Notice Board Research Articles

Sesanate – a pilot project to explore a therapeutic cyber community

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a pilot experiment to establish a web site to enable people undergoing therapy, or having similar problems, to communicate with one another – in effect, the cyber equivalent of a therapeutic community. Design/methodology/approach – Software for a dating web site was adapted as a low cost means of driving the site. It provided for chatrooms, group discussions on topics of mutual interest, notice boards on which questions, responses, articles and poems could be posted and blogs. A volunteer Steering Group worked on the project launch and thereafter manned the site and monitored the project. User feedback indicated that a cyber community could meet the psychological needs of the participants and provide useful support, particularly between visits to a therapist. A surprising outcome was the feeling of community developed by written exchanges, i.e. blogs and forum notice boards. Direct on-line contact generated anxiety in some people, but most found it beneficial. Findings – The paper confirms that such a site would be a useful supplement to other therapeutic services available, and would not be expensive to establish or run, but needed the backing of the NHS or a large medical charity to ensure that the number of users would be at a viable level in the long term. Originality/value – As far as the author is aware the paper reports the first ever study of the potential use of a cyber therapeutic community.

Geoconservation of Volivoli Cave, Fiji: A Prehistoric Heritage Site of National Significance

This paper describes the development of the holistic sustainable management plan that is being implemented at Volivoli Cave, Viti Levu, Fiji. The cave has been mapped to assess the levels of degradation of archaeological deposits since a previous mapping exercise 13 years earlier. The new survey indicates that 5.7 m2 of sediments to around 40 cm depth have been removed by stream erosion during this time. A preliminary survey of the invertebrate fauna has been performed to provide baseline data for future monitoring and give some general indication of “cave health”. A conservation plan to protect the cave has involved installation of a drainage system to divert water away from important archaeological deposits, implementation of a walkway so as to allow safe access into the cave and the production of a notice board displaying accurate scientific information. The project was carried out in close cooperation with the local landowners who carried out much of the maintenance work using local natural materials and are now able to manage, sustain and conserve their own natural heritage. This type of study and plan is the first in the tropical South Pacific region and has rarely been carried out before in the Pacific. It is envisaged that the methodology and approach employed in this article may be developed and applied to other similar cave systems in Fiji and the South Pacific region.

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Smallholder Information Sources and Communication Pathways for Cashew Production and Marketing in Tanzania: An Ex-post Study in Tandahimba and Lindi Rural Districts, Southern Tanzania

Purpose: To identify and review production and marketing information sources and flows for smallholder cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) growers in Tanzania and recommend systems improvements for better technology uptake. Design/methodology/approach: Two-stage purposive samples were drawn. First, two districts in the main cashew producing areas, one with significant research investment and good marketing infrastructure and the other a counterfactual. Second, two villages were purposively selected from each district to provide the maximum contrast of variables pertinent to the study. Field data were collected using a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire complimented by field verification and a wrap-up stakeholders' workshop. The data were analysed using chi-square test and the orderly probit model. Findings: Sources of information and flows varied between districts and villages. For production, the most reliable sources were role model farmers (RMFs), extensionists, radio, on-farm demonstrations, researchers, cashew development centres (CDCs), print media and mobile phones in order of popularity. RMFs, radio programmes, extensionists, interactions with researchers, CDCs and print were the main pathways. For marketing, primary society notice boards, radio announcements, RMFs, extensionists, mobile phones and print were listed in order of popularity. Print media was the least popular due to a low level of literacy among growers. RMFs were popular actors in the information systems irrespective of social-economic background. Practical implications: Policy change and additional resources are required for improvement of existing information systems. Additionally, incentive structures that will enhance and sustain continued investment in cashew production should be emphasized. Originality and value: This is the first attempt in the Tanzanian cashew sector to analyse and link social economics of growers with information sources, communication channels and technology uptake.

Quality of Breast Cancer Early Detection Services Conducted by Well Woman Clinics in the District of Gampaha, Sri Lanka

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in females in Sri Lanka and early detection can lead to reduction in morbidity and mortality. To evaluate selected aspects of breast cancer early detection services implemented through well woman clinics (WWCs) in the Gampaha District. The study consisted of two components. A retrospective descriptive arm assessed clinical breast examination (CBE) coverage of target age group women (TGW) of 35-59 years in all the WWCs in Gampaha district over 2003- 2007. A cross sectional descriptive study additionally assessed quality of breast cancer early detection services. The Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) technique was used to decide on the lot size and threshold values, which were computed as twenty and six clinics. Checklists were employed in assessing coverage, physical facilities and clinic activities. Client satisfaction on WWC services was assessed among 200 TGW attending 20 WWCs using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. CBE coverage in the Gampaha district increased only from 1.1-2.2% over 2003-2007. With regard to physical facilities, the number of clinics that were rated substandard varied between 7-18 (35- 90%). The items that were lacking included dust bins, notice boards, stationary, furniture and linen, and cleanliness of outside premises and toilets. With regard to clinic activities, punctuality of staff, late commencement of clinics, provision of health education, supervision, CBE and breast self-examination (BSE) were substandard in 7- 20 clinics (35-100%). Client satisfaction for WWC services was 45.2% (IQR: 38.7-54.8%) and only 11% had a score of ≥70%, the cut off set for satisfaction. Breast cancer early detection service coverage in the Gampaha district remained low (2.2%) in 2007, 11 years after commencing WWCs. All 20 clinics were substandard for overall CBE and BSE.

Using Graphic Organizers to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills for the Middle School ESL Students

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” In a modern-day classroom, students are surrounded by visual imagery through textbooks, notice boards, television, videos, or computers. Many middle school classrooms are filled with colorful pictures and photographs. However, it is unclear how – or if - these images impact the middle school ESL students who are developing reading comprehension. The focus of this article is on ESL middle school language learners’ use of these graphics as information organizers while comprehending a passage for main ideas, supporting details, facts, opinions, comparisons and contradictions. This article also examines and proposes different forms of graphic organizers for achieving better understanding of texts. Differences in performance between the students who are exposed to the use of graphic organizers and the students who are not similarly exposed have been analyzed in this article. The experimental and control groups of this research are middle school students in ESL classes. The analytical method, ANOVA, is used to project the performance difference between the controlled and experimental groups. The result of the post-test suggested that the experimental group students have improved in all the five types of reading questions compared to controlled group students. Therefore, using graphic organizers is effective in reading questions like (1) identifying the main idea, (2) finding the supporting details, (3) dealing with vocabulary and (4) fact and opinion & (5) making inferences. Furthermore, the pedagogical implication here is the use graphic organizers during reading comprehension sessions indirectly motivates the students to create their own graphic organizer for the passages they read and comprehend. This improves their creativity.

Roles of the Librarian in a Research Library in the Digital Era: Challenges and the Way Forward

This article describes the roles of librarians in a research library, particularly in the digital era. Librarians' roles vary from the custodian of resources to providers of a diverse nature of activities ranging from collection development, organization of knowledge, information services, preservation and conservation, and management. Librarians perform the aforementioned functions traditionally by using printed tools ranging from collection development tools (e.g., publishers' catalogues, books in print, Ulrich, bibliography); cataloguing tools (e.g., classification schemes such as Library of Congress Classification [LCC] and Dewey Decimal Classification [DDC]); information services (e.g., bulletin, notice board, flyers); preservation and conservation (e.g., clean shelves, use of acid free boxes); and so forth. The traditional ways of performing these functions is being eroded by modern technology. This calls for changes in the products and services of research libraries to the research community served. These changes and the roles that librarians play are discussed in this article. Also enumerated are the challenges, such as dwindling budgets, capacity building, inadequate facilities, among others, of optimizing innovative ways of achieving more enhanced services. Some suggestions that could move the profession forward are also proffered.

Weather Support for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Events

The Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions (referred to as OPSC hereafter) were held at Qingdao during August 9–23 and September 7–13 2008, respectively. The Qingdao Meteorological Bureau was the official provider of weather support for the OPSC. Three-dimensional real-time information with high spatial-temporal resolution was obtained by the comprehensive observation system during the OPSC, which included weather radars, wind profile radars, buoys, automated weather stations, and other conventional observations. The refined forecasting system based on MM5, WRF, and statistical modules provided point-specific hourly wind forecasts for the five venues, and the severe weather monitoring and forecasting system was used in short-term forecasts and nowcasts for rainstorms, gales, and hailstones. Moreover, latest forecasting products, warnings, and weather information were communicated conveniently and timely through a synthetic, speedy, and digitalized network system to different customers. Daily weather information briefings, notice boards, websites, and community short messages were the main approaches for regatta organizers, athletes, and coaches to receive weather service products at 8:00 PM of each day and whenever new updates were available. During the period of OPSC, almost one hundred people were involved in the weather service with innovative service concept, and the weather support was found to be successful and helpful to the OPSC.

“Liking” Social Networking Sites – Use of Facebook as a Recruitment Tool in an Outbreak Investigation, The Netherlands, 2012

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Facebook offer health researchers a novel means to reach and engage with the public. Following a mumps outbreak in a Dutch village after a Youth Club party organised via the Facebook Events facility, we used Facebook to recruit attendees to our outbreak investigation. After a poor response using traditional means of publicising the study, we opened a Facebook account under the study name, sent private messages about the study to all individuals invited to the party via the Facebook Event, and regularly posted the questionnaire web-link to the online notice boards (“Wall”) on the Youth Club and our own Facebook accounts. We concurrently incentivised participation using gift vouchers but only directly informed individuals who had responded “Yes” to the Event of the incentive. Participant numbers subsequently increased from ten to 60 (response ~60%). 80% of participants reported hearing about the study via Facebook. Although impossible to disentangle the effects of the active Facebook protocol and the incentive, Facebook offered a means of directly contacting attendees whilst avoiding advertising the incentive to non-attendees. SNSs can potentially make an important contribution to modern health research, and ethical codes of conduct should be updated to encompass their use.

Design and Implementation of Splash It!: A Secure and Privacy Preserving Splash Messenger

The main objective of any mobile application or service is to deliver a satisfying experience to its user, since it is the user who eventually decides to keep it or select another application from a plethora of choices. Without doubt, security and privacy both have a crucial role to play when it comes to using the application. Our application blends both these features offering users the ability to chat, share geographic coordinates and make 'Splashes' in real-time. A 'Splash Message' is a new Location-based feature that has been implemented in our application. Splash messaging enables the user to create messages on a virtual notice board at the location of his choice. The intended users will receive this message as soon as they enter this location. Splash It! provides users with the facility of marking their points of interest on the maps and sharing them with their friends. In addition, the user can control his level of privacy by making information available only to certain groups of friends or to all of them. Splash Messaging is our attempt to make existing chat applications more interesting. Currently, many implementations provide some of these features jointly or separately, through different applications, but are found to ignore the users’ privacy. Our application on the other hand, provides an acceptable level of security by utilizing both asymmetric and symmetric cryptography, and most importantly, put the user in control of personal information. We discuss several issues here, such as system architecture, security, privacy, services provided by existing applications etc. Using a prototype application implemented in Google’s Android platform, we demonstrate that the proposed system is fast performing, secure and privacy preserving.

Australian university students' attitudes towards the use of prescription stimulants as cognitive enhancers: Perceived patterns of use, efficacy and safety

Recent, high profile articles in leading science journals have claimed that the enhancement use of prescription stimulants is a common practice among students worldwide. This study provides empirical data on Australian university students' perceptions of: (i) the prevalence of prescription stimulant use by their peers for cognitive enhancement; (ii) motivations for such use; (iii) efficacy; and (iv) its safety. Participants were 19 Australian university students with an average age of 24 who were recruited through emails lists, notice board posters and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted during 2010 and 2011, recordings transcribed and responses coded using thematic analysis. Participants typically did not believe the use of stimulants for cognitive enhancement was common in Australia. Perceived motivations for use included: (i) 'getting ahead' to perform at high levels; (ii) 'keeping up' as a method of coping; and (iii) 'going out' so that an active social life could be maintained in the face of study demands. Australian students were generally sceptical about the potential benefits of stimulants for cognitive enhancement and they identified psychological dependence as a potential negative consequence. This study is an important first step in understanding the use of stimulants for cognitive enhancement in Australia, amid calls for more widespread use of cognitive enhancing drugs. It is important to conduct further studies of the extent of cognitive enhancement in Australia if we are to develop appropriate policy responses.

Artful surfaces: an ethnographic study exploring the use of space in design studios

A largely overlooked aspect of creative design practices is how physical space in design studios plays a role in supporting designers' everyday work. In particular, studio surfaces such as designers' desks, office walls, notice boards, clipboards and drawing boards are full of informative, inspirational and creative artefacts such as, sketches, drawings, posters, story-boards and Post-it notes. Studio surfaces are not just the carriers of information but importantly they are sites of methodic design practices, i.e. they indicate, to an extent, how design is being carried out. This article describes the results of an ethnographic study on the use of workplace surfaces in design studios, from two academic design departments. Using the field study results, the article introduces an idea of ‘artful surfaces’. Artful surfaces emphasise how artfully designers integrate these surfaces into their everyday work and how the organisation of these surfaces comes about helping designers in accomplishing their creative and innovative design practices. Using examples from the field study, the article shows that artful surfaces have both functional and inspirational characteristics. From the field study, three types of artful surfaces are identified: personal; shared; and project-specific. The article suggests that a greater insight into how these artful surfaces are created and used could lead to better design of novel display technologies to support designers' everyday work.

Cartografias da escola: controle e práticas de comunicação em análise

Neste artigo, elegemos como eixo de discussão a comunicação na escola, em particular a que, aparentemente, não estaria em situação de trabalho - as interações realizadas na sala de professores, onde os profissionais se encontram nos intervalos. A partir do funcionamento do quadro-mural, o que se busca polemizar são as relações entre os profissionais e os sentidos do trabalho. A perspectiva é a de colocar em análise os dispositivos de comunicação, atentando para os efeitos produzidos em um regime de verdade que autoriza uma maneira de trabalhar docente que fortalece a exclusão de alunos e profissionais na sua capacidade de gestão das práticas. Iniciamos por situar o leitor na problemática e no referencial adotado, passando à polemização dos conceitos de trabalho, saúde e produção de conhecimento e trazendo o quadro-mural como analisador dos processos. Por fim, evidenciamos as derivas e outros possíveis na formação.

The place and the person: Named buildings, rooms and places on the campus of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town Faculty of Health Sciences, in its hundredth year, carries a strong current of its development in the inscriptions on its pediments, doorways and notice boards. These names describe the Faculty in each of its stages of evolution, and evoke a rich history. The named look down from their portraits with pride at the passing students, the staff, and the flourishing Faculty.

Perceptions of HPV vaccine amongst UK university students

Purpose – The aim of this small‐scale focus group study is to explore the impact the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine has on attitudes towards HPV, cervical cancer and sexual risk taking amongst university students in the UK.Design/methodology/approach – Participants were recruited through advertisements placed on notice boards throughout the campus of the University of Leeds. The study sampled purposively to obtain two groups of ten men and two groups of ten women. A total of 34 people attended the sessions. The missing participants gave no reason for the absence. Those who agreed to take part were aged 19‐24 and were from a range of academic courses. Ethical approval was sought and approved by the Medical School Ethics Committee at the University of Leeds.Findings – Participants saw HPV as being distinct from genital warts. This led to a duality in their view of the vaccine, which they saw as a cancer vaccine for schoolgirls and as an STI vaccine in relation to people of their own age, and thus belie...

Testing a Binding Communication Strategy in a Company: How Could Persuasive Information be More Efficient?

The aim in this study was to improve persuasive communication in a French workplace context. Within the framework of a global progress plan, visual communication changes were proposed in an aeronautical factory. We applied the paradigm of binding communication to contribute to making communication more effective. In accordance with the theory of commitment, we induced employees to perform freely a visible preparatory act (i.e., answer a questionnaire) before the upgrading of notice boards and institution of a monthly newsletter. We compared behavioral variables before and after the introduction of these changes. The results indicated that employees consulted the newly available information more frequently. Moreover, according to 2 performance indicators, they significantly enhanced the quality of their work.

Random safety audits for improving standards in the neonatal unit

BackgroundRandom safety auditing is a simple method that can be applied by frontline clinical staff on the neonatal unit to enhance quality and safety in the routine care of babies.AimFollowing...

Communication Media for Information Service Delivery in University Libraries in North Western States of Nigeria

Communication media are essential apparatus for developing profitable customer relationship in every organization. This paper investigates the communication media used for information service delivery in university libraries in North Western States of Nigeria. The concept of communication, communications media and the need for communication with customers were highlighted. Survey method was used and library staff comprising professionals and paraprofessionals was the subject of the study. The study found that personal contacts, complaint boxes, notice boards and news bulletin were the popular type of media used for communication with customers in Kashim Ibrahim Library, A.B.U., Zaria, Bayero University Library, Kano and Abdullahi Fodiyo University Library, Sokoto. It was also revealed that there is significant difference in the types of media used for communication with the customers in the selected university libraries in North Western States of Nigeria. It was concluded that the low level of utilization of information resources and services in the university libraries could be attributed to their reluctance to communicate their messages via appropriate media to their teaming customers. The introduction of a course unit entitled Communications in Library and Information work is highly advocated.

Effect of information, education and communication intervention on awareness about rational pharmacy practice in pharmacy students

Background:There is a growing indifference among the pharmacy practitioners towards their duty as information providers to the patients. The patients do not always get enough desired information about proper use of medicines from the prescribers also. This contributes to improper use of medicines by the patients.Objectives:To bring about awareness about rational pharmacy practice in pharmacy students for better service to the patients.Material and Methods:The final year students of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) from four colleges of Nagpur were enrolled for the study after informed consent. Their base knowledge was assessed through a written test which comprised of 27 objective questions related to rational pharmacy practice. This was followed by a series of seven articles on rational medicine use, published in leading local English news daily. The participants were reminded to read them on the day of publication of each article. As a backup, the articles were displayed on the notice board of respective colleges. Second intervention was a half day interactive session where series of six lectures were delivered to the participants on the right and wrong approaches in pharmacy practice. Posters about the do's and dont's of rational pharmacy practice were also displayed at the venue. The session was followed by a repeat test using the same pre-test to assess the change. Pre and post intervention data was compared using Fisher's Exact test.Results:It was observed that the intervention did bring about a positive change in the attitude and knowledge of the final year Pharmacy students about rational pharmacy practice.Discussion:The role of a pharmacist in health care provision is usually overlooked in India. Hence there is strong need for reinforcement in final year B. Pharm when most of the students go in for community service. Such interventions will be helpful in bringing about a positive change towards rational practice of pharmacy.Conclusion:This study showed that a properly timed and meticulously implemented intervention brings about a positive change in the attitude and knowledge of pharmacy students.

'Move Along Now, Nothing to See Here': The Private Discussion Spheres of Wikipedia

The enforcement mechanisms on Wikipedia enact an internal conflict between Wikipedia’s open, inclusive ethos and its organizational reliance on power, hierarchy and punishment. Wikipedia resolves the conflict by burying the punitive practices behind a series of mechanisms that make them less visible to newer users. The characteristics of the MediaWiki software and different use patterns of different Wikipedia contributors join to form the mechanisms that mediate the conflict between the aspirational and organizational goals. The split between main pages and talk pages, the fragmentation of a single discussion to multiple pages, and the use of notice boards, create private spaces for administrators and advanced users to act away from the eyes of new users. While these elitist consequences obviously go against the open ethos of Wikipedia, they give valuable tools in the hands of administrators keeping Wikipedia interruption-free. Therefore, these mechanisms present an important challenge to the community - one that requires it to rethink both Wikipedia’s technical infrastructure and its normative vision.