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Lifetime prevalence of exostosesin New Zealand surfers
No full textINTRODUCTION:
External auditory exostosis (EAE) is a benign, irreversible bony outgrowth that arises from the temporal bone. EAE projects into the external ear canal, potentially causing recurrent otitis externa and conductive hearing loss.
AIM:
To determine lifetime prevalence of EAE in New Zealand (NZ) surfers.
METHODS:
This study used an online national survey.
RESULTS:
Respondents were 1376 NZ surfers (recreational = 868, competitive = 508). Mean surfing experience was 16.2 years. Most self-classified as advanced surfers (36.5%), followed by intermediate (30.2%), expert (20.1%) and beginner (13.2%). Surfers reported an average of 214.2 h surfing (28.6% during winter) for the previous year. Overall lifetime prevalence of EAE was 28.9% (32.1% male, 14.6% female P < 0.001), with the highest proportion of EAE was observed bilaterally (21.3%). Competitive surfers reported a significantly (P < 0.001) higher lifetime prevalence of EAE than recreational surfers (45.3% vs. 19.2%). A significantly higher (P < 0.001) lifetime prevalence of EAE was identified as skill level increased (7.1% in beginners to 55.6% in experts) and a two-fold increase (P < 0.001) of EAE in the highest (vs. lowest) quartile of surfing exposure. Neither winter surfing exposure nor which Island surfed were associated with EAE prevalence.
DISCUSSION:
Although not as prevalent as in previous NZ research using otologic examinations, this study indicated that almost one-third of NZ surfers reported having had a diagnosis of EAE. Regular general practitioner otologic assessment and advice on appropriate prevention strategies for patients who surf may help prevent large lesions, recurrent ear infections
and progressive hearing loss.
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN:
External auditory exostosis (EAE) is a reactive process that has been documented in surfers in Australia, Japan, Ireland, USA and the UK who were repeatedly exposed to water temperatures below 19°C. New Zealand (NZ) water temperatures range from 9.5°C to 21°C depending on latitude and season. Therefore, NZ surfers are likely to be susceptible to EAE.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:
This research identified a 29% lifetime prevalence of EAE in NZ recreational and competitive surfers, highlighting the importance of regular otologic screening by general practitioners of patients who surf to identify EAE in the early stages and promote preventive care measures
Increasing self-compassion in young people through virtual reality
No full textAs part of our proposal, we aim to:
provide increased practice/exposure and target a younger audience
increase the chance of generalisation to everyday life
employ better VR visualisation, e.g. assigning more realistic hand gestures and facial expressions to the characters in the virtual world
target young adults (18-25), as in most countries mental healthcare services for children and young people do not provide satisfactory care, and the gap between need and access is broadest for those aged 12-25 years.
Mental health conditions pose a major challenge to healthcare providers and society at large. According to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, one in five people will develop a serious mood disorder, including depression, at some time in their life. Early intervention can have a significant positive impact on a person’s prognosis, particularly important in affecting outcomes for young people. Co-designed solutions to improve resilience and well-being in young people have specifically been recognised as part of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy and the New Zealand Health Strategy. Innovative interventions that support long-term change for individuals are urgently needed.
Self-compassion/self-criticism constitutes a protective/risk factor with regard to developing and maintaining depression; particularly in young people. Self-criticism is one of the major psychological factors, defined as the dominant response style of negative evaluation and judgment of self to perceived failure. One effective method to increase self-compassion and reduction in depression may be to address self-criticism through compassion-focused therapy.
Virtual Reality (VR) in Health is an emerging field. It is becoming more commonplace with the advent of affordable
consumer head-mounted devices, and has significant potential for the understanding, assessment, and treatment of mental health problems. It can provide a non-threatening, zero risk environment that allows for free exploring of different strategies. We propose to take this new technology and codesign Virtual Reality scenarios with young people, which focuses on real-world situations that impact the sample group most and assists them to view these experiences with a self-compassionate lens. This is achieved by being taught compassionate manners of responding to a scenario and by switching perspective. We provide an overview of an initial proof-of-concept study, propose a study in different social settings and highlight key points for discussion pertaining to technology use, data safety, privacy, and considerations for addressing depressive symptoms necessary to advance this wor
Collaborative creativity : pedagogical practice and relational innovation in Aotearoa/New Zealand contemporary dance training
No full textIn the developing economies of the 21st Century where creativity is an essential skillset, understanding how group interactions can be organised into collaborative and creative endeavours is a significant matter. This has implications for artistic, economic, social, political, and cultural growth. From an embodied perspective, the relationships between dance students, dance lecturers, choreographers, and associated creative practitioners impact the dance works created as well as the people creating them. Relational and situational pedagogies that draw on innovation are central to this initiative.
Within New Zealand, we respond to evolving industry demands with particular practices that include artistic responsibility, creative intelligence, and bicultural approaches, all underpinned by an approach that seeks to unearth the unique individual artistic voice. The Unitec Dance Programme features a distinctive teaching philosophy that activates key 21st century skills with particular focus on creativity and collaborative art making practices. Within the programme, the mastery of discipline-specific, critical, creative, imaginative, and collaborative literacies sits alongside the application of high-level practical and interpersonal skills.
Unitec’s approach to pedagogical practice is coupled with the unique creative context of New Zealand’s location as a multicultural arts hub within the Pacific. This provides an unparalleled environment in which to advance innovative, creative, and rigorous new dance practices. We advocate that to flourish, and for students’ creative outcomes to evolve and sustain in inimitable ways, it is important to design creative conditions that cultivate deep personal and professional investment and belonging. We call this approach Relational Innovation. This paper draws on 30 years of Contemporary Dance training experience at Unite
The importance of fundamental motor skills in identifying differences in performance levels of U10 soccer players
No full textThis study examined the differences in fundamental motor skills (FMSs) and specific conditioning capacities (SCCs) between a coach’s classification of first team (FT) and second team (ST) U10 soccer players and examined the most important qualities based on how the coach differentiates them. The FT (n = 12; Mage = 9.72 ± 0.41) and ST (n = 11; Mage = 9.57 ± 0.41) soccer players were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2, standing long jump, sit and reach, diverse sprints, and the 20 m multistage fitness test (MSFT). The coach’s subjective evaluation of players was obtained using a questionnaire. No significant differences existed between the FT and ST in any variables (p > 0.05). However, large and moderate effect sizes were present in favour of the FT group in locomotor skills (d = 0.82 (0.08, 1.51)), gross motor quotient (d = 0.73 (0.00, 1.41)), height (d = 0.61 (−0.12, 1.29)), MSFT (d = 0.58 (−0.14, 1.25)), and maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) (d = 0.55 (−0.17, 1.22)). Furthermore, the coach perceived the FT group as having greater technical and tactical qualities relative to ST players. This suggests that it might be more relevant for players of this age to develop good FMS connected to technical skills, before focusing on SCC. Therefore, it might be beneficial for soccer coaches to emphasize the development of FMSs due to their potential to identify talented young soccer players and because they underpin the technical soccer skills that are required for future soccer success
Critical chain project management : a case study in the software industry
Get PDFCritical Chain Project Management (CCPM) has been a controversial topic with extreme opinions on its merits.
This is in turn partly due to dominance of theoretical debates in CCPM literature as opposed to empirical evidence and cases studies. This paper presents the findings of a case study research in software industry. Multiple semi-structured interviews and project documents were used. The paper provides insight into pre-requisites and practicalities of CCPM application such as accommodating iterative loops and reciprocal dependencies. The findings also provide some perspectives into current debates in CCPM literature concerning uncertainty, buffer sizing and dealing with large projects
Middle leadership matters
No full textIntroduction
Understanding Middle Leadership
Leading Teams
Shared vision
Building relationships
Implementing systems/structures
Developing culture
Connecting across Communities of Leaders
Conclusio
Reestruturação metropolitana e emergência de centralidades: novos fluxos pendulares e a configuração espacial da Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre / Metropolitan restructuring and the emergence of centralities: New commuting flows and the spatial configuration of the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre
No full textRESUMO
O texto discute os processos de desconcentração das atividades produtivas da Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre (RMPA), buscando investigar variáveis implicadas na emergência de novas centralidades e suas interações com os deslocamentos moradia-trabalho. Adota-se uma análise multivariável relacionando processos de conurbação e dados censitários de comutação às propriedades morfológicas da configuração espacial, descritas pela metodologia da Sintaxe Espacial. Através da Sintaxe Espacial, principal metodologia utilizada, identificam- se tendências de potenciais de movimentos e probabilidade de fluxos na rede metropolitana. Verificou-se na pesquisa: (i) intensidade e sentido de movimentos pendulares; (ii) hierarquias de acessibilidade relativa/ integração do sistema espacial; (iii) hierarquias de centralidade na rede de circulação/rotas com maior probabilidade de fluxo. Presume-se que há relação entre a desconcentração de atividades econômicas, as mudanças nos padrões de acessibilidade relativa regional, a emergência de centralidades funcionais e o sentido de fluxos pendulares metropolitanos
ABSTRACT
The article discusses the process of deconcentration of productive activities in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre (Brazil) in order to investigate variables implicated in the emergence of new centralities and their interactions with commutation (home-work displacements). By adopting a multivariate analysis, conurbation processes and commutation census data were related to the morphological properties of the spatial configuration, described by the Spatial Syntax methodology. Through Spatial Syntax, which is the main methodology used, trends of movement potentials and probability of flows in the metropolitan network are identified. The following was verified: (i) intensity and direction of commutation flows; (ii) hierarchies of relative accessibility/integration of the system; (iii) centrality hierarchies in the network/routes with higher probability of flow. It is assumed that there is a relation between the deconcentration of economic activities, changes in regional accessibility patterns, the emergence of functional centralities, density and direction of metropolitan commuting flows
Reconnecting with your infant's environment
No full textAIMS OF THIS WORKSHOP:
1.The value of loose parts play for infants and toddlers
2. Empowering infants and toddlers through partnership and trust
3.Critiquing what we offer infants and toddlers in our environment
An investigation into what are the important motivation factors that help to retain Generation Y and Z employees in a mining company in Laos
No full textRESEARCH OBJECTIVES:
Ø To assess the current retention strategies used in a mining company in Laos.
Ø To provide/suggest improvements to staff retention practices in the Lao mining company.
Ø To investigate motivational factors to retain generation Y and Z employee who work for a Lao mining company.
Ø To determine other issues that makes generation Y and Z employees leave the company.
ABSTRACT:
Mining industry has the highest employee turnover rate compared to the other industries. The staff turnover does not only imply the organisation lost its employees, but also losing skilled talent, knowledgeable and experienced that those people possess. With regard to staff turnover, the Human Resource Management (HRM) is the main source in designing and planning policies that use to motivate employees to stay with the organisation, especially the Generation Y and Z employees. The main reason for the organisation focusing on these generations more than the other groups is that these Generations are the current key driver for the organisation to accomplish goals and objectives. The older generation such as baby-boomers and Generation X are in a retired point in the workflow.
This research project uses a qualitative approach to study what are the effective approaches in retaining skill personnel of the organisation. The main research objective is to investigate into what are the important motivation factors that help to retain Generation Y, who were born in the year 1978 to 1989 and Z employees, who were born in 1990 onwards in a mining company in Laos. Assessing the current retention practices, what are the main factors that Human Resource Management should be designed and implemented in order to improve its retention program in the organisation. With regards to a data collection, the semi-structured interview uses as the main data collecting method. The semi-structured interview is conducted in Laos with twelve participants from a mining company A in Laos.
The research revealed that there are other factors that the organisation should take into account in relation to motivate employees to stay with the organisation for a longer time, especially Generation Y and Z. The findings exposed the Extrinsic rewards such as Financial reward, includes cash-out annual leave and performance appraisal. Secondly, Development rewards, consists of learning, training and development and career planning. Finally, Social rewards organisational culture, performance support, work-group affinity are the motivation factors for these Generations. Job challenges, work autonomy and technology from Intrinsic rewards are the motivation factors that these Generations take into consideration whether to stay or to leave the company. Interestingly, technology comes into a part in their decision making process when decide to stay or to leave a company
Sea level rise impact on underground freshwater lens : a case study
No full textSea-water intrusion is a growing environmental concern for communities that live along the coastal line and rely on local aquifers/fresh water reserves to meet their water supply & demand. The rising sea level is likely to enhance saltwater intrusion and potentially contaminate (in terms of chlorides/salts levels) many underground freshwater reserves. This study was conducted for South Tarawa atoll, which is located in Kiribati (pronounced as Kiribas as “ti” sounds as ‘s’), just north of the equator in a region of the Pacific. In this area, rainfall is highly variable largely due to the influence of El Niño and La Niña episodes. In Kiribati, groundwater is one of the main sources of water supply for domestic use. Apart from over pumping (due to local increasing water demand) climate change is putting a pressure on the available freshwater lens (es) (i.e. fresh water bodies below ground surface that is lying above the seawater-freshwater (SW-FW) interface or transitional zone) in South Tarawa. Therefore, the focus of this study was to collect and collate the site specific data such as rainfall, temperature, sea level and groundwater thickness (i.e. underground freshwater lens thickness) in an attempt to understand the impacts of predicted climate change on the local groundwater resources of South Tarawa, Kiribati. A brief discussion on the effect of sea level rise (SLR) on salt water intrusion is also covered here (based on three conceptual models as reported in the literature). The results of this study showed that Tarawa’s contribution to global greenhouse gases - GHGs (CO2, CH4, N2O) emission is very small (< 0.1 MtCO2e). However, the total GHG emissions (measured in terms of CO2 equivalent) has increased 100% (i.e. from 0.04 to 0.08 MtCO2e) since 1990. It was estimated that the future total GHG emissions for Tarawa may continue to rise to 0.11 MtCO2e by 2030. The monthly mean temperature of Tarawa is around 28 0C and hasn’t changed much since 1970. But, it was estimated that the future temperature of Tarawa may increase upto 1°C by 2030. Total rainfall pattern is very extreme (i.e. varying between 150 and 4356 mm per year). It was estimated that total annual rainfall has increased at a rate of 44 mm per year since 1970, and it may increase by 11% by 2030. Tarawa sea level had also risen by 300 mm (i.e. from 1460 mm to 1760 mm) since 1993 and the sea level is expected to increase to 1830 mm by 2030. The study highlighted the fact that there is a direct link between the SLR and the thickness of the freshwater lens, as the thickness of the freshwater lenses is measured from the groundwater table to the mid-point of transitional zone (i.e. an interface between SW-FW). If all these climatic and non-climatic factors continue to rise, then groundwater resources in Tarawa may not be sufficient and reliable (due to seawater intrusion) to be used by the people of Tarawa, and also there is a possibility that this Island may disappear in future