bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No, Prime Minister: Public Intellectuals and Power in Israel
Authors: Keren Michael
Published: July 2017

While intellectuals engaged in public advocacy long before the term ‘public intellectual’ was coined, it was largely Emile Zola's cry ‘J'accuse’ during the Dreyfus Affair in late nineteenth-century France that gave rise to the expectation that intellectuals ‘speak truth to power’. Yet, while many twentieth- and twenty-first-century intellectuals have spoken to power either as critics or as fellow travellers’, their public engagement has always been accompanied by the question of legitimacy: why should their opinions be valued more than those of coachmen, shoemakers or, for that matter, Facebook users? The intention in this article is to partly address this question by investigating the strategies of legitimisation and validation used by public intellectuals in their political argumentation. Focusing on one case study – the long, burdened and erratic relationship between Israel's writers and scholars, and the country's prime ministers – I propose three main sources of validation used by public intellectuals: their preoccupation with ideas, their historical knowledge and their reputation. I illustrate these three modes of validation by analysing open letters written by theologian Martin Buber, philosopher Nathan Rotenstreich, historian Jacob Talmon, novelists Amos Oz and David Grossman, and others to Israel's prime ministers from 1948 to the present, showing how the three modes evolved in response to the respective prime ministers' attitudes towards the political involvement of intellectuals and how they were combined by public intellectuals in need of effective strategies to legitimise their stand in given political situations. I then try to assess the effectiveness of such strategies and conclude by noting the challenges posed to public intellectuals today by new players in the market of ideas, especially bloggers using new sources of validation, such as their closeness to the grassroots, in their political argumentation.
‘Very Inflated Rhetoric, Polysyllables and So On’: The Public Intellectual and Jargon in the Academy
Authors: Atherton Cassandra
Published: July 2017

The public intellectual, by their very definition, aims to reach a large sector of the public or publics. This requires proficiency, or at least the capacity to communicate in a variety of forms. As a large proportion of the public, to which the public intellectual appeals, is an online or cyber public, the importance of blogs in a computer-literate public cannot be under-estimated. The immediacy of the blog and the way in which an online presence facilitates immediate communication between the public and the public intellectual through the posting of comments online allow for a broad recognition of the intellectual in the public arena. My arguments will hinge on my interviews with contemporary American public intellectuals (Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Todd Gitlin, Camille Paglia and Stephen Greenblatt) and their views on communication in a society experiencing a decline in the publication of print media.
Reshaping Public Intellectual Life: Frank Moorhouse and His Milieu
Authors: Lumby Catharine
Published: July 2017

This article uses Frank Moorhouse as a study of the formation of a public intellectual in the 1960s and 1970s. Moorhouse was a key figure in the Sydney Push, a loose Libertarian-anarchist network of artists, writers, intellectuals and party people who rejected the dominant moral values of the 1950s and 1960s. A journalist, Moorhouse later became a well-known fiction writer who was part of a similarly bohemian and activist milieu centred in Sydney's Balmain. Taking Frank Moorhouse as a case study, I will argue that there is something particular about the way public intellectuals have historically been formed and given voice in Australian life, which is characterised by a permeability between art and writing practices and between academic and activist milieux.
Fifty Years of The Australian
Authors: Goot Murray
Published: July 2017

This introduction to the collection of articles published in MIA to mark 50 years of The Australian offers a critical assessment of the literature on The Australian. It covers the miracle of the paper's conception, its struggle to survive amid widespread doubts that it could, and the conditions that enabled it to flourish at various times. It discusses the paper's original vision as well as its early reception, some of the market research and the changing profile of its readers. It examines arguments and evidence about The Australian's coverage of elections, notes the contention over its positions on other issues and lists a large number of studies that have explored various aspects of its journalism. It also situates The Australian in relation to other parts of News Limited and scrutinises claims about the paper's influence on other publishers and other media. Finally, it offers an outline of the articles in this theme section – four from industry and three from the academy.
A Grand Adventure (in Which the Author Encountered Rupert Murdoch's Ideas about What Women Want)
Authors: Rigg Julie
Published: July 2017

When The Australian began publication out of Canberra in 1964, I was one of the youngest journalists on staff. I worked for editors Maxwell Newton, Adrian Deamer and Walter Kommer. I covered education and immigration, and wrote a fortnightly column on social issues: conscription, the Vietnam War, civil liberties, racism, policing, and the White Australia policy. I also wrote about women, often: about marriage, sex education, abortion, unequal pay, childbirth, childcare and all the issues attitudes and structures that constrained us. In this article, I tell some stories from those years, and reflect on the editorial attitudes I encountered.
Sending a Message: The Australian's Reporting of Media Policy
Authors: Young Sally
Published: July 2017

As Australia's only national general newspaper, with an elite ‘political class’ audience, The Australian has been at the forefront of newspaper proprietors' attempts to influence media policy. This article analyses The Australian's reporting of two key media policy proposals affecting newspapers: the establishment of the Australian Press Council in 1975–76 and the Independent Inquiry into Media and Media Regulation (the Finkelstein inquiry) in 2012–13. While the events were 36 years apart, the paper's stance and rhetoric were remarkably similar. However, its approach to journalism and to providing information to its audience changed in several important respects.
The Mediated Asian-Australian Food Identity: From Charmaine Solomon to Masterchef Australia
Authors: Bonner Frances
Published: July 2017

This article considers the significance of food competitions, not just in helping ex-contestants to achieve careers in various food media sites, but also the consequences of this, together with televised food programs generally, in making Australian television more fully represent a multicultural nation, most specifically its Asian-Australian citizens. In 1964, Charmaine Solomon came second in a Woman's Day recipe competition. This, combined with her earlier training as a journalist in Ceylon/Sri Lanka, led the magazine's food editor, Margaret Fulton, to offer her a job. This began her long career as the leading Australian writer on Asian food. More recently, television and shows like MasterChef Australia have replaced magazine competitions in providing a breakthrough into a mediated career in the food industry. Again it was as second place-getter in the very first series of MasterChef that Poh Ling Yeow achieved her break and found her place. Television requires and bestows celebrity, and Poh provides a valuable counterpoint to Solomon here. Several other Asian-Australian contestants have similarly flourished after exposure on the program, like second series winner Adam Liaw. It has become evident that cooking competitions have become one of the principal sites in prime-time Australian television for Asian faces to be seen as a matter of course. While scholars of, and commentators on, Australian multiculturalism are rightly scathing about popular statements claiming a better Australian food culture as an index of the success of post-war migration policies, it appears that Australian television and other media continue to find this conjunction fruitful.
Affect, Upset and the Self: Memories of Television in Australia
Authors: Turnbull Sue , Hanson Stephanie
Published: July 2017

In a recent survey inviting people to outline some of their memories of television and its place in their lives, one of the questions asked was: ‘Can you explain why these particular television memories have stayed with you?’ While the responses to this question were complex and individual, some common themes emerged. These included questions of affect; experiences that were ‘beyond the norm’; and moments of self-identification. While the younger age group (15–45 years) slightly favoured the ‘self-identification’ and ‘affect’ categories, for the 46+ combined groups, the major category was the ‘beyond the norm’. The second-most cited factor, given by approximately 50 per cent of the respondents, was that a television memory is made when an event on television somehow becomes intertwined with the life of the individual. In many instances, the event was recalled as a formative or life-changing occurrence. While it is difficult to draw too many conclusions from the data in relation to gender, given that there were more female participants than male, when the data were recast to show percentages within each gender group, it was interesting to note that the male participants rated ‘affect’ most highly while females rated ‘self-identification’ as the most significant factor in the making of a television memory. This article explores these findings in more detail and examines the implications of these data for thinking about the relationship between the medium of television, television audiences and the formation of memories.
Too Many Grooves? Radio's Reconnection with Youth in the 2000s
Authors: Wilson Chris K.
Published: July 2017

In the mid-2000s, the radio landscape of all Australian mainland capital cities included a station in each of the national, community and commercial broadcasting sectors that either purported to service youth, or was widely recognised as doing so. Given competition for audiences and resources, power asymmetries and a lack of clear delineation between the sectors, tensions between operators have been a feature of this multi-sector youth radio landscape. This article examines a case in which competition for young listeners between the Nova FM commercial service and Perth youth community broadcaster Groove FM was pursued through the regulatory system. In addition to the demise of Groove, the conflict generated a broader challenge to public investment in youth radio that has contributed to the continuing absence of a youth community station from the Perth radio landscape, but has yet to be felt in other markets.
Fretting wear behaviour of double-glow plasma Cr–Nb coating on γ-TiAl alloy
Authors: Wei Xiangfei , Zhang Pingze , Wei Dongbo , Zhao Hongyuan , Wang Chun , Liskiewicz Tomasz
Published: July 2017

Double-glow plasma coatings are recommended for metallic components to mitigate the damage induced by complex loading conditions. In this paper, Cr–Nb alloyed layer was formed onto the TiAl substrate via a double-glow plasma process to enhance its anti-fretting wear performance. Nano-indentation and scratch tests were used to evaluate the mechanical properties of the coating. The fretting wear behaviour of the coating was investigated using a pin-on-plate fretting rig by rubbing against the Si3N4 ball. The 7 µm thick Cr–Nb coating was well bonded to the substrate with the 2 µm thick diffusion layer. The hardness of the coating was 9.5 GPa, which was 1.6 times greater than that of the uncoated TiAl substrate. Scratch tests showed that the critical load of Cr–Nb coating was 17.6 N. The fretting wear mechanism of the coatings was discussed in detail in this paper.
The orientation of health professional students towards the care of older adults: the case of podiatry
Authors: Chumbler Neale R. , Ford Thomas E.
Published: July 2017

Although podiatrists treat a large number of older adults, few studies have examined podiatry students' attitudes to treating them. Using data from a nationally representative random sample of podiatry students (n = 528), a theoretical model was tested that examined the impact on the level of expected satisfaction from treating older adults in terms of: students' perceptions of the effectiveness of podiatry for treating older adults (i.e. the belief that the students can have a meaningful impact on the health outcomes); the extent to which students enter podiatry for intrinsic rewards; the amount of exposure to instruction on geriatric health issues students receive in podiatry school; and the amount of clinical contact students have with older adult patients. Consistent with the hypothesized model, the findings indicated that respondents who believe that podiatrists can have a meaningful impact on the health outcomes of older adults reported a higher level of expected satisfaction with treating them. In addition, intrinsic motivation exhibited a positive indirect effect on satisfaction via its direct effect on perceptions of the effectiveness of treating older adults.
Service support to families caring for a child with a sickle cell disorder or thalassaemia: the experience of health professionals, service managers and health commissioners
Authors: Atkin Karl , Ahmad Waqar , Anionwu Elizabeth
Published: July 2017

Until recently, health care policy has largely ignored sickle cell disorders (SCDs) and thalassaemia. This is despite the difficulties faced by service users and their families: the consequences of which range from denial of informed choice to avoidable suffering and stress. This article, by presenting material from a qualitative evaluation of service support to families caring for a child with a sickle cell disorder or thalassaemia, examines these problems in detail. We specifically focus on the accounts of health professionals, their managers and health commissioners, to explore treatment and support for children with a haemoglobinopathy. We conclude that ill-coordinated and poorly resourced haemoglobinopathy services represent major problems for users and their families. However, we also highlight examples of good practice; demonstrating that improvements can be made with clear planning, employment of appropriate and well-trained staff, good inter-agency working and user involvement.
Stories of illness as care of the self: a Foucauldian dialogue
Authors: Frank Arthur W.
Published: July 2017

Michel Foucault's idea of the ‘care of the self’ challenges whether ill people can be empowered by telling their own stories in the attempt to reclaim their own experiences from the medical appropriation of illness. This paper explores the ambiguity in what Foucault meant by care of the self and suggests that empowerment through narrative formulations of identity remains possible, though Foucault teaches us that telling our ‘own stories’ is never straightforward. The works of the classicist Page duBois and the philosopher Charles Taylor are used to provide a reconceptualized version of ‘care of the self’. If care of the self is more problematic after Foucault, it may also be more important, and personal narratives remain a crucial means of taking care of oneself.
Return to Work after a Myocardial Infarction: The Influence of Background Factors, Work Characteristics and Illness Severity
Authors: Mæland John Gunnar , Havik Odd Erik
Published: July 2017

The relationship between return to work (RTW) within 6 months after a myocardial infarction (MI) and selected demographic factors, characteristics of prior work situation, pre-MI health status, and clinical severity of the MI has been studied in 249 patients below 67 years of age living in urban and rural areas of Western Norway. At the follow-up 8 out of 10 urban patients and 6 out of 10 rural patients were back at work. The RTW rate for the total sample was 73%. Age below 51 years, high educational and income level, working in tertiary industries, and in a job characterized by low physical activity and little psychosocial stress were all factors associated with a favourable work resumption. Multivariate analyses showed that socioeconomic or work-related factors could not fully explain the urban-rural differences in RTW. Stepwise discriminant analysis identified the following factors as important and independent predictors for RTW: Place of residence, age, education, perceived job stress, and clinical complications during hospitalization. Failure to return to work after a MI can be explained by a number of individual and social factors and only to a limited degree by the medical status of the patient. More knowledge is needed concerning the socio-cultural differences among both patients and attending physicians in attitudes towards work resumption after a MI.
One-Year Incidence of Occupational Accidents in a Rural Swedish Municipality
Authors: Schelp Lothar , Svanström Leif
Published: July 2017

A continuous all embracing registration of acute, in-patient and out-patient visits at hospitals and primary health care centres, has been conducted since 1978 in Skaraborg County in western Sweden. A special focus has been directed at accident cases which account for 20% of the total number of acute visits. The accidents have been divided up by environment: home, work, traffic and other. Cases of work-related accidents have been mapped out in more detail with the help of standardized and structured surveys via telephone interviews, information from hospital records, and death certificates. This study aims at achieving increased understanding and knowledge about the accident pattern in the working environment in a municipality. This mapping of cases of work-related accidents in a defined population is also a part of evaluation of an intervention programme. Such a comprehensive community-oriented intervention programme has never been reported before. A total of 20 440 inhabitants in the municipality were registered in health and medical care centres over a six-year period because of injuries. Out of this total, 3 729 or 18.2% occurred on the job. A significant over-representation of work-related accidents existed for men, those in the 16–34 year age group, and those in manufacturing or farming. High incidences of industrial accidents were concentrated in the months of August through November. The most common types of injuries were to the eyes, or from crushes, falls, cuts, or punctures from sharp or piercing objects. In reference to accident frequency, type of injury, degree of severity, hospitalization, or sick-listing, there was no significant difference found to exist between accident cases in firms with occupational health and those without. A comparison of our registration system for work-related injuries with the central official statistics of Sweden reveals a substantial under-reporting of work-related accidents in the latter. Consequently, a need exists for the registering of accidents on the local level as a base-line for the intervention programme as well as the evaluation of the effects.
Is Smoking Sufficient to Explain the Large Difference in Lung Cancer Incidence between Finland and Norway?
Authors: Hakulinen Timo , Magnus Knut , Tenkanen Leena
Published: July 2017

In the 1960s, lung cancer among Finnish men was about 3.5 times as common as among Norwegian men. A study by Pedersen et al. in 1962 indicated that the difference in contemporary smoking habits could account for only part of the difference in lung cancer incidence in men between the countries. In that study, smoking habits in Finland and Norway were investigated via interviews of 8 700 people from six areas of each country. For the present study the Finnish and Norwegian cancer registries have followed lung cancer morbidity in those areas. When the interval between the recording of smoking habits and lung cancer incidence was 15 years, after adjustment for age and smoking habits, the Finnish males had a relative risk between 1.1 and 1.6 compared with Norwegian men. The results suggest that, given a sufficiently long latency period, almost the entire difference between Finnish and Norwegian men could be attributed to smoking habits.
The Tromsø Heart Study: Comparison of Information from a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire with a Dietary History Survey
Authors: Jacobsen Bjarne K. , Knutsen Synnøve F. , Kriutsen Raymond
Published: July 2017

In a group of 528 men, 30–54 years old, answers to various questions about dietary habits given in a questionnaire were compared to corresponding information given in a dietary history interview two years later. High concordance was found between the two methods for questions concerning types of foods most commonly used. For most food items, the mean intake according to the dietary recall corresponds well with intake reported in the questionnaire. For food items used every day in easily recorded units (slices of bread, cups of coffee, glasses of milk), the frequency questionnaire can be used to rank individuals according to consumption. For other food items, the concordance is less satisfactory.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Dental Prophylaxis
Authors: Heidmann J. , Birn H.
Published: July 2017

This report deals with the influence of the self-fulfilling prophecy on dental prophylaxis. The aim was to test if this phenomenon had any influence on the treatment of patients, they and their therapeutist's perception of each other and the result of the prophylactic work. Sixty patients and 34 students were involved. The patients were randomly classified as “good” or “bad”. Twenty-seven students had a patient from each group. Dental plaque and gingival inflammation were recorded before and after the treatment. No difference in improvement between the two groups could be shown. Both patients and students were interviewed about their experiences and feelings during the treatment. All patients were satisfied with their therapeutist. The students generally accepted the classification although they were made aware of the self-fulfilling prophecy. This was confirmed by a significantly higher frequency of patient drop-outs, broken appointments and critical notes about the patients in the “bad” group compared to the “good”. The conclusions are that the self-fulfilling prophecy can be initiated by even minor notes in patient files, and that this affects the treatment of patients.
Support of university spin-off companies
Authors: Sijde Peter Van Der , Tilburg Jaap Van
Published: July 2017

In this paper the process of the business development of spin-off companies from universities is described. The authors discuss each phase of development (awareness, feasibility, start-up, growth and maturity) and provide examples of each phase. They describe in particular the example of the University of Twente and its spin-off programme, TOP (Temporary Entrepreneurial Positions). Secondly, they focus on university spin-off programmes: what are the arguments against and in favour of such initiatives? The arguments that led the University of Twente to favour investment in spin-off programmes are discussed. The final section of the paper concerns the EU-supported UNISPIN project, a systematic approach to university spin-off development throughout all member states of the European Union.
Becoming an entrepreneur: A participant's perspective
Authors: McMullan W. Ed , Vesper K. H.
Published: July 2017

A single case study of a student was elaborated upon to illustrate the process of change through education. By choosing to study a graduate who had minimal background preparation and minimal interest in entrepreneurship before the education programme, the researchers have attempted to address some of the limits of change possible through entrepreneurship education. A structured interview was used to provide the initial ‘before and after’ account, after which extended and repeated probing was employed as the primary tool for exploring the personal development process involved. The case history was then used as a basis for developing a model of personal development required to make the transition from non-entrepreneur to entrepreneur. This case study was further intended to illustrate some of the relative merits of conducting in-depth case analysis over survey research in the domain of entrepreneurship education. Without in-depth case studies of individuals it is hard to know how much entrepreneurship programmes can change individuals. The possibility remains that entrepreneurship programmes just take potential entrepreneurs and give them a few more tools. Case studies of the change process can provide educators with a more complete understanding not only of what changes are possible within the confines of an education programme, but also of what programme interventions are more likely to produce the desired changes.
The production of prestige: An entrepreneurial Viagra
Authors: Anderson Alistair R. , Jack Sarah L.
Published: July 2017

The social context plays a role in entrepreneurial activity: it shapes perceptions, evaluations and the recognition of opportunity. But one aspect of context is relationships, where it has been found that the search for status provides a stimulus that not only promotes businesses, but affects how they are run. An ethnographic approach was used to examine the activities of 60 rural entrepreneurs in the UK, and six cases are presented to demonstrate the operation of the production of prestige. Conspicuous production provides a heuristic explanatory variable of process and outcome, and enriches our understanding of the entrepreneurial process.
The entrepreneur and the bureaucrat… or vice versa
Authors: Sands Mike
Published: July 2017

In Notes from the Front, practising entrepreneurs offer personal perspectives on significant issues in light of their own business experience. This issue's author, Mike Sands, is founder and Managing Director of the Durham Associates Group of companies based in the UK. He is 49 and has an MBA from Durham University Business School. Before forming Durham Associates 10 years ago, he was involved in an electronics start-up company that was successfully sold after four years. His current company generates about half of its income from design work, particularly from what is known as ‘new media’, and half from the delivery of postgraduate university management programmes in the UK and overseas. The company has grown from 2 people to 38 and currently has a turnover approaching £3 million.
Contra politanism
Authors: Levy Jacob T
Published: July 2017

This article diagnoses and critiques pervasive forms of teleological thought about basic structures of political organization in modern and contemporary political thought: arguments that the sovereign state, the nation-state, or some variant of a cosmopolis both represents the unfolding of history’s moral logic and offers us full moral personhood, agency, and maturity. Despite the received wisdom that modern political thought broke with teleology, I argue that early modern social contract theory was deeply teleological. The emergence of the normatively self-contained sovereign state from the state of nature represented both decisive historical-moral progress from the medieval European non-state polities and the possibility of true moral personhood, thanks to the unity of will and judgment created by a unified authority structure. The article then argues that this overattachment to unity, both as an historical culmination and as a prerequisite to full personhood, was carried over into subsequent nationalist and cosmopolitan thought, where we see over-moralizations of historical processes, excessive claims for the teleological causal force of moral progress, and critiques of the immaturity of those persons who do not live in the recommended political form. The article closes with a sustained critique of both historical and individual-moral teleologies of these sorts.
Effectiveness of Solifenacin for Managing of Bladder Spasms in Patients With Urethroplasty
Authors: Peng Xu Feng , Lv Xiang Guo , Xie Hong , Sa Ying Long , Xu Yue Min , Feng Chao , Zhang Xin Ru
Published: July 2017

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of solifenacin in the treatment of bladder spasms after urethroplasty. Patients underwent urethroplasty were randomly assigned to the study group ( n = 165) and the control group ( n = 150). Patients in the study group were treated with solifenacin for 7 days. Patients in the control group were placebo. Each group was further divided into four subgroups: paracentetic suprapubic cystostomy subgroup, traditional suprapubic cystostomy subgroup, former suprapubic cystostomy subgroup, and urethral catheter subgroup. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to measure the severity of bladder spasms. The mean duration of spasms, the frequency of spasms, and the incidences of urine extravasation and radiating pain were recorded each day. There were no significant differences in the VAS scores and mean duration of bladder spasms between the study and control groups . However, there was a significantly lower VAS score in the patients taking solifenacin in the paracentetic suprapubic cystostomy subgroup ( p < .05). A similar tendency was noted in the mean duration of bladder spasms in this subgroup. In a comparison of the daily and nightly frequency of spasms within the four subgroups, a significant improvement was noted in the control group within 5 days. A similar difference was not noted within 6 days in the study group. The short-term therapy with solifenacin is an effective and safe method for decreasing the frequency of bladder spasms after urethroplasty. Patients undergoing paracentetic suprapubic cystostomy might be the only subset to benefit from this treatment.
Salivary Glands
Authors: Evans R M
Published: July 2017

Anatomy is the key to unlocking the puzzle of the salivary glands. Recognise the key structures and the salivary glands will not pose a problem.
Ultrasonographic Techniques Applied to Non-Domestic Species
Authors: Hildebrandt Thomas B , Göritz Frank , Hermes Robert , Guido Fritsch
Published: July 2017

Ultrasonography is a non-invasive approach for exploration of morphology, topographic anatomy, and biological processes in non-domestic animals. This imaging technique is still under-utilised in wildlife medicine. Ultrasonography provides reproducible real time images, cross-sectional imaging of tissues, organ structures, and motion. Images may be used for morphometrics, documentation, and preservation of data. Ultrasound imaging in veterinary sciences offers new information regarding embryonic development, uterine and ovarian function, muscle development, digestive process, where conventional experimental and dissection techniques are limited. The use of ultrasonography in different vertebrate taxa is combined with characteristic features for applying this imaging technique due to the individual anatomical structures. Recently, miniaturised transducer technology has allowed the development of microprobes with compact, contoured shapes for access to unexplored anatomical regions in non-domestic animals. Many of the new probes offer colour flow imaging, which is an ideal tool for investigating fluid movements inside a body, e.g., blood flow or ingesta flow. Improvements in ultrasound technology and the development of new types of application techniques will certainly advance the progress of this imaging modality in veterinary sciences.
Constructing a Homemade Ultrasound Phantom -The Problems Encountered
Authors: Gane Andrea
Published: July 2017

The task of designing, manufacturing and testing a homemade ultrasound phantom was an academic exercise towards a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Ultrasound. The aim was not to produce a highly accurate device suitable for a quality assurance programme but to provide the opportunity to understand many aspects of the ultrasound beam and to demonstrate the principles of physics involved.
Ultrasound in Acute Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Dubbins Paul
Published: July 2017

Renal ultrasound has largely replaced the intravenous urogram for assessing the gross anatomy of the kidneys in a number of clinical conditions. In urinary tract infection its pre-eminent roles are the detection of obstruction, identification of complications, the diagnosis of abnormality predisposing to infection, such as horseshoe kidney, calculus disease etc, characterisation of infection in the presence of unusual organisms and the differentiation of urinary tract infection from other causes of urinary tract symptomatology.
Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Student Sonographers
Authors: Fernando Regina
Published: July 2017

Cognitive ability as well as psychomotor ability distinguishes the professional sonographer. The process of critical thinking is an essential component of sonography. However, the concept of critical thinking requires more explicit acknowledgement from the profession in order to promote change in educational strategies leading to better clinical practice. This article represents the rationale for developing critical thinking skills in student sonographers and discusses possible barriers to thinking critically. Strategies for promoting critical thinking skills in both the classroom and the clinical situation will be explored.
Thermal analysis of a non-homogeneous insulating panel
Authors: Clarke Robin E , Shabani Bahman , Rosengarten Gary
Published: July 2017

This article describes heat flow meter measurements and transient thermal modelling (using ANSYS) of a webbed, hollow-cored panel located between silicone sponge buffer materials chosen to provide boundary conditions comparable to standard surface coefficients. Panel surface temperatures were also measured at eight locations to record the thermal measurement as a temperature step function following isothermal stabilization. An uninsulated configuration was studied as well as cases with different levels of bulk insulation filling the panel cores. Measured and modelled temperature–time plots agreed well after corrections for web and airspace thermal conductivity. Modelled spatial variation in heat flow exceeded 200% for one insulated case but was only about 2% for the uninsulated panel. Modelled values for heat flux and overall thermal resistance agreed well with standard analytical calculations. However, heat flows indicated by the apparatus were consistently higher than the modelled and calculated values by up to 8%, expected to be due at least partially to specimen non-homogeneity. Nevertheless, results suggest a useful role for the apparatus in providing temperature measurement under controlled conditions, helping to validate thermal modelling as a potential alternative to hot box measurement for non-homogeneous assemblies.
An evaluation of positive behavioural support for children with challenging behaviour in community settings
Authors: Grey Ian , Mesbur Maryann , Lydon Helena , Healy Olive , Thomas Justin
Published: July 2017

This study employs a multiple baseline across individual design to describe the implementation of positive behavioural supports for seven children and adolescents in residential community settings over a period of 24 months. These individuals with intellectual disability are residing in one county with long-standing challenging behaviour resulting in home breakdown and serious physical injury. Four types of outcome are presented: rates of behaviour, rates of medication, psychiatric symptomatology and quality of life (QoL). Behaviours reduced to lower levels for the majority of participants following the implementation of positive behavioural supports, and improvements were largely sustained. The use of psychotropic medications reduced or stabilized for the majority of individuals over the same period. QoL Questionnaire scores improved substantially for four participants. The results are discussed in the context of a framework for supporting children with severe challenging behaviours in the community.
A Joint Approach in the Treatment of an Upper Limb Flexor Division
Authors: Jefferis Jane , Dickinson John
Published: July 2017

This paper describes the surgery, rehabilitation and management of a thirty year old aircraft engineer who sustained a severe nerve and arterial injury to his non-dominant arm, just above the elbow. It charts his recovery, reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation over a four year period. His management was enhanced by being seen in a combined Hand Therapy Clinic, which was set up while he was undergoing treatment, to enable joint appraisal by Surgeon, Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist.
An Audit of Flexor Tendon Injuries in Zone II and its Influence on Management
Authors: Peck Fiona H , Bucher Catherine A , Watson Stewart J , Roe Alison E
Published: July 2017

This paper reports the results of a one year audit of flexor tendon injuries in zone II managed in a controlled mobilisation programme. It discusses the rationale for the use of this programme and compares results with those of other units. On the basis of these results, the authors suggest that rehabilitation should be tailored to individual needs and that trends in management should be carefully evaluated before implementation.
The Progression of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and the Implications for Therapy
Authors: Parsley Carole
Published: July 2017

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) can occur as a consequence of trauma or following elective surgery. It is characterised by pain, stiffness, excessive oedema, colour and temperature changes. If not treated early it can lead to irreversible joint stiffness and osteoporosis.
The Use of Splinting and Active Exercise following P.I.P. Joint Dislocation
Authors: Varley Karen
Published: July 2017

The proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint is one of the most complex joints in the hand. Trauma to the PIP joint can leave the physiotherapist with the difficult task of achieving full functional pain free movement, while maintaining the joints stability.

This paper describes a treatment method using a safe but effective splint and exercise regime, that returned the patient to his main hobby of gardening with almost full pain free movement, within four weeks, following a complex compound dislocation of his PIP joint.
The Rehabilitation of the Reconstructed Congenital Hand following Transplantation of a Toe
Authors: Ranelli Sonia
Published: July 2017

“The science of our craft may require us to use numbers for an objective record of motions, but the art of our profession permits us to use the facilities of language to describe the ability of the parts to function in the activities of daily living - work and play. Using both numbers and words, we then can record in a most clear manner the almost infinite motions of this part, this marvellous mechanism of exquisite design and delicate sensibility we call the hand” - Joseph H Boyes 1980
Case Studies in Health Information Management
Authors: Williamson Dianne
Published: July 2017

This is the tenth management case study in our series. Each one highlights situations and problems that health information managers may face in their work.

The series is interactive: readers are invited to comment on the case study and suggest strategies for dealing with the problems it reveals.
Invited Comment
Authors: Stuart Duncan
Published: July 2017

The Medical Management Analysis (MMA) system of quality assurance by screening medical records for “occurrences” was trialled at the Royal North Shore Hospital, a major 780 bed teaching hospital in Sydney, in 1988. This Californian approach has now evolved into a more focused hospital-based peer review system (called QARNS) which is operating effectively and efficiently at the hospital. Whilst still based on the 23 MMA criteria, QARNS has achieved greater acceptance and action from the clinical staff. Implementation of QARNS at the other four acute general hospitals within the adjacent Area Health Service is now under active consideration.
Placing Modern Medical Records in Public Archives: Is it Worth the Effort?
Authors: Kearsey Irene
Published: July 2017

In this paper, the author looks at the arguments for and against placing modern medical records in public archival facilities. She considers the various ethical, legal and practical issues involved in archiving patients' records with the intention of making them available for public access after seventy-five years from the date of last contact of the patient with the hospital or sooner under certain specified circumstances. The range of sampling and selection techniques available for reducing the volume of patient records to be retained is also discussed. Citing the experience of the Public Record Office Victoria, the author concludes that it is justifiable to breach confidentiality by placing modern medical records in public archives but that it will be many years before an assessment can be made of the appropriateness or otherwise of placing modern hospital records in public archives and whether it proves to be worth the effort. (AMRJ, 1989,19(4), 155–161).
America's Health Care Reforms
Authors: Braithwaite Jeffrey , Westbrook Johanna
Published: July 2017

President Bill Clinton is currently proposing the most sweeping changes to American social policy since the New Deal by Roosevelt in the 1930s. Major concerns about escalating health care costs, a mushrooming health care bureaucracy and a growing proportion of the American population who can no longer afford adequate health care insurance coverage have motivated Clinton's plan for health care reform. Ideas about telemedicine, the electronic medical record and more comprehensive and advanced information systems are already being canvassed during the course of the debate. Australian clinicians and policy makers are following the American debate closely. So too, should health information managers. America watching should prove interesting, stimulating and professionally rewarding.
Health Workforce Planning: An Analysis of Employer Demand Pertaining to the Victorian Medical Record Administration & Diagnostic Coding Workforces
Authors: Robinson Kerin , Ell Mary , Raw Josephine , Simpson Dianne
Published: July 2017

In 1990, LaTrobe University introduced the world's first Post-Graduate Diploma in Nosology, in response to unmet demand for diagnostic coders in Victoria. After the first graduates entered employment, a two-part study was undertaken. The composition, employment levels and projected institutional demand for the coding workforce (comprising medical record administrator coders, Nosologists and “unqualified” coders) were ascertained. In parallel, the current employment levels and projected demand for the institutional medical record administrator workforce also were investigated. The institutional variables of major health care role, annual inpatient discharges and operating sector were found to impact upon employment levels and demand for both workforces by current, prospective and non-employers. The study identified a minimal projected demand for nosologists, the reasons for which are postulated, and negligible projected demand for nonqualified coding personnel. The results highlight a health current and projected employer demand for both medical record administrators and medical record administrator coders.
The Uniform Data Set for Medical Rehabilitation: The Role of the Health Information Manager
Authors: Magennis Tina
Published: July 2017

The Uniform Data Set for Medical Rehabilitation (UDS) can be used to measure the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs. This article outlines potential applications of the UDS and the role of the health information manager (HIM) in managing data collection. HIMs can assist in the design of data collection systems which will provide data which are of high quality. The HIM can also assist in the production and interpretation of reports.
A Profile of ICD-9-CM Coding Staff in NSW and ACT Hospitals
Authors: Kemp Tracey
Published: July 2017

The ICD-9-CM coder workforce is on the brink of major changes given impetus by increasing commitments to casemix-based funding and management strategies within the public and private hospital sectors. A study of the ICD-9-CM coding process in NSW and ACT hospitals was undertaken by the School of Health Information Management, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney during 1991. This article profiles the composition of the ICD-9-CM coder workforce in NSW and the ACT based on the findings of this study. Recent developments pertaining to national coder workforce issues are also discussed.
New Medical Record System in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong
Authors: Szeto Karen W. H.
Published: July 2017

During the 1980's, the medical record problems had been identified and it was not until 1991 that Queen Elizabeth Hospital was chosen to be the pilot hospital for the development of a new medical record management system for the Hospital Authority hospitals. The new medical records system was implemented in Queen Elizabeth Hospital in December, 1993. Six month after implementation, a pre-implementation and post-implementation review of the medical record services were conducted to compare the results of the new and old system. The results showed that there were significant improvements in the record retrieval and record integrity in the new system. New medical record services such as the delivery of readmission records to the ward, filing of medical records forms in pre-defined order and filing of loose sheets in the relevant hospital notes are able to facilitate the efficient, effective and complete access to patient information. The support and cooperation of the hospital staff are crucial to the success of the new system. Continuous review and improvement of the new system is essential in order to obtain the best results
The Development of Medical Record Services in Hong Kong Public Hospitals
Authors: Fung Vicky
Published: July 2017

Medical record service in Hong Kong public hospitals have been developing at different levels. Since 1992, various improvements in medical record services have been carried out in public hospitals, e.g. professional management, record storage, organized medical records, computerization, completion of discharge summaries, and the introduction of a more precise coding system. The aim of the reform is to provide timely, accurate, organized and meaningful clinical information for end-users. Evolving from this reform, work has been started on developing Patient Related Groups and Specialty Clinical Information Systems.
Use of Queensland Hospital Services by Interstate and Overseas Visitors
Authors: Walker Sue , Wilks Jeffrey , Ring Ian , Nicol Jennifer , Oldenburg Brian , Mutzelburg Carl
Published: July 2017

In response to concerns about the number of interstate and overseas visitors using Queensland hospital services, the present study examined a sample of 1,295 hospital records to determine the proportion of patients who were incorrectly identified as Queensland residents. Across six hospitals the overall detection rate was 4.6%. Rates varied between hospitals, with the highest detection recorded for Goondiwindi near the Queensland/New South Wales border; and the lowest for Prince Charles in Brisbane. There were also important variations across hospitals based on specific holiday periods. In particular, Goondiwindi and the Gold Coast had substantially higher detection rates for the Christmas holiday period (December-January) than for the mid-year period (June-August). These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for hospital services, especially lost revenue and increased patient load. Health information managers are identified as a key group for addressing some of the current problems in this area.