Demand for apprenticeships and traineeships: What are the implications for the future?

While the Australian apprenticeship and traineeship system is currently strong, the overall strength belies some areas of weakness. One of these areas is the uneven nature of demand from applicants for positions as apprentices and trainees, which means that some industries, occupations and employers struggle to find enough applicants while others are over-subscribed. While apprenticships or traineeships in some occupations and/or companies offering positions within those occupations find it difficult to attract applicants of a suitable calibre. This paper reports on a research project undertaken during 2010, with 21 employers who employed apprentices and trainees. The different recruitment strategies and outcomes of the companies are described and the possible for companies' apparent success or failure to attract suitable applicants are discussed. Some suggestions for future policy and practice at company, regional and national level are offered

Can the Nordic Hamstring Test Identify Collegiate Athletes at Risk for a Time-Loss Hamstring Injury?

Why Nordic Hamstring? Hamstrings are the most commonly injured muscle in sprinting and kicking sports (soccer, football and rugby). Recurrent hamstring injuries lead to longer time loss than the original injury. Despite the presence of preventa- tive programs, research has not yet documented an effective, low-cost, widely accessible test to determine hamstring injury risk

The Influence of Foundation Modeling Assumptions on Long-term Load Prediction for Offshore Wind Turbines,”

ABSTRACT In evaluating ultimate limit states for design, time-domain aeroelastic response simulations are typically carried out to establish extreme loads on offshore wind turbines. Accurate load prediction depends on proper modeling of the wind turbulence and the wave stochastic processes as well as of the turbine, the support structure, and the foundation. One method for modeling the support structure is to rigidly connect it to the seabed; such a foundation model is appropriate only when the sea floor is firm (as is the case for rock). To obtain realistic turbine response dynamics for softer soils, it is important that a flexible foundation is modeled. While a single discrete spring for coupled lateral/rotational motion or several distributed springs along the length of the monopile may be employed, a tractable alternative is to employ a fictitious fixed-based pile modeled as an "equivalent" cantilever beam, where the length of this fictitious pile is determined using conventional pile lateral load analysis in combination with knowledge of the soil profile. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of modeling flexible pile foundations on offshore wind turbine loads such as the fore-aft tower bending moment at the mudline. We employ a utility-scale 5MW offshore wind turbine model with a 90-meter hub height in simulations; the turbine is assumed to be sited in 20 meters of water. For a critical wind-wave combination known to control long-term design loads, we study time histories, power spectra, response statistics, and probability distributions of extreme loads for fixed-base and flexible foundation models with the intention of assessing the importance of foundation model selection. Load distributions are found to be sensitive to foundation modeling assumptions. Extrapolation to rare return periods may be expected to lead to differences in derived nominal loads needed in ultimate limit state design; this justifies the use of flexible foundation models in simulation studies. INTRODUCTION Nominal loads for the design of wind turbines in ultimate limit states are generally established from time-domain aeroelastic response simulations. The accuracy of these derived loads depends on the number of simulations and on how realistically the models used to represent the turbine, support structure, and foundation describe the true structural response. One potential shortcoming in modeling foundations relates to their flexibility. A single pile (often referred to as a monopile) is the most common type of foundation used today for offshore wind turbines; the support structure connects to such a pile foundation that extends some depth below the mudline. One way a monopile foundation could be modeled is by means of a rigid connection at the mudline. This model ignores the soil profile and the associated soil-pile stiffness and, as such, would not account for the pile's expected lateral/rocking movement. Such simplifying assumptions could only adequately simulate the behavior of a monopile founded in rock. Many offshore wind turbines, however, are founded on softer soils where the monopile experiences at least some movement at and below the mudline. It is therefore worth assessing the accuracy of the use of a fixed-base model versus a flexible foundation model. In the present study, we carry out fixed-based model simulations and study turbine loads (specifically, the fore-aft tower bending moment). These are compared with loads derived using a flexible foundation model. This latter model utilizes stiffness properties derived from the soil profile at the location of the turbine by means of a conventional pile foundation analysis and appropriate p-y lateral load-deflection relationships. The flexible foundation model involves derivation of an "apparent fixity length" representing a distance below the mudline where an equivalent cantilever yields the same lateral movement and rotation as the monopile experiences in the pile analysis with the true soil properties. The mass per unit length of the equivalent cantilever is adjusted to match the sub-soil mass o

The electronic self report assessment and intervention for cancer: promoting patient verbal reporting of symptom and quality of life issues in a randomized controlled trial

Background: The electronic self report assessment - cancer (ESRA-C), has been shown to reduce symptom distress during cancer therapy The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate aspects of how the ESRA-C intervention may have resulted in lower symptom distress (SD). Methods: Patients at two cancer centers were randomized to ESRA-C assessment only (control) or the Web-based ESRA-C intervention delivered to patients’ homes or to a tablet in clinic. The intervention allowed patients to self-monitor symptom and quality of life (SxQOL) between visits, receive self-care education and coaching to report SxQOL to clinicians. Summaries of assessments were delivered to clinicians in both groups. Audio-recordings of clinic visits made 6 weeks after treatment initiation were coded for discussions of 26 SxQOL issues, focusing on patients’/caregivers’ coached verbal reports of SxQOL severity, pattern, alleviating/aggravating factors and requests for help. Among issues identified as problematic, two measures were defined for each patient: the percent SxQOL reported that included a coached statement, and an index of verbalized coached statements per SxQOL. The Wilcoxon rank test was used to compare measures between groups. Clinician responses to problematic SxQOL were compared. A mediation analysis was conducted, exploring the effect of verbal reports on SD outcomes. Results: 517 (256 intervention) clinic visits were audio-recorded. General discussion of problematic SxQOL was similar in both groups. Control group patients reported a median 75% of problematic SxQOL using any specific coached statement compared to a median 85% in the intervention group (p = .0009). The median report index of coached statements was 0.25 for the control group and 0.31 for the intervention group (p = 0.008). Fatigue, pain and physical function issues were reported significantly more often in the intervention group (all p < .05). Clinicians' verbalized responses did not differ between groups. Patients' verbal reports did not mediate final SD outcomes (p = .41). Conclusions: Adding electronically-delivered, self-care instructions and communication coaching to ESRA-C promoted specific patient descriptions of problematic SxQOL issues compared with ESRA-C assessment alone. However, clinician verbal responses were no different and subsequent symptom distress group differences were not mediated by the patients' reports. Trial registration NCT00852852; 26 Feb 200

Influenza A Virus Infections in Land Birds, People’s Republic of China

Water birds are considered the reservoir for avian influenza viruses. We examined this assumption by sampling and real-time reverse transcription–PCR testing of 939 Asian land birds of 153 species. Influenza A infection was found, particularly among migratory species. Surveillance programs for monitoring spread of these viruses need to be redesigned

Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate an Internet‐Based Self‐Management Program in Systemic Sclerosis

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148240/1/acr23595.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148240/2/acr23595_am.pd

A multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of riociguat in systemic sclerosis-associated digital ulcers

Abstract Background To determine the effect of riociguat, an oral, selective soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, on the net digital ulcer (DU) burden in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods Participants with SSc-related active or painful indeterminate DUs were recruited in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept trial. Eligible participants were required to have at least one visible, active ischemic DU or painful indeterminate DU at screening, located at or distal to the proximal interphalangeal joint and that developed or worsened within 8 weeks prior to screening. Participants were randomized 1:1 to placebo or riociguat in individualized doses (maximum of 2.5 mg three times daily) during an 8-week titration period, followed by an 8-week stable dosing period. This was followed by an optional 16-week open-label extension phase for participants with active DU/reoccurrence of DUs within 1 month of the end of the main treatment phase. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline to week 16 in net ulcer burden (NUB), analyzed using ANCOVA. Other endpoints included plasma biomarkers and proportion of participants with treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs). Results Seventeen participants (eight placebo, nine riociguat) were randomized at five centers. Six participants in each group transitioned to the open-label extension. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the treatment groups, except participants randomized to placebo were older and had longer disease duration (p < 0.05). At baseline, the mean (SD) NUB was 2.5 (2.0) in the placebo and 2.4 (1.4) in the riociguat. No significant treatment difference was observed in the change from baseline to 16 weeks in NUB (adjusted mean treatment difference − 0.24, 95% CI (− 1.46, 0.99), p = 0.70). Four participants experienced five serious AE (four in riociguat and one in placebo); none was considered related to study medication. Statistically significant elevation of cGMP was observed at 16 weeks in the riociguat group (p = 0.05); no other biomarkers showed significant changes. In the open-label extension, participants in the riociguat-riociguat arm had complete healing of their DUs. Conclusion In participants with SSc-DU, treatment with riociguat did not reduce the number of DU net burden compared with placebo at 16 weeks. Open-label extension suggests that longer duration is needed to promote DU healing, which needs to be confirmed in a new trial. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02915835 . Registered on September 27, 2016.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152243/1/13075_2019_Article_1979.pd

Identification of cancer risk and associated behaviour: implications for social marketing campaigns for cancer prevention

Background Community misconception of what causes cancer is an important consideration when devising communication strategies around cancer prevention, while those initiating social marketing campaigns must decide whether to target the general population or to tailor messages for different audiences. This paper investigates the relationships between demographic characteristics, identification of selected cancer risk factors, and associated protective behaviours, to inform audience segmentation for cancer prevention social marketing. Methods Data for this cross-sectional study (n = 3301) are derived from Cancer Council New South Wales’ 2013 Cancer Prevention Survey. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between respondent demographic characteristics and identification of each of seven cancer risk factors; demographic characteristics and practice of the seven ‘protective’ behaviours associated with the seven cancer risk factors; and identification of cancer risk factors and practising the associated protective behaviours, controlling for demographic characteristics. Results More than 90% of respondents across demographic groups identified sun exposure and smoking cigarettes as moderate or large cancer risk factors. Around 80% identified passive smoking as a moderate/large risk factor, and 40–60% identified being overweight or obese, drinking alcohol, not eating enough vegetables and not eating enough fruit. Women and older respondents were more likely to identify most cancer risk factors as moderate/large, and to practise associated protective behaviours. Education was correlated with identification of smoking as a moderate/large cancer risk factor, and with four of the seven protective behaviours. Location (metropolitan/regional) and country of birth (Australia/other) were weak predictors of identification and of protective behaviours. Identification of a cancer risk factor as moderate/large was a significant predictor for five out of seven associated cancer-protective behaviours, controlling for demographic characteristics. Conclusions These findings suggest a role for both audience segmentation and whole-of-population approaches in cancer-prevention social marketing campaigns. Targeted campaigns can address beliefs of younger people and men about cancer risk factors. Traditional population campaigns can enhance awareness of being overweight, alcohol consumption, and poor vegetable and fruit intake as cancer risk factors

Ballard Bridge Park: Preserving Place for Transient Populations in Urban Spaces

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2014Public spaces are meant to serve and accommodate the needs of a diverse populace. These spaces are created in order to improve overall quality of life through access to open space in increasingly dense urban communities. In 2013 Seattle grew faster than any other city in the country (Seattle Times, 2014) further highlighting the need for this public amenity. Particular districts within the city of Seattle have experienced higher rates of growth than others, with the Ballard neighborhood being the frontrunner. This thesis focuses on designing a public space that responds to the growth of Ballard, particularly the impact this has had on the homeless population that has resided within the light industrial zoned area of the neighborhood since as far back as the late 1970's. While Seattle prides itself as a city heavily invested in the public process regarding how public spaces are created and managed, the homeless population has been omitted from this discussion. Furthermore, public spaces are increasingly systematically designed with the intention of removing this population, which arguably has more needs for this space than any other. My thesis explores this situation as it relates to the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle and demonstrates a design of one small space that focuses on the integration of the low- income and homeless population with the greater Ballard community. I chose to use a portion of the area underneath the Ballard Bridge as I felt it was well situated to achieve these goals. This integration is encouraged through a design that provides services that address the needs of a greater number of user groups than most public spaces, while improving the aesthetic and environmental quality of the underutilized portion of the site beneath the Ballard Bridge