4,805 research outputs found
International Occupational Health Research on an Invisible Workforce
There are many professions in which employees are located in remote locations. International maritime workers make up one such occupation. They are a vulnerable, underserved and neglected population of approximately 1.2 million people with high rates of disease and injury. During their typical nine month deployments, they live in relative isolation with no health care professional on board. To understand the root causes of disease and injury among this remote workforce, strategies to collect information, analyze data, and report results and recommendations have been developed. These strategies, which include gathering of data through an alliance of companies involved in seafaring, have yielded initial results as to the predictors of serious illness and injury on board vessels requiring the repatriation of the employee. These same methods should be applicable to other isolated international workforces
Activity And Localization Of Maltodextrin Binding Site Mutants Of Glycogen Synthase In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Mentor: Wayne A. WilsonGlycogen is a glucose polymer formed by the enzyme glycogen synthase and is used in many organisms
to store chemical energy. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) was used to study the activity
and localization of glycogen synthase. Genes GSY1 and GSY2 encode glycogen synthase. GSY2 is
responsible for the formation of Gsy2p, whose action accounts for ~90% of glycogen synthase activity;
the remainder of total glycogen synthase activity stems from Gsy1p. Because glycogen synthase
binds to glycogen, it can be used to determine glycogen localization. Glycogen synthase can appear in
distinct patterns throughout the cell. Gsy2p has been shown to be regulated by phosphorylation. Phosphorylation
of Gsy2p leads to inactivation of the enzyme, a decrease in glycogen storage, and a more
localized pattern of glycogen synthase. Conversely, lowering the phosphorylation state of Gsy2p results
in increased glycogen production and delocalization of glycogen synthase throughout the cell.
Glucose-6-P (glucose-6-phosphate) activates glycogen synthase regardless of its phosphorylation
state.
We obtained a set of plasmids from a collaborator, encoding Gsy2p mutated at sites believed to be
involved with maltodextrin binding. Maltodextrin is a chain of 20 or fewer dextrose molecules with α
(1→4) glycosidic bonds. A protein sequence involved in maltodextrin binding likely would also bind
to glycogen. Our task was to discover the localization pattern shown by the maltodextrin binding site
mutants of glycogen synthase using a GFP tag on GSY2. The goal of this study was to determine the
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effects of Gsy2p maltodextrin binding mutants on glycogen synthase activity, localization, and glycogen
accumulation
The effect of body mass index and melphalan dose adjustments on outcomes in patients undergoing autologous haematopoietic cell transplantation for multiple myeloma: a single-centre retrospective study
Planetary benchmarks
Design criteria and technology requirements for a system of radar reference devices to be fixed to the surfaces of the inner planets are discussed. Offshoot applications include the use of radar corner reflectors as landing beacons on the planetary surfaces and some deep space applications that may yield a greatly enhanced knowledge of the gravitational and electromagnetic structure of the solar system. Passive retroreflectors with dimensions of about 4 meters and weighing about 10 kg are feasible for use with orbiting radar at Venus and Mars. Earth-based observation of passive reflectors, however, would require very large and complex structures to be delivered to the surfaces. For Earth-based measurements, surface transponders offer a distinct advantage in accuracy over passive reflectors. A conceptual design for a high temperature transponder is presented. The design appears feasible for the Venus surface using existing electronics and power components
Factors affecting communication in emergency departments: doctors and nurses’ perceptions of communication in a trilingual ED in Hong Kong
© 2015, Pun et al. Background: This study investigates clinicians’ views of clinician-patient and clinician-clinician communication, including key factors that prevent clinicians from achieving successful communication in a large, high-pressured trilingual Emergency Department (ED) in Hong Kong. Methods: Researchers interviewed 28 doctors and nurses in the ED. The research employed a qualitative ethnographic approach. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English and coded using the Nvivo software. The researchers examined issues in both clinician-patient and clinician-clinician communication. Through thematic analyses, they identified the factors that impede communication most significantly, as well as the relationship between these factors. This research highlights the significant communication issues and patterns in Hong Kong EDs. Results: The clinician interviews revealed that communication in EDs is complex, nuanced and fragile. The data revealed three types of communication issues: (1) the experiential parameter (i.e. processes and procedures), (2) the interpersonal parameter (i.e. clinicians’ engagements with patients and other clinicians) and (3) contextual factors (i.e. time pressures, etc.). Within each of these areas, the specific problems were the following: compromises in knowledge transfer at key points of transition (e.g. triage, handover), inconsistencies in medical record keeping, serious pressures on clinicians (e.g. poor clinician-patient ratio and long working hours for clinicians) and a lack of focus on interpersonal skills. Conclusions: These communication problems (experiential, interpersonal and contextual) are intertwined, creating a complex yet weak communication structure that compromises patient safety, as well as patient and clinician satisfaction. The researchers argue that hospitals should develop and implement best-practice policies and educational programmes for clinicians that focus on the following: (1) understanding the primary causes of communication problems in EDs, (2) accepting the tenets and practices of patient-centred care, (3) establishing clear and consistent knowledge transfer procedures and (4) lowering the patient-to-clinician ratio in order to create the conditions that foster successful communication. The research provides a model for future research on the relationship between communication and the quality and safety of the patient safety
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