Human Trafficking: It’s Not Just a Crime

Human trafficking, although commonly conceived of as a crime, is also a matter for the fields of health and public health. Trafficked individuals suffering physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse can experience acute and chronic health sequelae, bringing them to the attention of health and/or mental health professionals. Communicable infections affect many trafficked individuals and can be transmitted to those not trafficked. The factors that contribute to people being trafficked, like poverty, educational disparities, and systematic oppression based upon identities, are multifaceted and interlinked with other trauma experiences. Incorporation of public health principles into anti-trafficking efforts facilitates a comprehensive and holistic prevention/intervention anti-trafficking strategy. This commentary illustrates how both the health care and public health sectors can contribute to improving the health and well-being of trafficked people, the general public, and to anti-trafficking efforts

Application of DOT-MORSE coupling to the analysis of three-dimensional SNAP shielding problems

The use of discrete ordinates and Monte Carlo techniques to solve radiation transport problems is discussed. A general discussion of two possible coupling schemes is given for the two methods. The calculation of the reactor radiation scattered from a docked service and command module is used as an example of coupling discrete ordinates (DOT) and Monte Carlo (MORSE) calculations

Designing new business models: blue sky thinking and testing

© 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose: In what is going to be an uncertain and rapidly evolving global economic landscape, it is clear that firms will have to become more adaptive and responsive to changes within their marketplace. To do this, businesses will not only need to engage in business model experimentation but also look to embrace business model innovation as a core competency and a means for sustained competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach: This paper outlines how a design process of experimenting and prototyping can apply to the design of business models through the case study of hypothetical luggage company Packright. Findings: Five meta-models with differing foci are illustrated as an accessible and provoking framework that provides a new logic to classifying, experimenting and prototyping business model designs. Practical implications: These five meta-models provide a tangible starting point from which a business can begin to explore different perspectives and gain insights into the internal and external capabilities of their company. Originality/value: This paper builds upon the emerging research and exploration into the importance and relevance of dynamic, design-driven approaches to the creation of innovative business models

The relationship between physical activity, motor competence and health-related fitness in 14-year-old adolescents

Physical activity, physical fitness, and motor competence are important health-related constructs. However, the relationship between them, particularly among children and adolescents, is still unclear. In this study, motor competence (measured by the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development), pedometer-determined physical activity and physical fitness (aerobic fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition) were examined in a cohort of 1585 adolescents (771 girls, 814 boys) of mean age 14.1 yrs. Significant gender differences were observed for all measures except motor competence. Apart from hip and shoulder flexibility, males outperformed females. For both males and females, motor competence was associated with all fitness measures, physical activity was associated only with aerobic fitness and aerobic fitness was associated with physical activity, motor competence, BMI and chest pass. Among males, aerobic fitness was also associated with all other fitness tests. The correlations were, in general, moderate to weak. The results challenge the current focus on physical activity rather than physical fitness as the preferred intervention

Occult hip fractures : using MRI in diagnosis and patient management

Approximately 75,000 hip fractures occur in the UK annually and most are diagnosed using conventional radiography. However 10% of fractures are missed and a delay in establishing the injury often results in more complex treatment and a worse prognosis. Hip fractures have a mortality rate of 20-25% which increases as treatment is delayed. The key goal of enabling the patient to return to their previous level of functioning is improved by performing hip surgery within 24 hours of injury. Systematic review aimed to consider the role of MRI in detecting hip fractures relative to other modalities, the most appropriate scan sequences, and operational logistics. Results indicate that coronal T1 weighted MRI has a sensitivity of 100%, justifying the use of emergency scan slots. It is important to screen the patient for MRI contraindications early in the diagnostic process in order to optimise time. Unlike CT, MRI has no radiation dose. Radio-nuclide imaging is unlikely to be possible within the 24 hour time window due the delivery limitation of radio-isotope. NICE guidelines now recommend the use of MRI to aid diagnosis of an occult hip fracture in cases where conventional imaging is negative but the patient symptoms suggest otherwise, due to its higher sensitivity

Sedentary work. Evidence on an emergent work health and safety issue

Safe Work Australia’s Emerging Issues Programme involves a 3-stage process to identify, prioritise and systematically consider emerging work health and safety (WHS) issues of national importance. The programme involves extensive consultation with all of Safe Work Australia’s tripartite stakeholders. As part of this programme Safe Work Australia commissioned a team of experts to examine the most recent evidence from Australia and overseas on sedentary work, its likely consequences and potential control options. The literature review was conducted by academics from Curtin University, the Baker IDI group and the University of Queensland

Fitness, motor competence and body composition are weakly associated with adolescent back pain

Study Design: Cross sectional Objectives: To assess the associations between adolescent back pain and fitness, motor competence and body composition. Background: Although deficits in physical fitness and motor control have been shown to relate to adult back pain, the evidence in adolescents is less clear. Methods and measures: In this cross-sectional study, 1608 Raine cohort adolescents (mean age, 14 years) answered questions on lifetime, month and chronic prevalence of back pain, and participated in a range of physical tests assessing aerobic capacity, muscle performance, flexibility, motor competence, and body composition. A history of diagnosed back pain in the adolescent was obtained from the primary caregiver. Results: After multivariate logistic regression analysis, increased likelihood of back pain in boys was associated with greater aerobic capacity, greater waist girth and both reduced and greater flexibility. Back pain in girls was associated with greater abdominal endurance, reduced kinaesthetic integration, and both reduced and greater back endurance. Lower likelihood of back pain was associated with greater bimanual dexterity in boys and greater lower extremity power in girls. Conclusion: Physical characteristics are commonly cited as important risk factors in back pain development. Although some factors were associated with adolescent back pain, and these differed between boys and girls, they made only a small contribution to logistic regression models for back pain. The results suggest future work should explore the interaction of multiple domains of risk factors (physical, lifestyle and psychosocial) and subgroups of adolescent back pain, for whom different risk factors may be important. Mark Perry, Leon Straker, Peter B O\u27Sullivan, Anne Smith and Beth Hands, \u27Fitness, Motor Competence, and Body Composition Are Weakly Associated With Adolescent Back Pain\u27, Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Vol. 39 (6), 2009, p. 439-449. ISSN: 0190-6011 DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2009.301

Shaping electron wave functions in a carbon nanotube with a parallel magnetic field

A magnetic field, through its vector potential, usually causes measurable changes in the electron wave function only in the direction transverse to the field. Here we demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that in carbon nanotube quantum dots, combining cylindrical topology and bipartite hexagonal lattice, a magnetic field along the nanotube axis impacts also the longitudinal profile of the electronic states. With the high (up to 17T) magnetic fields in our experiment the wave functions can be tuned all the way from "half-wave resonator" shape, with nodes at both ends, to "quarter-wave resonator" shape, with an antinode at one end. This in turn causes a distinct dependence of the conductance on the magnetic field. Our results demonstrate a new strategy for the control of wave functions using magnetic fields in quantum systems with nontrivial lattice and topology.Comment: 5 figure

How many trafficked people are there in Greater New Orleans? lessons in measurement

In an effort to develop a model for estimating prevalence in a city or region of the United States, this study employed Multiple Systems Estimation, a statistical approach that uses data on known cases collected from individual agencies to estimate the number not known, with the ultimate aim of estimating the prevalence of trafficking in a region. Utilizing de-identified data provided by local non-profits and law enforcement agencies, the researchers estimated the prevalence of trafficking in the New Orleans-Metairie metropolitan statistical area. This represents one of the first attempts to use Multiple Systems Estimation to quantify human trafficking in a United States context. The article provides an account of the impediments to and limitations of conducting such an estimate, given the definitional variance and political dynamics that are endemic to anti-trafficking efforts in the United States. The authors provide recommendations for data collection and prevalence analysis that could be applied in other cities or regions of the United States as well as in other similarly-resourced environments