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Greater Attention (greater + attention)
Selected AbstractsREVIEW: Ethanol consumption: how should we measure it?ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Achieving consilience between human, animal phenotypes ABSTRACT There is only modest overlap in the most common alcohol consumption phenotypes measured in animal studies and those typically studied in humans. To address this issue, we identified a number of alcohol consumption phenotypes of importance to the field that have potential for consilience between human and animal models. These phenotypes can be broken down into three categories: (1) abstinence/the decision to drink or abstain; (2) the actual amount of alcohol consumed; and (3) heavy drinking. A number of suggestions for human and animal researchers are made in order to address these phenotypes and enhance consilience. Laboratory studies of the decision to drink or to abstain are needed in both human and animal research. In human laboratory studies, heavy or binge drinking that meets cut-offs used in epidemiological and clinical studies should be reported. Greater attention to patterns of drinking over time is needed in both animal and human studies. Individual differences pertaining to all consumption phenotypes should be addressed in animal research. Lastly, improved biomarkers need to be developed in future research for use with both humans and animals. Greater precision in estimating blood alcohol levels in the field, together with consistent measurement of breath/blood alcohol levels in human laboratory and animal studies, provides one means of achieving greater consilience of alcohol consumption phenotypes. [source] Subjective side effects of antipsychotics and medication adherence in people with schizophreniaJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 3 2009Terence V. McCann Abstract Title., Subjective side effects of antipsychotics and medication adherence in people with schizophrenia. Aim., This paper is a report of a study conducted to describe the prevalence of antipsychotic medication side effects in individuals with schizophrenia, and to assess if a relationship existed between side effects and medication-taking. Background., Non-adherence to antipsychotics is common in people with schizophrenia. There is a direct relationship between non-adherence and relapse, but it is unclear if an association exists between side effects and non-adherence. Method., The Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side-effect Rating Scale was used with a convenience sample of 81 mental health service users with schizophrenia. Participants were recruited from one urban and one rural area in Australia in 2004. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Science and nonparametric statistical methods based on the nature of data. Findings., Around 20% of participants had missed taking their medication at least once in the week before data collection. About half experienced one or more side effects, but the level of accumulated side effects was not associated with medication omission. Older participants were more likely to experience anticholinergic and allergic side effects than their younger counterparts. Younger women were more likely to experience hormone-related side effects than older women. Overall, medication omission was not statistically significantly correlated with any of the seven Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side-effect Rating Scale subscales. Conclusion., Greater attention needs to be paid to age- and gender-specific side effects and to monitoring side effects in people prescribed atypical medication antipsychotics. Service users, case managers and prescribers may need additional training to assist them to identify side effects and to take steps to ameliorate or at least minimize their effects. [source] Outside the glass case: The social life of urban heritage in KyotoAMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009CHRISTOPH BRUMANN ABSTRACT Recent anthropological and other literature tends to assume that the uses of heritage in modern societies lead to the falsification, petrification, desubstantiation, and enclosure of the things and practices so designated. Yet two traditions of Japan's ancient capital Kyoto,the historic town houses (kyô-machiya) that have found a new appreciation since the 1990s and the Gion matsuri, one of the most famous festivals of the nation,contradict these assumptions. Their well-documented histories are not widely distorted; they are not forever fixed but allowed to evolve; they are valued not only for their traditionality but also for other, substantive qualities; and their appreciation is not dominated by a concern for social boundaries. This is influenced by the urban, relatively sophisticated and cosmopolitan background of both traditions, as it is in parallel cases elsewhere. Greater attention to the perspectives of their carriers, however, will very likely show that the social uses of other traditions too are more complex than the standard assumptions lead one to believe. [Japan, cultural heritage, invention of tradition, vernacular architecture, festivals, urban anthropology] [source] Cyber Bullying Behaviors Among Middle and High School StudentsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2010Faye Mishna Little research has been conducted that comprehensively examines cyber bullying with a large and diverse sample. The present study examines the prevalence, impact, and differential experience of cyber bullying among a large and diverse sample of middle and high school students (N = 2,186) from a large urban center. The survey examined technology use, cyber bullying behaviors, and the psychosocial impact of bullying and being bullied. About half (49.5%) of students indicated they had been bullied online and 33.7% indicated they had bullied others online. Most bullying was perpetrated by and to friends and participants generally did not tell anyone about the bullying. Participants reported feeling angry, sad, and depressed after being bullied online. Participants bullied others online because it made them feel as though they were funny, popular, and powerful, although many indicated feeling guilty afterward. Greater attention is required to understand and reduce cyber bullying within children's social worlds and with the support of educators and parents. [source] The Importance of Context in Fostering Responsive Community Systems: Supports for Families in Systems of CareAMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2010James R. Cook The importance of helping families of children with severe emotional disturbances (SED) connect with informal or natural supports,that is, individuals who are part of their ongoing communities and daily lives,has been widely recognized. Utilization of informal supports has thus become a core element within systems of care (SOCs) designed to improve services for children with SED and their families. However, research demonstrates that implementation of wraparound, the key practice approach within SOCs, often does not include involvement of informal supports. Using a measure of social connectedness (SC), developed to augment the instruments used for the SOC national evaluation, this study assessed parents' and caregivers' views of their connections to and support from their community within a SOC. Overall, parents and caregivers reported low levels of support across multiple sources as well as a desire for more support. Greater levels of perceived support related positively to caregiver strain, types of and satisfaction with services received, and views of their communities as supportive and safe. Greater attention to families' contexts and the identification of effective ways to connect families to their communities are recommended. [source] Reproductive ecology and the endometrium: Physiology, variation, and new directionsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue S49 2009Kathryn B.H. Clancy Abstract Endometrial function is often overlooked in the study of fertility in reproductive ecology, but it is crucial to implantation and the support of a successful pregnancy. Human female reproductive physiology can handle substantial energy demands that include the production of fecund cycles, ovulation, fertilization, placentation, a 9-month gestation, and often several years of lactation. The particular morphology of the human endometrium as well as our relative copiousness of menstruation and large neonatal size suggests that endometrial function has more resources allocated to it than many other primates. The human endometrium has a particularly invasive kind of hemochorial placentation and trophoblast that maximizes surface area and maternal,fetal contact, yet these processes are actually less efficient than the placentation of some of our primate relatives. The human endometrium and its associated processes appear to prioritize maximizing the transmission of oxygen and glucose to the fetus over efficiency and protection of maternal resources. Ovarian function controls many aspects of endometrial function and thus variation in the endometrium is often a reflection of ecological factors that impact the ovaries. However, preliminary evidence and literature from populations of different reproductive states, ages and pathologies also suggests that ecological stress plays a role in endometrial variation, different from or even independent of ovarian function. Immune stress and psychosocial stress appear to play some role in the endometrium's ability to carry a fetus through the mechanism of inflammation. Thus, within reproductive ecology we should move towards a model of women's fecundity and fertility that includes many components of ecological stress and their effects not only on the ovaries, but on processes related to endometrial function. Greater attention on the endometrium may aid in unraveling several issues in hominoid and specifically human evolutionary biology: a low implantation rate, high rates of early pregnancy loss, prenatal investment in singletons but postnatal support of several dependent offspring at once, and higher rate of reproductive and pregnancy-related pathology compared to other primates, ranging from endometriosis to preeclampsia. The study of the endometrium may also complicate some of these issues, as it raises the question of why humans have a maximally invasive placentation method and yet slow fetal growth rates. In this review, I will describe endometrial physiology, methods of measurement, variation, and some of the ecological variables that likely produce variation and pregnancy losses to demonstrate the necessity of further study. I propose several basic avenues of study that leave room for testable hypotheses in the field of reproductive ecology. And finally, I describe the potential of this work not just in reproductive ecology, but in the resolution of broader women's health issues. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 52:137,154, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] What is the impact of missing Indigenous status on mortality estimates?AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 4 2009An assessment using record linkage in Western Australia Abstract Background: The analysis aimed to assess the Indigenous status of an increasing number of deaths not coded with a useable Indigenous status from 1997 to 2002 and its impact on reported recent gains in Indigenous mortality. Methods: The Indigenous status of WA death records with a missing Indigenous status was determined based upon data linkage to three other data sources (Hospital Morbidity Database System, Mental Health Information System and Midwives Notification System). Results: Overall, the majority of un-coded cases were assigned an Indigenous status, with 5.9% identified as Indigenous from the M1 series and 7.5% from the M2 series. The significant increase in Indigenous male LE of 5.4 years from 1997 to 2002 decreased to 4.0 and 3.6 years using the M1 and M2 series, respectively, but remained significant. For Indigenous females, the non-significant increase in LE of 1.8 years from 1997 to 2002 decreased to 1.0 and 0.6 years. Furthermore, annual all-cause mortality rates were higher than in the original data for both genders, but the significant decline for males remained. Conclusion: Through data linkage, the increasing proportion of deaths not coded with a useable Indigenous status was shown to impact on Indigenous mortality statistics in Western Australia leading to an overestimate of improvements in life expectancy. Greater attention needs to be given to better identification and recording of Indigenous identifiers if real improvements in health status are to be demonstrated. A system that captures an individual's Indigenous status once and is reflected in all health and administrative data systems needs consideration within Australia. [source] Obesity and polycystic ovary syndromeCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 2 2006T. M. Barber Summary The aetiology of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is complex and multifactorial. There is much evidence, however, to suggest that adipose tissue plays an important role in the development and maintenance of PCOS pathology. There is a close correlation between adiposity and symptom severity in women with PCOS, and even modest reductions in weight generally translate into significant improvements in menstrual regularity, fertility and hyperandrogenic features. This review article considers the various mechanisms that might underlie this link between excess adiposity and PCOS , including the effects of differential insulin sensitivity, abnormal steroid hormone metabolism and adipocytokine secretion. Greater attention to the therapeutic options available to reduce the impact of excess adiposity on ovarian and metabolic function is essential to the management of PCOS. [source] Genetics professionals' experiences with grief and loss: implications for support and trainingCLINICAL GENETICS, Issue 5 2010G Geller Geller G, Rushton CH, Francomano C, Kolodner K, Bernhardt BA. Genetics professionals' experiences with grief and loss: implications for support and training. This study was designed to determine the degree to which clinical genetics professionals are comfortable with grief and loss, whether discomfort with grief and loss is associated with clinician distress, and what factors predict comfort with grief and loss for the purpose of developing recommendations for support and training. We surveyed 300 clinical geneticists (MDs), genetic counselors (GCs) and genetic nurses randomly selected from their professional associations. Out of 225 eligible clinicians, 172 completed surveys (76% response rate). The vast majority of respondents have clinical interactions with patients and families who are experiencing grief, loss and/or death. However, nearly 20% of respondents reported that they did not feel ,comfortable in the presence of grief and loss'. Twenty-nine percent of respondents disagree or strongly disagree that they ,have been adequately trained to address issues of death, dying, grief/bereavement, and end of life care'. Reported discomfort with grief and loss was strongly correlated with clinician distress. Predictors of comfort with grief and loss included perceived adequacy of training, tolerance for uncertainty, significant personal experiences of loss and deriving meaning from patient care. In conclusion, as follows. A significant minority of clinical genetics professionals experience discomfort in the presence of grief and loss, and feel inadequately prepared for such experiences. Greater attention should be paid to training clinicians in how to deal with grief and loss, and supporting them through such difficult experiences in an effort to reduce their distress. [source] Gender, Vulnerability, and the Experts: Responding to the Maldives TsunamiDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 5 2007Emma Fulu ABSTRACT This article examines the initial response by national and international agencies to gender issues during the aftermath of the Maldives tsunami, arguing that it was, in general, inadequate. Some agencies took a gender blind approach, ignoring different impacts on men and women, as well as the effects of complex gender relations on relief and recovery efforts. Other agencies paid greater attention to gender relations in their response but tended to focus exclusively on the universal category of the ,vulnerable woman' requiring special assistance, whilst at the same time ignoring men's vulnerabilities. This article argues that such language entrenched women as victims, excluding them from leadership and decision-making roles and as such served to reinforce and re-inscribe women's trauma. It is suggested that it is partly because of the nature of international bureaucracies and the fact that this disaster drew foreign ,experts' from around the world that the response neglected or over-simplified gender issues. [source] Personality traits as prospective predictors of suicide attemptsACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2009S. Yen Objective:, To examine higher order personality factors of negative affectivity (NA) and disinhibition (DIS), as well as lower order facets of impulsivity, as prospective predictors of suicide attempts in a predominantly personality disordered sample. Method:, Data were analyzed from 701 participants of the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study with available follow-up data for up to 7 years. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses was used to examine NA and DIS, and facets of impulsivity (e.g. urgency, lack of perseverance, lack of premeditation and sensation seeking), as prospective predictors of suicide attempts. Results:, NA, DIS and all facets of impulsivity except for sensation seeking were significant in univariate analyses. In multivariate models which included sex, childhood sexual abuse, course of major depressive disorder and substance use disorders, only NA and lack of premeditation remained significant in predicting suicide attempts. DIS and the remaining impulsivity facets were not significant. Conclusion:, NA emerged as a stronger and more robust predictor of suicide attempts than DIS and impulsivity, and warrants greater attention in suicide risk assessment. Distinguishing between facets of impulsivity is important for clinical risk assessment. [source] Decentralization and Democracy in Indonesia: A Critique of Neo-Institutionalist PerspectivesDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 4 2004Vedi R. Hadiz This article assesses some of the major premises of neo-institutionalist explanations of decentralization policy and practices, but focuses especially on the relationship between decentralization and democracy, in the context of the recent and ongoing Indonesian experience with decentralization. In the last two decades ,decentralization' has become, along with ,civil society', ,social capital' and ,good governance', an integral part of the contemporary neo-institutionalist lexicon, especially that part which is intended to draw greater attention to ,social' development. The concern of this article is to demystify how, as a policy objective, decentralization has come to embody a barely acknowledged political, not just theoretical, agenda. It also suggests alternative ways of understanding why decentralization has often failed to achieve its stated aims in terms of promoting democracy, ,good governance', and the like. What is offered is an understanding of decentralization processes that more fully incorporates the factors of power, struggle and interests, which tend to be overlooked by neo-institutionalist perspectives. The current Indonesian experience clearly illustrates the way in which institutions can be hijacked by a wide range of interests that may sideline those that champion the worldview of ,technocratic rationality'. [source] The association between depression and health-related quality of life in people with type 2 diabetes: a systematic literature reviewDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 2 2010Saima Ali Abstract The relationships between co-morbid depression in people with diabetes and adverse outcomes including poor HbA1c control, adherence to medication and mortality have been examined and confirmed. However, as the awareness of the decrement to health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people with diabetes and its clinical consequences grows, investigators have become increasingly interested in measuring HRQOL in clinical trials. Given that the psychological factors such as depression may contribute to diminished HRQOL, the present review sought to summarize the association between these variables in people with type 2 diabetes. Articles for a systematic review were obtained via a search performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO (1980,2007). Fourteen articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Studies indicated that self-reported depressive symptoms markedly impaired HRQOL on several domains. However, depression was not related to all sub-domains of HRQOL in all studies, suggesting that the effects of depression on certain aspects of HRQOL may vary between clinical and demographic subgroups. Although a number of shortcomings identified in the current literature should be taken into account for future research, the importance of this review lies in the possibility it raises that the improvements in HRQOL and clinical practice may potentially be achieved by placing greater attention on the identification and management of depression. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Need to Look Beyond the Production and Provision of Relief Seed: Experiences from Southern SudanDISASTERS, Issue 4 2002Richard B. Jones Free distribution of seeds in selected areas of southern Sudan has been widespread as a way of increasing food security. Field research in areas targeted for seed relief found that farmer seed systems continue to meet the crop and varietal needs of farmers even following the 1998 famine. Donor investments in seed multiplication of improved sorghum have not been sustained due to a lack of effective demand for the improved seed beyond that created by the relief agencies. The article argues that rather than imposing outside solutions, whether through seed provisioning or seed production enterprises, greater attention needs to be given to building on the strengths of existing farmer systems and designing interventions to alleviate the weaknesses. The case is made to support dynamically the process of farmer experimentation through the informed introduction of new crops and varieties that can potentially reinforce the strength and diversity of local cropping systems. [source] Evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence?DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 4 2007The role of evidence in the development, implementation of the Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative Abstract Issues. Evidence-based policy is promoted as the ideal in drug policy, yet public policy theorists suggest that policy-based evidence may be a more fitting analogy, where evidence is used selectively to support a predetermined policy direction. Approach. The following paper assesses the resonance of this notion to the development of the Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative (IDDI), an apparently pragmatic reform adopted in Australia in 1999 through the Federal Coalition ,Tough on Drugs' strategy. It utilises interviews with key informants from the Australian drug policy arena conducted in 2005 to assess the role of evidence in the design and implementation of the IDDI. Key Findings. The current paper shows that while policy-makers were generally supportive of the IDDI and viewed drug diversion as a more pragmatic response to drug users, they contend that implementation has suffered through a selective and variable emphasis upon evidence. Most notably, the IDDI is not premised upon best-practice objectives of reducing harm from drug use, but instead on ,Tough on Drugs' objectives of reducing drug use and crime. Implications. This paper contends that policy-based evidence may facilitate the adoption of pragmatic reforms, but reduce the capacity for effective reform. It therefore has both functional and dysfunctional elements. Conclusion. The paper concludes that greater attention is needed to understanding how to mesh political and pragmatic objectives, and hence to maximise the benefits from policy-based evidence. [Hughes CE. Evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence? The role of evidence in the development and implementation of the Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative. Drug Alcohol Rev 2007;26:363,368] [source] Nation to Nation: Defining New Structures of Development in Northern QuebecECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2004Caroline Desbiens Abstract: In February 2002, the Crees of Quebec and the Quebec government signed a new agreement that was designed to implement new structures of economic development in northern Quebec. The document, known as "La Paix des Braves" (Peace of the Braves), was characterized as a "nation-to-nation" agreement and promises greater participation by the Crees in the management and exploitation of natural resources on the territory. Starting from the premise that the Crees and the Québécois do not simply compete for the resources of James Bay but can be said to define and firm up the boundaries of their respective nation in and through the use of these resources, this article explores the close intertwining of colonialism, culture, and the economy in James Bay, as well as its potential impact on the new agreement. First, it analyzes how the Crees and the Québécois have articulated nationhood in relation to land and resources, particularly over the past three decades. Second, it examines how these discourses are informed by a third national scale, that of Canada. The intersection among nature, nation, and economic development in northern Quebec is a key example of how resources are embedded in complex national geographies that are shaped across a broad historical span. Although sustainability is often defined in terms of the needs of future generations, this article calls for greater attention to past colonial and political relations in defining structures of development that ensure the renewal of resources. [source] Competition and the Incentive to Produce High QualityECONOMICA, Issue 279 2003Rachel E. Kranton Previous literature indicates that, when quality is a choice variable, firms have an incentive to produce high quality to maintain their reputations with consumers. The strategic interaction among firms and competition for market share is not considered. This paper finds that, when firms compete for market share, perfect equilibria in which firms produce high-quality goods need not exist. Competition for customers can eliminate the price premium needed to induce firms to maintain a reputation for high-quality production. In this case, economists and policy analysts should pay greater attention to the interaction among firms and the institutions, such as professional associations, that structure interfirm relations when considering whether firms have an incentive to produce high-quality goods. [source] Teaching for the Test: Validity, Fairness, and Moral ActionEDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2003Linda Crocker In response to heightened levels of assessment activity at the K-12 level to meet requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, measurement professionals are called to focus greater attention on four fundamental areas of measurement research and practice: (a) improving the research infrastructure for validation methods involving judgments of test content; (b) expanding the psychometric definition of fairness in achievement testing; (c) developing guidelines for validation studies of test use consequences; and (d) preparing teachers for new roles in instruction and assessment practice. Illustrative strategies for accomplishing these goals are outlined. [source] European Democracy, the ,Permissive Consensus' and the Collapse of the EU ConstitutionEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2007Achim Hurrelmann Its failure demonstrates the need to pay greater attention to the nature of public support for the EU, and to the ways in which this support is related to the democratic quality of EU institutions. Contrary to what is often assumed, EU support can still be quite adequately described by the figure of a ,permissive consensus'. For better or worse, attempts to democratise EU institutions might undermine this form of support. [source] Economic Geography as Dissenting Institutionalism: The Embeddedness, Evolution and Differentiation of RegionsGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2004Roger Hayter Abstract This paper endorses recent pleas for an ,institutional turn' within economic geography. In particular, it reveals and connects the coherence and distinctiveness of dissenting institutional economics as a way of thinking for economic geography. Economic geographers have recognized this tradition but its continuity and compass is not fully appreciated. To provide such an appreciation, this paper argues that the paradigmatic distinctiveness of dissenting institutionalism rests especially on its recognition that real world economies are embedded, have histories or evolve, and are different. The discussion is based around these three cornerstone principles of embeddedness, evolution and difference. For the future, greater attention to the region as an institution, albeit a complex one, along with greater attention to the synthesis of multi-dimensional processes that are normally analyzes as separate conceptual categories, is encouraged. [source] Modern Britain and the New Imperial HistoryHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007James Thompson This article reviews recent trends in British studies, particularly the impact of ,four nations' perspectives, and the rise of the new imperial history. It offers a close examination of debates about the relationship between ,nation' and ,empire' in modern British history, and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of existing approaches. The article identifies the need to integrate accounts of empire's impact upon Britain with a broader comparative perspective that embraces mainland Europe, and to combine more cultural concerns with greater attention to political and economic history. [source] Beyond biological control: non-pest insects and their pathogens in a changing worldINSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY, Issue 2 2009HELEN E. ROY Abstract. 1Over the last few decades, there have been considerable advances in the fields of insect pathology and insect conservation but the two disciplines rarely meet. The potential of entomopathogens as biological control agents of pest insects is widely recognised but information on the role of pathogens in insect population regulation, more generally, is limited. For example, the role of pathogens as natural enemies of non-pest insects, including those of conservation value, is seldom considered beyond their context as ,non-targets' of microbial control agents. 2Entomopathogens are prevalent in natural systems and should receive greater attention in life-history studies. There is no doubt that viruses, bacteria and fungi are major mortality agents of insects but their significance tends to be overshadowed by the attention given to predators and parasitoids. 3We highlight the critical function that entomopathogens could have in insect population dynamics with particular reference fragmented habitats as illustrated by the theoretical literature. However, we emphasise that there are few empirical studies to test theoretical predictions. 4We suggest that since an increase in the incidence of disease is predicted in most environmental change scenarios, it is more important than ever to turn our attention to insect pathology when we consider insect population dynamics. [source] Numerical simulation of gaseous fuel injection: A new methodology for multi-dimensional modellingINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 6 2010Luca Andreassi Abstract The use of natural gas (instead of liquid or solid fuels) is nowadays drawing an increasing interest in many applications (gas turbines, boilers, internal combustion engines), because of the greater attention to environmental issues. To facilitate the development of these applications, computer models are being developed to simulate gaseous injection, air entrainment and the ensuing combustion. This paper introduces a new method for modelling the injection process of gaseous fuels that aims to hold down grid requirements in order to allow the simulation also of other phenomena, like combustion or valve and piston motion, in reciprocating internal combustion engines. After a short overview of existing models, the transient jet model and the evaluation of inflow conditions are described in detail. Then a basic study of the grid effects on the jet evolution is presented. The model is updated and validated by comparing numerical results with available experimental data for two different operating conditions: a subsonic and a supersonic under-expanded case. The model demonstrates to be fast enough to be used in a multi-dimensional code and accurate enough to follow the real gas jet evolution. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A review of climate risk information for adaptation and development planningINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 9 2009R. L. Wilby Abstract Although the use of climate scenarios for impact assessment has grown steadily since the 1990s, uptake of such information for adaptation is lagging by nearly a decade in terms of scientific output. Nonetheless, integration of climate risk information in development planning is now a priority for donor agencies because of the need to prepare for climate change impacts across different sectors and countries. This urgency stems from concerns that progress made against Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) could be threatened by anthropogenic climate change beyond 2015. Up to this time the human signal, though detectable and growing, will be a relatively small component of climate variability and change. This implies the need for a twin-track approach: on the one hand, vulnerability assessments of social and economic strategies for coping with present climate extremes and variability, and, on the other hand, development of climate forecast tools and scenarios to evaluate sector-specific, incremental changes in risk over the next few decades. This review starts by describing the climate outlook for the next couple of decades and the implications for adaptation assessments. We then review ways in which climate risk information is already being used in adaptation assessments and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of three groups of techniques. Next we identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for improving the production and uptake of climate risk information for the 2020s. We assert that climate change scenarios can meet some, but not all, of the needs of adaptation planning. Even then, the choice of scenario technique must be matched to the intended application, taking into account local constraints of time, resources, human capacity and supporting infrastructure. We also show that much greater attention should be given to improving and critiquing models used for climate impact assessment, as standard practice. Finally, we highlight the over-arching need for the scientific community to provide more information and guidance on adapting to the risks of climate variability and change over nearer time horizons (i.e. the 2020s). Although the focus of the review is on information provision and uptake in developing regions, it is clear that many developed countries are facing the same challenges. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society [source] The Financial Crisis: Causes and Lessons,JOURNAL OF APPLIED CORPORATE FINANCE, Issue 3 2010Kenneth E. Scott The author argues that the root cause of the recent crisis was a housing bubble whose origins can be traced to loose monetary policy and a government housing policy that continually pushed for lower lending standards to increase home ownership. The negative consequences of such policies were amplified when transmitted throughout the financial system by financial institutions through the process of securitization. In attempting to assess culpability for the crisis and identify possible reforms, the author focuses on three categories: 1Defects in Financial Products: Without criticizing derivatives and the process of securitization, the author identifies the sheer complexity of the securities as a major source of the problem,for which the solution is a simpler security design combined with greater disclosure about the underlying assets being securitized. 2Defects in Risk Management: Thanks in large part to agency and other incentive problems, there was universal underestimation of risks by mortgage originators and financial institutions throughout the securitization chain. Changing incentive pay structures is part of the solution, and so are better accounting rules for SPEs. But more effective regulatory oversight and ending "too big to fail" may well be the only way to curb excessive private risk-taking. 3Defects in Government Policy and Regulation: While acknowledging the need for more effective oversight, the author argues that there was ample existing authority for U.S. regulators to have addressed these issues. Lack of power and authority to regulate was not at the heart of the problem,the real problem was lack of foresight and judgment about the unexpected. After expressing doubt that regulators can prevent major financial failures, the author recommends greater attention to devising better methods of resolving such failures when they occur. One of the main goals is to ensure that losses are borne not by taxpayers but by private investors in a way that maintains incentives for market discipline while limiting spillover costs to the entire system. [source] How quickly do forecasters incorporate news?JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMETRICS, Issue 6 2006Evidence from cross-country surveys Using forecasts from Consensus Economics Inc., we provide evidence on the efficiency of real GDP growth forecasts by testing whether forecast revisions are uncorrelated. As the forecast data used are multi-dimensional,18 countries, 24 monthly forecasts for the current and the following year and 16 target years,the panel estimation takes into account the complex structure of the variance,covariance matrix due to propagation of shocks across countries and economic linkages among them. Efficiency is rejected for all 18 countries: forecast revisions show a high degree of serial correlation. We then develop a framework for characterizing the nature of the inefficiency in forecasts. For a smaller set of countries, the G-7, we estimate a VAR model on forecast revisions. The degree of inefficiency, as manifested in the serial correlation of forecast revisions, tends to be smaller in forecasts of the USA than in forecasts for European countries. Our framework also shows that one of the sources of the inefficiency in a country's forecasts is resistance to utilizing foreign news. Thus the quality of forecasts for many of these countries can be significantly improved if forecasters pay more attention to news originating from outside their respective countries. This is particularly the case for Canadian and French forecasts, which would gain by paying greater attention than they do to news from the USA and Germany, respectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The relative influence of advice from human experts and statistical methods on forecast adjustmentsJOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 4 2009Dilek Önkal Abstract Decision makers and forecasters often receive advice from different sources including human experts and statistical methods. This research examines, in the context of stock price forecasting, how the apparent source of the advice affects the attention that is paid to it when the mode of delivery of the advice is identical for both sources. In Study 1, two groups of participants were given the same advised point and interval forecasts. One group was told that these were the advice of a human expert and the other that they were generated by a statistical forecasting method. The participants were then asked to adjust forecasts they had previously made in light of this advice. While in both cases the advice led to improved point forecast accuracy and better calibration of the prediction intervals, the advice which apparently emanated from a statistical method was discounted much more severely. In Study 2, participants were provided with advice from two sources. When the participants were told that both sources were either human experts or both were statistical methods, the apparent statistical-based advice had the same influence on the adjusted estimates as the advice that appeared to come from a human expert. However when the apparent sources of advice were different, much greater attention was paid to the advice that apparently came from a human expert. Theories of advice utilization are used to identify why the advice of a human expert is likely to be preferred to advice from a statistical method. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evolution, origin and age of lineages in the Californian and Mediterranean florasJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 7 2009David D. Ackerly Abstract This paper addresses some of the conceptual issues involved in the analysis of the age and origin of mediterranean-climate plant taxa, paying particular attention to three topics: (1) the importance of an explicit time frame in the definition of biogeographical origins, (2) the distinction between the age of traits and the age of taxa, and (3) the idea of mediterranean-type ecosystems as environmental islands. (1) In California, recent analyses demonstrate that the diversity of species derived from different biogeographical origins is significantly correlated with temperature and precipitation gradients. These patterns support the hypothesis that niche conservatism is an important factor structuring modern diversity gradients. However, depending on how far back in time one looks, a species may be assigned to different origins; future discussions of biogeographical origins need to address the appropriate time frame for analysis. (2) Past research has demonstrated distinctive trait syndromes among woody plants of the Mediterranean, Chile, California and Mexico, and proposed that the syndromes are associated with lineages of different age in these floras. Reanalysis of individual traits demonstrates greater variability among regions than previously reported. The classification of plants into ,old' and ,new' genera is re-evaluated, and it is suggested that greater attention be paid to the age of traits, rather than to the age of taxa, especially at an arbitrary rank such as genus. (3) The idea of mediterranean-climate regions as ,climatic islands' is examined. Space,time diagrams of climate enable one to view the emergence of distinctive climatic regions in a continental context. The terms ,synclimatic' and ,anticlimatic' are proposed, referring to migration routes that parallel climate contours in space and time versus those that cross contours (including the case of geographic stasis in the face of climate change), respectively. Mediterranean-climate regions have served as important case studies in plant ecology and evolution, and merit continued close examination in the light of continued advances in phylogenetics and palaeoecology. [source] Improving hand hygiene in community healthcare settings: the impact of research and clinical collaborationJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 1 2000Dinah Gould BSc, MPhil ,,Observation of nursing activities and bacteriological studies undertaken with a sample of nurses employed in a community NHS trust indicated that considerable scope for cross infection existed during domiciliary visits. ,,Poor conditions in patients' homes compromised nurses' ability to perform hand hygiene effectively, increasing risks. ,,A clinical trial indicated that carriage of medically significant bacteria likely to contribute to cross infection could be reduced by applying an antiseptic cream which exhibited residual effectiveness. ,,An audit of hand hygiene throughout the inner city trust indicated the need to pay greater attention to hand hygiene, especially during home nursing visits. The situation was less acute in a rural trust where a second audit was performed for comparative purposes. ,,The motivation of clinical staff to improve hand hygiene precautions was high. [source] How to facilitate immersion in a consumption experience: appropriation operations and service elementsJOURNAL OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR, Issue 1 2006Antonella Carù An entire research current has taken on the mantle of analysing the growing quest on the part of contemporary consumers for immersion into varied experiences. But there has been little empirical analysis of this process of immersion and the experience it produces. This paper introduces and develops the subjective operations that consumers undertake in their efforts to be submerged in the consumption experience. It uses empirical research based on introspective reports filed by consumers who attended a series of classical music concerts. The results suggest that, rather than being an immediate process, immersion in a consumption experience is more progressive. To facilitate this progressive process, greater attention must be paid to the management of those service elements that will have an impact on the so-called operations of appropriation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||