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Ecological Approach (ecological + approach)
Selected AbstractsIX. EFFECT OF AN OCCUPATIONAL SHIFT ON FAMILY LIFESTYLE: AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACHMONOGRAPHS OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2006Aline M. Garrett First page of article [source] The Climate for Transformation: Lessons for LeadersCREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007Scott G. Isaksen This article reports insights for organizational leaders based on a series of case studies describing the use of the Situational Outlook Questionnaire as a tool to assist them with their transformation efforts. Leaders often assert the need to change their organizational cultures. This article seeks to clarify and differentiate culture from climate, and then focus on what leaders can do to transform their climate by applying a deliberate assessment tool. As the case studies illustrate, making organizational transformation happen is best approached through a systemic or ecological approach. This approach includes considering the people involved, the methods deployed, the desired outcome of the change as well as the context within which the transformation occurs. The broadest concept within this framework is context, which includes both culture and climate, among other things. Since context is key to initiating and sustaining transformation, emphasis on the leader's role in climate creation will be provided. [source] Hydrologic sources of carbon cycling uncertainty throughout the terrestrial,aquatic continuumGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2005G. Darrel Jenerette Abstract Linking hydrologic interactions with global carbon cycling will reduce the uncertainty associated with scaling-up empirical studies and facilitate the incorporation of terrestrial,aquatic linkages within global and regional change models. Much of the uncertainty in estimates of carbon fluxes associated with precipitation and hydrologic transport results from the extensive spatial and temporal heterogeneity in both intrinsic functioning and anthropogenic modification of hydrological cycles. To better understand this variation we developed a landscape ecological approach to coupled hydrologic,carbon cycling that merges local mechanisms with multiple-scale spatial heterogeneity. This spatially explicit framework is applied to examine variability in hydrologic influences on carbon cycling along a continental scale water availability gradient with an explicit consideration of human sources of variability. Hydrologic variation is an important component of the uncertainty in carbon cycling; accounting for this variation will improve understanding of current conditions and projections of future ecosystem responses to global change. [source] A human ecological approach to tourism interactionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 3 2003David A. Fennell Abstract Building on the previous work of Budowski, Murphy and Butler, this paper develops a conceptual framework that examines tourism industry relationships from a human ecological perspective. In particular, predation, competition, neutrality and symbiosis are used to illustrate that tourism industry stakeholders (i.e., various types of tourism, operators, local people, and other land users) value and use resources differently and, in doing so, place varying levels of pressure on each other and the resource base. Human ecology is identified and discussed as a field of research that holds potential in strengthening our understanding of tourism's human ecological interactions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Social support and risk of sexual assault revictimization,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Gillian E. Mason Limited research on revictimization has examined the role of social support, which is known to affect sexual assault survivors' psychological recovery. Measuring social support also provides a more ecological approach to understanding revictimization, as it assesses the possible role of those in the survivors' environment. The current study examined how social support and disclosure experiences of 625 community-based survivors related to their revictimization status over a 12-month period. Results showed differences between revictimized and nonrevictimized survivors in terms of who they disclosed to about their assault. In addition, revictimized survivors received less informational and emotional support and more blaming reactions. Implications for future research regarding using an ecological approach to better understand revictimization risk are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Fungal community diversity and soil health in intensive potato cropping systems of the east Po valley, northern ItalyANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009L.M. Manici Abstract An ecological approach was used to investigate the relationship between diversity of soil fungal communities and soil-borne pathogen inoculum in a potato growing area of northern Italy affected by yield decline. The study was performed in 14 sites with the same tillage management practices: 10 named ,potato sites', that for many years had been intensely cultivated with potatoes, and 4 named ,rotation sites', subject to a 4-year rotation without potatoes or any recurrent crop for many years. Fungal communities were recorded using conventional (soil fungi by plate count and endophytic fungi as infection frequency on pot-grown potato plant roots in soil samples) and molecular approaches [Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes with specific and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis]. Diversity of fungal communities in potato sites was significantly lower than that in rotation sites. In addition, fungal communities in rotation sites showed lower Berger,Parker dominance than those in the potato sites, suggesting that rotation sites had a higher diversity as well as a better fungal community balance than potato sites. The ANalysis Of SIMilarity test of soil fungi and root endophytic fungi revealed that the two cropping systems differed significantly for species composition. Root endophytic fungal communities showed a greater ability to colonise potato roots in soil samples from potato sites than those from rotation sites. Moreover, the majority of endophytic root fungal community species in potato sites belonged to the potato root rot complex and storage disease (Colletotrichum coccodes, Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum), while those in rotation sites were mainly ubiquitous or saprobic fungi. Soil rDNA analyses showed that Ascomycetes were much more frequent than Basidiomycetes in all the soils examined. DGGE analysis, with the Ascomycete-specific primer (ITS1F/ITS4A), did not reveal distinctions between the communities found at the potato and rotation sites, although the same analysis showed differences between the communities of Basidiomycetes (specific primer ITS1F/ITS4B). These findings showed that recurrent potato cropping affected diversity and composition of soil fungal communities and induced a shift in specialisation of the endophytic fungi towards potato. [source] Perceiving communion in the dyadic relationship of othersASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Sylvia Xiaohua Chen The present research took an ecological approach to explore a relational issue in social perception , are the perceived personality characteristics of dyad members and their perceived behavioural exchanges related to perceptions of that dyad's perceived level of friendship? To this end, observers reported on a dyad they knew well using an indigenous measure of personality perception and the Dyadic Behavioural Exchange Scale, combined with an adapted version of Hays' Friendship Observation Checklist. Perceived similarity of personality on the dimensions of application, emotional stability (negative) and helpfulness (negative) along with the perceived level of dyadic behaviour exchange were found to be additive predictors of perceived communion or friendship strength. This interplay of personal and interpersonal processes has demonstrated the application of methodological relationalism in the social domain, and broadened the ambit of social cognition to include knowledge of relationship units of which the observer is not a member, but which plays a part in his or her social world. [source] An ecological approach to the design of information systemsBULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2006Director Raya Fidel, Professor No abstract is available for this article. [source] Constraints on the conversion to sustainable production: the case of the Dutch potato chainBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 6 2008A. A. H. (Arnoud) Smit Abstract The question of how to make agriculture more sustainable is a timely topic. This paper examines the Dutch potato supply chain in the context of its surrounding network. Based on the chain network approach it identifies constraints on conversion to organic potato production from a business administration and a public administration perspective. Two obvious constraints are the demand for ecologically produced products and the problem of cultivating potatoes. However, the potential for conversion is also affected by the way the market and the supply chain are structured, by the coordination of activities, efficiency-driven actors, relations and interdependencies between actors and by the asymmetrical distribution of power. Furthermore, conversion is constrained by the limited influence of network parties such as NGOs and current government policies. Based on the analysis, the paper questions whether the ecological approach (organic farming) will be more effective than strengthening a more generic approach stimulating the sustainability of the sector. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Family support: the roles of early years' centresCHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 2 2003Rosalind H. Kirk The development of children and the welfare of their parents are closely inter-linked. The study outlined below uses a longitudinal, ecological approach to explore links between different models of early years' centres and the expansion of parents support networks. Over time, parenting stress reduced and well-being improved. Sources of informal and formal support developed and extended. It is argued that all types of centres need to develop a comprehensive approach to child development in which child care and education, as well as family support, are explicit functions. This can promote family resilience as well as social inclusion in communities. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On the clinical relevance of early deficits in critical linguistic functionsACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 12 2005Francisco Lacerda Abstract The clinical significance of patterns of deficits in semantic and phonological representations observed by Miniscalco et al. is discussed in light of an ecological approach to language development. Conclusion: Deficits in semantic representations reflect problems in capturing the core linguistic referential function and should be taken as serious early warning signals for language delay. [source] Civic Engagement From a Communication Infrastructure PerspectiveCOMMUNICATION THEORY, Issue 2 2006Yong-Chan Kim The purpose of this study is to articulate the concepts and assumptions of communication infrastructure theory (CIT) in its present stage of development and validation. As an ecological approach to communication and community, CIT claims that access to storytelling community resources is a critical factor in civic engagement. When embedded in a neighborhood environment where key community storytellers encourage each other to talk about the neighborhood, individual residents are more likely to belong to their community, to have a strong sense of collective efficacy, and to participate in civic actions. CIT framework offers a way to examine the ecological processes that concern the effects of communication resources on civic community. [source] The senescence of Daphnia from risky and safe habitatsECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 2 2001Dudycha Evaluating life history in an ecological context is critical for understanding the diversity of life histories found in nature. Lifespan and senescence differ greatly among taxa, but their ecological context is not well known. Life history theory proposes that senescence is ultimately caused by a reduction of the effectiveness of natural selection as organisms age. A key prediction is that different levels of extrinsic mortality risk lead to the evolution of different senescence patterns. I quantified both mortality risk and investment in late-life fitness of Daphnia pulex-pulicaria, a common freshwater zooplankter. I found that Daphnia from high-risk pond habitats invest relatively little in late-life fitness, whereas those from low-risk lake habitats invest relatively more in late-life fitness. This suggests that ecological approaches can be useful for understanding senescence variation. [source] Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people's experiences of distress: resilience, ambivalence and self-destructive behaviourHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2008Jonathan Scourfield BA MA DipSW PhD Abstract The research presented in this paper set out to explore the cultural context of youth suicide and more specifically any connections between sexual identity and self-destructive behaviour, in the light of international evidence about the disproportionate risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people. The empirical basis for the paper is qualitative research that was carried out in the North West of England and South Wales. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with a total of 69 young people, with a purposive sample to reflect diversity of sexual identity, social class and regional and rural-urban location. The paper presents a thematic analysis of the data specifically relating to the experiences of LGBT young people. A range of strategies that LGBT young people employ in the face of distress are described. These are categorised as resilience, ambivalence and self-destructive behaviour (including self-harm and suicide). The potential implications for health and social care of these strategies include the need for ecological approaches and for sexual cultural competence in practitioners, as well as prioritisation of LGBT risk within suicide prevention policies. [source] Testing alternate ecological approaches to seagrass rehabilitation: links to life-history traitsJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Andrew D. Irving Summary 1.,Natural resources and ecosystem services provided by the world's major biomes are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic impacts. Rehabilitation is a common approach to recreating and maintaining habitats, but limitations to the success of traditional techniques necessitate new approaches. 2.,Almost one-third of the world's productive seagrass meadows have been lost in the past 130 years. Using a combined total of three seagrass species at seven sites over 8 years, we experimentally assessed the performance of multiple rehabilitation methods that utilize fundamentally different ecological approaches. 3.,First, traditional methods of transplantation were tested and produced varied survival (0,80%) that was site dependent. Secondly, seedling culture and outplanting produced poor survival (2,9%) but reasonable growth. Finally, a novel method that used sand-filled bags of hessian to overcome limitations of traditional techniques by facilitating recruitment and establishment of seedlings in situ produced recruit densities of 150,350 seedlings m,2, with long-term survival (up to 38 months) ranging from 0 to 72 individuals m,2. 4.,Results indicate that facilitating seagrass recruitment in situ using hessian bags can provide a new tool to alleviate current limitations to successful rehabilitation (e.g. mobile sediments, investment of time and resources), leading to more successful management and mitigation of contemporary losses. Hessian bags have distinct environmental and economic advantages over other methods tested in that they do not damage existing meadows, are biodegradable, quick to deploy, and cost less per hectare (US$16 737) than the estimated ecosystem value of seagrass meadows (US$27 039 year,1). 5.,Synthesis and applications. This research demonstrates how exploring alternate ecological approaches to habitat rehabilitation can expand our collective toolbox for successfully re-creating complex and productive ecosystems, and alleviate the destructive side-effects and low success rates of more traditional techniques. Moreover, new methods can offer economic and environmental solutions to the restrictions placed upon managers of natural resources. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||