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Explicit Attention (explicit + attention)
Selected AbstractsQuality of life and adjuvant tamoxifen treatment in breast cancer patientsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 5 2009D.U. BOEHM md, resident of breast cancer centre About two-thirds of all breast cancer patients are treated with adjuvant hormonal therapy. Side effects of tamoxifen and their effects on physical, emotional and social functioning have been shown to impair the quality of life. Aim of this paper was to evaluate the side effects and level of influence on the physical, emotional and social functioning caused by tamoxifen treatment. For assessment of quality of life an own questionnaire was designed. Between January 2001 and December 2003, 136 women with breast cancer and adjuvant tamoxifen therapy were included in this study. Data of side effects, physical and mental health and patients' self-evaluation identified detrimental effects on patients' quality of life. Prevalence and severity of symptoms were not influenced by length of tamoxifen treatment. Patients were damaged in their constitution in respect to previous chemotherapy and pre-existing diseases; no influence was found by age or histopathological tumour characteristics. Our survey determines that breast cancer patients experience significant influence on quality of life by the negative impact on the physical, emotional and social functioning caused by tamoxifen treatment. Explicit attention to changes in quality of life should be considered as part of the standard care for women receiving adjuvant tamoxifen treatment. [source] Benefits and costs of transport Classification, methodologies and policiesPAPERS IN REGIONAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2001T.R. Lakshmanan Transport; benefits; costs; evaluation Abstract. This article aims to bring together insights from a broad body of recent literature concerned with the nature, the measurement and policy implications of benefits and costs of transport. It is argued that, for various reasons, transport cannot be treated as an,ordinary'economic sector, and the policy implications of a number of the sector's peculiarities are addressed. Explicit attention is given to spatial aspects and network elements, internal and external benefits and costs, and efficiency aspects and equity considerations in policy making. [source] Body size variation in insects: a macroecological perspectiveBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2010Steven L. Chown Body size is a key feature of organisms and varies continuously because of the effects of natural selection on the size-dependency of resource acquisition and mortality rates. This review provides a critical and synthetic overview of body size variation in insects from a predominantly macroecological (large-scale temporal and spatial) perspective. Because of the importance of understanding the proximate determinants of adult size, it commences with a brief summary of the physiological mechanisms underlying adult body size and its variation, based mostly on findings for the model species Drosophila melanogaster and Manduca sexta. Variation in nutrition and temperature have variable effects on critical weight, the interval to cessation of growth (or terminal growth period) and growth rates, so influencing final adult size. Ontogenetic and phylogenetic variation in size, compensatory growth, scaling at the intra- and interspecific levels, sexual size dimorphism, and body size optimisation are then reviewed in light of their influences on individual and species body size frequency distributions. Explicit attention is given to evolutionary trends, including gigantism, Cope's rule and the rates at which size change has taken place, and to temporal ecological trends such as variation in size with succession and size-selectivity during the invasion process. Large-scale spatial variation in size at the intraspecific, interspecific and assemblage levels is considered, with special attention being given to the mechanisms proposed to underlie clinal variation in adult body size. Finally, areas particularly in need of additional research are identified. [source] Alignment and Alliances for Research Institutes Engaged in Product Innovation.CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2003Two Case Studies Research institutes mainly engage in product innovation for the purpose of applying, testing and usually also transferring knowledge or technology. Managing product innovation processes in this type of environment leads to various problems with the establishment and managent of alliances and alignment. In this paper a systematic analysis of product innovation at two energy research institutes is presented, paying explicit attention to the strategic alliances in terms of alignment mechanisms. The cases illustrate clearly how the research institutes manage their external networks for product innovation, allowing comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the two research institutes, and an indication of lessons to be learned from each other. The systematic analysis contributes to the identifying of the appropriate product innovaiton objectives to be pursued through strategic alliances, as well as the determination of suitable alignment mechanisms for product innovation. Lessons learned are presented in the area of context and contingency influences, crossing organizational barriers, differences in culture and the balancing of operational effectiveness and strategic flexibility. [source] Markets, Institutions and Technology: Missing Links in Livelihoods AnalysisDEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 3 2003Andrew Dorward The benefits of livelihoods thinking and approaches are widely recognised. This article focuses on an important gap in much of the conceptualization and application of ,livelihood approaches', a lack of emphasis on markets and their roles in livelihood development and poverty reduction. The omission is important, as it can lead to failure to identify and act on a wider range of market, institutional and technological opportunities and constraints. An alternative conceptualisation is proposed, with markets as one particular set of institutional mechanisms for co-ordination and exchange in an economy. It is argued that more explicit attention to interactions between institutions, technology and assets in livelihood analysis may be valuable in conceptualising and managing programmes for livelihood development and poverty reduction. [source] Some Notes on Institutions in Evolutionary Economic GeographyECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2009Ron Boschma abstract Within the evolutionary economic geography framework, the role of institutions deserves more explicit attention. We argue that territorial institutions are to be viewed as orthogonal to organizational routines since each territory is characterized by a variety of routines and a single firm can apply its routines in different territorial contexts. It is therefore meaningful to distinguish between institutional economic geography and evolutionary economic geography as their explanans is different. Yet the two approaches can be combined in a dynamic framework in which institutions coevolve with organizational routines, particularly in emerging industries. Furthermore, integrating the evolutionary and institutional approach allows one to analyze the spatial diffusion of organizational routines that mediate conflicts among social groups, in particular, those between employers and employees. An evolutionary economic geography advocates an empirical research program, both qualitative and quantitative, that can address the relative importance of organizational routines and territorial institutions for regional development. [source] Role of nurses in institutional ethics policies on euthanasiaJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 1 2006Chris Gastmans PhD Aim., This paper reports the findings of a survey that investigated whether Flemish Catholic hospitals and nursing homes had developed written ethics policies on euthanasia and how the role of nurses was described in these policies. Background., International research shows undeniably that nurses are confronted with patients requesting euthanasia. Euthanasia has been legal in Belgium since 2002 and in Holland since 2001. Because of the vagueness in formal documents and policies on the role of nurses in euthanasia, there is an increasing need to establish institutional ethics policies that clearly describe the role of nurses in the euthanasia process. Methods., We used a cross-sectional descriptive mail questionnaire to survey the general directors of Catholic hospitals and nursing homes in Belgium (Flanders). Data were collected between October 2003 and February 2004. Results., Of the 298 institutions targeted for survey, 81% of hospitals, 62% of nursing homes returned completed questionnaires. Of these, 79% of the hospitals and 30% of the nursing homes had a written ethics policy on euthanasia. The ethics policies of 87% of the hospitals and 77% of the nursing homes explicitly addressed the role of nurses in the euthanasia process. In the majority of hospitals and nursing homes, the ethics policies addressed the conscientious objections of nurses to euthanasia. Most hospitals and nursing homes voluntarily communicated their ethics policies to the nurses they employed. Conclusion., The written ethics policies of most Catholic healthcare institutions give explicit attention to the role of nurses in the euthanasia process. However, the meaning and content of the role of nurses, as indicated in these ethics policies, continue to be an issue. Further research is needed to verify how these policies are actually implemented within the institutions and whether they contribute to better support for nurses and to ethical care for patients. [source] Reconceptualizing Parent-Adolescent Relationships: A Dialogic ModelJOURNAL OF FAMILY THEORY & REVIEW, Issue 4 2009Lynda M. Ashbourne The author applies a dialogic view of communication to parent-adolescent relationships, allowing for explicit attention to the process of interaction and social construction of meaning within these relationships. The constitutive role of dialogue between parent and adolescent is set within the context of competing tensions or dialectics. This theoretical framework provides a perspective for attending to parents' and adolescents' experiences and relational interactions, as well as meaning making and identity formation occurring within the dialogic gap. [source] Reasons for reading: why literature mattersLITERACY, Issue 2 2010Gabrielle Cliff Hodges Abstract Recent research in England suggests that opportunities for children's and young people's reading for pleasure may have been curtailed as a result of other curriculum imperatives. Under pressure to raise standards, there has been a strong emphasis on meeting objectives and managing the curriculum, but reasons for reading in the first place appear to have been neglected. In particular, little explicit attention has been paid, either in research or policy documentation, to why literature still has a clear role to play in English education. Taking as its starting point a selection of surveys and policy documents before moving to consider views from theorists, writers and young readers, this article seeks to stimulate debate about why reading literature still matters. [source] Assessment of competence and progressive independence in postgraduate clinical trainingMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 12 2009Marja G K Dijksterhuis Context, At present, competency-based, outcome-focused training is gradually replacing more traditional master,apprentice teaching in postgraduate training. This change requires a different approach to the assessment of clinical competence, especially given the decisions that must be made about the level of independence allowed to trainees. Methods, This study was set within postgraduate obstetrics and gynaecology training in the Netherlands. We carried out seven focus group discussions, four with postgraduate trainees from four training programmes and three with supervisors from three training programmes. During these discussions, we explored current opinions of supervisors and trainees about how to determine when a trainee is competent to perform a clinical procedure and the role of formal assessment in this process. Results, When the focus group recordings were transcribed, coded and discussed, two higher-order themes emerged: factors that determine the level of competence of a trainee in a clinical procedure, and factors that determine the level of independence granted to a trainee or acceptable to a trainee. Conclusions, From our study, it is evident that both determining the level of competence of a trainee for a certain professional activity and making decisions about the degree of independence entrusted to a trainee are complex, multi-factorial processes, which are not always transparent. Furthermore, competence achieved in a certain clinical procedure does not automatically translate into more independent practice. We discuss the implications of our findings for the assessment of clinical competence and provide suggestions for a transparent assessment structure with explicit attention to progressive independence. [source] A Theory Matrix for MediatorsNEGOTIATION JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Archie Zariski The author uses a behavioral perspective to survey theory that may be useful in mediation. He notes the lack of diffusion of knowledge of theory among practitioners and argues that mediators should pay more explicit attention to theory. He presents a matrix comprising the behavioral factors of perception, emotion, cognition, communication, and intervention at the micro, meso, and macro levels of conflict and uses this matrix to organize and review some mediation theories. Several types of intervention theory are identified: integrated, generic, dialectical, developmental, and dialogical. The article closes by posing some outstanding theoretical issues and questioning whether current mediator training programs are adequate to bridge the gap between theory and practice. [source] Researching nursing practice: does person-centredness matter?,NURSING PHILOSOPHY, Issue 3 2003Brendan McCormack DPhil (Oxon ) BSc (Hons) Nursing PGCEA RGN RMN Abstract Person-centredness is common speak in nursing and health care literature. Increasingly there is an expectation that practitioners adopt person-centred principles in their practice and organizations are expected to respect the values of the service user. However, in the research methodology literature, there is little explicit attention paid to the concept of person-centredness in research practice. Instead, there continues to be a reliance on traditional ,ethical principles' to guide effectiveness in research work. This paper argues that the principles of person-centredness that are espoused in nursing practice should also underpin nursing and health care research. A framework for person-centred research is proposed and issues concerning its implementation in practice are discussed. [source] Classroom and Developmental Differences in a Path Model of Teacher Expectancy EffectsCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2001Margaret R. Kuklinski A path model of teacher expectancy effects was evaluated in a sample of 376 first- through fifth-grade urban elementary school children. The roles of two moderators (classroom perceived differential treatment environment and developmental differences) and one mediator (children's self-expectations) of teacher expectancy effects on children's year-end achievement were examined. Significant differences in effects and effect sizes are presented. Both classroom environment (high versus low in differential treatment, as seen through children's eyes) and developmental differences moderated the strength of teacher expectancy effects. Generally, stronger effects were found in classrooms in which expectancy-related cues were more salient to children, but developmental differences moderated which effect was most pronounced. A significant age-related decline in direct effects on ending achievement was interpreted as evidence that teacher expectations may tend to magnify achievement differences in the early grades, but serve to sustain them in later grades. Support for indirect effects (teacher expectations , children's self-expectations , ending achievement) was limited to upper elementary grade classrooms perceived as high in differential treatment. In contrast to prior research that emphasized small effect sizes, the present analyses document several instances of moderate effects, primarily in classrooms in which expectancy-related messages were most salient to children. These results underscore the importance of explicit attention to the inclusion of moderators, mediators, and multiple outcomes in efforts to understand teacher expectancy effects. [source] | |||||||||||||