Anion and platinum group metal binding of bis(thioureido) ligands

A series of bis(thioureido) ligands have been synthesised, which show anion binding in acetone-d(_6). Their structures have been determined by X-ray crystallography and some exhibit hydrogen bonding interactions with the π-electrons of the the thiocarbonyl bond. This hydrogen bonding interaction has been investigated for the general thiocarbonyl and carbonyl bond using the CSD, and a marked difference in the interaction of hydrogen bond donors with the π-electrons of carbonyl and thiocarbonyl bonds has been shown. The bis(thioureido) ligands have been coordinated to platinum group metals and the differing binding modes of the ligands investigated. The reaction of ligands with 2 carbon atoms between thiourea groups with [{Ru(n(^6)-С(_6)Н(_4)МеСН(Ме)(_2))С1(μ- Cl)}(_շ)], yields a mixture of products that may be consolidated into a single product with a water wash. The water instigates a deprotonation of an NH group that allows nitrogen coordination to ruthenium, yielding a S,S,N terdentate Ru(II) half-sandwich complex, with four- and seven-membered adjoining metallacycles. A chiral metal centre is formed and in the solid state, opposite enantiomers hydrogen-bond to each other through chloride counter-ions. Ruthenium complexes with an interaction from the pyridyl nitrogen in ligands containing pyridyl binding moieties have also been characterised. Bidentate S,S coordination is observed for the reaction of bisthiourea ligands with [Pd(dppe)Cl(_2)], forming nine- and ten-membered metallacycles. A similar binding mode is observed in a Pt(II) analogue. A polymer analogue of the bisthiourea ligands has been synthesised, and has been tested to extract metals from mixed metal solutions. Using well-defined metal salts in methanol, ruthenium(II) may be loaded onto the polymer from a single metal solution, acetontrile solvent inhibits the uptake of platinum group metals from mixed metal solutions, the polymer is selective for Cu(II) even when acetonitrile solvent is present and in the absence of Cu(II) or acetonitrile, can selectively extract Pt(II) over Ru(II), Fe(II), Cr(III) and Ni(II). The ruthenium loaded resin may be stripped of Ru(II) effectively using concentrated nitric acid solution in two hours. Testing the bisthiourea polymer in an acetic acid mixed metal solution demonstrated that the polymer was not suitable for platinum group metal extraction from the acetic acid medium, when compared to a commercially available resin

Voices from the bush: remote area nurses prioritise hazards that contribute to violence in their workplace

Introduction: Remote Area Nurses (RANs) in Australia frequently encounter hazards that contribute to violence in the work place. Resources to deal with this problem are limited. Methods: Adopting a risk management approach and using the Delphi method, a panel of expert RANs (n=10) from geographically diverse communities across Australia, identified and prioritised hazards that increase the risk of violence to nurses. Results: This descriptive study found that RANs encounter a wide variety of hazards from a variety of sources. Environmental hazards are complicated by living in remote areas and practicing in different locations. Relationships between the nurse and the community can be complex and lack of experience and organisational support may contribute to an increased risk of violence. Hazards prioritised as \u27major\u27 or \u27extreme\u27 risks included: clinic maintenance and security features, attending to patients at staff residences, RAN inexperience and lack of knowledge about the community, as well as intoxicated clients with mental health issues. A work culture that accepts verbal abuse as \u27part of the job\u27 was identified as a significant organisational risk to RANs. A lack of action from management when hazards are identified by clinic staff and insufficient recognition of the risk of violence by employers were also significant hazards. Conclusions: Further consideration of the hazards described in this study following the risk management process, may provide opportunities to reduce the risk of violence towards RANs. Proposed control measures should be developed in consultation with RANs and the remote communities they work in

Culture shock and healthcare workers in remote Indigenous communities of Australia: what do we know and how can we measure it?

Introduction: Culture shock or cultural adaptation is a significant issue confronting non-Indigenous health professionals working in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. This article is presented in two parts. The first part provides a thorough background in the theory of culture shock and cultural adaptation, and a comprehensive analysis of the consequences, causes, and current issues around the phenomenon in the remote Australian healthcare context. Second, the article presents the results of a comprehensive literature review undertaken to determine if existing studies provide tools which may measure the cultural adaptation of remote health professionals. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilising the meta-databases CINAHL and Ovid Medline. Results: While there is a plethora of descriptive literature about culture shock and cultural adaptation, empirical evidence is lacking. In particular, no empirical evidence was found relating to the cultural adaptation of non-Indigenous health professionals working in Indigenous communities in Australia. In all, 15 international articles were found that provided empirical evidence to support the concept of culture shock. Of these, only 2 articles contained tools that met the pre-determined selection criteria to measure the stages of culture shock. The 2 instruments identified were the Culture Shock Profile (CSP) by Zapf and the Culture Shock Adaptation Inventory (CSAI) by Juffer. Conclusions: There is sufficient evidence to determine that culture shock is a significant issue for non-Indigenous health professionals working in Indigenous communities in Australia. However, further research in this area is needed. The available empirical evidence indicates that a measurement tool is possible but needs further development to be suitable for use in remote Indigenous communities in Australia

Headlice: a precursor to Group A Streptococcal infection in remote Indigenous children

A child is brought to a remote area nursing clinic by his mother. He appears acutely unwell, is crying and scratching his head through matted hair – he has impetigo as a result of head lice. This case report describes the comprehensive wound management considerations to reduce the risk of rheumatic heart disease or renal disease secondary to infection with Group A beta-haemolytic streptococci (GAS). There is an extremely high incidence of impetigo secondary to scabies and head louse infestations in Northern Territory communities. Reducing the incidence of pyogenic skin disease and the more serious sequelae for children from remote Indigenous communities requires more than a course of antibiotics and educating the primary carers. It requires community wide action including promoting the importance of effective prevention and management of skin infections in infants and children and working with other sectors to address household overcrowding, a lack of health hardware, and a lack of ready access to affordable, effective topical head louse treatment

Height, growth and site index of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb) in the Thunder Bay area : a system of site quality evaluation

Height growth patterns and site index were studied using stem analyses taken from dominant and codominant trees growing on 109 plots located in mature, natural, fully stocked evenaged stands of jack pine {Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in the Thunder Bay area. The observed height/age data were modeled using several nonlinear biological growth models: Richards growth model (1959); a modified Weibull function; and an expansion of the Richards model proposed by Ek (1971). Height growth patterns of jack pine varied with level of site index, being more curvilinear as level of site index increased. Height growth patterns were similar for jack pine growing on glacialfluvial sands, on moraines, on lacustrine soils and shallow to bedrock soils. Analyses showed that site index curves were more precise when based on breast height age instead of total age of the trees. Height growth curves, site index curves and a site index prediction equation were calculated from the jack pine stem analyses data. A modification of the Chi-squared distribution was used for testing the accuracy of the site index curves and prediction equation. The accuracy of the computed curves was tested using independent stem analyses data from 32 additional confirmation plots. Comparisons with this independent data showed very close agreement; the 95% prediction intervals calculated for the site index curves and site index prediction equation using independent data are -0.17 ± 0.89 m and -0.20 ± 1.14 m respectively. Comparison between Plonski’s (1974) formulated site index curves for jack pine and the site index curves produced in this study indicate differences in predicted heights at ages greater than index age (50 years), but no differences younger than index age. Plonski’s site index curves showed lower predicted heights for each level of site index at ages greater than 60 years

Bystander behaviour as an influence on bullying in high schools

In response to evidence that bullying in schools persists in the presence of bystanders, this study sought to add to the existing knowledge about its reinforcing effects. The objectives of this research project were to investigate non-intervention in bullying incidents by students. Unique approaches of this research are the multi-dimensional investigation of the emotional, cognitive and behavioural factors from the bystander\u27s perspective, within the context of a co-educational Catholic high school, in a sample of eighteen Year 8 students. In-depth and group interviews, participant observation and the input of a focus group of teachers formed the data collection. Previous findings that fear prevents bystanders from taking action, were extended by this study which revealed was that there are several sources of this fear. The study found reasons for students\u27 fear included embarrassment at making a mistake, the importance of the teachers\u27 responses, the need to assimilate into the new school culture, to be \u27cool\u27 and to avoid a negative, conforming self-image. Importantly, the existing focus on fear does not explain why students do not anonymously report bullying. This study found that students resisted taking responsibility for intervening, and unexpected findings included that students categorised victims, only caring enough to report bullying if the victim were a friend or sibling; and also that the thrill of watching bullying was a strong deterrent to bystander intervention. The study suggests, therefore, information based anti-bullying policies will be ineffective unless students are motivated to intervene. It is crucial that programmes now address the emotional deterrents of fear, excitement and apathy before considering educational approaches, and that future policies need to examine the culture of the school, including teachers\u27 responses to bullying, which dictates the behavioural code for incoming Year 8 students

The value of best-practice guidelines for OSCEs in a postgraduate program in an Australian remote area setting

© CA Jeffery, ML Mitchell, A Henderson, S Lenthall, S Knight, P Glover, M Kelly, D Nulty, M Groves, 2014. Introduction: Nurses in remote areas of Australia are the primary healthcare professionals, who need to be able to deliver comprehensive and culturally sensitive care to clients, many of whom are Indigenous Australians. Adequate and specific preparation for practice is crucial to the quality of care delivered by remote area nurses (RANs). Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE) provide an excellent opportunity for student practice in a simulated environment that is safe, authentic, fair and valid when well constructed. Seven integrated best practice guidelines (BPGs), previously developed by project team members to inform OSCEs within educational programs, provided guidance in restructuring the OSCE. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the value of BPGs used in the development, teaching and learning, and evaluation of OSCEs in a rural and remote postgraduate course for RANs. Method: A pre-site visit to the Centre for Remote Health, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, was conducted with modification of the course and previous OSCE according to BPGs. Following delivery of the course and OSCE, evaluations occurred via a mixed method approach. Student surveys (n=15) and focus groups (n=13) and staff interviews (n=5) provided an in-depth analysis of their perceptions of the revised OSCE. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the student sample. The narrative data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis. Triangulation was achieved with the convergence of the separate data sources focusing on themes and patterns within and between students and tutors. Results: All 15 students and five tutors provided feedback. The majority of student participants had limited experience in working in remote area nursing prior to participation and therefore the opportunities that availed themselves were critical in adequately equipping them with the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) value of common and significant events in OSCE; (2) power of deliberate actions; and (3) learning cultural sensitivity. Discussion: OSCEs in this setting proved to be a good way for students to learn the skills required by RANs. Overwhelmingly, the modifications using the BPGs were highly valued by students and staff. Three themes emerged and were clearly linked to specific BPGs, indicating the positive impact the BPGs had on the OSCEs and student learning. The authentic content for the scenarios was seen as relevant and motivational for student learning. The practice element of the OSCEs enhanced the learning experience and feedback supported learning. Conclusions: OSCEs developed, taught and assessed using BPGs were highly valued. The BPGs provided an integrated approach with real-life scenarios with a strong cultural perspective - all important features to the RANs' future success in providing individualised care to clients in remote areas of Australia. Further use of BPGs is recommended