Another gender data gap: Female drowning in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Introduction A gender gap is present in drowning research and prevention interventions, resulting in an inequitable focus on males. This study aimed to address the gender data gap, exploring female drowning in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Methods National data on female fatal and non-fatal drowning requiring hospitalisation between 2003 and 2019 were sourced from DrownBase, Water Safety New Zealand's drowning database. Univariate and χ 2 analyses were conducted for fatal and hospitalisation data. Crude rates were calculated and used to explore temporal trends and RR by age groups and ethnicity for fatal and non-fatal drowning. Ratios for drowning-related hospitalisations and Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) claims to drowning deaths were also calculated. Results From 2003 to 2019, a total of 1087 female drowning fatalities and non-fatal (76.0%) drowning incidents requiring hospitalisation occurred. Linear trends indicate hospitalisations increased (y=0.0766x+1.4271; R 2 =0.4438), while fatal drowning decreased (y=-0.0101x+0.7671; R 2 =0.1011). The highest fatal (1.60) and non-fatal (8.22) drowning rates were seen among children aged 0-4 years. For every one female drowning fatality, there are 3.46 hospital admissions and 675.55 ACC claims. Discussion Female drowning represents a significant burden on the health system and the community in New Zealand. Further investment in interventions targeting females about their own risky behaviours around water (not only children in their care) is suggested, including interventions focused on hazardous conditions and alcohol consumption. Conclusion For decades, the focus of drowning prevention among adolescents and adults has been on males. However, efforts must be broadened to prevent any further increase in drowning-related incidents among females in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Quantifying fatal and non-fatal drowning in children under five in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Objective: To quantify unintentional drowning trends and risk factors for children under five years of age in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Methods: A population-based analyses of fatal and non-fatal (hospitalisations and Accident Compensation Corporation [ACC] claims) unintentional drowning of children 0-4 years of age between 2005 and 2019 was conducted using DrownBase™ data. Analyses comprises calculation of linear temporal trends, crude drowning rates per 100,000 and relative risk (95% confidence interval) and ratios of fatal to non-fatal drowning. Results: 557 incidents (16.0% fatal) were recorded. Fatalities declined (y=−0.0769x+2.5678;R2=0.01509), while hospitalisations increased (y=0.1418x+9.1093;R2=0.0979). Males were overrepresented. One year-olds recorded the highest rates (fatal=4.39/100,000) and (non-fatal=2.14/100,000). ‘Other’ ethnicity (8.77/100,000) and Māori (2.49/100,000) children recorded the highest fatal drowning rates. Home pools were the leading fatal location, while domestic environments attracted the highest hospitalisation rate. For every one fatal drowning there were 6.9 hospitalisations and 74.7 ACC claims. Conclusions: Drowning among young children represents a preventable cause of injury-related harm. While fatalities are declining, non-fatal drowning is increasing. Implications for public health: Strategies to prevent drowning among young children are well understood, particularly restricting water access and active adult supervision. Further investment in effective prevention strategies for young children will deliver significant social, economic and health system savings

Advances in the inspection of unpiggable pipelines

The field of in-pipe robotics covers a vast and varied number of approaches to the inspection of pipelines with robots specialising in pipes ranging anywhere from 10 mm to 1200 mm in diameter. Many of these developed systems focus on overcoming in-pipe obstacles such as T-sections and elbows, as a result important aspects of exploration are treated as sub-systems, namely shape adaptability. One of the most prevalent methods of hybridised locomotion today is wall-pressing; generating traction using the encompassing pipe walls. A review of wall-pressing systems has been performed, covering the different approaches taken since their introduction. The advantages and disadvantages of these systems is discussed as well as their effectiveness in the inspection of networks with highly varying pipe diameters. When compared to unconventional in-pipe robotic techniques, traditional full-bore wall-pressing robots were found to be at a disadvantage

Stress transfer quantification in gelatin-matrix natural composites with tunable optical properties

© 2015 American Chemical Society.This work reports on the preparation and characterization of natural composite materials prepared from bacterial cellulose (BC) incorporated into a gelatin matrix. Composite morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy and 2D Raman imaging revealing an inhomogeneous dispersion of BC within the gelatin matrix. The composite materials showed controllable degrees of transparency to visible light and opacity to UV light depending on BC weight fraction. By adding a 10 wt % fraction of BC in gelatin, visible (= 550 nm) and UV (= 350 nm) transmittances were found to decrease by ∼35 and 40%, respectively. Additionally, stress transfer occurring between the gelatin and BC fibrils was quantified using Raman spectroscopy. This is the first report for a gelatin-matrix composite containing cellulose. As a function of strain, two distinct domains, both showing linear relationships, were observed for which an average initial shift rate with respect to strain of -0.63 ± 0.2 cm-1%-1 was observed, followed by an average shift rate of -0.25 ± 0.03 cm-1%-1. The average initial Raman band shift rate value corresponds to an average effective Youngs modulus of 39 ± 13 GPa and 73 ± 25 GPa, respectively, for either a 2D and 3D network of BC fibrils embedded in the gelatin matrix. As a function of stress, a linear relationship was observed with a Raman band shift rate of -27 ± 3 cm-1GPa-1. The potential use of these composite materials as a UV blocking food coating is discussed

Hospital Mortality and Trainee Experiences: How General Medical Council Survey Findings Correlate With Summary Hospital-Level Mortality Indicator.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate whether components of junior doctor satisfaction are associated with patient mortality within the United Kingdom. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of publicly available data (the General Medical Council [GMC] National Survey and the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator [SHMI]) pertaining to subjective physician trainee satisfaction and patient mortality within 80 United Kingdom-based healthcare institutions. The direction and strength of correlation between components of the GMC National Survey and relative patient mortality as described by the SHMI were calculated. Additional outcomes included mean GMC survey scores for reported domains and mean SHMI by healthcare institution. RESULTS: SHMI for included healthcare institutions ranged from 0.69 to 1.21 (mean [SD], 1.01 [0.1]). Mean GMC domain scores ranged between 44.61 and 88.62 (mean [SD], 71.16 [10.84]). Statistically significant correlations were observed for clinical supervision, clinical supervision out of hours, rota design, overall satisfaction, and teamwork. After application of Bonferroni correction, statistically significant correlations remained for both clinical supervision and clinical supervision out of hours. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant association between components of subjective trainee satisfaction and patient mortality within the United Kingdom. Further investigation to examine these relationships, perhaps to target intervention, may prevent avoidable patient harm

Miniature Magnetic Robots For In-Pipe Locomotion

Inspection of both small and large diameter bore pipelines for pipe integrity and defect identification with a single system has previously been impractical; especially using wall-press locomotion methods with low adaptive range. A miniature magnetic wallclimbing robot has been developed as a robotic solution for the inspection of 50mm bore diameter pipelines which can scale in-pipe geometry obstacles to access larger connected pipelines. Using magnetic arrays directed through steel flux plates within the wheels, the robot uses magnetic forces to adhere to the pipe. The system is 3D printed and includes soft printed material rubber wheels. The robot prototype is wirelessly driven, controlled remotely through serial Bluetooth communication radio at 2.4 GHz rated up to 100m. The robot’s unique compact geometry and magnetic design allows it to scale concave rightangle wall cases in just a 50mm diameter bore. By entering pipe networks through these small existing access points the robot removes the need for expensive drilling procedures required to fit launch vessels

Supervision, scheduling, satisfaction and shared working: how experiences of junior doctors relate to excess mortality within the NHS.

BACKGROUND: We sought to explore associations between trainee doctor perception and excess patient mortality. METHODS: Data from two publicly available databases reflecting mortality and components of trainee satisfaction within 81 NHS healthcare institutions between the years 2012 and 2019 were analysed. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated. RESULTS: All domains of trainee perception were correlated with excess mortality. Clinical supervision out of hours (R=-0.44; p<0.0001), teamwork (R=-0.36; p<0.0001) and clinical supervision at any time (R=-0.35; p<0.0001) were most strongly correlated. Most associations remained consistent year on year. CONCLUSION: Trainee doctor perceptions of clinical supervision, rota design and teamwork within the NHS are consistently correlated with excess patient mortality. Further exploration of these associations could identify opportunities for interventions to reduce excess patient mortality. Given the clinical significance of our findings, organisations should consider rapid implementation of evidence-based interventions where they exist

A semi-parametric approach to estimate risk functions associated with multi-dimensional exposure profiles: application to smoking and lung cancer

A common characteristic of environmental epidemiology is the multi-dimensional aspect of exposure patterns, frequently reduced to a cumulative exposure for simplicity of analysis. By adopting a flexible Bayesian clustering approach, we explore the risk function linking exposure history to disease. This approach is applied here to study the relationship between different smoking characteristics and lung cancer in the framework of a population based case control study