Cancer survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a national study of survival rates and excess mortality

BackgroundNational cancer survival statistics are available for the total Australian population but not Indigenous Australians, although their cancer mortality rates are known to be higher than those of other Australians. We aimed to validate analysis methods and report cancer survival rates for Indigenous Australians as the basis for regular national reporting.MethodsWe used national cancer registrations data to calculate all-cancer and site-specific relative survival for Indigenous Australians (compared with non-Indigenous Australians) diagnosed in 2001-2005. Because of limited availability of Indigenous life tables, we validated and used cause-specific survival (rather than relative survival) for proportional hazards regression to analyze time trends and regional variation in all-cancer survival between 1991 and 2005.ResultsSurvival was lower for Indigenous than non-Indigenous Australians for all cancers combined and for many cancer sites. The excess mortality of Indigenous people with cancer was restricted to the first three years after diagnosis, and greatest in the first year. Survival was lower for rural and remote than urban residents; this disparity was much greater for Indigenous people. Survival improved between 1991 and 2005 for non-Indigenous people (mortality decreased by 28%), but to a much lesser extent for Indigenous people (11%) and only for those in remote areas; cancer survival did not improve for urban Indigenous residents.ConclusionsCancer survival is lower for Indigenous than other Australians, for all cancers combined and many individual cancer sites, although more accurate recording of Indigenous status by cancer registers is required before the extent of this disadvantage can be known with certainty. Cancer care for Indigenous Australians needs to be considerably improved; cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support services need to be redesigned specifically to be accessible and acceptable to Indigenous people

C. L. Downing, Salvation from Cinema: The Medium is the Message. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2016. Pp. viii, 196. Pb. £33.99. ISBN 978-1-138-91394-3

Review of this book on theology and film for Modern Believing

The PREDICTS database: a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts

Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species’ threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project – and avert – future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups – including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems – www.predicts.org.uk). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015

Piet Mondrian : his life's work and evolution, 1872 to 1944

Piet Mondrian in his essays, the majority of which were published in De Stijl, stressed the importance of a conscious understanding of the concept of evolution, both as a conception of man's spiritual and biolgical evolution. This study of his life's work examines the development of his ever growing cognizance of this concept as a 'unity in duality', and in addition his awareness of the implications of this conception. The consideration of Mondrian's life's work from the premises set by a study involved with the evolutionary nature of his work has brought into sharp focus the dialectical relationship that his latter work has to his earlier work. But in addition research conducted for this study has shown that the entirety of Mondrian's work does not exist as an isolated individual incident but as a consciously, thus dialectically related part of the History of Philosophy of Art. The methods used in the course of this study were developed from the implications of the original premises 'to consider the relationships between Mondrian's theories and practice'. To begin with, a basic philosophic background was established against which Mondrian's theories could be studied. This was followed by a careful study of his early work against the background of 19th century European Art and the theories that influenced the art of that period. A form of 'bibliography', was constructed which embraced both paintings and literature with which Mondrian could have concerned himself and been influenced by. For example, the collection of paintings in the Mesdag Museum and Dr. Schoenmaekers two books. The problem of visualizing Mondrian's lice as an evolutionary process became an early and difficult question. It was resolved through the construction of two statistical graphs, the second of which was drawn with the aid of a computer. At every stage of the close study of individual works, made by Mondrian and other artists, whose work was used for comparative purposes, analytic diagrams were constructed. They have proved themselves to be invaluable in gaining a clarification and cognizance of the evolution of Mondrian's concept of 'unity in duality', in his visual work. The major divisions of this study are concerned with the stylistic and theoretical changes that make up the parts of Mondrian's transition from an art based in the perceptual cognizance and expression of reality to the conscious manifestation of an art that was in its essential form rooted in a pure conception of reality. In realizing this form of art Mondrian also found answers to the ontological questions that had beset him in his early years and had consequently acted as a powerful motivating force to his artistic evolution. The conclusions drawn from this study of Mondrian's life's work are that his work in all its manifold aspects was, throughout his life an ever evolving expression of man's desire to understand and to manifest his understanding of the universe and as such his work was in complete concordance with his theories

An investigation into the link between culture and strategy using soft systems methodology and group analysis. Part 1 soft systems methodology

This is the first of two papers that examine the capacity of a management consultancy (the Company) to adopt a new team-based business model. The first part of the paper utilises Soft Systems Methodology and the change kaleidoscope to examine the cultural paradigm that pervades the Company. As a result of the investigations derived from the Soft Systems work, the researchers used Belbins' SPI as a method of distinguishing between different personality types and various team roles in order to asses if the consultants were capable of working together in teams. The analysis reported in this paper showed that the firm did not have adequate policies, structures or culture. The analysis reported in the second paper suggested it did not have the appropriate mix of consultants to support a team-based business model

An investigation into the link between culture and strategy using soft systems methodology and group analysis. Part 2 goup analysis

This was the second of two papers investigating the capability of a consulting firm (the Company) to adopt a team-based business model. The first paper concluded that the evidence suggests that the Company did not have the existing structures, policy and culture to move to team based work. This paper examines the capability of the consultants within the Company to move to a team-based business model using an instrument to determine team role preferences. The conclusion was that the highly individualistic team role preferences of the consultants would not support the proposed business model

An investigation into the link between culture and strategy using soft systems methodology and group analysis. Part 1 soft systems methodology

This is the first of two papers that examine the capacity of a management consultancy (the Company) to adopt a new team-based business model. The first part of the paper utilises Soft Systems Methodology and the change kaleidoscope to examine the cultural paradigm that pervades the Company. As a result of the investigations derived from the Soft Systems work, the researchers used Belbins' SPI as a method of distinguishing between different personality types and various team roles in order to asses if the consultants were capable of working together in teams. The analysis reported in this paper showed that the firm did not have adequate policies, structures or culture. The analysis reported in the second paper suggested it did not have the appropriate mix of consultants to support a team-based business model

An investigation into the link between culture and strategy using soft systems methodology and group analysis. Part 2 goup analysis

This was the second of two papers investigating the capability of a consulting firm (the Company) to adopt a team-based business model. The first paper concluded that the evidence suggests that the Company did not have the existing structures, policy and culture to move to team based work. This paper examines the capability of the consultants within the Company to move to a team-based business model using an instrument to determine team role preferences. The conclusion was that the highly individualistic team role preferences of the consultants would not support the proposed business model

Incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Aboriginal people in Western Australia

OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) in Aboriginal people in Western Australia (WA) and determine the main routes of exposure to asbestos in this population. METHODS: All MM cases in Western Australia, as well as the primary source of asbestos exposure, are recorded in the WA Mesothelioma Register. Aboriginal cases up to the end of 2013 were extracted from the register and compared with non-Aboriginal cases with respect to the primary means/source of exposure. Age-standardised incidence rates for each decade from 1980 were calculated for both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. Age-standardised mortality rates were calculated for the period 1994-2008 and compared with international rates. RESULTS: There were 39 cases (77% male) of MM among WA Aboriginal people. Twenty-six (67%) were a direct result of the mining of crocidolite at Wittenoom and the subsequent contamination of the surrounding lands. Of the non-Aboriginal MM cases (n = 2070, 86.3% male), fewer than 25% can be attributed to Wittenoom. Aboriginals had consistently higher 10-year incidence rates than non-Aboriginals and, when compared to world populations, the highest mortality rate internationally. CONCLUSION: When incidence rates in Aboriginal people are compared with non-Aboriginal people, the Wittenoom mining operation has had a disproportionate effect on MM incidence in the local Aboriginal population