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Research Point (research + point)
Selected AbstractsSystemic efforts in Georgia to improve education leadershipPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT, Issue 3 2010Deb Page Research points to links between school and school district leadership and student achievement. Local and national education reform has created rising expectations for student performance. Education leadership is both complex and high stakes. Key stakeholders in Georgia have developed a solution to improve factors in the work, workplace, and workers in education leadership using human performance technology standards and practices blended from business and education to improve education leadership in Georgia and beyond. [source] Organizational Transformation in Transition Economies: Resource-based and Organizational Learning PerspectivesJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 2 2003Klaus Uhlenbruck ABSTRACT The capitalist and socialist societies of the twentieth century assigned firms different roles within their economic systems. Enterprises transforming from socialist to market economies thus face fundamental organizational restructuring. Many former state-owned firms in the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe have failed at this task. These firms have pursued primarily defensive downsizing, rather than strategic restructuring, as a result of both internal and external constraints on restructuring strategies. Building on the organizational learning and resource-based theories, we analyse strategies available to management in privatized, former state-owned enterprises in transition economies to restructure their organization. Both internal forces promoting or inhibiting the restructuring process, and external constraints arising in the transition context are examined. A model and testable propositions are developed that explain post-privatization performance. Implications of our research point to the ways in which firms should manage and develop their resource base to transform to competitive enterprises. [source] The autonomic control of accommodation and implications for human myopia development: a reviewOPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS, Issue 5 2003Jennifer C. Chen Abstract Prolonged nearwork has long been associated with myopia development, however, there is no well described linking mechanism. One theory suggests that if accommodation accuracy during nearwork is not maintained, the defocused retinal image leads to myopia development. Here we review the findings of research aimed at determining whether the autonomic inputs to the ciliary smooth muscle are involved in this type of environmental myopia. We examine whether an autonomic imbalance could be a precursor to axial elongation and the resulting myopia. Accommodation responses, such as tonic accommodation and nearwork-induced accommodative adaptation, as a function of refractive error, are described in relation to an autonomic imbalance model. The collective results of this research point to anomalous accommodation responses, possibly as a result of underlying anomalous autonomic input to the ciliary muscle, being involved in myopia development and progression. [source] Annotation: Deconstructing the attention deficit in fragile X syndrome: a developmental neuropsychological approachTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 6 2004K.M. Cornish Background:, Fragile X syndrome is one of the world's leading hereditary causes of developmental delay in males. The past decade has witnessed an explosion of research that has begun to unravel the condition at its various levels: from the genetic and brain levels to the cognitive level, and then to the environmental and behavioural levels. Our aim in this review is to attempt to integrate some of the extensive body of knowledge to move the research a step closer to understanding how the dynamics of atypical development can influence the specific cognitive and behavioural end-states frequently observed in children and adolescents with fragile X syndrome. Methods:, We conducted a review of the current neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric approaches that have attempted to delineate the pattern of ,spared' and ,impaired' functions associated with the phenotype. Results:, The profile of findings suggests that fragile X syndrome should not be viewed merely as a catalogue of spared and impaired cognitive functions or modules. Instead, there appears to be a process of almost gradual modularisation whereby cognitive mechanisms become domain specific as a function of development itself (Karmiloff-Smith, 1992). The results of a decade of intense research point towards an early weakness in one or more components of executive control rather than single, static higher-level deficits (e.g., spatial cognition, speech processing). This weakness affects both the development of more complex functions and current performance. Conclusions:, The prevailing tendency to interpret developmental disorders in terms of fixed damage to distinct modular functions needs to be reconsidered. We offer this review as an example of an alternative approach, attempting to identify an initial deficit and its consequences for the course of development. Through better definition of the cognitive and behavioural phenotype, in combination with current progress in brain imaging techniques and molecular studies, the next decade should continue to hold exciting promise for fragile X syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders. [source] Rural-Urban Differences in the Social Climate Surrounding Environmental Tobacco Smoke: A Report From the 2002 Social Climate Survey of Tobacco ControlTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2004Robert McMillen PhD ABSTRACT: Context: Although previous research has found smoking rates to be higher among residents of rural areas, few studies have investigated rural-urban differences in exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Objective: This study contrasted the social climate surrounding ETS among Americans who resided in 5 levels of county urbanization. Design: Data were collected via telephone interviews administered to a representative sample of 3,009 civilian, noninstitutionalized adults over age 18 in the United States. Households were selected using random digit dialing procedures. Findings: Compared to residents of urban counties, rural residents reported fewer restrictions on smoking in the presence of children and lower incidences of smoking bans in households, family automobiles, work areas, convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, and restaurants. Interestingly, when rural-urban variations in knowledge and attitudes about ETS were examined, the magnitude of rural-urban differences was smaller or nonexistent for these indicators. Moreover, logistic regression models indicated that none of these rural-urban differences in knowledge and attitudes persisted after statistically controlling for region, smoking status, gender, race, age, and education factors. This suggests that the observed rural-urban differences in ETS bans could not be explained adequately by rural-urban differences in knowledge and attitudes about the dangers of ETS. Conclusions: The policy implications of this research point to a greater need in rural America for programs focusing on the restriction and elimination of ETS. They also suggest that programs focusing only on influencing the levels of ETS knowledge and attitudes among the general population may not be adequate in producing the desired change. [source] Interventions for apnoea of prematurity: a personal viewACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 2 2010CF Poets Abstract Aim:, To review treatments for apnoea of prematurity (AOP). Methods:, Literature Review and description of personal practice. Results:, Provided that symptomatic apnoea has been ruled out, interventions to improve AOP can be viewed as directed at one of three underlying mechanisms: (i) a reduced work of breathing [e.g. prone positioning, nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)], (ii) an increased respiratory drive (e.g. caffeine), and (iii) an improved diaphragmatic function (e.g. branched-chain amino acids). Most options currently applied, however, have not yet been shown to be effective and/or safe, except for prone, head-elevated positioning, synchronized nasal ventilation/CPAP, and caffeine. Conclusion:, Treatment usually follows an incremental approach, starting with positioning, followed by caffeine (which should be started early, at least in infants <1250 g), and nasal ventilation or CPAP via variable flow systems that reduce work of breathing. From a research point of view, we most urgently need data on the frequency and severity of bradycardia and intermittent hypoxia that can yet be tolerated without putting an infant at risk of impaired development or retinopathy of prematurity. [source] Methods of filling root canals: principles and practicesENDODONTIC TOPICS, Issue 1 2005JOHN WHITWORTH Contemporary research points to infection control as the key determinant of endodontic success. While epidemiological surveys indicate that success is most likely in teeth which have been densely root-filled to within 2 mm of root-end, it is unclear whether the root canal filling itself is a key determinant of outcome. It is also unclear how different materials and methods employed in achieving a ,satisfactory' root filling may impact on outcome. This article provides an overview of current principles and practices in root canal filling and strives to untangle the limited and often contradictory research of relevance to clinical practice and performance. [source] Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane in the aquatic ecosystem of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, South AfricaENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2003Bontle Mbongwe Abstract Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were measured in water, plants, invertebrates, and fish from lagoons in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (Africa), where DDT has been used for approximately 50 years. The sampling area was sectioned to distinguish spraying for malaria and for African sleeping sickness. Average concentrations of total DDT (sum of DDT and its metabolites) in the Okavango ranged from 0.009 ng/L in water to 18.76 ng/g wet weight in fish. These levels are approximately 1% of those found in piscivorous fish from temperate North America. The dichlorodiphenyl ethylene (DDE) metabolite was the most abundant fraction of total DDT. Although total DDT concentrations were higher in areas treated for malaria than areas treated for sleeping sickness, these concentrations were likely driven by factors other than the historic application of the pesticide. Equilibration with air concentrations is the most likely explanation for these levels. Since the mean annual temperature exceeds the temperature of vaporization of DDT, this research points to the need for reliable transport models. Our results showed that total DDT concentration in fish was best explained by lipid content of the fish and trophic position inferred by ,15N, regardless of DDT application history in those areas. The reservoir above Gaborone Dam, an area downstream of the Okavango but where DDT had not been used, was sampled to compare total DDT levels to the treated areas. The two species (a herbivorous threespot talapia and the omnivorous sharptooth catfish) from Gaborone had levels higher than those found in the Okavango Delta, but these differences can again be explained using trophic position inferred by ,15N rather than by fish size or location. [source] Eleven years of occupational mortality in law enforcement: The census of fatal occupational injuries, 1992,2002,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 9 2010Hope M. Tiesman PhD Abstract Background Occupational injury deaths remain high for Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). This study describes and compares intentional and transportation-related fatality rates in US LEOs between 1992 and 2002. Methods Workplace injury deaths among LEOs from 1992 to 2002 were categorized into "Intentional," "Transportation-related," and "Other," using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Occupations included in this analysis were sheriffs and bailiffs, police and detectives, non-public service guards, and correctional officers. Fatality rates were compared among law enforcement occupations, cause of death, and demographics with rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results During the 11-year period, 2,280 workers died from an occupational injury, for a fatality rate of 11.8 per 100,000 across all LEO occupations. Forty-seven percent were homicides (n,=,1,072, rate 5.6 per 100,000), 36% transportation-related (n,=,815, rate 4.2 per 100,000), 11% were due to other causes (n,=,249, rate 1.3 per 100,000), and 5% were workplace suicides (n,=,122, rate 0.6 per 100,000). The proportion of fatalities by cause of death differed significantly between occupations (P,<,0.0001). Sheriffs and bailiffs experience a high risk for occupational injury death compared to other law enforcement occupations. Of the transportation-related fatalities, LEOs were operating a motor-vehicle in 58% of the incidents and 22% of the fatalities were struck by incidents. Conclusions Transportation-related deaths were nearly as common as homicides as a cause of occupational injury death among US LEOs. Struck by vehicle incidents remain an important and overlooked cause of death. This research points to opportunities for the prevention of transportation-related deaths in law enforcement. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:940,949, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Front and Back Covers, Volume 24, Number 4.ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 4 2008August 200 Front cover and back cover caption, volume 24 issue 4 Front cover Front cover: Front cover The front cover of this issue illustrates Vasiliki P. Neofotistos' article on the 2006 film Borat: Cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan. In the film, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen plays Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakh journalist, who leaves his country on a project funded by the Ministry of Information to travel with his film producer to ,US and A, the greatest country in the world' and make a ,movie film' about American culture, with the putative aim of gaining insights into what makes America great and applying them to Kazakhstan. The film has generated contrasting reactions, ranging from CNN's praise of it as ,most excellent comedy' to lawsuits filed by, among others, residents of the Romanian village in which part of the film was shot. Borat has been condemned as deeply offensive to women, Kazakhs, fraternity brothers and Jews alike. In this issue Neofotistos focuses on some of the lessons that Western audiences could potentially take away from the film, using the notion of the grotesque as a tool to read Borat as an allegory of America that invites us to revisit aspects of our own culture and hence as a highly appropriate film for our times. Back cover Back cover: ,FORTRESS' SOUTH AFRICA? A South African and a foreigner find common ground in Islam. The two men are about to enter a mosque in downtown Pretoria for Friday prayers. Prayers at this mosque provide a meeting ground for Muslim men and women from all over Africa, and from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Foreigners attending the mosque range from diplomats to illegal immigrants. Significant numbers of black South Africans from all walks of life have converted to Islam in recent years. In this issue John Sharp shows that there are many circumstances in which - as in this photograph - South Africans and foreigners from elsewhere in Africa pursue shared interests peacefully. Anthropological field research points to the range of these contexts, which have largely been ignored by commentators attempting to explain the episode of mass ,xenophobic' violence that wracked South African cities and towns in May 2008. Explanations focus on the xenophobic attitudes of ordinary South Africans, and link these attitudes to competition for resources between locals who are poor and their equally poor counterparts from further north. Recent research indicates, however, not only that relationships between poor South Africans and poor foreigners are more complex than most commentators allow, but also that South African xenophobia begins at the top, among the leaders of the ANC government and the black and white elites whose interests it serves. Sharp argues that a newly-issued report on the xenophobic violence by a government-orientated think tank reproduces the dominant xenophobic discourse in its recommendation that the state should construct a ,Fortress SA' with impenetrable borders, while seeking to mask its adherence to official discourse by representing its proposals as a response to the xenophobic attitudes of poor South Africans. As Sharp suggests, anthropological research might offer a more nuanced response to the issues. [source] ,Fortress SA': Xenophobic violence in South AfricaANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 4 2008John Sharp There are many circumstances in which South Africans and foreigners from elsewhere in Africa pursue shared interests peacefully. Anthropological field research points to a range of these circumstances, which have largely been ignored by commentators attempting to explain the episode of mass,xenophobic'violence that wracked South African cities and towns in May 2008. Explanations such as the one criticised in this article focus on the xenophobic attitudes of ordinary South Africans, and link these attitudes to competition for resources between locals who are poor and their equally poor counterparts from further north. Recent research indicates, however, not only that relationships between poor South Africans and poor foreigners are more complex than most commentators allow, but also that South African xenophobia begins at the top, among the leaders of the ANC government and the black and white elites whose interests it serves. This article argues that a newly-issued report on the xenophobic violence by a government-orientated think tank reproduces the dominant xenophobic discourse in its recommendation that the state should construct a,Fortress SA'with impenetrable borders. Yet this report seeks to mask its adherence to official discourse by representing its proposals as a response to the xenophobic attitudes of poor South Africans. [source] | |||||||||||||