Earnings Losses for Injured Workers

This article address the question "What proportion of all injured workers received adequate wage replacement?

The effects of an unidentified pathogen, ‘Frill on Gill’, on body condition of Cape hake Merluccius capensis, on the south coast of South Africa

The unidentified pathogen, known as 'Frill on Gill’ (FOG), infects the shallow-water Cape hake Merluccius capensis off the south and west coast of South Africa. This pathogen, a parasitic castrator, occurs on the gill filaments of infected fish. This study investigates the effects of this pathogen on the body condition of M. capensis on the south coast of South Africa, through the use of two body condition measures, condition factor and hepatosomatic index (HSI). A total of 24275 M. capensis were sampled, of which 825 (3.4%) were infected with the FOG pathogen. The smallest M. capensis infected with FOG was 10 cm, and the largest was 84 cm. The smallest uninfected M. capensissampled was 6 cm and the largest was 106 cm. The presence of FOG had a significant impact on the condition factor and HSI of M. capensis (three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA): p-value = 0.002, and p-value = 5.13e-09 respectively), with the effect of the pathogen varying with length. For fish with a total length smaller than 26 cm, infected M. capensis were in poorer condition than uninfected fish at the same length, with lower condition factors and HSI values. However, for M. capensis with lengths between 30 and 34 cm, 42 and 46 cm, 54 and 62 cm, and 78 and 82 cm, the condition factors of FOG infected fish were higher than uninfected fish. The HSI values of M. capensis infected with FOG also steadily increase above those of uninfected fish, for lengths greater than 42 cm. The lower body condition measures of uninfected M. capensis could be linked to the large amounts of energy that these fish expend during reproduction and gonad maturation. In contrast, M. capensis infected with FOG do not partake in the energy intensive task of reproduction. Merluccius capensis infected with FOG don’t contribute to reproduction, but still compete with uninfected M. capensis for resources. The effect of FOG as a type of parasitic castrator on the regulation of M. capensis populations could become a concern for fishery managers, as they reduce reproductive output and impact fish body condition

An Incident Control Centre in action: Response to the Rena oil spill in New Zealand

Following the Rena grounding and oil spill in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, an Incident Command Centre was established which, among other tasks, coordinated a volunteer clean-up effort. We interviewed volunteers and organisers to gain insight into the efficacy of the volunteer coordination effort. Volunteers praised the system of communication and the involvement of indigenous groups. They expressed a desire for better training, more flexibility and community autonomy, a quicker uptake of volunteer support, and the use of social media. Locating the Incident Command Centre in a single site aided interaction between experts, and the sharing of resources. Overall, the volunteer coordination was considered a success

How volunteering reduced the impact of the Rena oil spill: Community responses to an environmental disaster

Following the Rena oil spill off the Bay of Plenty coast in New Zealand and subsequent volunteer clean-up programme, we interviewed 39 volunteers and 9 people involved in the volunteer organisation. We aimed to learn about people’s responses to an environmental disaster, what factors motivate people to volunteer, and how volunteering after a disaster assists individuals and communities to adjust to changing circumstances. The oil spill had an emotional, physical, cultural, social and spiritual impact on both individuals and communities. People were motivated to volunteer from a sense of duty and history of volunteering, a concern and sense of collective responsibility for the environment for current and future generations, a desire to contribute to their community, and to connect with others and cope with their negative responses. There was a strong typical New Zealand “can do” response in that volunteers expressed they had time and capability to help so they just wanted to get on with it. After volunteering, most participants reported a sense of satisfaction, renewed social ties, and renewed optimism. The clean-up programme brought communities together, resulting in timely removal of oil from beaches and coastline and demonstrating that citizen volunteers can contribute to oil spill mitigation

Degradation Mechanisms of Zinc-Air Batteries Used in Hearing Aid

Hearing aid devices are powered by the oxidation of zinc that occurs within zinc-air batteries. Zinc-air batteries have an average discharge time of 7 days. Therefore, hearing-aid devices need frequent battery replacement. In this paper, degradation mechanisms of zinc-air batteries investigated where a competition mechanism between zinc passivation and dendritic formation dictates the battery life. This research included exposure time from none to 9 days and to document dendritic growth with time. Scanning electron microscope images were taken to quantify the damage growth as well energy dispersive X-ray tests were conducted to comment on the composition changes. The results confirmed an increase in oxygen in exposed batteries from unexposed. These results matched findings from past literature. Exposure time was investigated to optimize battery lifespan. In conclusion, life of zinc-air batteries depends on the competition mechanism of zinc passivation and dendritic formation caused by oxidation and our investigation shows that this occurs within the first 7 days

Transition to professional social work practice: The first three years

This article presents the findings of a longitudinal research project that followed the employ-ment outcomes of one cohort of Bachelor of Social Work graduates for three years. Prior to graduation, students receive professional preparation that develops their ability to critically engage with theory and practice. Following graduation, newly qualified social workers require quality induction, supervision and other workload management strategies to support the transition to social work practice. The development of this study was fuelled by political criticism of social work education. Additionally, there was a desire to track the employment outcomes of the graduates and understand what supported their transition to competent professional practice. The findings fit within a five-year longitudinal research project that follows three separate graduate cohorts each for three years to seek and compare participants’ experiences for their first three years post-qualification. An anonymous, semi-structured, on-line survey was used to provide both quantitative and qualitative data. By the second year of practice, these respond-ents were taking on the workload of an experienced social work practitioner with widely varied levels of support. By the end of their third year in practice, they reported that they had found little opportunity to apply their critical analytical academic skills to consider the wider social system in practice. Further, the graduates’ confidence in their cultural competencies also gradually decreased over the three-year period