Whither enterprise architecture?

Is the current approach to enterprise architecture dogmatic and over-ambitious? Peter Kemp and Dr John McManus MBCS give their vie

Vocation and avocation: Leisure activities correlate with professional engagement, but not burnout, in a cross-sectional survey of UK doctors

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.Abstract Background Sir William Osler suggested in 1899 that avocations (leisure activities) in doctors are related to an increased sense of vocation (professional engagement) and a decreased level of burnout. This study evaluated those claims in a large group of doctors practicing in the UK while taking into account a wide range of background variables. Methods A follow-up questionnaire was sent to 4,457 UK-qualified doctors who had been included in four previous studies of medical school selection and training, beginning in 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1989/1991. A total of 2,845 (63.8%) doctors returned the questionnaire. Questions particularly asked about work engagement, satisfaction with medicine as a career, and personal achievement (Vocation/engagement), stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization (BurnedOut), and 29 different leisure activities (Avocation/Leisure), as well as questions on personality, empathy, work experience, and demography. Results Doctors reporting more Avocation/Leisure activities tended to be women, to have older children, to be less surface-rational, more extravert, more open to experience, less agreeable, and to fantasize more. Doctors who were more BurnedOut tended to be men, to be more sleep-deprived, to report a greater workload and less choice and independence in their work, to have higher neuroticism, lower extraversion and lower agreeableness scores, and to have lower self-esteem. In contrast, doctors with a greater sense of Vocation/engagement, tended to see more patients, to have greater choice and independence at work, to have a deep approach to work, to have a more supportive-receptive work environment, to be more extravert and more conscientious, and to report greater self-esteem. Avocation/Leisure activities correlated significantly with Vocation/engagement, even after taking into account 25 background variables describing demography, work, and personality, whereas BurnedOut showed no significant correlation with Avocation/Leisure activities. Popular Culture and High Culture did not differ in their influence on Vocation/engagement, although there was a suggestion that Depersonalization was correlated with more interest in Popular Culture and less interest in High Culture. Conclusion In this cross-sectional study there is evidence, even after taking into account a wide range of individual difference measures, that doctors with greater Avocation/Leisure activities also have a greater sense of Vocation/Engagement. In contrast, being BurnedOut did not relate to Avocation/Leisure activities (but did relate to many other measures). Osler was probably correct in recommending to doctors that, 'While medicine is to be your vocation, or calling, see to it that you also have an avocation'.Peer Reviewe

Development of a community profile for alcohol and other drug use for the WDLDAG

Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) methodology was utilised for the development of a community profile of the Willetton and District area regarding the use of alcohol and other drugs and its associated problems. The process by which the community profile was developed was documented with the future aim of developing this process in the form of an RAR Guide that can be used by other community groups. This project was undertaken by the Willetton and District Local Drug Action Group (WDLDAG) in collaboration with the Western Australian Centre for Health Promotion Research (WACHPR) at Curtin University, Perth. The objectives of the project were: to establish the nature and extent of alcohol and other drug use and factors influencing this use; to establish the adverse consequences associated with alcohol and drug use and the factors influencing them; and to establish the resources available and current interventions within the community, relevant to drug and alcohol problems.Various sources were utilised to generate data for the community profile. Qualitative data was generated from 11 in-depth interviews and 3 focus group interviews with parents, students, teachers, school nurses, school counsellors, local police officers and other community members. Quantitative data was generated from the Australian School Students Alcohol and Drug Survey (ASSAD) and other local data. Data was successfully gathered and significant lessons were learnt regarding the investigation of a sensitive topic, working within a school setting and working with a community group. Overall, the alcohol and other drug use patterns in the Willetton and District area were in line with the average patterns of use throughout WA. The interviews provided suggestions for possible solutions to the identified alcohol and other drug use problems. It is intended that these suggestions will help inform strategies put that can be implemented by the WDLDAG and its members in response to the identified problems

Search Engine Optimisation in UK news production

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Journalism Practice, 5(4), 462 - 477, 2011, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17512786.2010.551020.This paper represents an exploratory study into an emerging culture in UK online newsrooms—the practice of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which assesses its impact on news production. Comprising a short-term participant observational case study at a national online news publisher, and a series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with SEO professionals at three further UK media organisations, the author sets out to establish how SEO is operationalised in the newsroom, and what consequences these practices have for online news production. SEO practice is found to be varied and application is not universal. Not all UK news organisations are making the most of SEO even though some publishers take a highly sophisticated approach. Efforts are constrained by time, resources and management support, as well as off-page technical issues. SEO policy is found, in some cases, to inform editorial policy, but there is resistance to the principal of SEO driving decision-making. Several themes are established which call for further research

Current Research Advance on Echinococcosis

Echinococcosis is caused by infection with larva (metacestode) of the tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. Within genus Echinococcus, two species are known as public health concern worldwide: Echinococcus guanulosus causing cystic echinococcosis (CE) and Echinococcus multilocularis causing alveolar echinococcosis (AE). The co-evaluation due to the interaction between parasites and their hosts has been well known to be able to allow tolerating to maintain parasitism as long as possible. With many research advanced findings, scientists have been much interested in using either those molecules from parasites producing due to invading and surviving or those cytokines from hosts responding due to defenses to carry out immunotherapeutic practice that is not only against parasitic infection but also for cancer or other immunological related disorders. Taken advance of knowledge on Echinococcus genome research outcomes, recent attentions regarding the discoveries of targeting antiparasitic drug and/or vaccine were extensively discussed in this review

'Excessive drinking - An inescapable part of university life?' A focus group study of Australian undergraduates

The university environment reinforces positive alcohol-related expectations and motivations for drinking among undergraduate students. High levels of hazardous consumption in this population lead to significant negative alcohol-related consequences, for individuals and those around them. This study sought to explore the contexts in which those who engage in hazardous drinking consume alcohol, their perceptions of safety and harm, and receptivity to health messages. Undergraduate university students (n = 69; aged 17 - 24 of both genders [57% female]) were purposively recruited into one of seven focus groups after screening with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to select for hazardous drinking (score, >8) or moderate drinking. A focus group interview schedule was developed, which was informed by theory and tested for validity by a panel of experts.Qualitative analysis of the data revealed four thematic clusters: positive expectations; inescapable culture; defining situations; and permissible drunkenness. Drinking was associated with various personal and social advantages that reinforced participants’ intentions and/or willingness to drink. Alcohol played a meaningful role in the way in which participants identified with youth and university culture. Economical drinking was prominent, with students constantly negotiating pathways to intoxication within the confines of their budgets. Heavy drinking was viewed as permissible when in the home environment and/or in the company of trusted friends. Most students were unreceptive to health messages, and advice on restricting alcohol consumption seemed to have limited impact on drinking behaviour. Our findings clarify why some university students maintain or increase drinking behaviour despite known negative out- comes and offer useful insights to inform further research and the development of alcohol interventions specifically targeted at students

Common mental disorders and ethnicity in England : the EMPIRIC Study

Background. There is little population-based evidence on ethnic variation in the most common mental disorders (CMD), anxiety and depression. We compared the prevalence of CMD among representative samples of White, Irish, Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani individuals living in England using a standardized clinical interview. Method. Cross-sectional survey of 4281 adults aged 16–74 years living in private households in England. CMD were assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R), a standardized clinical interview. Results. Ethnic differences in the prevalence of CMD were modest, and some variation with age and sex was noted. Compared to White counterparts, the prevalence of CMD was higher to a statistically significant degree among Irish [adjusted rate ratios (RR) 2.09, 95% CI 1.16–2.95, p=0.02] and Pakistani (adjusted RR 2.38, 95% CI 1.25–3.53, p=0.02) men aged 35–54 years, even after adjusting for differences in socio-economic status. Higher rates of CMD were also observed among Indian and Pakistani women aged 55–74 years, compared to White women of similar age. The prevalence of CMD among Bangladeshi women was lower than among White women, although this was restricted to those not interviewed in English. There were no differences in rates between Black Caribbean and White samples. Conclusions. Middle-aged Irish and Pakistani men, and older Indian and Pakistani women, had significantly higher rates of CMD than their White counterparts. The very low prevalence of CMD among Bangladeshi women contrasted with high levels of socio-economic deprivation among this group. Further study is needed to explore reasons for this variation

Factors influencing the consumption of seafood among young children in Perth

This formative study sought to investigate the factors that influence the consumption of fish and seafood among pre-primary and Year One school children in the Perth metropolitan area. Focus groups were conducted with mothers of young children to gain insights into the enablers and barriers to regular seafood consumption in children, and the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of their mothers to including seafood as a regular part of their children’s diet. Purposive sampling techniques were used to select and recruit mothers of children aged between four and six years from Curtin University of Technology and two local playgroups. A total of seven focus groups were conducted. Thematic content analysis was employed to code data generated and to extract major themes.Findings indicated that all children had tried fish and seafood products, with some being exposed to a wide variety from an early age. Across focus groups, several dominant factors were apparent in influencing the frequency and type of seafood purchased and consumed. Perceived cost, freshness, availability/accessibility, and the level of confidence to prepare and cook a meal to suit all family members were significant determinants of whether these products featured regularly on the household menu. The influence of others in the family, particularly their husband or partner, also tended to impact upon the likelihood of serving fish and seafood, and the types of products mothers were willing to serve. Findings from this qualitative study form the first phase in a proposed longitudinal research project that aims to develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive school-based resource package encouraging regular, seafood consumption (particularly fish) in primary school-aged children

Acute military psychiatric casualties from the war in Iraq

Background: The view that most military personnel evacuated from war zones are suffering from combat stress reactions, or are otherwise traumatised by the horrors of war, has an impact on all aspects of military psychiatry. Aims: To delineate the reasons for psychiatric aeromedical evacuation from Iraq from the start of build-up of UK forces in January 2003 until the end of October that year, 6 months after the end of formal hostilities. Method: A retrospective study was conducted of field and in-patient psychiatric assessments of 116 military personnel evacuated to the UK military psychiatric in-patient facility in Catterick Garrison. Results: Evacuees were mainly non-combatants (69%). A significant proportion were in reserve service (21%) and had a history of contact with mental health services (37%). Only 3% had a combat stress reaction. In over 85% of cases evacuation was for low mood attributed to separation from friends or family, or difficulties adjusting to the environment. Conclusions: These findings have implications especially for screening for suitability for deployment, and for understanding any longer-term mental health problems arising in veterans from Iraq