Different Perceptions (different + perception)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Sex differences in weight perception and nutritional behaviour in adults with cystic fibrosis

JOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 2 2001
S. Walters
Introduction Good nutritional status in cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with improved clinical status and survival. In some conditions where dietary and pharmacological treatment are important (e.g. diabetes), a combination of eating disorders and failure of treatment compliance has been reported. Cases of eating disorders have been reported in CF. Societal pressures on young women to remain slim may compromise optimum clinical management as women are content to remain underweight. Objective To determine whether women have different perception of their weight than men with CF and whether this manifests in different nutritional behaviour. Methods Confidential postal questionnaire to 1870 adults with CF in 1994 known to the Association of Cystic Fibrosis Adults (UK). Participants were asked their own weight and height, and their perception of their weight. Very underweight was defined as < 85% ideal body weight, underweight as 85,94%, normal weight as 95,104%, overweight as 105,114% and very overweight as 115% and over. Results A significantly higher proportion of women than men who are very underweight (29% vs. 11%) or underweight (41% vs. 15%) saw themselves as being of normal weight or overweight. Conversely, a significantly higher proportion of men than women who were normal weight (42% vs. 19%) saw themselves as underweight. All P -values < 0.01. A significantly higher proportion of people who perceived themselves to be underweight were taking oral or enteral food supplements compared with those who did not (77% vs. 30%, P < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression showed that perception of self as underweight was the strongest predictor of taking oral or enteral food supplements (adjusted odds ratio 2.42), even after adjustment for age, sex, overall severity score, body mass index, and seeing a dietitian in the last year. Conclusion Young women with CF tend to overestimate their weight, and young men with CF underestimate their weight when compared with their actual body weight. Perception of self as underweight is reflected in nutritional behaviour, being a significant predictor of taking oral and enteral food supplements. People working with young patients with CF should be aware of these sex differences in weight perception, and work with young women and young men with CF to achieve a realistic perception of body weight and realistic nutritional goals. There is a need for further research into body image, weight perception, eating behaviour and adherence to pancreatic enzyme supplementation and oral and enteral food supplementation in young patients with CF. [source]


Ontology-based resource management

HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 6 2009
Jussi I. Kantola
Managers face many difficulties in managing organizational resources, with problems arising from multi-objectiveness, lack of holism, subjective understanding, different perceptions, vagueness, and complexity. This work presents an ontology-based management framework that aims to reduce the number of difficulties related to organizational resource management. In this framework, organizational resources are considered ontologies. The technological part of the framework includes an online repository and an interpreter for ontologies; the repository provides global access to ontologies, and the interpreter enables reasoning based on meanings. Introspection and extrospection create unique instances of the ontologies. When these unique instances are used, it is possible to manage organizational resources in a new way. This management method uses situational perceptions and aspirations for the future of organizational resources. Currently the new framework is in use in the private sector, the municipal sector, and in several universities in the world. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Survey ranking of job competencies by perceived employee importance: Comparing China's three regions

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2006
Jin Xiao
The acquisition of skills that match job requirements has become an issue in human resource development. A uniform but vague list of desirable skills often provided by policymakers or advocated by scholars is used as a guide in education and training programs in China. Using survey data, this study analyzes the core skills that workforces in China consider to be important in carrying out job routines in different jobs, different industries, and different geographical regions. This study surveyed 25,933 employees from 397 randomly sampled firms of four counties in each of the East, Central, and West regions of China. Twenty kinds of job skills were deduced from interviews conducted in the field. Five categories of skills were identified by the employees: dispositional characteristics, technical know-how skills, job basics, problem solving, and communication. Using a hierarchical model, the analysis is focused on whether employees in different occupations ( for example, managerial, professional, salesperson, frontline workers) had different perceptions of required job skills. The results show both differences related to occupation and work experience and similarities in perceived job competencies among industries and across three regions. [source]


Lost in translation: exploring the link between HRM and performance in healthcare

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2007
Timothy Bartram
Using data collected in 2004 from 132 Victorian (Australia) public healthcare providers, comprising metropolitan and regional hospital networks, rural hospitals and community health centres, we investigated the perceptions of HRM from the experiences of chief executive officers, HR directors and other senior managers. We found some evidence that managers in healthcare organisations reported different perceptions of strategic HRM and a limited focus on collection and linking of HR performance data with organisational performance management processes. Using multiple moderator regression and multivariate analysis of variance, significant differences were found in perceptions of strategic HRM and HR priorities between chief executive officers, HR directors and other senior managers in the large organisations. This suggested that the strategic human management paradigm is ,lost in translation', particularly in large organisations, and consequently opportunities to understand and develop the link between people management practices and improved organisational outcomes may be missed. There is some support for the relationship between strategic HRM and improved organisational outcomes. Implications of these findings are drawn for managerial practice. [source]


Reconciling user and project manager perceptions of IT project risk: a Delphi study,

INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 2 2002
Mark Keil
Abstract. In an increasingly dynamic business environment characterized by fast cycle times, shifting markets and unstable technology, a business organization's survival hinges on its ability to align IT capabilities with business goals. To facilitate the successful introduction of new IT applications, issues of project risk must be addressed, and the expectations of multiple stakeholders must be managed appropriately. To the extent that users and developers may harbour different perceptions regarding project risk, areas of conflict may arise. By understanding the differences in how users and project managers perceive the risks, insights can be gained that may help to ensure the successful delivery of systems. Prior research has focused on the project manager's perspective of IT project risk. This paper explores the issue of IT project risk from the user perspective and compares it with risk perceptions of project managers. A Delphi study reveals that these two stakeholder groups have different perceptions of risk factors. Through comparison with a previous study on project manager risk perceptions, zones of concordance and discordance that must be reconciled are identified. [source]


Sex differences in L2 vocabulary learning strategies

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 1 2003
Rosa María Jiménez Catalán
This article reports the results of a descriptive study on sex differences in the use of a second language. A questionnaire was administered to 581 Spanish-speaking students learning Basque and English as L2 (279 males and 302 females) in order to answer these questions: Do male and female second language learners differ in (1) the number and (2) the range of vocabulary strategies they use? The results show that they differ significantly in the number of strategies used. Regarding the range of vocabulary strategies, 8 out of the 10 most frequent strategies are shared by males and females. However, a close analysis of the data also reveals differences, such as females' greater use of formal rule strategies, input elicitation strategies, rehearsal strategies and planning strategies, and males' greater use of image vocabulary learning strategies. In addition, the females' total strategy usage percentages are higher than the males', which points to either different perceptions of vocabulary learning behaviors or different patterns of vocabulary strategy usage for males and females. [source]


Parameterized fuzzy operators in fuzzy decision making

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 9 2003
Qian Song
The basic operations of fuzzy sets, such as negation, intersection, and union, usually are computed by applying the one-complement, minimum, and maximum operators to the membership functions of fuzzy sets. However, different decision agents may have different perceptions for these fuzzy operations. In this article, the concept of parameterized fuzzy operators will be introduced. A parameter , will be used to represent the degree of softness. The variance of , captures the differences of decision agents' subjective attitudes and characteristics, which result in their differing perceptions. The defined parameterized fuzzy operators also should satisfy the axiomatic requirements for the traditional fuzzy operators. A learning algorithm will be proposed to obtain the parameter , given a set of training data for each agent. In this article, the proposed parameterized fuzzy operators will be used in individual decision-making problems. An example is given to show the concept and application of the parameterized fuzzy operators. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Barriers and facilitators to the utilization of adult mental health services by Australia's Indigenous people: Seeking a way forward

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2010
Anton Neville Isaacs
ABSTRACT Mental disorders are the second leading cause of disease burden among Australia's Indigenous people after cardiovascular disease. Yet Indigenous people do not access mental health services in proportion to their need. This paper explores the barriers and facilitators for Indigenous people seeking mental health services in Australia and identifies key elements in the development and maintenance of partnerships for improved service delivery and future research. The process of seeking help for mental illness has been conceptualized as four consecutive steps starting from recognizing that there is a problem to actually contacting the mental health service. We have attempted to explore the factors affecting each of these stages. While people in the general population experience barriers across all four stages of the process of seeking treatment for a mental disorder, there are many more barriers for Indigenous people at the stage of actually contacting a mental health service. These include a history of racism and discrimination and resultant lack of trust in mainstream services, misunderstandings due to cultural and language differences, and inadequate measures to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Further research is required to understand the mental health literacy of Indigenous people, their different perceptions of mental health and well-being, issues around stigma, and the natural history of mental illness among Indigenous people who do not access any form of professional help. Collaborations between mainstream mental health services and Aboriginal organizations have been promoted as a way to conduct research into developing appropriate services for Indigenous people. [source]


Organizational culture in nursing schools in Turkey: faculty members' perspectives

INTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 3 2009
F. Kantek rn
Background:, Among the benefits of examining an organization's culture are the opportunity to understand the basic mechanisms of the institutional and structural procedures, to determine the need for change and to ensure the development and satisfaction of the faculty members. Aim:, To determine the perceptions of faculty members of organizational culture at nursing schools in Turkey and to examine different perceptions in relation to demographic variables. Method:, The study was conducted with 180 faculty members from seven nursing schools in state universities located in different geographical regions of Turkey that granted permission for the study. All faculty members in these schools with at least 1 year of institutional experience were included in the research. No sampling was required. A demographic information form and an organizational culture scale were used as data collection materials. The organizational culture scale contains 30 items and resolves the organizational culture in three dimensions. The minimum score obtained was 1 and the maximum was 5. Findings:, The mean score for faculty members' in total scale was 3.40 (SD = 0.68), while it was 3.26 (SD = 0.77) for the management style dimension, 3.39 (SD = 0.73) for the organizational commitment/relations dimension and 3.68 (SD = 0.73) for the student-oriented dimension. There was no statistical difference between the perception of organizational culture and work experience at the institution, marital status or educational status, but there were differences in age, number of years in the profession and academic titles. Conclusion:, It was found that strong perceptions have been established in nursing schools in regard to student-oriented practices, and that groups consisting of senior academic personnel and experienced academicians are considered to be better at perceiving the importance of the organizational culture. The administrators are recommended to promote policies to enhance the participation in decision-making processes and regularly monitor the cultural changes in the organization. [source]


Multi-way models for sensory profiling data

JOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 1 2008
Rasmus Bro
Abstract One of the problems in analyzing sensory profiling data is to handle the systematic individual differences in the assessments from different panelists. It is unavoidable that different persons have, at least to a certain degree, different perceptions of the samples as well as a different understanding of the attributes or of the scales used for quantifying the assessments. Hence, any model attempting to describe sensory profiling data needs to deal with individual differences; either implicitly or explicitly. In this paper, a unifying family of models is proposed based on (i) the assumption that latent variables are appropriate for sensory data, and (ii) that individual differences occur. Based on how individual differences occur, various mathematical models can be constructed, all aiming at modeling simultaneously the sample-specific variation and the panelist-specific variation. The model family includes Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and PARAllel FACtor analysis (PARAFAC). The paper can be viewed as extending the latent variable approach commonly based on PCA to multi-way models that specifically take certain panelist-variations into account. The proposed model family is focused on analyzing data from quantitative descriptive analysis with fixed vocabulary, but it also provides a foundation upon which comparisons, extensions and further developments can be made. An example is given which shows that even for well-working data, models handling individual differences can shed important light on differences between the quality of the data from individual panelists. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Interdisciplinary team interactions: a qualitative study of perceptions of team function in simulated anaesthesia crises

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 4 2008
Jennifer M Weller
Objectives, We placed anaesthesia teams into a stressful environment in order to explore interactions between members of different professional groups and to investigate their perspectives on the impact of these interactions on team performance. Methods, Ten anaesthetists, 5 nurses and 5 trained anaesthetic assistants each participated in 2 full-immersion simulations of critical events using a high-fidelity computerised patient simulator. Their perceptions of team interactions were explored through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Written questionnaire data and interview transcriptions were entered into N6 qualitative software. Data were analysed by 2 investigators for emerging themes and coded to produce reports on each theme. Results, We found evidence of limited understanding of the roles and capabilities of team members across professional boundaries, different perceptions of appropriate roles and responsibilities for different members of the team, limited sharing of information between team members and limited team input into decision making. There was a perceived impact on task distribution and the optimal utilisation of resources within the team. Conclusions, Effective management of medical emergencies depends on optimal team function. We have identified important factors affecting interactions between different health professionals in the anaesthesia team, and their perceived influences on team function. This provides evidence on which to build appropriate and specific strategies for interdisciplinary team training in operating theatre staff. [source]


A comparison study of career satisfaction and emotional states between primary care and speciality residents

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2006
Donald E Girard
Objective, To evaluate career satisfaction, emotional states and positive and negative experiences among residents in primary care and speciality programmes in 1 academic medical centre prior to the implementation of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) duty hour requirements. Design, Cross-sectional survey. Measurements, All 581 residents in the academic health centre were asked to participate voluntarily in a confidential survey; 327(56%) completed the survey. Results, Compared to their primary care colleagues, speciality residents had higher levels of satisfaction with career choice, feelings of competence and excitement, lower levels of inferiority and fatigue and different perceptions of positive and negative training experiences. However, 77% of all respondents were consistently or generally pleased with their career choices. The most positive residents' experiences related to interpersonal relationships and their educational value; the most negative experiences related to interpersonal relationships and issues perceived to be outside of residents' control. Age and training level, but not gender also influenced career satisfaction, emotional states and positive and negative opinions about residency. Conclusions, Less satisfaction with career choice and more negative emotional states for primary care residents compared to speciality residents probably relate to the training experience and may influence medical students' selections of careers. The primary care residents, compared to speciality residents, appear to have difficulty in fulfilling their ideals of professionalism in an environment where they have no control. These data provide baseline information with which to compare these same factors after the implementation of the ACGME duty hours' and competency requirements. [source]


Finding the Best Fit: A Grounded Theory of Contraceptive Decision Making in Women

NURSING FORUM, Issue 4 2004
APRN-BC, Joanne Noone PhD
PROBLEM. Half of the pregnancies in the United States that occur annually are unintended, and of these, half occur among women using contraceptives. METHODS. Interviews with 16 women, field notes, and memos were analyzed using constant comparative analysis and the methods of open, axial, and selective coding were used until saturation occurred. FINDINGS. The core category that describes the process of contraceptive decision making in women is "finding the best fit." Women choose a method or methods to prevent pregnancy based on their knowledge, experience, and evaluation of what would be the best fit within the context of their current life situation. CONCLUSIONS. It is important that nurses obtain a thorough contraceptive history, and realize that women may have different perceptions and knowledge level of methods. [source]


Avian eggshell coloration: new perspectives on adaptive explanations

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2010
MICHAEL I. CHERRY
Recent work suggests that the evolution of egg coloration may have been constrained in three important ways that have not yet been critically synthesized in any review. First, on account of birds being able to see in the ultraviolet spectrum, the interaction between the properties of avian vision and the light environment of nests imply different perceptions of egg coloration from those experienced by humans. Second, a new hypothesis to explain blue,green egg coloration interprets it as a sexually selected signal to males of the laying female's genetic quality. Third, evidence from taxa as divergent as sparrowhawks and great tits indicates that protoporphyrin pigments responsible for maculation (spotting patterns) have a structural function in compensating for eggshell thinning, as caused by calcium stress, and, more recently, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. We consider this to be the most convincing explanation for the primary function of spotting, although an important secondary function might arise through the fact that individual patterns of maculation may allow birds to identify their own eggs, effectively serving as signatures in the face of inter- or intra-specific brood parasitism. These constraints or hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, and should not be taken to imply that one, but not other, agents of selection might apply to any one species. However, the sexually-selected eggshell coloration hypothesis is least plausible for hole-nesting birds because of the poor light quality available, although such species have been the focus of research in this area, and only a single experimental study has shown a link between egg coloration and male provisioning. Furthermore, the observed relationships between female phenotypic quality and egg traits do not necessarily imply that they have signalling functions. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100, 753,762. [source]


Quality of life in chronic illness: children, parents and paediatricians have different, but stable perceptions

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 8 2008
A J Janse
Abstract Aim: Quality of life assessments can be helpful to estimate the well-being of chronically ill children. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in perception of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among children, parents and paediatricians at the time of diagnosis and after initial treatment in four chronic diseases. Methods: HRQoL was assessed with the Health Utilities Index mark 3 (HUI3). The HUI3 consists of eight attributes (vision, hearing, speech, ambulation, dexterity, emotion, cognition and pain). Results: Nineteen paediatricians and 60 patients (aged 10,17 years) and their parents with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, asthma or with cystic fibrosis admitted for pneumonia participated in the study. Health and well-being perceptions were clearly different among paediatricians, parents and patients, both at diagnosis and after initial treatment. Perception differences were more prominent in the subjective attributes, emotion and pain. The agreement for these attributes was 23% and 5%, respectively. Paediatricians assessed the patients to have less pain than the patients and parents did. The reverse was true for the attribute emotion. At follow-up, the agreement was higher for the attributes ambulation and pain. Conclusion: At the onset of a chronic disease and after initial treatment, paediatricians, parents and children have different perceptions of the child's quality of life, particularly as to the subjective attributes pain and emotion. In view of these differences in perception among patients, their caregivers and paediatricians, this study suggests that whenever possible, multi-respondent assessment of HRQoL should be considered. [source]