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Selected AbstractsUseful ways of being wrongJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005H. KOKKO No abstract is available for this article. [source] Motivating Creativity and Enhancing Innovation through Employee Suggestion System TechnologyCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2001James F. Fairbank Research has found that employee suggestion systems are a useful way to obtain and utilize employees' creative ideas. To be effective, employees must be motivated to think creatively and to participate in the suggestion system. Unfortunately, motivating employees to participate is a common weakness of suggestion systems. Motivating employees involves more than simply offering rewards to submitters if their suggestions are put to use. According to expectancy theory, rewards will only motivate behaviour if the rewards are valued, if they are closely linked to successful performance, and if employees believe that they can perform successfully. This paper applies expectancy theory to the problem of motivating employees to participate in a suggestion system. We describe suggestion system technology that will increase employees' motivation to think creatively and participate in the system. [source] Use of a high-throughput umu -microplate test system for rapid detection of genotoxicity produced by mutagenic carcinogens and airborne particulate matterENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 1 2004Yoshimitsu Oda Abstract In the present study, we developed a rapid umu -microplate test system that uses the nitroreductase- and O -acetyltransferase-overproducing Salmonella typhimurium strain NM3009 and the O -acetyltransferase-overproducing S. typhimurium strain NM2009 to detect genotoxic activity in small volume samples. The assay was used to test the genotoxicity of several standard mutagens and environmental samples. Exponentially growing cultures of NM3009, NM2009, and the parental strain TA1535/pSK1002 were incubated in 96-well microplates with test chemicals both in the presence and in the absence of rat liver S9. The relative ,-galactosidase activities were then determined colorimetrically using either chlorophenol red-,- D -galactopyranoside (CPRG) or O -nitrophenyl-,- D -galactopyranoside (ONPG) as a measure of umuC gene induction activity. The sensitivities of NM3009 without S9 mix and NM2009 with S9 mix to nitroarenes and aromatic amines were up to 24- to 75-fold higher than those of the parent strain. Induction of umuC gene expression was detected more readily with CPRG than ONPG. The umu -microplate assay also detected genotoxicity in organic extracts of particulate matter from air samples collected in Osaka City, Japan. The pattern of the responses suggested that the genotoxic activity of the particulate extract was due primarily to nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our results indicate that the umu -microplate assay may be a useful way of carrying out rapid screens for genotoxicity in small-volume environmental samples. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 43:10,19, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Expenditure Incidence in Africa: Microeconomic EvidenceFISCAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2000David E. Sahn Abstract In this paper, we examine the progressivity of social sector expenditures in eight sub-Saharan African countries. We employ dominance tests, complemented by extended Gini/concentration coefficients, to determine whether health and education expenditures redistribute resources to the poor. We find that social services are poorly targeted. Among the services examined, primary education tends to be most progressive and university education is least progressive. The benefits associated with hospital care are also less progressive than other health facilities. Our results also show that, while concentration curves are a useful way to summarise information on the distributional benefits of government expenditures, statistical testing of differences in curves is important. [source] Plant functional type classifications in tropical dry forests in Costa Rica: leaf habit versus taxonomic approachesFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Jennifer S. Powers Summary 1.,One way to simplify the high taxonomic diversity of plant species in vegetation models is to place species into groups based on shared, dominant traits. Many studies have suggested that morphological and physiological traits of tropical dry forest tree species vary with leaf habit (i.e. leaves from evergreen, deciduous or semi-deciduous species) and thus this characteristic may serve as a useful way to distinguish ecologically meaningful functional types. 2.,In this study we examine whether 10 plant traits vary with leaf habit in replicated leaves and individual trees of 87 species from a tropical dry forest in Costa Rica. We also looked for evidence of phylogenetic conservatism, i.e. closely related species sharing similar trait values compared to more distantly related taxa. 3.,While some of the traits varied within and among individual trees of the same species, interspecific variation accounted for 57,83% of the variance among samples. Four traits in addition to leaf habit showed evidence of phylogenetic conservatism, but these results were strongly dependent on the inclusion of the 18 species of legumes (Fabaceae) in our dataset. Contrary to our predictions, none of the traits we measured differed among leaf habits. However, five traits (wood density, leaf C, leaf N, N/P and C/N) varied significantly between legumes and other functional types. Furthermore, when all high-nitrogen non-legume taxa were compared to the high-nitrogen legumes, six traits excluding leaf N differed significantly, indicating that legumes are functionally different from other tree species beyond high N concentrations. Similarly, the 18 legume taxa (which all have compound leaves) also differed from other compound-leaved species for six traits, thus leaf type does not explain these patterns. 4.,Our main conclusions are that (i) a plant functional type classification based on leaf habit alone has little utility in the tropical dry forest we studied, and (ii) legumes have a different suite of traits including high leaf carbon and wood density in addition to high leaf nitrogen. Whether this result generalizes to other tropical forests is unknown, but merits future research due to the consequences of these traits for carbon storage and ecosystem processes. [source] An Empirical Taxonomy of Hospital Governing Board RolesHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008Shoou-Yih D. Lee Objective. To develop a taxonomy of governing board roles in U.S. hospitals. Data Sources. 2005 AHA Hospital Governance Survey, 2004 AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals, and Area Resource File. Study Design. A governing board taxonomy was developed using cluster analysis. Results were validated and reviewed by industry experts. Differences in hospital and environmental characteristics across clusters were examined. Data Extraction Methods. One-thousand three-hundred thirty-four hospitals with complete information on the study variables were included in the analysis. Principal Findings. Five distinct clusters of hospital governing boards were identified. Statistical tests showed that the five clusters had high internal reliability and high internal validity. Statistically significant differences in hospital and environmental conditions were found among clusters. Conclusions. The developed taxonomy provides policy makers, health care executives, and researchers a useful way to describe and understand hospital governing board roles. The taxonomy may also facilitate valid and systematic assessment of governance performance. Further, the taxonomy could be used as a framework for governing boards themselves to identify areas for improvement and direction for change. [source] Flow cytometric method for simultaneous assay of foetal haemoglobin containing red cells, reticulocytes and foetal haemoglobin containing reticulocytesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LABORATORY HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Y. Mundee Level of foetal haemoglobin (HbF) containing red cells (F cells) is a parameter for monitoring sickle cell anaemia (SS) patients undergoing treatment with HbF modulating drugs (including hydroxyurea (HU)). One convenient technique for F cell assay is flow cytometry. A flow cytometric method for the simultaneous assay of F cells, reticulocytes and HbF-containing reticulocytes (F reticulocytes) is described in this paper. These three parameters can be obtained within 2 h using double colour staining flow cytometry. Glutaraldehyde fixation, Triton X-100 permeabilization, monoclonal antibody to HbF Tri-colour® conjugate (MoAb-HbF-TC; deep-red fluorescence) immuno-staining and thiazole orange (TO; green fluorescence) are employed. The red cell gate was set on forward scatter (FSC) and logarithmic side scatter (logSSC) for 50 000 cells on the flow cytometer. Fluorescent signals were acquired from fluorescent channel 1 (FL1; green) and (FL4; deep-red). Coefficient of variation percent (%CVs) of intra- and inter-assay were less than 9% and 15%, respectively. EDTA, citrate, heparin and CTAD anticoagulants are all suitable; the samples can be stored at 4°C for up to 6 days. The method is a simple, rapid, convenient, reproducible and useful way of determining F cell, reticulocyte and F reticulocyte levels in sickle cell and thalassaemic patients. [source] Theologizing the Human Jesus: An Ancient (and Modern) Approach to Christology ReassessedINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, Issue 2 2001Ivor Davidson Many contemporary Christologies, while paying lip-service to the primacy of the human Jesus, devote little attention to the theological status of his humanity. They may be deflected from this task by such factors as preference for experienced-based symbol; the fragmentation of biblical studies and dogmatics; the imperatives of contextual hermeneutics; and the preoccupation with methodology rather than substance. But the human Jesus is only theologically meaningful when viewed on a larger canvas than that of either idealist metaphysics or historical reconstruction. The classical doctrines of the anhypostasis and enhypostasis of Jesus' humanity offer a still useful way of highlighting the primacy of grace, and, contrary to common caricature, do not undermine the density of his human experience. Such an account needs to be supplemented, however, with a robust pneumatology in order to specify the relevance of the human Jesus for revelation, salvation, anthropology, ethics and eschatology. [source] Reclaiming a Theological Reading of the Bible: Barth's Interpretation of Job as a Case StudyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, Issue 2 2000Robert J. Sherman Modern scholarship often seems intent on breaking scripture apart without offering a means to put it back together again in an intellectually responsible and theologically useful way. This article recognizes that numerous scholars have sought to redress this situation and suggests that Karl Barth's method of scriptural interpretation may be a useful and instructive resource. Barth possessed the historical-critical skills of his day yet always employed them in the service of his theological interpretation. One clear example of his method may be found in his ,mini-commentary' on the book of Job (in Church Dogmatics IV/3), which is examined as a case study. [source] Evolution of M1 crown size and cusp proportions in the genus HomoJOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 5 2009Rolf Quam Abstract Previous research into tooth crown dimensions and cusp proportions has proved to be a useful way to identify taxonomic differences in Pliocene and Pleistocene fossil hominins. The present study has identified changes in both M1 crown size and cusp proportions within the genus Homo, with M1 overall crown size reduction apparently occurring in two main stages. The first stage (a reduction of ca. 17%) is associated with the emergence of Homo ergaster and Homo erectus sensu stricto. The second stage (a reduction of ca. 10%) occurs in Homo sapiens, but the reduced modern human M1 tooth crown size was only attained in Upper Paleolithic times. The absolute sizes of the individual cusps are highly positively correlated with overall crown size and dental reduction produces a reduction in the absolute size of each of the cusps. Most of the individual cusps scale isometrically with crown size, but the paracone shows a negative allometric relationship, indicating that the reduction in paracone size is less than in the other M1 cusps. Thus, the phylogenetically oldest cusp in the upper molars also seems to be the most stable cusp (at least in the M1). The most striking change in M1 cusp proportions is a change in the relative size of the areas of the paracone and metacone. The combination of a small relative paracone and a large relative metacone generally characterizes specimens attributed to early Homo, and the presence of this character state in Australopithecus and Paranthropus suggests it may represent the primitive condition for the later part of the hominin clade. In contrast, nearly all later Homo taxa, with the exception of Homo antecessor, show the opposite condition (i.e. a relatively large paracone and a relatively small metacone). This change in the relationship between the relative sizes of the paracone and metacone is related to an isometric reduction of the absolute size of the metacone. This metacone reduction occurs in the context of relative stability in the paracone as crown size decreases. Among later Homo taxa, both Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis show a further reduction of the metacone and an enlargement of the hypocone. Fossil and contemporary H. sapiens samples show a trend toward increasing the relative size of the protocone and decreasing the relative size of the hypocone. In Europe, modern human M1 cusp proportions are essentially reached during the Upper Paleolithic. Although some variation was documented among the fossil taxa, we suggest that the relative size of the M1 paracone and metacone areas may be useful for differentiating the earliest members of our genus from subsequent Homo species. [source] Predictive and interpolative biplots applied to canonical variate analysis in the discrimination of vegetable oils by their fatty acid compositionJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 9 2004M. Rui Alves Abstract The fatty acid profiles of 120 commercial unblended peanut, corn, soybean and sunflower vegetable oils and 17 commercial brands of blended edible oils were determined by HRGC/FID/capillary column, including several cis and trans isomers of mono-, di- and tri-unsaturated fatty acids as well as fatty acids with an odd number of carbon atoms. Although many statistical techniques may show some usefulness in the description and analysis of the data obtained, predictive biplots applied to canonical variate analysis prove to be a very useful way of carrying out interpretations and an important aid in building up models, while interpolative biplots display great advantages in the utilization of models for classification purposes on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, these biplots require only a modest understanding of statistical tools, since all judgements are made regarding original fatty acids and original measuring units. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Improving the quality of reporting acupuncture interventions: describing the collaboration between STRICTA, CONSORT and the Chinese Cochrane CentreJOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009Hugh MacPherson Background First published in 2001, STRICTA (STandards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture) was designed to expand on the reporting of one item within the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) Statement checklist, the item relating to the intervention. Two recent reviews had found that STRICTA was highly regarded in the field and that there was a need for minor revisions. Objective To revise STRICTA within the CONSORT family of reporting guidelines. Design A collaborative effort involving the STRICTA Group, the CONSORT Group and the Chinese Cochrane Centre was agreed. A consultation process with 47 international experts provided detailed feedback on an initial draft of a revised checklist. These data, along with the two review studies, comprised the documentation for a consensus meeting in Freiburg, Germany in October 2008. A total of 21 participants attended the meeting, bringing their expertise as research methodologists, reporting guideline developers, acupuncturists, physicians and journal editors. Results At the workshop, a revised draft checklist was agreed. There was general consensus that STRICTA should continue to function as a stand-alone guideline as well as an extension to CONSORT. It was agreed that STRICTA should be sufficiently broad to cover all type of clinical studies, from case reports through uncontrolled studies to randomised controlled trials. It was also decided that explanations and examples, as with other CONSORT reporting guidelines, would provide a useful way of supporting the uptake to the new recommendations when published. Discussion The checklist will be subjected to further revision processes in order to further its impact and support wider dissemination. Journals that regularly publish acupuncture trials will be encouraged to adopt the revised STRICTA, include it in their guidelines for authors, and promote the adoption of its recommendations for clinical studies of acupuncture. [source] Welfare Reform and Teenage Pregnancy, Childbirth, and School DropoutJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 1 2004Lingxin Hao This study estimates the effect of welfare reform on adolescent behaviors using a difference-in-differences approach. After defining the prereform and reform cohorts and considering the life course development of adolescent behavior by following each cohort from age 14 to age 16, we compare the welfare-target and nontarget populations in the two cohorts. The difference-in-differences estimates are obtained using an event history model. Our analysis suggests that welfare reform has not reduced teenage fertility and school dropout. We find modest evidence that welfare reform is associated with higher risk of teenage births for girls in welfare families and higher risk of school dropout for girls in poor families. A combination of a difference-in-differences approach and a life course perspective can be a useful way to delineate the effect of societal-level change on family phenomena. [source] Delphi survey of research prioritiesJOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2009BARRY WIENER MSN Aim, To identify nurses' priorities for topics and issues to be addressed by a developing nursing research program at a county hospital. Background, Delphi surveys have been effective at other hospitals to identify research priorities of nurses. Methods, A Delphi survey was performed in two rounds. Questionnaires were distributed to all 415 nurses who worked at the hospital. Results, A total of 274 nurses returned the Round I questionnaire (response rate, 66%), and 249 returned the Round II questionnaire (response rate, 60%). Conclusions, The Delphi survey was successfully used to identify nurses' research priorities at a county hospital. A total of 39 topics were identified from content analysis of research areas described by nurses. Factor analysis revealed three factors: work environment, newborn issues and effects of leadership. Implications for nursing management, The Delphi survey is a useful way to begin a program of research. Nurses who have a successful experience with research are more likely to become further involved in research, which will allow them to more effectively participate in decision making and improving the work environment. In addition, items were identified that needed to be addressed by nursing managers. [source] Stabilized Record Base for Implant TreatmentJOURNAL OF PROSTHODONTICS, Issue 7 2010Susan S. Nimmo DDS Abstract It is important to obtain an accurate interocclusal record for the restoration of patients undergoing implant treatment. Atrophic alveolar bone in the mandible not only limits the placement of implants, but also contributes to deficient ridge morphology resulting in unstable record bases. Securing the record base to the implants is a useful way to obtain an accurate registration. The technique presented in this article uses two widely spaced implants as the optimal number of implants to stabilize record bases. [source] Writing the reflexive self: an autoethnography of alcoholism and the impact of psychotherapy cultureJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 7 2010A. GRANT ba (hons) ma phd cert res meth pgctlhe, enb 650 cert Accessible summary ,,Experimental ethnography allows for the use of fiction in writing. Fiction both enables the preservation of anonymity in accounts based on real people and events and breaks down the barrier between art and science in ethnographic work. The use of fiction, which should not be regarded as synonymous with falsehood, arguably facilitates telling tales in a dramatic and enjoyable way. It is also a useful way of ,writing the self', so that the researcher and the researched become one and the same. Writing the self means using fiction and other literary tools to both construct and clarify the person being written about. In the case of autoethnography, this person is both the researcher and the researched. ,,The short story, which forms the heart of this paper, is based on the author's battle with alcoholism over two decades. It utilizes literary devices, including poetry, time changes, and moves from describing the main protagonist in the story in first to third person. The story describes the author's experiences of feeling increasingly stigmatized and treated as ,other' by members of the humanistic counselling and therapy fraternity. ,,The paper draws to an end with a theoretical discussion of the development of selfhood in society, including the ways in which alcoholic selves can become stigmatized and ,othered'. The author invites readers to contribute towards ending ,us,them' divisions. Abstract Experimental ethnography enables the use of fictionalized accounts that celebrate partial truths and challenge realist and positivist ethnographic authority. Literary devices drawn from fiction arguably allow social researchers to better portray real events. Fiction, which should not be regarded as synonymous with falsehood, enables the telling of tales in dramatic and enjoyable ways. In this account , an autoethnography of alcoholism and the impact of therapy culture , the author's intention is not to make claims for a final word or closure on the topics raised, and juxtaposed with appropriate social theory. It is rather hoped that the text will trigger further meaning creation on the part of the reader and, in terms of praxis, contribute towards creating a kinder and more humane mental health nursing and therapy practice and in the ,off duty' world. [source] Exploring teachers' informal formative assessment practices and students' understanding in the context of scientific inquiryJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 1 2007Maria Araceli Ruiz-Primo This study explores teachers' informal formative assessment practices in three middle school science classrooms. We present a model for examining these practices based on three components of formative assessment (eliciting, recognizing, and using information) and the three domains linked to scientific inquiry (epistemic frameworks, conceptual structures, and social processes). We describe the informal assessment practices as ESRU cycles,the teacher Elicits a question; the Student responds; the teacher Recognizes the student's response; and then Uses the information collected to support student learning. By tracking the strategies teachers used in terms of ESRU cycles, we were able to capture differences in assessment practices across the three teachers during the implementation of four investigations of a physical science unit on buoyancy. Furthermore, based on information collected in a three-question embedded assessment administered to assess students' learning, we linked students' level of performance to the teachers' informal assessment practices. We found that the teacher who more frequently used complete ESRU cycles had students with higher performance on the embedded assessment as compared with the other two teachers. We conclude that the ESRU model is a useful way of capturing differences in teachers' informal assessment practices. Furthermore, the study suggests that effective informal formative assessment practices may be associated with student learning in scientific inquiry classrooms. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach [source] Phenolic Hydroxy Groups Incorporated for the Peroxidase-Catalyzed Gelation of a Carboxymethylcellulose Support: Cellular Adhesion and ProliferationMACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE, Issue 3 2009Yuko Ogushi Abstract The effect of Ph-OH group content on gelation time, mechanical properties, hydrophobicity, and cellular adhesiveness of hydrogels produced from carboxymethylcellulose derivatives is investigated. A higher Ph-OH group content induces faster gelation and yields more brittle and hydrophobic gels. After 4 h of seeding, a larger number of L929 fibroblasts adhere to the hydrogel of the CMC-Ph that contains 15.4 Ph-OH groups per 100 repeat units of uronic acid (97% adhesion rate) than to the gel of CMC-Ph with only 8.4 Ph-OH groups (62% adhesion rate). The results demonstrate that controlling the Ph-OH group content is an effective and useful way to control cellular adhesion and proliferation on the hydrogels, as well as gelation time and mechanical properties of the gels. [source] Similar excitation after sevoflurane anaesthesia in young children given rectal morphine or midazolam as premedicationACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 10 2004W. Malmgren Background:, Sevoflurane is a rapid-acting volatile anaesthetic agent frequently used in paediatric anaesthesia despite transient postoperative symptoms of cerebral excitation, particularly in preschool children. This randomised and investigator-blinded study was designed to evaluate whether premedication with an opioid might reduce non-divertible postoperative excitation more than premedication with a benzodiazepine in preschool children anaesthetized with sevoflurane. Methods:, Ninety-two healthy two to six year-old children scheduled for nasal adenoidectomy were randomised to be given rectal atropine 0.02 mg kg,1 together with either morphine 0.15 mg kg,1 or midazolam 0.30 mg kg,1 approximately 30 min before induction and maintenance of sevoflurane anaesthesia. The patient groups were compared pre- and postoperatively by repeated clinical assessments of cerebral excitation according to a modified Objective Pain Discomfort Scale, OPDS. Results:, There were no statistically significant postoperative differences in incidence, extent or duration of excitation between children given morphine or midazolam for premedication, whereas morphine was associated with more preoperative excitation than was midazolam. The study groups did not differ significantly with respect to age, weight, duration of surgery and anaesthesia, and time from tracheal extubation to arrival in and discharge from the postoperative ward. Conclusion:, In this study morphine for premedication in young children anaesthetized with sevoflurane was associated with similar postoperative and higher preoperative OPDS scores compared with midazolam. These findings indicate that substitution of morphine for midazolam is no useful way of reducing clinical excitation after sevoflurane anaesthesia. [source] Pain Symptom Profiles in Persons with Spinal Cord InjuryPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 7 2009Yenisel Cruz-Almeida MSPH ABSTRACT Objective., Persistent pain is a common consequence of spinal cord injury. A patient-specific assessment that combines both the identification of pain symptoms and psychosocial factors is needed for a tailored treatment approach. The aim of the study was to define pain symptom profiles and to determine their relationship with psychosocial factors in persons with spinal cord injury. Design., Face-to-face interview and examination. Setting., VA Medical Center and Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Miami, Florida. Patients., Persons with spinal cord injury (135 men and 21 women) provided detailed descriptions of 330 neuropathic pains. Outcome Measures., The American Spinal Injury Impairment Scale, pain history and measures of pain interference, life satisfaction, locus of control, social support and depression. Results., The exploratory factor analyses and regression analyses revealed three distinct symptom profiles: 1) aching, throbbing pain, aggravated by cold weather and constipation predicted by a combination of chance locus of control and lower levels of life satisfaction; 2) stabbing, penetrating, and constant pain of high intensity predicted by a combination of pain interference, localized pain, powerful others locus of control and depressed mood; and 3) burning, electric, and stinging pain aggravated by touch and muscle spasms predicted by pain interference. Conclusions., Although these results need to be replicated in other spinal cord injury samples, our findings suggest that pain symptom profiles may be a useful way to further characterize pain in a comprehensive assessment strategy. [source] Toward the Validation of BaPERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2003Craig L. Burton ABSTRACT HPT practitioners have found knowledge management concepts a useful way of thinking about information "root causes" in analyzing performance deficits. Nonaka and Konno (1998) have offered their theory of "ba," or "space," suggesting that particular environments facilitate the "conversion" of particular types of knowledge. Constructing environments where particular forms of knowledge are transferred among groups of individuals is naturally appealing as it offers the HPT consultant the opportunity to create interventions to disseminate social or group understandings. In this study we argue that the validity of the theory needs to be tested in natural settings in order to give credence to its utility and bring more precision to the prescriptions. This study focuses on the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge, or "interacting ba." Three corporate groups were observed as they collaborated to develop instructional, Web-based stories intended to capture their tacit organizational understandings. The investigators used a comparative case study method to investigate three design retreats. A reasonable level of support was created for the theory. [source] After Freud: Phantasy and Imagination in the Philosophy of ReligionPHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008Beverley Clack Philosophers of religion have tended to focus on Freud's dismissal of religion as an illusion, thus characterising his account as primarily hostile. Those who wish to engage with psychoanalytic ideas in order to understand religion in a more positive way have tended to look to later psychoanalysts for more sympathetic sources. This paper suggests that other aspects of Freud's own writings might, surprisingly, provide such tools. In particular, a more subtle understanding of the relationship between illusion and reality emerges in his theory, that itself offers a useful way of understanding the meaning and significance of religion for the human animal. By exploring these sources a view of religion emerges which connects it closely with the processes of imagination and creativity. Under this view, religion is more than just a set of hypotheses to be proved or disproved. In religion, we have access to the most deeply rooted wishes and anxieties of the human heart, and thus its investigation enables a deeper understanding of what it is to be a human being. [source] Synthesis and studies of the physical properties of polyaniline and polyurethane-modified epoxy compositesPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008Wen-Chin Chiou Two series of toughened, semiconductive polyaniline (PANI)/polyurethane (PU)-epoxy (PANI/PU-EPOXY) nano-composites were prepared using a conductive polymer, PANI, and PU prepolymer-modified-diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy. First, the PU prepolymer-modified epoxy oligomer was synthesized by a stoichiometric reaction between the terminal isocyanate groups of the PU prepolymer and the pendent hydroxyl groups of the epoxide. PU prepolymers were made either of polyester (polybutylene adipate, PBA) or polyether (polypropylene glycol, PPG) segments. The composites were characterized by thermal, morphological, mechanical, and electrical studies. Impact strength was enhanced 100% in PU (PPG 2000)-modified composites; whereas, only ca. 30,50% increases in impact strength were observed for the other modified composites. In addition, the thermal stability of this composite proved superior to that of neat epoxy resin, regardless of a PU content at 27.5 wt%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphology study showed that the spherical PU (PPG 2000) particles (ca. 0.2,0.5 ,m) dispersed within the matrix accounts for these extraordinary properties. The conductivity of the composite increased to ca. 10,9,10,3 S cm,1 upon addition of PANI when tested in the frequency range 1 kHz,13 MHz. This study demonstrated a useful way to simultaneously improve the toughness and conductivity of the epoxy composite, thus rendering it suitable for electromagnetic interference and various charge dissipation applications. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Barriers to the provision of evidence-based psychosocial care in oncologyPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 10 2006Penelope Schofield Abstract Meeting the psychological, social and physical needs of people with cancer is a challenge for individual health practitioners, health administrators and health policy makers. However, there is a considerable gap between recommended best-evidence psychosocial and supportive care and actual practice. This paper provides a discussion of the reasons for this gap using the precede-proceed model as a theoretical framework. The model is a useful way of classifying potential barriers to the application of recommended best practice into three categories: predisposing factors which influence motivation to behave in a particular way, enabling factors which facilitate the enactment of the behaviour and reinforcing factors which increase the likelihood that the behaviour will be maintained over time. Ways of addressing these barriers are proposed and discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] DECENTRALIZING HEALTH SERVICES IN THE UK: A NEW CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 2 2008STEPHEN PECKHAM Decentralization is a central plank of current government health policy. However, it is possible to discern both centralist and decentralist movements in the UK. This paper examines existing frameworks of decentralization in relation to identifying whether policy is decentralist or not and identifies a number of problems that limit their value. Key problems relate to the way decentralization is conceptualized and defined. Existing frameworks are also highly contextualized and are therefore of limited value when applied in different contexts. The paper then presents a new framework which, it is argued, provides a more useful way of examining centralization and decentralization by providing a way of categorizing policies and actions and avoids the problems of being contextually constrained. The paper ends with a discussion of how the framework can be applied in a health context and shows how this framework helps avoid the problems found in previous discussions of decentralization. [source] Perceptions of Children's Body Sizes Among Mothers Living on the Texas-Mexico Border (La Frontera)PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2006Elizabeth Reifsnider ABSTRACT Objectives: The objectives of this study were to quantify mothers' perceptions of their children's sizes and explore mothers' views of child growth, diet, activity, and health. Photographs of children from the Berkeley Longitudinal Growth Study (on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] Web site) were used to stimulate discussion with mothers about child sizes. Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study examined mothers' perceptions of their children's size and their beliefs about child size, growth, and health. Sample: The convenience sample included 25 mother,child dyads of 3-year-old children at two Head Start Centers in a county on the Texas,Mexico border. All mothers self-identified as Hispanic. Measurement: Photographs of children were shown to elicit mothers' perceptions of children's body sizes. The children and mothers were weighed and measured and their body mass indices (BMIs) were computed. The mothers were interviewed about their beliefs on child health, growth, and feeding. Results: No congruence was found between mothers' perceptions of child sizes in the pictures and their children's sizes. Conclusions: Using CDC photographs does not appear to be a useful way to educate mothers about child body sizes. A child who is happy, active, and can accomplish normal childhood activities is not considered by mothers as overweight, regardless of the child's BMI. [source] Effects of a Severe Frost on Riparian Rainforest Restoration in the Australian Wet Tropics: Foliage Retention by Species and the Role of Forest ShelterRESTORATION ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Timothy J. Curran Restoration of ecological communities that can withstand future climate and land use changes requires information on species responses to various natural disturbances. Frost is an important disturbance that regulates plant species distributions, and although rare in tropical rainforest, it can occur in upland areas, especially where deforestation has occurred. We report the impacts of a severe frost that occurred in June and July 2007 on the Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia and caused extensive damage to riparian restoration plots of upland rainforest species. We estimated proportion foliage retention to (1) compare impacts across 45 species; (2) examine the influence of plant height on frost effects; and (3) determine if plantings under shelterbelts of mature trees received less damage. Species exhibited different levels of foliage retention. Species that were particularly frost resistant included those from riparian habitats and a conifer. Some heavily impacted species are deciduous and may survive frost by shedding leaves; this warrants further investigation. Plant canopy height above ground level was only weakly correlated to foliage retention. Sheltered plants were much less damaged than unsheltered conspecifics, suggesting a useful way to mitigate frost impacts. These principles should help guide the development of resilient ecological communities in frost-prone areas. [source] Material civilization: things and societyTHE BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Tim Dant Abstract This paper argues that although classical sociology has largely overlooked the importance of social relations with the material world in shaping the form of society, Braudel's concept of ,material civilization' is a useful way to begin to understand the sociological significance of this relationship. The limitations of Braudel's historical and general concept can be partially overcome with Elias's analysis of the connection between ,technization' and ,civilization' that allows for both a civilizing and a de-civilizing impact of emergent forms of material relation that both lengthen and shorten the chains of interdependence between the members of a society. It is suggested that the concept of the ,morality of things' employed by a number of commentators is useful in summarizing the civilizing effects of material objects and addressing their sociological significance. From the sociology of consumption the idea of materiality as a sign of social relationships can be drawn, and from the sociology of technology the idea of socio-technical systems and actor-networks can contribute to the understanding of material civilization. It is argued that the concept of ,material capital' can usefully summarize the variable social value of objects but to understand the complexity of material civilization as it unfolds in everyday life, an analysis of ,material interaction' is needed. Finally the paper suggests some initial themes and issues apparent in contemporary society that the sociological study of material civilization might address; the increased volume, functional complexity and material specificity of objects and the increased social complexity, autonomy and substitutability that is entailed. A theory of ,material civilization' is the first step in establishing a sociology of objects. [source] Can Intergenerational Practice Offer a Way of Limiting Anti-Social Behaviour and Fear of Crime?THE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 5 2006STEPHEN MOORE In the main, its response has been to introduce a range of punitive measures. The main subjects of these punitive policies appear to be young people, whose activities are perceived to be closely linked to anti-social behaviour and fear of crime. Critics have argued that these measures merely increase the fear of crime amongst older generations by weakening informal controls and limiting contact between the generations. In this article, we review intergenerational practice (IP) which has been growing in popularity in both the USA and the UK, and which stresses the importance of creating dialogue between generations, which it is claimed can help prevent anti-social behaviour and limit fear. We examine critically the theory and practice of IP and suggest that although it has substantial flaws, it may provide a useful way forward to limiting anti-social behaviour and fear of crime, when linked with wider social regeneration programmes. [source] Semi-geostrophic solutions for flow over a ridgeTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 623 2007M. J. P. Cullen Abstract An algorithm for solving the semi-geostrophic (SG) equations using real physical variables in terrain-following coordinates is developed and used to demonstrate the expected rate of convergence of solutions of the complete equations of motion to SG solutions as the Rossby number is reduced. The tests are carried out with significant orography in a vertical slice geometry. Two asymptotic limits are tested. The SG limit is singular in one of the limits and smooth in the other. The results show the validity of using the SG model for diagnostic purposes in appropriate regimes. They also expose a number of boundary condition and numerical issues, showing that comparison with rigorous error estimates is a useful way of validating numerical procedures. © Crown Copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||