Effective health communication in the mining industry

Historically, occupational health and safety has primarily presented as attempts to create a safer work environment for employees. The mining industry carries health and safety risks, often greater than other occupations. Whilst the mining industry is regulated by stringent workplace health and safety regulations, the very nature of the work and environmental influences expose employees to a greater number of injury risk factors than many other industries. The application of risk management techniques has resulted in a substantial decline in injury rates observed for mining operations in developed countries (Donoghue, 2004). This essential focus can be complemented by a more comprehensive approach to occupational health and safety that also supports the design and delivery of proactive health promotion programs...

Adaptation and empathy : intercultural communication in a choreographic project

The tricky terrain of intercultural communication within the pressure-cooker environment of creating new performance work is explored through the experiences of five Australians working with 55 artists in Hanoi, Vietnam on a project called Through the Eyes of the Phoenix. Key cultural communication issues such as the concept of ‘face’, identity, translation, adaptability, ambiguity tolerance, empathy, enmeshment and the development of shared understandings are examined in relation to theories of high and low context cultures and individualist collectivist frameworks. The experiences of both Australian and Vietnamese artists are foregrounded, revealing the importance of other intercultural communication modes such as visual, kinaesthetic and tactile languages as well as the languages of their art forms. Immersion in social activities and the importance of the emotional domain are also highlighted as essential factors to survive and thrive in intense creative collaborations across cultures. These dance perspectives, embedded in practice, provide alternative contributions to the messy complexities of intercultural communication.

Slotted cooperative communication in half duplex relay networks

In cooperative communication systems, several wireless communication terminals collaborate to form a virtual-multiple antenna array system and exploit the spatial diversity to achieve a better performance. This thesis proposes a practical slotted protocol for cooperative communication systems with half-duplex single antennas. The performance of the proposed slotted cooperative communication protocol is evaluated in terms of the pairwise error probability and the bit error rate. The proposed protocol achieves the multiple-input single-output performance bound with a novel relay ordering and scheduling strategy.

Crisis Communication in Natural Disasters : The Queensland Floods and Christchurch Earthquakes

Over the past decade, social media have gone through a process of legitimation and official adoption, and they are now becoming embedded as part of the official communications apparatus of many commercial and public-sector organisations— in turn, providing platforms like Twitter with their own sources of legitimacy. Arguably, the demonstrated utility of social media platforms and tools in times of crisis—from civil unrest and violent crime through to natural disasters like bushfires, earthquakes, and floods—has been a crucial driver of this newfound legitimacy. In the mid-2000s, user-created content and ‘Web 2.0’ platforms were known to play a role in crisis communication; back then, the involvement of extra-institutional actors in providing and sharing information around such events involved distributed, ad hoc, or niche platforms (like Flickr), and was more likely to be framed as ‘citizen journalism’ or ‘crowdsourcing’ (see, for example, Liu, Palen, Sutton, Hughes, & Vieweg, 2008, on the then-emerging role of photo-sharing in disasters). Since then, the dramatically increased take-up of mainstream social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter means that the pool of potential participants in online crisis communication has broadened to include a much larger proportion of the general population, as well as traditional media and official emergency response organisations.

The effectiveness of information-sharing interventions as a means to reduce anxiety in families waiting for surgical patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure : a systematic review protocol

Review question/objective What are the most effective information sharing strategies used to reduce anxiety in families of patients undergoing elective surgery? This review seeks to synthesize the best available evidence in relation to the most effective information-sharing intervention to reduce anxiety for families waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure. The specific objectives are to review the effectiveness of evidence of interventions designed to reduce the anxiety of families waiting whilst their loved one undergoes a surgical intervention. A variety of interventions exist and include surgical nurse liaison services, intraoperative reporting either by face-to-face or telephone delivery, informational cards, visual information screens, and intraoperative paging devices for families. Inclusion criteria Types of participants All studies of family members over 18 years of age waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure will be included, including those waiting for both adult and paediatric patients. Studies of families waiting for other patient populations, eg emergency surgery, chemotherapy or intensive care patients will be excluded. Types of intervention(s)/phenomena of interest All information-sharing Interventions for families of patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure will be included, including but not limited to: surgical nurse liaison services, in-person intraoperative reporting, visual information screens, paging devices, informational cards and telephone delivery of intraoperative progress reports. Interventions that take place during the intraoperative phase of care only will be included in the review. Preadmission information sharing interventions will be excluded. Types of outcomes The outcomes of interest include: Primary outcome: the level of anxiety amongst family members or close relatives whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, as measured by a validated instrument (such as the S-Anxiety portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory).4 Secondary outcomes: family satisfaction and other measurements that may be considered indicators of stress and anxiety, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate.

Auditor communication in an evolving environment : going beyond SAS 600 auditors' reports on financial statements

In 1993 the Auditing Practices Board issued an expanded audit report, SAS 600 Auditors’ Reports on Financial Statements, in an attempt to educate users and to clarify certain matters pertaining to the audit function. This paper investigates the extent to which the new audit report, SAS 600, has been successful in aligning the views of auditors, preparers and users about issues dealt with in the expanded audit report, and the extent to which the three groups considered that it would be useful for additional matters, including corporate governance, to be reported upon by the auditor. Our findings suggest that SAS 600 has been successful in clarifying the purpose of the audit and the respective responsibilities of auditors and directors. However, to meet the expectations of users and to add more value, the audit report needs to provide more information about the findings of the audit.

The effectiveness of information-sharing interventions to reduce anxiety in families waiting for surgical patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure: A systematic review

Background Whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, a lack of information regarding the patient’s status and the outcome of surgery, can contribute to the anxiety experienced by family members. Effective strategies for providing information to families are therefore required. Objectives To synthesize the best available evidence in relation to the most effective information-sharing interventions to reduce anxiety for families waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure. Inclusion criteria Types of participants All studies of family members over 18 years of age waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure were included, including those waiting for both adult and pediatric patients.   Types of intervention All information-sharing interventions for families of patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure were eligible for inclusion in the review. Types of studies All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) quasi-experimental studies, case-controlled and descriptive studies, comparing one information-sharing intervention to another or to usual care were eligible for inclusion in the review. Types of outcomes Primary outcome: The level of anxiety amongst family members or close relatives whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, as measured by a validated instrument such as the S-Anxiety portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Secondary outcomes: Family satisfaction and other measurements that may be considered indicators of stress and anxiety, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate. Search strategy A comprehensive search, restricted to English language only, was undertaken of the following databases from 1990 to May 2013: Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, ProQuest, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, Dissertation and Theses PQDT (via ProQuest), Current Contents, CENTRAL, Google Scholar, OpenGrey, Clinical Trials, Science.gov, Current Controlled Trials and National Institute for Clinical Studies (NHMRC). Methodological quality Two independent reviewers critically appraised retrieved papers for methodological quality using the standardized critical appraisal instruments for randomized controlled trials and descriptive studies from the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instruments (JBI-MAStARI). Data extraction Two independent reviewers extracted data from included papers using a customized data extraction form. Data synthesis Statistical pooling was not possible, mainly due to issues with data reporting in two of the studies, therefore the results are presented in narrative form. Results Three studies with a total of 357 participants were included in the review. In-person reporting to family members was found to be effective in comparison with usual care in which no reports were provided. Telephone reporting was also found to be effective at reducing anxiety, in comparison with usual care, although not as effective as in-person reporting. The use of paging devices to keep family members informed were found to increase, rather than decrease anxiety. Conclusions Due to the lack of high quality research in this area, the strength of the conclusions are limited. It appears that in-person and telephone reporting to family members decreases anxiety, however the use of paging devices increases anxiety.

Decentralised Communication in Autonomous Agent Swarms

Communication and information diffusion are typically difficult in situations where centralised structures may become unavailable. In this context, decentralised communication based on epidemic broadcast becomes essential. It can be seen as an opportunity-based flooding for message broadcasting within a swarm of autonomous agents, where each entity tries to share the information it possesses with its neighbours. As an example of applications for such a system, we present simulation results where agents have to coordinate to map an unknown area.

Women's perceptions of communication in pregnancy and childbirth: Influences on participation and satisfaction with care

In this study, 3531 Queensland women, who had recently given birth, completed a questionnaire that included questions about their participation in decision making during pregnancy, their ratings of client centred care and perceived quality of care. These data tested a version of Street’s (2001) linguistic model of patient participation in care (LMOPPC), adapted to the maternity context. We investigated how age and education influenced women’s perceptions of their participation and quality of care. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that women’s perceived ability to make decisions, and the extent of client-centred communication with maternity care providers were the most influential predictors of participation and perceived quality of care. Participation in care predicted perceived quality of care, but the influence of client-centred communication by a care provider and a woman’s confidence in decision making were stronger predictors of perceived quality of care. Age and education level were not important predictors. These findings extend and support the use of LMOPPC in the maternity context.

Ectopic calcification among families in the Azores: Clinical and radiologic manifestations in families with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and chondrocalcinosis

Objective. Twelve families that were multiply affected with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and/or chondrocalcinosis, were identified on the island of Terceira, The Azores, potentially supporting the hypothesis that the 2 disorders share common etiopathogenic factors. The present study was undertaken to investigate this hypothesis. Methods. One hundred three individuals from 12 unrelated families were assessed. Probands were identified from patients attending the Rheumatic Diseases Clinic, Hospital de Santo Espirito, in The Azores. Family members were assessed by rheumatologists and radiologists. Radiographs of all family members were obtained, including radiographs of the dorsolumbar spine, pelvis, knees, elbows, and wrists, and all cases were screened for known features of chondrocalcinosis. Results. Ectopic calcifications were identified in 70 patients. The most frequent symptoms or findings were as follows: axial pain, elbow, knee and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint pain, swelling, and/or deformity, and radiographic enthesopathic changes. Elbow and MCP joint periarticular calcifications were observed in 35 and 5 patients, respectively, and chondrocalcinosis was identified in 12 patients. Fifteen patients had sacroiliac disease (ankylosis or sclerosis) on computed tomography scans. Fifty-two patients could be classified as having definite (17%), probable (26%), or possible (31%) DISH. Concomitant DISH and chondrocalcinosis was diagnosed in 12 patients. Pyrophosphate crystals were identified from knee effusions in 13 patients. The pattern of disease transmission was compatible with an autosomal-dominant monogenic disease. The mean age at which symptoms developed was 38 years. Conclusion. These families may represent a familial type of pyrophosphate arthropathy with a phenotype that includes peripheral and axial enthesopathic calcifications. The concurrence of DISH and chondrocalcinosis suggests a shared pathogenic mechanism in the 2 conditions.

A linkage study across the T cell receptor A and T cell receptor B loci in families with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective. To examine whether the T cell receptor (TCR) A or TCRB loci exhibit linkage with disease in multiplex rheumatoid arthritis (RA) families. Methods. A linkage study was performed in 184 RA families from the UK Arthritis and Rheumatism Council Repository, each containing at least 1 affected sibpair. The microsatellites D14S50, TCRA, and D14S64 spanning the TCRA locus and D7S509, Vβ6.7, and D7S688 spanning the TCRB locus were used as DNA markers. The subjects were genotyped using a semiautomated polymerase chain reaction-based method. Two-point and multipoint linkage analyses were performed. Results. Nonparametric single-marker likelihood odds (LOD) scores were 0.49 (P = 0.07) for D14S50, 0.65 (P = 0.04) for TCRA, 0.07 (P = 0.29) for D14S64, 0.01 (P = 0.43) for D7S509, 0.0 (P = 0.50) for Vβ6.7, and 0.0 (P = 0.50) for D7S688. By multipoint analysis, there was no evidence of linkage at TCRB (LOD score 0), and the maximum LOD score at the TCRA locus was 0.37 (at D14S50). The presence of a susceptibility locus (LOD score < -2.0) was excluded, with lambda ≤ 1.8 at TCRA and ≤1.4 at TCRB. Conclusion. These linkage studies provide no significant evidence of a major germline-encoded TCRA or TCRB component of susceptibility to RA.