Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Greater Support (greater + support)
Selected AbstractsNation Building and Women: The Effect of Intervention on Women's AgencyFOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2008Mary Caprioli Regardless of the primary motive, international military intervention aimed at nation building is partly intended to establish democratic societies. And scholars have demonstrated that intervention does have a positive impact on democratization. With democratization generally follows greater support for human rights. Feminist scholars, however, have questioned definitions of democracy in which at minimal, women's political rights are absent. This brings into question the impact of intervention on the status of women. Particularly in both Iraq and Afghanistan women's rights have become prominent in the post-invasion American political rhetoric. Since intervention seems to be associated with the spread of democratic principles, we seek to discover whether intervention actually moves societies toward gender equality. We examine all six cases of completed military intervention aimed at nation building in sovereign states during the post Cold War period. Three of the cases,El Salvador, Mozambique, Namibia,evidence democratic change; whereas, the remaining three states,Cambodia, Haiti, Somalia,remain undemocratized. We test the extent to which intervention has or has not improved women's equality and find no dramatic effect, either positive or negative, of intervention on the status of women in any of the six states. [source] Programme alignment in higher-level planning processes: a four-country case-study for Sexual and Reproductive HealthINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2009Rebecca Dodd Abstract With international development assistance focussed on poverty reduction, national and sector-wide planning processes have become increasingly important in setting agendas. Sector-Wide Approaches (SWAps), Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), and other higher level planning processes, including Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reporting, have required new levels of engagement in national and sectoral planning processes. For Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), this has had mixed consequences, despite raising the profile of SRH in national planning agendas, and emphasizing the potential of SRH to contribute to the reduction of poverty. Drawing on case-study research from four countries, this paper analyzes alignment of SRH policy with higher-level planning processes. It found that SRH managers are rarely engaged in higher-level planning processes, and while SRH features prominently in the [health] sections of PRSPs, it is not reflected in other sections, and does not necessarily correspond to more resources. Despite these limitations, these planning processes offer synergies that could improve the contribution of SRH to health sector development and poverty reduction. The paper recommends that local donor organizations, including key UN agencies, offer greater support for SRH programme managers in promoting the pro-poor and systems-wide strengths of SRH programmes to planners and policy makers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Reliability, Validity and Practical Utility of Measuring Supports using the I-CAN Instrument: Part IIJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 4 2009Vivienne C. Riches Background, There is an urgent need for developing reliable, valid and practical instruments that assess and classify the support needed by persons with disability to function in their chosen living, working and social environments. I-CAN is an instrument that addresses the frequency and level of support needed (not individual skills or deficits) for each individual with a disability. Method, Studies were conducted to assess the test,retest reliability and inter-rater reliability. Concurrent validity was investigated by exploring the relationship between the I-CAN domain scales and the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP) (Bruininks et al. 1986) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q) (Schalock & Keith 1993). Predictive validity studies were undertaken using day- and night-time support hours. Regression analyses were run using these measures with I-CAN domain scales. Two independent studies were also conducted to ascertain the practical utility of the instrument. Results, The I-CAN instrument demonstrated excellent inter-rater and test,retest reliability in the Activities and Participation domains. Low-to-moderate test,retest results in Physical Health, Mental Emotional Health and Behaviour domains were tracked to actual change in support needs in these areas. Validity proved acceptable. The relationships between I-CAN domain scales and adaptive behaviour were mixed but in the expected direction. Low-to-moderate correlation coefficients were evident between the I-CAN scales and the QOL-Q Total, but greater support needed in certain domains was associated with less empowerment and independence, and less community integration and social belonging. Attempts to explain current support hours against the I-CAN scales were disappointing and suggest that a number of other factors apart from individual support need to play a significant role. There was general satisfaction with the assessment process from stakeholders and participant groups. Conclusions, I-CAN is a reliable, valid and user-friendly instrument for assessing the support needs of people with disabilities. It uses a process that involves the persons with disability, their family and friends and staff as appropriate. It is also apparent that the current provision of paid support hours by agencies is a complex phenomenon that is not based solely on individual support needs. Further research is warranted on the influence of the environment and the perceptions of need for support based on negotiable and non-negotiable support needs. [source] Patch occupancy of North American mammals: is patchiness in the eye of the beholder?JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2003Robert K. Swihart Abstract Aim Intraspecific variation in patch occupancy often is related to physical features of a landscape, such as the amount and distribution of habitat. However, communities occupying patchy environments typically exhibit non-random distributions in which local assemblages of species-poor patches are nested subsets of assemblages occupying more species-rich patches. Nestedness of local communities implies interspecific differences in sensitivity to patchiness. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain interspecific variation in responses to patchiness within a community, including differences in (1) colonization ability, (2) extinction proneness, (3) tolerance to disturbance, (4) sociality and (5) level of adaptation to prevailing environmental conditions. We used data on North American mammals to compare the performance of these ,ecological' hypotheses and the ,physical landscape' hypothesis. We then compared the best of these models against models that scaled landscape structure to ecologically relevant attributes of individual species. Location North America. Methods We analysed data on prevalence (i.e. proportion of patches occupied in a network of patches) and occupancy for 137 species of non-volant mammals and twenty networks consisting of four to seventy-five patches. Insular and terrestrial networks exhibited significantly different mean levels of prevalence and occupancy and thus were analysed separately. Indicator variables at ordinal and family levels were included in models to correct for effects caused by phylogeny. Akaike's information criterion was used in conjunction with ordinary least squares and logistic regression to compare hypotheses. Results A patch network's physical structure, indexed using patch area and isolation, received the greatest support among models predicting the prevalence of species on insular networks. Niche breadth (diet and habitat) received the greatest support for predicting prevalence of species occupying terrestrial networks. For both insular and terrestrial systems, physical features (patch area and isolation) received greater support than any of the ecological hypotheses for predicting species occupancy of individual patches. For terrestrial systems, scaling patch area by its suitability to a focal species and by individual area requirements of the species, and scaling patch isolation by species-specific dispersal ability and niche breadth, resulted in models of patch occupancy that were superior to models relying solely on physical landscape features. For all selected models, unexplained levels of variation were high. Main conclusions Stochasticity dominated the systems we studied, indicating that random events are probably quite important in shaping local communities. With respect to deterministic factors, our results suggest that forces affecting species prevalence and occupancy may differ between insular and terrestrial systems. Physical features of insular systems appeared to swamp ecological differences among species in determining prevalence and occupancy, whereas species with broad niches were disproportionately represented in terrestrial networks. We hypothesize that differential extinction over long time periods in highly variable networks has driven nestedness of mammalian communities on islands, whereas differential colonization over shorter time-scales in more homogeneous networks probably governed the local structure of terrestrial communities. Our results also demonstrate that integration of a species' ecological traits with physical features of a patch network is superior to reliance on either factor separately when attempting to predict the species' probability of patch occupancy in terrestrial systems. [source] Investigating factors associated with nurses' attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care: a study in Shandong and Hong KongJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 16 2009Moon Fai Chan Aims., To explore nurses' attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care and to identify factors associated with these attitudes. Background., It is likely that the attitude of nursing staff can influence recovery from a pregnancy loss and that nurses with positive attitudes to bereavement care can help bereaved parents to cope during their grieving period. Design., Survey. Method., Data were collected through a structured questionnaire; 657 nurses were recruited from Obstetrics and Gynaecology units in Hong Kong and Shandong during 2006. Outcome measures included attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care, importance of hospital policy and training support for bereavement care. Results., The majority of nurses in this study had a positive attitude to bereavement care. Results show that only 21·6% (n = 141) of the nurses surveyed had bereavement-related training. In contrast, about 89·8% (n = 300) believed they needed to be equipped with relevant knowledge, skills and understanding in the care and support of bereaved parents and more than 88·5% (n = 592) would share their experiences with their colleagues and seek support when feeling under stress. A regression model showed that age, past experience in handling grieving parents, recent ranking and nurses' perceived attitudes to hospital policy and training provided for bereavement care were the factors associated with nurses' attitudes to perinatal bereavement care. Conclusions., Nurses in both cities emphasised their need for increased knowledge and experience, improved communication skills and greater support from team members and the hospital for perinatal bereavement care. Relevance to clinical practice., These findings may be used by nursing educators to educate their students on issues related to delivery of sensitive bereavement care in perinatal settings and to enhance nursing school curricula. [source] Support for religio-political aggression among teenaged boys in Gaza: Part I: psychological findings,AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 4 2010Jeff Victoroff Abstract Politically aggressive militant groups usually rely on support from a larger community, although evidence suggests that only some members of that larger community support that aggression. A major subtype of political aggression is that associated with religious differences,or Religio-Political Aggression (RPA). Little previous research has explored demographic or psychological factors that might distinguish supporters from non-supporters of RPA. In an exploratory study, we investigated whether factors previously associated with aggression might correlate with support for RPA in the case of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. During the second intifada, fifty-two 14-year-old Palestinian boys in Gaza completed self-report measures of life events, emotional status, and political attitudes. Teenaged boys who reported family members having been wounded or killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) expressed greater support for RPA (t(50)=,2.30, P=.026). In addition, boys who felt their group was treated unjustly reported greater support for RPA compared with those who did not (t(50)=,2.273, P=.027). Implications of these preliminary data are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 36:219,231, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Homelessness in the US and Germany: a cross-national analysis,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2003Carolyn J. Tompsett Abstract A public opinion survey was administered by telephone to nationally representative samples in the US and Germany to assess prevalence of homelessness as well as attitudes, opinions and knowledge regarding homelessness. Lower prevalence rates were found in Germany as compared with the US. German respondents demonstrated higher levels of general compassion, greater support for the public rights of the homeless, a greater tendency to view the homeless as trustworthy, and were more likely to view economic factors and less likely to view personal failings as integral to the problem of homelessness. Respondent age, gender, and political affiliation predicted many public opinion variables. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Serial Cohabitation and the Marital Life CourseJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 4 2008Daniel T. Lichter Using cohort data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this paper tracks the experiences of serial cohabitors. Results indicate that only a minority of cohabiting women (about 15% , 20%) were involved in multiple cohabitations. Serial cohabitations were overrepresented among economically disadvantaged groups, especially those with low income and education. They also were less likely than single-instance cohabiting unions to end in marriage rather than dissolve. If serial cohabitors married, divorce rates were very high , more than twice as high as for women who cohabited only with their eventual husbands. The results suggest the need to balance the government's current preoccupation with marriage promotion with greater support of "at risk" unions that marriage promotion initiatives have helped create. [source] Mental health clinicians' attitudes about consumer and consumer consultant participation in Australia: A cross-sectional survey designNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 2 2008Terence V. McCann rn Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess mental health clinicians' attitudes about mental health consumer participation in inpatient psychiatric units. A cross-sectional survey design was used with a non-probability sample of 47 clinicians in the psychiatric units of a large Australian hospital. The results showed that gender, length of time as a clinician, and how long the staff worked in the units influenced their attitudes about consumer involvement. Females were more likely than males to support consumer participation in management and consumer consultants. Less experienced staff showed greater support than more experienced staff for mental health consumer involvement in treatment-related matters and consumer consultants in units. New staff members were more likely to register agreement-to-uncertainty regarding consumer involvement in treatment-related issues, whereas established staff members were more likely to record uncertainty about this issue. The findings showed that although reports and policies promoted participation, some clinicians were reluctant to accept consumer and consultant involvement. [source] Social support and end-of-life issues for small town Japanese elderlyNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 3 2000Akira Tagaya PhD Abstract Social support for Japanese elderly people living in small towns is the focus of this paper. Specifically, it explores the relationship between selected aspects of self-reported social support, religion, end-of-life issues, and death anxiety. A total of the 1956 men and women responded to a questionnaire including a scale of social support they received in their home. The major findings showed that an increased level of perceived social support is not a predictor of decreased death anxiety but correlated with image of death and coping style of death anxiety, for which those who reported greater support tend to use more human relationships and fewer religious beliefs. Early in the next century 25% of Japan's population will be 65 years of age or older. Elderly Japanese have benefited from the traditional values of family care giving which historically provided great social support. How do these elderly respond to questions about the end of their lives when their reported social support varies? [source] History in the interpretation of the pattern of p49a,f TaqI RFLP Y-chromosome variation in Egypt: A consideration of multiple lines of evidenceAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005S.O.Y. Keita The possible factors involved in the generation of p49a,f TaqI Y-chromosome spatial diversity in Egypt were explored. The object was to consider explanations beyond those that emphasize gene flow mediated via military campaigns within the Nile corridor during the dynastic period. Current patterns of the most common variants (V, XI, and IV) have been suggested to be primarily related to Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom political actions in Nubia, including occasional settler colonization, and the conquest of Egypt by Kush (in upper Nubia, northern Sudan), thus initiating the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty. However, a synthesis of evidence from archaeology, historical linguistics, texts, distribution of haplotypes outside Egypt, and some demographic considerations lends greater support to the establishment, before the Middle Kingdom, of the observed distributions of the most prevalent haplotypes V, XI, and IV. It is suggested that the pattern of diversity for these variants in the Egyptian Nile Valley was largely the product of population events that occurred in the late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene through the First Dynasty, and was sustained by continuous smaller-scale bidirectional migrations/interactions. The higher frequency of V in Ethiopia than in Nubia or upper (southern) Egypt has to be taken into account in any discussion of variation in the Nile Valley. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 17: 559,567, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Devolution and Innovation: The Adoption of State Environmental Policy Innovations by Administrative AgenciesPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 2 2004Alka Sapat Do states act as laboratories for reform? Are state administrative agencies likely to adopt policy innovations? This study analyzes the adoption of environmental policy innovations by state administrative agencies in the area of hazardous waste regulation. Four explanations are developed to explain the factors that affect innovation adoption: the severity of the problem, the importance of institutional factors, the role played by interest groups, and contextual factors. Institutional factors, such as state wealth and administrative professionalism, are important determinants of innovation adoption. State agencies are also likely to adopt innovations to deal with problems created by hazardous waste contamination. In addition, state environmental managers are not directly influenced by interest groups, and the inclusion of all stakeholders is likely to lead to greater support for new policy initiatives. Implications for practitioners are drawn based on the study's findings. [source] Functional adaptation of the femoral head to voluntary exerciseTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Jeffrey H. Plochocki Abstract The functional adaptation of limb joints during postnatal ontogeny is necessary to maintain proper joint function. Joint form is modified primarily through differential rates of articular cartilage proliferation across articular surfaces during endochondral growth. This process is hypothesized to be mechanically regulated by the magnitude and orientation of stresses in the articular cartilage. However, the adaptation of limb joint morphology to the mechanical environment is poorly understood. We investigate the effects of voluntary exercise on femoral head morphology in 7-week-old female mice of the inbred strain C57BL/6J. The mice were divided into a control group and a group treated with voluntary access to an activity wheel for the duration of the 4-week study. Histomorphometric comparisons of chondral and osseous joint tissue of the proximal femur were made between control and exercise treatment groups. We find that exercised mice have significantly thicker articular cartilage with greater chondral tissue area and cellularity. Exercised mice also exhibit significantly greater bone tissue area and longer and flatter subchondral surfaces. No significant difference is found in the curvature of the articular cartilage or the length of the chondral articular surface between groups. These data suggest that a complex mechanistic relationship exists between joint stress and joint form. Joint tissue response to loading is multifaceted, involving both size and shape changes. Our data support the hypothesis that joint growth is ontogenetically plastic. Mechanical loading significantly influences chondral and subchondral tissue proliferation to provide greater support against increased mechanical loading. Anat Rec Part A, 288A:776,781, 2006 © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Electoral behaviour behind the gates: partisanship and political participation among Canadian gated community residentsAREA, Issue 1 2010R. Alan Walks Gated communities have been characterised as representing processes of ,forting up' and ,civic secession', in which their residents use gating as a strategy for withdrawing from political life and from taking collective responsibility for others. The assumption is that the residents of private gated communities should be less likely to participate in political life, and/or be more likely to support political parties on the right who advocate privatisation, reduced government expenditures and lower taxes. If the act of living in a gated community is associated with either greater support for parties and policies on the right of the political spectrum, or limited political participation, then the growth of such forms of privatised communities has potential implications for the future of urban politics and even for national political systems. However, despite surveys that have dealt with social attitudes ,behind the gates', insufficient attention has been paid to the politics of gated community residents. This paper fills this gap through a comparative analysis of electoral behaviour during the 2006 federal election at the level of the polling station. Electoral participation and partisanship in 27 gated communities in three Canadian metropolitan areas is compared against that of non-gated residents. Regression analysis is conducted in order to determine whether gated community residents differ from their non-gated counterparts in the way they vote and their levels of electoral turnout, after controlling for social composition. The potential implications of this research are then discussed. [source] Rural pathology under the microscopeAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Helen Cameron Abstract There is little discussion about the crisis in the pathology and medical science workforce despite the implications it has for the whole health system. The crisis has greater implications for rural and remote locations because of the range of skills and multidisciplinary approach required in these areas. Recognition of the clinical significance and organisational importance of the sector is required as is recognition of the unique characteristics of rural and remote pathology and greater support for rural and remote pathology practitioners. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||