigmatic blur

Abstract Purpose: To determine how high and low contrast visual acuities are affected by blur caused by crossed-cylinder lenses. Method: Crossed-cylinder lenses of power zero (no added lens), +0.12 DS/-0.25 DC, +0.25 DS/-0.50 DC and +0.37/-0.75 DC were placed over the correcting lenses of the right eyes of eight subjects. Negative cylinder axes used were 15-180 degrees in 15 degree step for the two higher crossed-cylinders and 30-180 degrees in 30 degree steps for the lowest crossed cylinder. Targets were single lines of letters based on the Bailey-Lovie chart. Successively smaller lines were read until the subject could not read any of the letters correctly. Two contrasts were used: high (100%) and low (10%). The screen luminance of 100 cd/m2, together with the room lighting, gave pupil sizes of 4.5 to 6 mm. Results: High contrast visual acuities were better than low contrast visual acuities by 0.1 to 0.2 log unit (1 to 2 chart lines) for the no added lens condition. Based on comparing the average of visual acuities for the 0.75 D crossed-cylinder with the best visual acuity for a given contrast and subject, the rates of change of visual acuity per unit blur strength were similar for high contrast (0.34± 0.05 logMAR/D) and low contrast (0.37± 0.09 logMAR/D). There were considerable asymmetry effects, with the average loss in visual acuity across the two contrasts and the 0.50D/0.75 D crossed-cylinders doubling between the 165± and 60± negative cylinder axes. The loss of visual acuity with 0.75 D crossed-cylinders was approximately twice times that occurring for defocus of the same blur strength. Conclusion: Small levels of crossed-cylinder blur (≤0.75D) produce losses in visual acuity that are dependent on the cylinder axis. 0.75 D crossed-cylinders produce losses in visual acuity that are twice those produced by defocus of the same blur strength.

Prediction of the wash-off of traffic related semi- and non-volatile organic compounds from urban roads under climate change influenced rainfall characteristics

Traffic generated semi and non volatile organic compounds (SVOCs and NVOCs) pose a serious threat to human and ecosystem health when washed off into receiving water bodies by stormwater. Climate change influenced rainfall characteristics makes the estimation of these pollutants in stormwater quite complex. The research study discussed in the paper developed a prediction framework for such pollutants under the dynamic influence of climate change on rainfall characteristics. It was established through principal component analysis (PCA) that the intensity and durations of low to moderate rain events induced by climate change mainly affect the wash-off of SVOCs and NVOCs from urban roads. The study outcomes were able to overcome the limitations of stringent laboratory preparation of calibration matrices by extracting uncorrelated underlying factors in the data matrices through systematic application of PCA and factor analysis (FA). Based on the initial findings from PCA and FA, the framework incorporated orthogonal rotatable central composite experimental design to set up calibration matrices and partial least square regression to identify significant variables in predicting the target SVOCs and NVOCs in four particulate fractions ranging from >300-1 μm and one dissolved fraction of <1 μm. For the particulate fractions range >300-1 μm, similar distributions of predicted and observed concentrations of the target compounds from minimum to 75th percentile were achieved. The inter-event coefficient of variations for particulate fractions of >300-1 μm were 5% to 25%. The limited solubility of the target compounds in stormwater restricted the predictive capacity of the proposed method for the dissolved fraction of <1 μm.

Analysis of rural MUSA-MIMO-OFDM uplink channel capacity

Multi-user single antenna multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MUSA-MIMO-OFDM) is a promising technology to improve the spectrum efficiency of fixed wireless broadband access systems in rural areas. This letter investigates the capacity of MUSA-MIMO-OFDM uplink channel by theoretical, simulation, and empirical approaches considering up to six users. We propose an empirical capacity formula suitable for rural areas. Characteristics of channel capacity temporal variations and their relationship with the wind speed, observed in a rural area, are also presented in this letter.

Bang

In this video, a male voice performs a script combining stories sourced from an anonymous confessions website. On screen, imagery of fireworks repeats into increasingly kaleidoscopic patterns. This work engages with the relationship between screen culture and contemporary subjectivity. It contrasts private confessions with the public spectacle of fireworks to question the ways screen cultures are informing constructions of subjectivity. By extending on some of Nicolas Bourriaud’s ideas around ‘postproduction’ and the creative and critical strategies of ‘editing’, it offers a speculative understanding of the contemporary tension between public and private.

Prediction and measurement of multiuser MIMO-OFDM channel in rural Australia

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has recently conducted a technology demonstration of a novel fixed wireless broadband access system in rural Australia. The system is based on multi user multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MU-MIMO-OFDM). It demonstrated an uplink of six simultaneous users with distances ranging from 10 m to 8.5 km from a central tower, achieving 20 bits s/Hz spectrum efficiency. This paper reports on the analysis of channel capacity and bit error probability simulation based on the measured MUMIMO-OFDM channels obtained during the demonstration, and their comparison with the results based on channels simulated by a novel geometric optics based channel model suitable for MU-MIMO OFDM in rural areas. Despite its simplicity, the model was found to predict channel capacity and bit error rate probability accurately for a typical MU-MIMO-OFDM deployment scenario.

Hearing voice and silence during stressful economic times

Purpose - It is ironic that in stressful economic times, when new ideas and positive behaviors could be most valuable, employees may not speak up, leading to reduced employee participation, less organizational learning, less innovation and less receptiveness to change. The supervisor is the organization’s first line of defense against a culture of silence and towards a culture of openness. This research asks what helps supervisors to hear prosocial voice and notice defensive silence. Design/methodology/approach - We conducted a cross-sectional field study of 142 supervisors. Findings - Our results indicate that prosocial voice is increased by supervisor tension and trust in employees, while defensive silence is increased by supervisor tension but reduced by unionization of employees and trust in employees. This indicates that, as hypothesized by others, voice and silence are orthogonal and not opposites of the same construct. Research limitations/implications - The data is measured at one point in time, and further longitudinal study would be helpful to further understand the phenomena. Practical implications - This research highlights the potential for supervisors in stressful situations to selectively hear voice and silence from employees. Originality/value - This study adds to our knowledge of prosocial voice and defensive silence by testing supervisors’ perceptions of these constructs during difficult times. It provides valuable empirical insights to a literature dominated by conceptual non-empirical papers. Limited research on silence might reflect how difficult it is to study such an ambiguous and passive construct as silence (often simply viewed as a lack of speech). also contribute to trust literature by identifying its role in increasing supervisor’s perceptions of prosocial voice and reducing perceptions of defensive silence.

Intensity pulsations in distributed feedback Yb:Phosphate waveguide lasers

The intensity pulsations of a cw 1030 nm Yb:Phosphate monolithic waveguide laser with distributed feedback are described. We show that the pulsations could result from the coupling of the two orthogonal polarization modes through the two photon process of cooperative luminescence. The predictions of the presented theoretical model agree well with the observed behaviour.

Men, wage work and family

In the last two decades there has been a plethora of research on a range of subjects collectively and rhetorically known as ‘work-life balance’. The bulk of this research, which spans disciplines including feminist sociology, industrial relations and management, has focused on the significant concerns of employed women and/or dual career couples. Less attention has been devoted to scholarship which explicitly examines men and masculinities in this context. Meanwhile, public and organizational discourse is largely espoused in gender neutral terms, often neglecting salient gendered issues which differentially impact the ability of women and men to successfully integrate their work and non-work lives. This edited book brings together empirical studies of the work-life nexus with a specific focus on men’s working time arrangements, how men navigate and traverse paid work and family commitments, and the impact of public and organizational policies on men’s participation in work, leisure, and other life domains. The book is innovative in that it presents both macro (institutional, how policy affects practice) and micro (individual, from men’s own perspectives) level studies, allowing for a rich and contrasting exploration of how men’s participation in paid work and other domains is divided, conflicted, or integrated. The essays in this volume address issues of fundamental social, labor market, and economic change which have occurred over the last 20 years and which have profoundly affected the way work, care, leisure and community have evolved in different contexts. Taking an international focus, Men, Wage Work and Family contrasts various public and organizational policies and how these policies impact men’s opportunities and participation in paid work and non-work domains in industrialised countries in Europe, North America, and Australia.

Introduction. Locating men in the work-life nexus

In the last two decades there has been a plethora of research on a range of subjects collectively and rhetorically known as ‘work-life balance’. The bulk of this research, which spans disciplines including feminist sociology, industrial relations and management, has focused on the significant concerns of employed women and/or dual career couples. Less attention has been devoted to scholarship which explicitly examines men and masculinities in this context. Meanwhile, public and organizational discourse is largely espoused in gender neutral terms, often neglecting salient gendered issues which differentially impact the ability of women and men to successfully integrate their work and non-work lives. This edited book brings together empirical studies of the work-life nexus with a specific focus on men’s working time arrangements, how men navigate and traverse paid work and family commitments, and the impact of public and organizational policies on men’s participation in work, leisure, and other life domains. The book is innovative in that it presents both macro (institutional, how policy affects practice) and micro (individual, from men’s own perspectives) level studies, allowing for a rich and contrasting exploration of how men’s participation in paid work and other domains is divided, conflicted, or integrated. The essays in this volume address issues of fundamental social, labor market, and economic change which have occurred over the last 20 years and which have profoundly affected the way work, care, leisure and community have evolved in different contexts. Taking an international focus, Men, Wage Work and Family contrasts various public and organizational policies and how these policies impact men’s opportunities and participation in paid work and non-work domains in industrialised countries in Europe, North America, and Australia.