Initial Involvement (initial + involvement)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Collaboration with the Community to Widen Participation: ,Partners' without Power or Absent ,Friends'?

HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2-3 2004
Kim SlackArticle first published online: 9 DEC 200
Current discourse around widening participation emphasises the importance of partnership and collaboration. For example, the Learning Skills Council and government policy all cite the need to adopt collaborative approaches to assist with widening participation and student progression. In 1998 the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) called for proposals for higher education institutions to build partnerships to widen participation. Successful partnership bids were subsequently funded for a period of one year initially and extended up to three years in total. One of the aims of the partnerships as outlined by the HEFCE was to address uneven rates of demand for higher education amongst certain socio-economic groups by working in collaboration with other organisations. This article focuses on one aspect of an evaluative research project examining collaboration resulting from the HEFCE initiative: the involvement of communities in developing partnerships. It examines their initial involvement and the extent to which they were then incorporated into ongoing partnerships and decision-making. Factors that mitigate against community involvement are discussed. It is concluded that although organizational and institutional links can be highly beneficial to realizing the objective of a widened base of involvement in HE there may be a sense in which the role of communities is either neglected, or worse, omitted. [source]


Adaptation and communicative design.

HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH, Issue 1 2001
Patterns of interaction in truthful, deceptive conversations
Two theoretical frameworks that examine the nature of adaptability and mutual influence in interaction, interpersonal deception theory and interaction adaptation theory, were used to derive hypotheses concerning patterns of interaction that occur across time in truthful and deceptive conversations. Two studies were conducted in which senders were either truthful or deceptive in their interactions with a partner who increased or decreased involvement during the latter half of the conversation. Results revealed that deceivers felt more anxious and were more concerned about self-presentation than truthtellers prior to the interaction and displayed less initial involvement than truthtellers. Patterns of interaction were also moderated by deception. Deceivers increased involvement over time but also reciprocated increases or decreases in receiver involvement. However, deceivers were less responsive than truthtellers to changes in receiver behavior. Finally, partner involvement served as feedback to senders regarding their own performance. [source]


Understanding volunteer motivation for participation in a community-based food cooperative

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 1 2003
Sally Hibbert
Those concerned with social exclusion have increasingly recognised the value of community-level activities as a basis for the development of disadvantaged communities. Much community development activity is collective and depends on members of the community volunteering to take on tasks and responsibilities associated with the collective action. The long-term success of these activities is contingent on recruitment of sufficient numbers of volunteers and maintaining their commitment. The purpose of this research was to gain insights into volunteers' motives for participating in a community retail initiative, with a view to understanding the dynamics of their relationship with the enterprise as time passes. A series of in-depth interviews provided evidence that motivations and factors influencing involvement change over time. Relatively vague ideas of the potential benefits of volunteering that motivated initial involvement were clarified as volunteers gained experience of participating in the enterprise. There was overt recognition of skill development and growth in self-esteem and confidence that had been gained during the first few months of working on the project and there was anticipation that these would be enhanced through ongoing involvement. The implications of these findings are discussed and some future research directions are proposed. Copyright © 2003 Henry Stewart Publications [source]


The multidimensional and developmental nature of infidelity: Practical applications

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 11 2005
Elizabeth S. Allen
When a partner has been unfaithful, an important therapeutic task is to assess factors that contributed to the affair and that may affect the individual's and couple's healing. This article provides a framework to assess multiple factors and their influence on an affair over time, as well as on responses to an affair. We address factors related to the person involved in an affair, his or her partner, their relationship, and the external context. These factors are considered across six phases of an affair: predisposition, approach, initial involvement, maintenance, disclosure or discovery, and response. A case study is presented to illustrate the usefulness of the framework in working with couples in which there has been an affair. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 61: 1371,1382, 2005. [source]


Ameliorating effect of saporin-conjugated anti-CD11b monoclonal antibody in a murine T-cell-mediated chronic colitis

JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 7 2006
Takanori Kanai
Abstract Background:, Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease that is associated with several changes in the immune system, including an increased number of infiltrating macrophages. These macrophages release a variety of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-, (TNF-,) which are critically involved in the onset and the development of CD. The present study was performed to explore the initial involvement of macrophages in the development of T-cell-mediated chronic colitis. Methods:, The effects were evaluated of saporin-conjugated anti-CD11b monoclonal antibody (mAb) on the development of chronic colitis in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice induced by adoptive transfer of CD4+CD45RBhigh T cells as an animal model of CD. Results:, Significantly increased CD11b-expressing macrophages as well as CD4+ T cells were found in inflamed colon from colitic mice. Administration of saporin-conjugated anti-CD11b mAb markedly ameliorated the clinical and histopathological disease. In vivo treatment with saporin-conjugated anti-CD11b mAb decreased CD4+ T-cell infiltration in the colon and suppressed inferferon-, (IFN-,) and TNF-, production by lamina propria CD4+ T cells. Conclusions:, Collectively, the present results suggest an initial role of macrophages in the pathogenesis of T-cell-mediated chronic colitis. Furthermore, the macrophage-specific targeting may be a promising strategy for therapeutic intervention in CD. [source]


Clinical history and new prognostic indicators in metachromatic leukodystrophy

JOURNAL OF THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, Issue 2 2004
U Del Carro
Objective: To study clinical phenotypes and to increase knowledge of natural history of different variants of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). Background: Little is known about factors influencing age of onset, progression rate and peripheral nerve involvement in MLD due to its rarity, heterogeneity and paucity of serial clinical and instrumental reports. Methods: 15 biochemically and molecularly characterized MLD patients were evaluated along a two-year follow-up period with clinical, electroneurographic (ENG) and brain MRI recordings. Results: Late infantile patients had a progressive and rapid course, whereas juvenile form showed marked variability. Different clinical presentations were associated with similar levels of ARSA activity; mutation screening indicated a high prevalence of rare or private mutations. In all late infantile and in the adult patient, ENG revealed a severe polyneuropathy. In juvenile patients a milder polyneuropathy or even normal tests were found. The earliest MRI change was periventricular white matter signal alterations, with initial involvement of posterior regions in a majority of late infantile patients, while in juvenile forms white matter lesions were mainly anterior. Conclusions: MLD course is highly variable and only partially influenced by age of onset, especially among juvenile patients. No clear-cut correlations exist between clinical phenotype and biochemical or molecular characterization. The presence of peripheral neuropathy at onset seems a strong indicator of a poorer clinical outcome. [source]


Oral mucosal diseases: the inflammatory dermatoses

AUSTRALIAN DENTAL JOURNAL, Issue 2010
M Schifter
Abstract The oral inflammatory dermatoses is a term used to describe a number of predominantly immune-mediated disorders: lichen planus (LP), erythema multiforme (EM), the vesiculobullous diseases pemphigoid (MMP), pemphigus (PV) and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA). These conditions are characterized by frequent involvement of the oral mucosa and often associated with extraoral manifestations, particularly of the skin, but can involve the eyes, both the conjunctiva and sclera, the nasal and pharyngeal mucosa, as well as the genitals. Given their frequent, and sometimes initial involvement of the oral mucosa, oral health professionals need to be both familiar with the clinical features and presentations of these conditions, and appreciate their critical role in management. This paper reviews the clinical features and presentation of the oral dermatoses, provides guidance as to the appropriate investigations needed to differentiate and correctly diagnose these conditions, details the aetio-pathology of these diseases and discusses their management. [source]