scholarly journals Investigating the Maturity of Incident Investigations of the Ghanaian Mining Industry and Its Effect on Safety Performance

Safety ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Stemn ◽  
Carmel Bofinger ◽  
David Cliff ◽  
Maureen Hassall
Keyword(s):  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Gold Mines ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
High Incidence Rate ◽  
Low Incidence

Effective incident investigations have been recognised as a vital means of improving safety. Nevertheless, there has been little attempt to link incident investigations to actual safety performance. In this study, a framework for assessing the maturity of incident investigations and identifying areas for improvements is described. The framework was developed based on a literature review and interviews with 41 investigators across five large-scale Ghanaian gold mines. The framework consists of 20 elements across four dimensions and five maturity levels. The dimensions (investigator competencies, system of investigation, stages of investigation and post-investigation findings) consider the most relevant aspects of practical investigation and for each dimension, elements that are more specific were defined across five maturity levels. Mapping the interview data collected from five mines into a maturity framework highlighted that the mines occupied different positions on the framework. Some occupied the advanced levels consistently and others consistently occupied the lower levels. Applying the interview data to the framework also identified priority areas for improvement. Finally, the maturity scores derived from mapping interview data onto the framework were correlated with the incidence rates of the mines to determine if any relationship existed between the two variables. The low incidence rate mines had higher maturity scores and the high incidence rate mines had lower maturity scores. It was found that the method was effective in practice, giving clear indications of areas where improvements are needed.

scholarly journals Increase in Adiponectin Level Prevents the Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Japanese Men With Low Adiponectin Levels

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 753-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Risa Kashiwagi ◽  
Yuya Yamada ◽  
Yoshito Ito ◽  
Yuto Mitsui ◽  
Takaaki Sakaue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Cumulative Incidence ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Adiponectin Level ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Japanese Men ◽  
Baseline Serum ◽  
Cumulative Incidence Rate

Abstract Context Low serum adiponectin (Ad) level is an important risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Objective To determine whether the changes in Ad in subjects with low baseline serum Ad levels can reduce the rate of development of T2DM. Design/Setting/Participants We performed a large-scale longitudinal study of 7052 healthy Japanese men who underwent general health checkups more than twice between April 2007 and May 2015 at the Physical Check up Center, Sumitomo Hospital. The participants were divided into quartile groups according to baseline Ad level. Subjects of the lowest baseline Ad group (≤5.2 μg/mL) were subdivided into quartile subgroups according to the percent change in Ad (%ΔAd) and into two subgroups according to endpoint Ad (>5.2 and ≤5.2 μg/mL). Main Outcome Measures The cumulative incidence rate of T2DM. Results The cumulative incidence rate of T2DM of the lowest baseline Ad group (≤5.2 μg/mL) was significantly higher than the other quartile groups. The cumulative incidence rates of T2DM were significantly lower in the largest (≥21.5%) and the second largest (9.3% to 21.4%) %ΔAd-increased subgroups compared with the %ΔAd-decreased subgroup (P < 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively). The cumulative incidence rates of T2DM were significantly lower in the endpoint Ad >5.2 μg/mL subgroup than in the ≤5.2 μg/mL subgroup (P < 0.001). Conclusions Increases in serum Ad levels of at least ~10% or >5.2 μg/mL can potentially reduce the risk of development of T2DM in Japanese men with low baseline Ad levels who are at a high risk of developing T2DM.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Control: Can Germany Learn From China?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaf Müller ◽  
Guangyu Lu ◽  
Albrecht Jahn ◽  
Oliver Razum
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Psychosocial Costs ◽  
Similar Stage

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak started in China in December 2019 and has developed into a pandemic. Using mandatory large-scale public health interventions including a lockdown with locally varying intensity and duration, China has been successful in controlling the epidemic at an early stage. The epicentre of the pandemic has since shifted to Europe and The Americas. In certain cities and regions, health systems became overwhelmed by high numbers of cases and deaths, whereas other regions continue to experience low incidence rates. Still, lockdowns were usually implemented country-wide, albeit with differing intensities between countries. Compared to its neighbours, Germany has managed to keep the epidemic relatively well under control, in spite of a lockdown that was only partial. In analogy to many countries at a similar stage, Germany is now under increasing pressure to further relax lockdown measures to limit economic and psychosocial costs. However, if this is done too rapidly, Germany risks facing tens of thousands more severe cases of COVID-19 and deaths in the coming months. Hence, it could again follow China’s example and relax measures according to local incidence, based on intensive testing.

scholarly journals Epidemiological surveillance of Leishmaniasis in Montenegro, 1992-2013

2015 ◽  
Vol 143 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 707-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanja Medenica ◽  
Svetlana Jovanovic ◽  
Ivan Dozic ◽  
Biljana Milicic ◽  
Novak Lakicevic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Epidemiological Surveillance ◽  
Notification System ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Epidemiological Characteristics

Introduction. The diseases caused by Leishmania are spread worldwide and represent a significant public health problem. Objective. The aim of this study was to present the results of epidemiological surveillance of leishmaniasis in humans in Montenegro in the period from 1992 to 2013. Methods. The study was planned and realized as a descriptive epidemiological study. The sample included patients of leishmaniasis in Montenegro in the period from 1992 to 2013. The health and demographic data were collected from medical records. The disease was microbiologically proven in the patients. For statistical analysis the ?2-test was used, which examined the significance of the incidence rate. Results. During this period, 66 cases of leishmaniasis were identified (40 men and 26 women) aged 0 to 62 (mean 15.61?16.76 years). A visceral form of the disease was diagnosed in 65 (98%) patients, and one patient was diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis. The average incidence rate for the abovementioned period is 0.48 per 100,000 inhabitants. The highest average incidence rate was identified in patients up to seven years of age (3.50 per 100,000 inhabitants). The highest average incidence rates of leishmaniasis were identified in the coastal region of Montenegro, while seasonal distribution indicates that the disease occurs throughout the year with predominance in late spring and summer. Conclusion. The research has shown that Montenegro is among the countries with low incidence of leishmaniasis. Nevertheless, because of leishmaniasis re-emergence in the entire Mediterranean Basin, a comprehensive research of ecological and epidemiological characteristics of leishmaniasis, including better monitoring and notification system, is required.

scholarly journals Tuberculosis reinfection rate as a proportion of total infection rate correlates with the logarithm of the incidence rate: a mathematical model

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (30) ◽  
pp. 11-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pieter W Uys ◽  
Paul D van Helden ◽  
John W Hargrove
Keyword(s):  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Simple Relationship ◽  
A Value ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Range Of Values

In a significant number of instances, an episode of tuberculosis can be attributed to a reinfection event. Because reinfection is more likely in high incidence regions than in regions of low incidence, more tuberculosis (TB) cases due to reinfection could be expected in high-incidence regions than in low-incidence regions. Empirical data from regions with various incidence rates appear to confirm the conjecture that, in fact, the incidence rate due to reinfection only, as a proportion of all cases, correlates with the logarithm of the incidence rate, rather than with the incidence rate itself. A theoretical model that supports this conjecture is presented. A Markov model was used to obtain a relationship between incidence and reinfection rates. It was assumed in this model that the rate of reinfection is a multiple, ρ (the reinfection factor), of the rate of first-time infection, λ . The results obtained show a relationship between the proportion of cases due to reinfection and the rate of incidence that is approximately logarithmic for a range of values of the incidence rate typical of those observed in communities across the globe. A value of ρ is determined such that the relationship between the proportion of cases due to reinfection and the logarithm of the incidence rate closely correlates with empirical data. From a purely theoretical investigation, it is shown that a simple relationship can be expected between the logarithm of the incidence rates and the proportions of cases due to reinfection after a prior episode of TB. This relationship is sustained by a rate of reinfection that is higher than the rate of first-time infection and this latter consideration underscores the great importance of monitoring recovered TB cases for repeat disease episodes, especially in regions where TB incidence is high. Awareness of this may assist in attempts to control the epidemic.

scholarly journals Multiple Sclerosis incidence rate in southern Iran: A Bayesian epidemiological study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naeimehossadat Asmarian ◽  
Zahra Sharafi ◽  
Amin Mousavi ◽  
Reis Jacques ◽  
Ibon Tamayo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Relative Risk ◽  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Vitamin D3 ◽  
Poisson Model ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Fars Province ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Low Incidence

Abstract Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) remains to be a public health challenge, due to its unknown biological mechanisms and clinical impacts on young people. The prevalence of this disease in Iran is reported to be 5.3 to 74.28 per 100,000-person. Because of high prevalence of this disease in Fars province, the purpose of this study was to assess the spatial pattern of MS incidence rate by modeling both the effects of spatial dependence between neighboring regions and risk factors in a Bayesian Poisson model, which can lead to the improvement of health resource allocation decisions.Method: Data from 5,468 patients diagnosed with MS were collected, according to the McDonald’s criteria. New cases of MS were reported by the MS Society of Fars province from 1991 until 2016. The effects of percentage of vitamin D intake, smoking, percentage of people with normal BMI and alcohol consumption in addition to spatial structure in a Bayesian spatio-temporal hierarchical model were used to determine the relative risk and trend of MS incidence rate in 29 counties of Fars province. Results: County-level crude incidence rates ranged from 0.22 to 11.31 cases per 100,000-person population. The highest relative risk was estimated at 1.8 in the county of Shiraz, the capital of Fars province, while the lowest relative risk was estimated at 0.11 in Zarindasht county in southern of Fars. The percentages of vitamin D3 intake and smoking were significantly associated with the incidence rate of MS. The results showed that 1% increase in Vitamin D3 intake is associated with 2% decrease in the risk of MS and 1% increase in smoking is associated with 16% increase in the risk of MS.Conclusion: Spatial analysis of MS revealed low incidence rate of this disease in the south and south east of Fars province, which is due to the effects of different covariates. As suggested by previous studies, vitamin D and smoking, among all covaiates, might be associated with high incidence of MS.

Occurrence of Mycotoxins in Cereals and Animal Feedstuffs in Natal, South Africa

1985 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 839-842
Author(s):  
Michael F Dutton ◽  
Kenneth Westlake
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Aspergillus Flavus ◽  
Peanut Meal ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Soya Bean ◽  
Oil Seeds ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Animal Feedstuffs ◽  
Penicillium Spp

Abstract During the period 1982-1983, just under 800 samples of agricultural commodities, comprising cereals, compound feeds, hay, and silage, were examined for molds and mycotoxins. Aflatoxin Bi showed the highest incidence rate; it occurred in over 27% of all samples analyzed, the highest levels being found in peanut meal at 1500 ppb. Other mycotoxins detected were patulin and a number of trichothecene toxins at incidence rates in all commodities of 5.6 and 3.1%, respectively. The commodities at highest risk were oil seeds, excluding soya bean; the latter was found to be fairly free from contamination with mycotoxins. The most prevalent fungi were Aspergillus flavus and parasiticus, which were found in over 22% of all samples, whereas Penicillium spp. showed the lowest incidence of genera, specifically identified in 8.3% of all samples examined. This latter finding explains in part the low incidence of Penicillium mycotoxins

scholarly journals The evolution of HPV-related anogenital cancers reported in Quebec - Incidence rates and survival probabilities

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Louchini ◽  
P. Goggin ◽  
M. Steben
Keyword(s):  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Incidence Rate ◽  
Anal Cancer ◽  
Survival Probability ◽  
Penile Cancer ◽  
Vulvar Cancer ◽  
Relative Survival ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Survival Probabilities ◽  
Low Incidence

Non-cervical anogenital cancers (i.e. anal, vulvar, vaginal and penile cancers) associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV), for which HPV is known to be the necessary cause of carcinogenesis, are poorly documented due to their relatively low incidence rate. The aim of this study is to describe the incidence rates of these cancers between 1984 and 2001, and their relative survival probabilities, in Quebec (Canada) between 1984 and 1998. The incidence of these cancers is on the rise, particularly anal cancer in women and, more recently (since 1993-95), vulvar cancer. Between 1984-86 and 1993-95, the 5-year relative survival probability for men with anal cancer decreased from 57% to 46%, while that for penile cancer dropped from 75% to 59%. However, during the same period, the 5-year relative survival probability for women with anal cancer rose from 56% to 65%, and remained stable for cervical and vulvar cancers, at 74% and 82%, respectively.

TBE in Italy

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Surveillance System ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Low Incidence

Italy is considered a low-incidence country for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Europe.1 Areas at higher risk for TBE in Italy are geographically clustered in the forested and mountainous regions and provinces in the north east part of the country, as suggested by TBE case series published over the last decade.2-5 A national enhanced surveillance system for TBE has been established since 2017.6 Before this, information on the occurrence of TBE cases at the national level in Italy was lacking. Both incidence rates and the geographical distribution of the disease were mostly inferred from endemic areas where surveillance was already in place, ad hoc studies and international literature.1

Coal mining-disturbed land reclamation laws

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
T. V. Galanina ◽  
M. I. Baumgarten ◽  
T. G. Koroleva
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Open Pit Mining ◽  
Disturbed Land ◽  
Critical Problems ◽  
Production Output

Large-scale mining disturbs wide areas of land. The development program for the mining industry, with an expected considerable increase in production output, aggravates the problem with even vaster territories exposed to the adverse anthropogenic impact. Recovery of mining-induced ecosystems in the mineral-extracting regions becomes the top priority objective. There are many restoration mechanisms, and they should be used in integration and be highly technologically intensive as the environmental impact is many-sided. This involves pollution of water, generation of much waste and soil disturbance which is the most typical of open pit mining. Scale disturbance of land, withdrawal of farming land, land pollution and littering are critical problems to the solved in the first place. One of the way outs is highquality reclamation. This article reviews the effective rules and regulations on reclamation. The mechanism is proposed for the legal control of disturbed land reclamation on a regional and federal level. Highly technologically intensive recovery of mining-induced landscape will be backed up by the natural environment restoration strategy proposed in the Disturbed Land Reclamation Concept.

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