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Existing Practices (existing + practice)
Selected AbstractsImplementing the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) Directive in the South West of EnglandENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2004Clare Brooke The South West of England is famous as being an area rich in environmental features and heritage. The tools available to local authorities and other organizations to protect this valued environment are being expanded to include strategic environmental assessment (SEA). SEA is being introduced under a European Community directive, which will be incorporated into UK law in 2004. The directive will require national, regional and local authorities to carry out environmental assessment on certain plans and programmes that they promote. To ensure that the effectiveness of SEA in the South West is maximized, the South West Regional Assembly is working with local authorities and regional partners to consider the implications of the directive, and help the region prepare for its implementation. The aim of the project is to more clearly define the potential for SEA within the South West, examine the barriers that organizations may face when implementing the directive and establish good practice within the region. Work has been carried out to examine specific requirements of the SEA Directive, including the baseline data requirements for undertaking SEAs, and methodological differences between SEA and sustainability appraisals. Existing practice was examined to consider how current planning processes can be adapted to fulfil the requirements of the directive. Case studies were also undertaken to examine the issues around implementing the directive for non-land-use plans, including transport, economic development, waste management, renewable energy and flood management. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Ecotoxicity testing of chemicals with particular reference to pesticidesPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 7 2006Colin H Walker Abstract Ecotoxicity tests are performed on vertebrates and invertebrates for the environmental risk assessment of pesticides and other chemicals and for a variety of ecotoxicological studies in the laboratory and in the field. Existing practices and strategies in ecotoxicity testing are reviewed, including an account of current requirements of the European Commission for the testing of pesticides and the recent REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restrictions of Chemicals) proposals for industrial chemicals. Criticisms of existing practices have been made on both scientific and ethical grounds, and these are considered before dealing with the question of possible alternative methods and strategies both for environmental risk assessment and for ecotoxicological studies more generally. New approaches from an ecological point of view are compared with recent developments in laboratory-based methods such as toxicity tests, biomarker assays and bioassays. With regard to the development of new strategies for risk assessment, it is suggested that full consideration should be given to the findings of earlier long-term studies of pollution, which identified mechanisms of action by which environmental chemicals can cause natural populations to decline. Neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption are two cases in point, and biomarker assays for them could have an important role in testing new chemicals suspected of having these properties. In a concluding discussion, possible ways of improving testing protocols are discussed, having regard for current issues in the field of environmental risk assessment as exemplified by the debate over the REACH proposals. The importance of flexibility and the roles of ecologists and ecotoxicologists are stressed in the context of environmental risk assessment. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Child-Rearing: On government intervention and the discourse of expertsEDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY, Issue 6 2008Paul Smeyers Abstract For Kant, education was understood as the ,means' to become human,and that is to say, rational. For Rousseau by contrast, and the many child-centred educators that followed him, the adult world, far from representing reason, is essentially corrupt and given over to the superficialities of worldly vanity. On this view, the child, as a product of nature, is essentially good and will learn all she needs to know from experience. Both positions have their own problems, but beyond this ,internal debate', the change in the content of education (i.e. child-rearing and schooling) is now furthermore due to a radical pluralism that has swept the world. Moreover, there may be differences in value between individual parents and between values held within the family and those held in society at large. Among other reasons this has put more generally children's (and parents') ,rights' on the agenda, which differs from thinking of education in terms of a ,practice'. The paper develops this latter concept and the criticisms to which it has been subject and argues that there is no necessary incompatibility between initiation into an existing practice and transforming that practice in some way, if it is emphasized how practices are learned and enacted. It then turns to the tendency in education and child-rearing, as in other spheres of human interaction, for more laws and codes of conduct and to call upon experts for all kind of matters. It argues that performativity rules on the level of the practitioner, of the experts, and even on the level of educational research. It argues that many governments have adopted in matters of schooling the language of output and school effectiveness and that something similar is now bound to happen in the sphere of child-rearing (with talk of parenting skills and courses). This is made credible due to a particular model of educational research, i.e. an empiricist quasi-causal model of explaining human behaviour. The paper then discusses the problems with this stance and argues that we should part company from the entrepreneurial manipulative educator to open up a sphere of responsiveness for the child and that for these reasons, the concept of the ,practice of child-rearing' should be revisited. Insisting on the complexities that have to be taken into account and thus surpassing a discourse of effectiveness and output as well as of codes of conduct and rulings of courts of law, may help us to focus on what is really at stake: to lead a meaningful life, to be initiated into what is ,real for us' and what we value. It concludes that thus restoring a place for child-rearing as a practice will do justice to the responsiveness to which each child is entitled. [source] Managing discontinuity in academic medical centers: Strategies for a safe and effective resident sign-outJOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2006Arpana R. Vidyarthi MD Abstract BACKGROUND Restrictions in the hours residents can be on duty have resulted in increased sign-outs, that is, transfer of patient care information and responsibility from one physician to a cross-coverage physician, leading to discontinuity in patient care. This sign-out process, which occurs primarily in the inpatient setting, traditionally has been informal, unstructured, and idiosyncratic. Although studies show that discontinuity may be harmful to patients, this is little data to assist residency programs in redesigning systems to improve sign-out and manage the discontinuity. PURPOSE This article reviews the relevant medical literature, current practices in non,health professions in managing discontinuity, and summarizes the existing practice and experiences at 3 academic internal medicine hospitalist-based programs. CONCLUSIONS We provide recommendations and strategies for best practices to design safe and effective sign-out systems for residents that may also be useful to hospitalists working in academic and community settings. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2006;1:257,266. © 2006 Society of Hospital Medicine. [source] A stochastic evaluation of the decision to specialize in orthodonticsORTHODONTICS & CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2003SR Straja Structured Abstract Authors , Straja SR, Klatte KJ, Montgomery GL, Tuncay OC Objective , The objective of this paper is to identify under different scenarios, and from a financial point of view, the conditions required to successfully switch from the general dentistry practice to orthodontics. Study Design , A mail survey was used to collect the data from the practicing orthodontists. They estimated the income, at certain points, in the working life of an orthodontist. The general practitioner data were taken from the American Dental Association figures. Subsequently, a stochastic model was constructed. Results and Conclusion , Those who decide to buy an existing practice expect higher profits in the near future, and therefore the required minimum number of remaining years of practice is lower than for those deciding to start a new practice. For both scenarios, the 3-year residency will delay the profits compared with a 2-year residency. Thus, an increased number of remaining years of practice is required. There must be more than 10 working years left in the practitioner's life to make the switch profitable. [source] Transfer or adapt business practices internationally?GLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 3 2010Some answers from Southeast Asia International organizations have long been torn between transferring their existing practices into new locations or adapting to local conditions. A major miscalculation can have extremely negative consequences for companies as they expand internationally. An examination of business practices in the Theravada Buddhist countries of Southeast Asia illustrates how breaking down business practices into their strategic, tactical, and operational levels may provide a useful guide for setting up initial operations in a foreign environment. It is proposed that strategic principles can be transferred but strategic practices should adapt to local conditions; tactical-level business practices will generally need to adapt to the local environment, while it is likely that best practices at the operational level can be transferred across international borders with little need to adapt to local conditions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Policy utilisation of research results in Cameroon*INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 179 2004Charly Gabriel Mbock Using knowledge by taking account of the results of scientific research is a preoccupation of the scientific community on which this article proposes to shed light by considering the case of Cameroon. Within the theoretical framework of actionism, the study is based on a questionnaire survey administered to a sample of 200 researchers, decision-makers, and research-commissioning bodies, complemented by interviews. The data cover commissioning, evaluation and utilisation practices over the period 1990,2001. The results show considerable differences in judgement between researchers, decision-makers, and commissioning bodies with regard to existing practices and desirable usage. The differences reflect the lack of connection between properly academic concerns and policy prospects, as well as a research funding structure in Cameroon that separates problem definition from solution implementation. Given inadequate utilisation of scientific research data in public policy, the article proposes renewed institutional forms that might encourage academicism to take account of the practical requirements of social engineering. [source] Evidenced-based clinical practice guideline for management of newborn painJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 4 2010Kaye Spence Aim: To facilitate the uptake of evidence and to reduce the evidence practice gap for management of newborn pain through the development of a clinical practice guideline. Method: An audit of practice and an appraisal of clinical practice guidelines were undertaken to establish current practices and guideline availability for the management of newborn pain in 23 hospitals in Australia. Guidelines were appraised using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation instrument. A literature search was undertaken to acquire the evidence for best practice for management of newborn pain. Results: Neonatal units in 17 hospitals had clinical practice guidelines. Each was peer reviewed and assessed according to the domains of the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation instrument. There was lack of consistency across the guidelines. As a result, a best practice guideline was developed based on current best evidence and the Royal Australian College of Physicians recommendations. To facilitate an ongoing compliance with the guideline, an audit tool was included together with algorithms for procedural pain and pain assessment. Conclusion: The clinical practice guideline can be used by clinicians in varying settings such as the neonatal intensive care and special care unit. The document can be used to support existing practices or challenge clinicians to close the evidence practice gap for the management of newborn pain. [source] Developing organizational learning in the NHSMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2001Sandra M Nutley Learning has been identified as a central concern for a modernized NHS. Continuing professional development has an important role to play in improving learning but there is also a need to pay more attention to collective (organizational) learning. Such learning is concerned with the way organizations build and organize knowledge. Recent emphasis within the NHS has been on the codification of individual and collective knowledge , for example, guidelines and National Service Frameworks. This needs to be balanced by more personalized knowledge management strategies, especially when dealing with innovative services that rely on tacit knowledge to solve problems. Having robust systems for storing and communicating knowledge is only one part of the challenge. It is also important to consider how such knowledge gets used, and how routines become established within organizations that structure the way in which knowledge is deployed. In many organizations these routines favour the adaptive use of knowledge, which helps organizations to achieve incremental improvements to existing practices. However, the development of organizational learning in the NHS needs to move beyond adaptive (single loop) learning, to foster skills in generative (double loop) learning and meta-learning. Such learning leads to a redefinition of the organization's goals, norms, policies, procedures or even structures. This paper argues that moving the NHS in this direction will require attention to the cultural values and structural mechanisms that facilitate organizational learning. [source] Between love and property: Voice, sentiment, and subjectivity in the reform of daughter's inheritance in NepalAMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 3 2009LAURA KUNREUTHER ABSTRACT In this article, I trace the relation between the figure of voice and subjectivity by examining a Nepali reform movement that sought to give daughters a birth right to ancestral property. At its heart was a contest over emerging class and gender subjectivities that were repeatedly defined through the figure of the voice and related practices of address, hailing, and recognition. The competing formations of voice I discuss here entail shifting notions of intimacy. To challenge property relations thus meant to change existing practices of speech, sentiment, and the meaning of voice itself. [voice, sentiment, property, subjectivity, Nepal, gender, class distinction] [source] Collapse as Cultural Revolution: Power and Identity in the Tiwanaku to Pacajes TransitionARCHEOLOGICAL PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, Issue 1 2004John Wayne Janusek Inherent foundations of power are often made explicit in state collapse and ethnogenesis, among the most problematic processes tackled by archaeologists. Recent research on collapse globally indicates that conventional models prioritizing external change (e.g., environmental shift, immigration) fail to address the historical intricacies of and human agency involved in state fragmentation. Some recent models treat collapse as a sudden drop in political complexity, and most fail to elaborate how state collapse influenced postcollapse sociopolitical and cultural patterns. Synthesizing substantial recent research on Tiwanaku (A.D. 500,1150) and post-Tiwanaku Pacajes (A.D. 1150,1450) polities in the south-central Andes, I suggest that state collapse involved a fateful conjunction of sociopolitical and environmental transformations. Drought conditions descended upon a centralized yet highly fragile sociopolitical landscape that had become increasingly volatile during Tiwanaku's apogee. Collapse involved rapid transformation as well as slow, cumulative shifts and enduring continuities. It was a cultural revolution that began during Tiwanaku hegemony and drew heavily on existing practices and ideals. Grounded in practice theory, this case study finds human agency squarely in the center of macroprocesses such as collapse and situates Andean foundations of power in the matrix of local ideals, practices, and identities from which hegemonic regimes such as Tiwanaku were forged. [source] Living donation: focus on public concernsCLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2005Consensus statement Abstract:, In December 2002, a conference was held in Philadelphia to discuss public concerns about living organ transplantation with the goal of reaching a consensus about new strategies for such transplants. The conference was hosted by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Bioethics. A multidisciplinary group of leading experts and stakeholders was called to assess the current status of living donation and suggest productive changes to ensure safer and more ethically sound procedures for both donors and recipients. Prior to the meeting, the research team from the University of Pennsylvania, Center for Bioethics, conducted literature reviews and extensive background research on living organ transplantation. Summary briefs were prepared for all conference participants. Issues were divided into four subcategories; two or three experts led the discussion on each topic. At the conclusion of the conference, the points raised were summarized and discussed, and additional comments were offered before general agreement was reached on each subject. Transcribed minutes and summary statements were reviewed and circulated among participants to allow for additional comments and clarification. All feedback was incorporated into the statement, and a draft of the article was recirculated. Participants who have endorsed the following statements have agreed that these points represent the intent and spirit of the discussion, yet each participant reserves the right to disclaim the document in its entirety. The views represented in the consensus points are held by members of the consensus group and do not necessarily represent the views of the sponsor. A consensus was reached to propose new strategies and make improvements on existing practices and protocols. Specific attention was paid to the widely accepted needs of consistent and responsible communication with the public and press, standardization in donor assessment, a national living donor registry and new research focusing on larger sample numbers and long-term donor follow-up. These consensus points support the work carried out by other advisory transplant organizations and should assist in advocating for living organ donors, the live donor transplant process and the concerns of the public. [source] | |||||||||||||