Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Closer Scrutiny (closer + scrutiny)
Selected AbstractsA continuing education programme for general practitionersEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2000Status report after 5 years of function In 1992, following newly issued university regulations, the board of the School of Dental Medicine of the University of Geneva decided to establish a structured continuing education course programme for practising dentists in an effort to better meet the school's continuing education mandate. The programme started in January 1994 and was structured so that regular courses would be offered in each discipline of dentistry. The course contents were aimed at satisfying the demands of practising dentists, but it was also established that basic science issues and theoretical concepts should be included. Possible course formats were ,conference', ,hands-on', ,clinical' and ,seminar'. The courses were meant as a form of knowledge transfer from the school to the practising community, but also as a means to generate revenue for research and teaching programmes. Operative aspects were supervised by a small staff which was assisted by computer software designed to handle all procedural steps of course administration, participant registration, accounting, communication. The dentists' responses were rewarding in that attendance was very satisfactory. Closer scrutiny of our data, however, indicates that our impact is still low since at best only 20% of the course-hours required by the Swiss dental association are actually taken. Both course and programme evaluations were satisfactory and are discussed using the Harden and Laidlaw CRISIS criteria. [source] Brief interventions: good in theory but weak in practiceDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2004Professor ANN M. ROCHE Director Abstract A substantial body of research evidence has accumulated in support of the efficacy of brief interventions for a number of alcohol and drug-related problem areas, most notably alcohol and tobacco. This evidence has been used to exhort a range of professional groups such as general practitioners (GPs), and more recently emergency department hospital staff to engage in brief interventions. Internationally, however, these secondary prevention efforts have largely failed. Why have these proven interventions not been embraced by frontline workers? This is a little-asked question as efforts to press-gang unwilling professionals to take up the cudgel continue. This paper examines the characteristics of brief interventions and their principal delivery agents and explores reasons for the failure to move from efficacy to effectiveness. Given the prevention potential that rests with brief intervention, these are crucial questions to address. A key feature of brief intervention delivery also examined is the role of GPs versus the less well-explored option of the practice nurse. It will be proposed that perhaps we have the right vehicle but the wrong driver and that until closer scrutiny is made of this issue efforts in this key prevention area will continue to fail to achieve optimum results. [source] Type and spatial structure of distribution data and the perceived determinants of geographical gradients in ecology: the species richness of African birdsGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2007Jana M. McPherson ABSTRACT Aim, Studies exploring the determinants of geographical gradients in the occurrence of species or their traits obtain data by: (1) overlaying species range maps; (2) mapping survey-based species counts; or (3) superimposing models of individual species' distributions. These data types have different spatial characteristics. We investigated whether these differences influence conclusions regarding postulated determinants of species richness patterns. Location, Our study examined terrestrial bird diversity patterns in 13 nations of southern and eastern Africa, spanning temperate to tropical climates. Methods, Four species richness maps were compiled based on range maps, field-derived bird atlas data, logistic and autologistic distribution models. Ordinary and spatial regression models served to examine how well each of five hypotheses predicted patterns in each map. These hypotheses propose productivity, temperature, the heat,water balance, habitat heterogeneity and climatic stability as the predominant determinants of species richness. Results, The four richness maps portrayed broadly similar geographical patterns but, due to the nature of underlying data types, exhibited marked differences in spatial autocorrelation structure. These differences in spatial structure emerged as important in determining which hypothesis appeared most capable of explaining each map's patterns. This was true even when regressions accounted for spurious effects of spatial autocorrelation. Each richness map, therefore, identified a different hypothesis as the most likely cause of broad-scale gradients in species diversity. Main conclusions, Because the ,true' spatial structure of species richness patterns remains elusive, firm conclusions regarding their underlying environmental drivers remain difficult. More broadly, our findings suggest that care should be taken to interpret putative determinants of large-scale ecological gradients in light of the type and spatial characteristics of the underlying data. Indeed, closer scrutiny of these underlying data , here the distributions of individual species , and their environmental associations may offer important insights into the ultimate causes of observed broad-scale patterns. [source] Support workers in social care in England: a scoping studyHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2010Jill Manthorpe MA Abstract This paper reports the findings of a scoping study designed to describe the evidence base with regard to support workers in social care in the United Kingdom and to identify gaps in knowledge. Multiple bibliographic databases were searched for studies published since 2003. The results revealed that the support worker role, though not well-defined, could be characterised as one aimed at fostering independence among service users, undertaking tasks across social and health-care, and not being trained in, or a member of, a specific profession. The studies identified were predominantly small-scale qualitative projects which considered issues such as role clarity, training and pay, worker satisfaction, service user views and the amount of time support workers are able to spend with service users compared to other staff. The review concluded that the research base lacks longitudinal studies, there is definitional confusion and imprecision, and there is limited evidence about employment terms and conditions for support workers or about their accountability and performance. The desirability and value of training and how it is resourced need further analysis. It is concluded that moves to self-directed support or personalisation and the increased reliance on and use of support workers, in the form of personal assistants, call for closer scrutiny of the role. [source] Judicial Review of Politics: The Israeli CaseJOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 4 2002Daphne Barak In the tradition of studies questioning the impact of celebrated court rulings, this article discusses the effectiveness of the judicial review of politics conducted by the Israeli Supreme Court. The Israeli Supreme Court is generally viewed as a highly influential, almost omnipotent body. During the last two decades, the Court has intervened repeatedly in the so,called political domain, thereby progressively eroding the scope of realms considered non,justiciable. It has ventured to enter domains of ,pure' political power to review the legality of political agreements, political appointments (appointments of political allies to public positions), and political allocations (government funding to organizations affiliated with its political supporters). The prevalent perception is that these developments had a significant impact on Israeli political life. The present article challenges this view and argues that, on closer scrutiny, the influence of the Court on many of the issues reviewed here is negligible. First, many of the doctrines developed by the Court in order to review political measures proved ineffective. Usually, when the Supreme Court (acting as a High Court of Justice) engages in judicial review, it lacks the evidence needed in order to decide that administrative decisions on public appointments or public funding should be abolished because they were based on political or self,serving considerations. Second, the norms mandated by the Court hardly influence politicians' decisions in everyday life, and are applied only in contested cases. The reasons for this situation are not only legal but also socio,political. Large sections of current Israeli society support interest,group politics and do not accept the values that inspire the Court. [source] Polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor and their associations with risk of schizophrenia and selected anthropometric measuresAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006H.Y. Handoko The association between vitamin D levels and skeletal growth has long been recognized. However, exposure to low levels of vitamin D during early life is also known to alter brain development, and is a candidate risk factor for schizophrenia. This study examines the association between four polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and 1) risk of schizophrenia, and 2) three anthropometric variables (height, head size, and head shape). Four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs10735810/FokI, rs1544410/BsmI, rs7975232/ApaI, and rs731236/TaqI) in the VDR gene were genotyped in 179 individuals with schizophrenia and 189 healthy controls. No significant associations were detected between any of the four VDR SNPs and risk of schizophrenia. Patients were slightly but significantly shorter compared to controls. Of the four SNPs, only rs10735810/FokI was associated with any of the anthropometric measures: the M4 isoform of this SNP was significantly associated with larger head size (P = 0.002). In light of the evidence demonstrating a role for vitamin D during brain development, the association between polymorphisms in VDR and brain development warrants closer scrutiny. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 18:415,417, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Art, Culture and Ambiguity in Wilcannia, New South WalesTHE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Lorraine Gibson The claim of most town whites that Aboriginal people of Wilcannia make art but have no culture and the claim by Aboriginal people of the town that their art work and art designs demonstrate their culture and cultural traditions opens up the powerful and productive dimensions of art and culture for closer scrutiny. In so doing, the ambivalence and ambiguity which saturates these categories is ethnographically revealed. How can the presence and production of artworks in Wilcannia and the white denial of culture be considered? Why indeed do these questions matter, in what ways do they matter, and to whom do they matter? How do the categories of traditional/remote, urban/settled and their avatars intersect with black and white notions of Aboriginal art and Aboriginal culture discursively and experientially? [source] Angiopoietins in tumours: the angiogenic switchTHE JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2004Catherine R Tait Abstract On first view, the literature pertaining to the expression of the angiopoietins in tumours is confusing and does not readily offer a consensus pattern. Apparently conflicting publications report increased, decreased or unchanged expression levels of both angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) in a wide range of tumours. However, closer scrutiny of the literature, taking into account relative increases or decreases of each factor, reveals a consensus pattern, seen in almost all instances of expression profiling of the angiopoietins in tumours. What becomes apparent is that although absolute levels of either angiopoietin may increase or decrease, the ratio of Ang-1:Ang-2 shifts in favour of Ang-2. Given that Ang-2 is a destabilization factor, rendering vasculature in a more plastic state amenable to sprouting (under the influence of vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF) or regression, this analysis suggests that tumours shift the angiogenic balance towards a pro-angiogenic state through altering the balance between the angiopoietins. This in turn implicates Ang-2 as a candidate for the angiogenic switch and also as an important potential therapeutic target. Copyright © 2004 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Mobilisation of the Intellectuals 1914,1915 and the Continuity of German Historical ConsciousnessAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF POLITICS AND HISTORY, Issue 3 2002John A. Moses There is renewed historical interest in the role played by intellectuals in all belligerent countries in the period leading up to and during the First World War. Whereas prior to the war scholars from all countries engaged in civilised scientific discourse, immediately after the outbreak of war they appeared to re,discover their own fatherlands and became passionately patriotic, placing their expertise at the service of their respective countries for the prosecution of the war. On closer scrutiny, however, the case of the German intellectual elite appears significantly different from their counterparts in other belligerent countries. They perceived themselves, more than, say, the British academic community, and certainly earlier than these, as virtual prophets called to justify their nation's war policies. This paper investigates the perceptions of German intellectuals, their explanation for the war and their various war,aims programs. It is suggested that the intellectuals/academics contributed in no small way to the formation of German political will. [source] Epidemiological investigation of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome infants , recommendations for future studiesCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2002P. Blair Abstract In recent years the study of infant care practices within the sleeping environment has proved to be the single most important set of observations for reducing the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). To further reduce the number of deaths and resolve the debate on safe infant care practice, a closer scrutiny of this environment is required. However, anecdotal observation from uncontrolled death-scene investigations and a reluctance to diagnose SIDS because of adverse social conditions or circumstantial evidence at the time of death is undermining future research. To investigate SIDS now means investigating the wider umbrella of all Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Infancy (SUDI) because of the potential for misdiagnosis. In trying to find out why SIDS infants die we have increasingly been forced to search for why infants survive in the first few months of life and it is this comparative component of epidemiological observation that has saved so many lives. A death-scene investigation is vital to any planned future investigation of SIDS but equally essential is a sleep-scene investigation of surviving infants to put any findings into context. SIDS infants are no longer scattered across the social strata and the cot is not the only environment in which they are found, social deprivation and use of the parental bed are now more discernable. Future studies should therefore reflect these changes with a second control group of surviving infants more closely matched to the type of environment in which SIDS infants might be found. [source] | ||||||||||||||||