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Explicit Goal (explicit + goal)
Selected AbstractsThe tri-trophic niche concept and adaptive radiation of phytophagous insectsECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 12 2005Michael S. Singer Abstract A conceptual divide exists between ecological and evolutionary approaches to understanding adaptive radiation, although the phenomenon is inherently both ecological and evolutionary. This divide is evident in studies of phytophagous insects, a highly diverse group that has been frequently investigated with the implicit or explicit goal of understanding its diversity. Whereas ecological studies of phytophagous insects increasingly recognize the importance of tri-trophic interactions as determinants of niche dimensions such as host-plant associations, evolutionary studies typically neglect the third trophic level. Here we attempt to reconcile ecological and evolutionary approaches through the concept of the ecological niche. We specifically present a tri-trophic niche concept as a foil to the traditional bi-trophic niche concept for phytophagous insects. We argue that these niche concepts have different implications for understanding herbivore community structure, population divergence, and evolutionary diversification. To this end, we offer contrasting empirical predictions of bi- and tri-trophic niche concepts for patterns of community structure, the process of population divergence, and patterns of evolutionary diversification of phytophagous insects. [source] The EMF uncertainty problem related to mobile phones: where do consumers place their trust?INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 2 2010Lisbet Berg Abstract This paper addresses the uncertainty problem, i.e. cases characterized by lack of knowledge or scientific uncertainty. In such situations, it can be hard for consumers to ,voice' or practise consumer power. One field characterized by the uncertainty problem is electromagnetic radiation. An explicit goal of this study has been to articulate Norwegian consumers' practices, attitudes and beliefs regarding electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones to public authorities and consumer policy makers. The study was based on 1000 telephone interviews collected in 2008. Today, experts disagree on the potential health effects of radiation from electromagnetic fields (EMF), as well as standards for safe limits of exposure to mobile phones, base stations and wireless telecommunication systems. In addition, complicated technology and extremely rapid product development and diffusion leave consumers' security considerations to their own beliefs and trust. Whether or not electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones constitutes a health hazard will not be addressed in this paper. Rather, it will focus on how consumers react to this situation of uncertainty. The material reveals four main ways in which consumers can solve what we have named the EMF uncertainty problem: the confident and comfortable way, the sceptical and cautious way, the responsible and good citizen way, and finally, the neglecting way. The paper also discusses the precautionary principle related to EMF. Who should be precautionary: the public authorities, the mobile phone industry or the consumers themselves? We believe that a consistent governmental precautionary policy in combination with consumers taking their own precautionary measures is a viable solution. In this way, all consumers would be addressed and aided when navigating this field of uncertainty. [source] Community organizational learning: Case studies illustrating a three-dimensional model of levels and orders of changeJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007Douglas D. Perkins We present a three-dimensional cube framework to help community organizational researchers and administrators think about an organization's learning and empowerment-related structures and processes in terms of firstorder (incremental or ameliorative) and second-order (transformative) change at the individual, organizational, and community levels. To illustrate application of the framework, case studies of three different types of exemplary nonprofit organizations (a participatory neighborhood planning organization, a grassroots faith-based social action coalition, and a larger community-based human service agency) were based on qualitative interviews and participant observations. Our analysis, rooted in organizational learning theory, suggests that organizations that empower staff and volunteers through opportunities for learning and participation at the individual level are better able to succeed in terms of organizational-level learning and transformation. Community-level change is particularly difficult but must be made a more explicit goal. Learning that can lead to second-order change at each level must help participants engage in critical analysis of (a) the organization's demonstrated goals and values; (b) the power relationships implicit in decision making at each level; (c) the interdependent role of participant stakeholders and organizations as part of a complex, community-wide (or larger) system; and (d) how to work toward transformative change of all of the above. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Preparing for Motherhood: Authoritative Knowledge and the Undercurrents of Shared Experience in Two Childbirth Education Courses in Cagliari, ItalyMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2000Suzanne K. Ketler This article compares the social settings and teaching organization of two differently structured childbirth education courses in Cagliari, Italy, in order to understand how social processes and contexts work to negotiate authoritative knowledge. Although the explicit goal of both courses was to transmit biomedical knowledge, knowledge based in women's experience nonetheless dominated some course sessions. Thus, I examine the social processes and interactions that enabled women's experiential knowledge to dominate discussions and subsequently share in the authority of biomedical knowledge in some situations. Because few existing studies do so, this article also addresses a gap in our current understanding by exploring not only how experiential knowledge comes to share authority with biomedical knowledge, but also, why it is important that it does. Focusing on the efficacy of differently structured courses, this article informs the planning of future childbirth education courses in similar settings, [childbirth education, authoritative knowledge, reproduction, prenatal care, Italy] [source] Using small molecules to study big questions in cellular microbiologyCELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 8 2002Gary E. Ward Summary High-throughput screening of small molecules is used extensively in pharmaceutical settings for the purpose of drug discovery. In the case of antimicrobials, this involves the identification of small molecules that are significantly more toxic to the microbe than to the host. Only a small percentage of the small molecules identified in these screens have been studied in sufficient detail to explain the molecular basis of their antimicrobial effect. Rarer still are small molecule screens undertaken with the explicit goal of learning more about the biology of a particular microbe or the mechanism of its interaction with its host. Recent technological advances in small molecule synthesis and high-throughput screening have made such mechanism-directed small molecule approaches a powerful and accessible experimental option. In this article, we provide an overview of the methods and technical requirements and we dis-cuss the potential of small molecule approaches to address important and often otherwise experimentally intractable problems in cellular microbiology. [source] The influence of socio-demographic and illness variables on quality of life in acute psychiatric inpatientsCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY (AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THEORY & PRACTICE), Issue 4 2007Z. G. Hodgson The mental-health literature highlights the importance of improved quality of life as an explicit goal of the mental-health service. Recent work indicates that assessment of subjective quality of life can be feasible and meaningful in individuals with psychiatric disorders. Although a number of studies have examined the influence of demographic variables on subjective quality of life in individuals with psychiatric disorders, there remains a paucity of studies that have made comparisons between diagnoses in inpatient populations. We used the WHOQOL-BREF to examine the influence of different psychiatric diagnoses on quality of life and investigated whether the relationship between demographic variables and quality of life was the same across diagnoses. We found that the relationship between demographic and illness variables was complex, with inconsistent effects across WHOQOL-BREF domains. Certain domains of the WHOQOL-BREF were more sensitive to the influence of psychiatric diagnosis than others.,Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||