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..

Treatment of laundrette wastewater using Starbon and Fenton's reagent

The use of grey water for a variety of purposes is gaining increased popularity as a means of preserving scarce freshwater resources. In this work, catalytic oxidation over Fenton's reagent and adsorption techniques using Starbon (mesoporous material derived from polysaccharides) has been applied. These novel techniques are used as an alternative to already studied treatments of grey water such as filtration and/or biological processes. In this study, grey water, collected from a commercial laundrette, has been used. Treatment efficiency was determined by changes in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the grey water. Experiments using Fenton's reagent at optimum conditions of Fe3+ = 40 mg L−1; H2O2 = 400 mg L−1 and pH 3 were very successful, resulting in a 95% COD removal after 15 min. Treatment with Starbon adsorption was also effective, reaching up to 81% COD removal at pH 3 within 1 h. The combined treatment with Fenton's reagent and Starbon resulted in a 93% COD removal at a significantly reduced concentration of Fenton's reagent compared to the treatment with solo Fenton's reagent. This lower chemical dose has the advantage of reducing costs and lowering sludge generation

Initiation and termination of cAMP signalling in PANC-1 cells: interplay between cAMP and Ca2+ signalling cascades.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is noted for its resistance to therapy and poor prognosis. PDAC is characterised by extensive local invasion and metastases at distant organs. Having previously shown that the cAMP cascade had regulatory effects on cell migration/invasion in PDAC cells, which are vital processes in metastasis formation, we decided to characterise the cAMP signalling machinery in PANC-1 cells. In this study we adopted a live-cell imaging approach taking advantage of genetically engineered probes that use Fӧrster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to reveal cAMP concentration and PKA activity at a single cell level. Using the Epac-based cAMP sensor H134 we found that PDE3 and PDE4 are the principal cAMP destroyers, whereas β-adrenoceptors are the main physiological cAMP-cascade activators, in PANC-1 cells. Downstream, using Boyden chamber assays we found that PDE3 has the biggest role in cell migration under ‘basal’ conditions, whereas PDE4 has a bigger role in the presence of isoproterenol. However, isoproterenol on its own did not influence PANC-1 cell migration despite having the ability to increase cAMP concentration inside the cell. This part of the study puts forward PDE3 and PDE4 as potential targets for reducing migration/invasion of PDAC. In the second part of the study, we found that these cells have an efficient Ca2+ signalling system; in which ORAI1 is the main mediator of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) in PANC-1 cells. To explore the possibility of a Ca2+-cAMP crosstalk in PANC-1 cells, we used the AKAR4 probe to measure PKA activity during Ca2+ responses. The application of neurotensin (NT), a well-known IP3-producing agonist in this cell type, induced a Ca2+ response which was accompanied by an increase in PKA activity. SOCE is likely to play an important role in this process since the activation of SOCE by thapsigargin-mediated store depletion consistently and robustly increased PKA activity. To further investigate the downstream roles of PKA signalling in PANC-1 cells we utilised immunofluorescence to visualise the distribution of PKA activity. Using antibodies specific for phosphorylated PKA substrates, we found that phosphorylated PKA substrates are preferentially concentrated in the nucleus; and notably at the leading edges of PANC-1 cells displaying a migratory phenotype. At the leading edges phosphorylated PKA substrates colocalised with actin-rich ruffles. Interestingly, utilising the rapamycin-inducible heterodimerisation system to reveal endogenous ER-PM junctions in migrating PANC-1 cells, we found that ER-PM junctions are also situated in close proximity to the leading edge. These results suggest that SOCE activates PKA responses in the region strategically important for PDAC cell migration

Developmental expression of a functional TASK-1 2P domain K+ channel in embryonic chick heart

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Background K⁺channels are the principal determinants of the resting membrane potential (RMP) in cardiac myocytes and thus, influence the magnitude and time course of the action potential (AP).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>RT-PCR and <it>in situ </it>hybridization are used to study the distribution of TASK-1 and whole-cell patch clamp technique is employed to determine the functional expression of TASK-1 in embryonic chick heart.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Chicken TASK-1 was expressed in the early tubular heart, then substantially decreased in the ventricles by embryonic day 5 (ED5), but remained relatively high in ED5 and ED11 atria. Unlike TASK-1, TASK-3 was uniformly expressed in heart at all developmental stages. <it>In situ </it>hybridization studies further revealed that TASK-1 was expressed throughout myocardium at Hamilton-Hamburger stages 11 and 18 (S11 & S18) heart. In ED11 heart, TASK-1 expression was more restricted to atria. Consistent with TASK-1 expression data, patch clamp studies indicated that there was little TASK-1 current, as measured by the difference currents between pH 8.4 and pH 7.4, in ED5 and ED11 ventricular myocytes. However, TASK-1 current was present in the early embryonic heart and ED11 atrial myocytes. TASK-1 currents were also identified as 3 μM anandamide-sensitive currents. 3 μM anandamide reduced TASK-1 currents by about 58% in ED11 atrial myocytes. Zn²⁺(100 μM) which selectively inhibits TASK-3 channel at this concentration had no effect on TASK currents. In ED11 ventricle where TASK-1 expression was down-regulated, I_K1was about 5 times greater than in ED11 atrial myocytes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Functional TASK-1 channels are differentially expressed in the developing chick heart and TASK-1 channels contribute to background K⁺conductance in the early tubular embryonic heart and in atria. TASK-1 channels act as a contributor to background K⁺current to modulate the cardiac excitability in the embryonic heart that expresses little I_K1.</p

Vortices and the entrainment transition in the 2D Kuramoto model

We study synchronization in the two-dimensional lattice of coupled phase oscillators with random intrinsic frequencies. When the coupling $K$ is larger than a threshold $K_E$, there is a macroscopic cluster of frequency-synchronized oscillators. We explain why the macroscopic cluster disappears at $K_E$. We view the system in terms of vortices, since cluster boundaries are delineated by the motion of these topological defects. In the entrained phase ($K>K_E$), vortices move in fixed paths around clusters, while in the unentrained phase ($K<K_E$), vortices sometimes wander off. These deviant vortices are responsible for the disappearance of the macroscopic cluster. The regularity of vortex motion is determined by whether clusters behave as single effective oscillators. The unentrained phase is also characterized by time-dependent cluster structure and the presence of chaos. Thus, the entrainment transition is actually an order-chaos transition. We present an analytical argument for the scaling $K_E\sim K_L$ for small lattices, where $K_L$ is the threshold for phase-locking. By also deriving the scaling $K_L\sim\log N$, we thus show that $K_E\sim\log N$ for small $N$, in agreement with numerics. In addition, we show how to use the linearized model to predict where vortices are generated.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Physical capacity of rescue personnel in the mining industry

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The mining industry has one of the highest occupational rates of serious injury and fatality. Mine staff involved with rescue operations are often required to respond to physically challenging situations. This paper describes the physical attributes of mining rescue personnel.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>91 rescue personnel (34 ± 8.6 yrs, 1.79 ± 0.07 m, 90 ± 15.0 kg) participating in the Queensland Mines Rescue Challenge completed a series of health-related and rescue-related fitness tasks. Health-related tasks comprised measurements of aerobic capacity (VO₂max), abdominal endurance, abdominal strength, flexibility, lower back strength, leg strength, elbow flexion strength, shoulder strength, lower back endurance, and leg endurance. Rescue-related tasks comprised an incremental carry (IC), coal shovel (CS), and a hose drag (HD), completed in this order.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Cardiovascular (VO₂max) and muscular endurance was average or below average compared with the general population. Isometric strength did not decline with age. The rescue-related tasks were all extremely demanding with heart rate responses averaging greater than 88% of age predicted maximal heart rates. Heart rate recovery responses were more discriminating than heart rates recorded during the tasks, indicating the hose drag as the most physically demanding of the tasks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Relying on actual rescues or mining related work to provide adequate training is generally insufficient to maintain, let alone increase, physical fitness. It is therefore recommended that standards of required physical fitness be developed and mines rescue personnel undergo regularly training (and assessment) in order to maintain these standards.</p

Effects of sibling competition on growth, oxidative stress, and humoral immunity: a two-year brood-size manipulation

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . On the basis of annual differences in chicks&apos; morphological traits and body masses close to fledging, we established that 2007 was a relative low-quality year and 2008 was a relatively high-quality year. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was significantly lower in experimentally enlarged broods, but only in the low-quality year (2007). Total oxidant status (TOS) was independent of brood size in both years but was 45% higher in the low-quality year. Consequently, plasma oxidative status (the ratio between TOS and TAC) was higher in 2007. In contrast, plasma IgY levels were higher in the experimentally enlarged broods and in the high-quality year (2008). Thus, immune function and oxidative stress showed inverse relationships with developmental conditions and annual variation in year quality. Finally, TOS and TAC were positively correlated, but only in the low-quality year (2007), and there was no relationship observed between IgY and markers of oxidative stress. Our results demonstrate the importance of taking into account year effects or ecological context when assessing environmental effects on physiological mechanisms underlying the life-history traits of chicks, such as oxidative stress. The University of Chicago Pres

Individuals with intellectual disabilities experiences of the therapeutic relationship

Purpose: This research aimed to explore individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) experiences of the therapeutic relationship. Design/methodology/approach: Six individuals with ID were recruited who were currently having 1:1 therapy. Semi-structured interviews focused on their experiences of the therapeutic relationship. Findings: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, six personal experiential themes were identified. These were labelled as a person-centred experience, the importance of adaptions, “I feel like I know you”, a secure base is offered, change does occur and an overlap of subjective experience. The results indicate that participants’ accounts of their experiences indicated that the relationship was important to them. This research also demonstrated that the benefits and value of involving individuals with ID in qualitative research. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, exploring the therapeutic relationship from the perspective of individuals with ID has not been previously explored in the literature. This research highlights considerations for therapists working with this population to help them facilitate positive therapeutic outcomes

The genetics, structure and function of the M1 aminopeptidase oxytocinase subfamily and their therapeutic potential in immune-mediated disease

The oxytocinase subfamily of M1 aminopeptidases plays an important role in processing and trimming of peptides for presentation on major histocompatibility (MHC) Class I molecules. Several large-scale genomic studies have identified association of members of this family of enzymes, most notably ERAP1 and ERAP2, with immune-mediated diseases including ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis and birdshot chorioretinopathy. Much is now known about the genetics of these enzymes and how genetic variants alter their function, but how these variants contribute to disease remains largely unresolved. Here we discuss what is known about their structure and function and highlight some of the knowledge gaps that affect development of drugs targeting these enzymes