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Incidents
Kinds of Incidents Terms modified by Incidents Selected AbstractsDISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ASSAULTS MOTIVATED BY BIAS,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 3 2004STEVEN F. MESSNER This research examines the ways in which assaults motivated by bias are similar to and different from other types of assault. Analyses are based on data from the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), pooled across eleven states. We find evidence suggesting that offenders motivated by racial and ethnic bias are more likely to be versatile offenders than specialists: they are more (not less) likely to be using drugs and alcohol during the crime than conventional offenders. Bias offenders are also more likely to seriously injure the victim. Finally, we find that the risks of bias crime victimization (relative to the risk of assault victimization generally) are similar for blacks and other racial minorities. [source] Postictal Central Apnea as a Cause of SUDEP: Evidence From Near-SUDEP IncidentEPILEPSIA, Issue 11 2000Elson L. So Summary: While undergoing video-EEG monitoring, a 20-year-old woman had a 56-second convulsive seizure, after which she developed persistent apnea. The rhythm of the electrocardiogram complexes was unimpaired for approximately 10 seconds, after which it gradually and progressively slowed until it stopped 57 seconds later. Evaluation after successful cardiorespiratory resuscitation showed no evidence of airway obstruction or pulmonary edema. The patient had a previous cardio-respiratory arrest after a complex partial seizure without secondary generalization. Although epileptic seizures are known to be potentially arrhythmogenic to the heart, our observations strongly suggest that one probable mechanism of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy is the marked central suppression of respiratory activity after seizures. [source] Incident Command Skills in the Management of an Oil Industry Drilling Incident: a Case StudyJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2005M.T. Crichton The successful management of a complex, hazardous event in many domains demands a high level of incident command skills. In the oil and gas exploration and production industry, these skills were required by members of an Incident Management Team (IMT) established to respond the failure of a drilling riser in the Gulf of Mexico. When an incident occurs, members of an industrial IMT form an interdisciplinary, interdependent, but ad-hoc team. As actual experience of dealing with major incidents of this nature is relatively rare, IMT members have to rely on emergency exercises in training, along with existing domain-specific knowledge. Following a serious incident on an offshore drilling rig, semi-structured interviews with the on-shore strategic and tactical level IMT members (n=7) were conducted. These interviews have resulted in the identification and definition of incident command skills for members of an industrial IMT, namely decision making, situation awareness, communication, leadership, and teamwork, all of which can be affected by stress, as well as organisational factors that influenced the outcome of the incident. Limitations in current incident management training were identified, namely the need for specific incident command skills training. A framework is suggested around which specific incident command skills training can be structured. Key learnings from this case study are also presented which can provide guidance for the training and preparation of industrial incident management teams. [source] Spectral Acquisition and Calibration Techniques for the Measurement of Radiative Flux Incident upon PropellantPROPELLANTS, EXPLOSIVES, PYROTECHNICS, Issue 1 2003Michael Abstract A technique for the absolute calibration of a time-resolved spectrographic system has been developed at QinetiQ, specifically designed to be relevant to spectral acquisition from within the interior of translucent gun-propellant samples. The technique has shown itself to be particularly useful in the realm of propellant ignition as it allows for the precise determination of the moment that propellant combustion processes begin, as well as measuring the incident radiative flux leading up to ignition. Scope exists to extend its use for high-pressure measurements of the incident radiative flux during both conventional propellant burn and high-powered electrothermal-chemical (ETC) discharges. This paper sets out to describe both the technique and some of the pitfalls encountered during the development of the technique. The use of this technique in some of the experimental work performed at QinetiQ, including the results of measurements that compare the incident radiative flux with propellant ignition during both ETC discharges and conventional gunpowder burn, have been published separately; references for this experimental work are given in this paper. [source] Serum phytoestrogens and prostate cancer risk in a nested case-control study among Japanese menCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2004Kotaro Ozasa The purpose of this study was to examine whether a high serum concentration of phytoestrogens reduces the risk of prostate cancer in a case-control study nested in a community-based cohort in Japan (Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study). Information on lifestyles and sera of the subjects were collected in 1988,90, and they were followed up to 1999. Incident and dead cases of prostate cancer and controls were matched for study area and age. Phytoestrogens and sex hormones in sera stored at ,80°C were measured in 2002. Of 14,105 male subjects of the cohort who donated their sera, 52 cases and 151 controls were identified. Three datasets were analyzed; 1) all subjects, 2) 40 cases and 101 controls after excluding subjects with low testosterone levels who were suspected of having had medical intervention, and 3) 28 cases and 69 controls with prostate specific antigen level of ,10.0 ng/ml. The odds ratio (OR) for the highest level to the lowest was 0.38 (95% confidence interval (CI); 0.13, 1.13) for genistein, 0.41 (0.15, 1.11) for daidzein, and 0.34 (0.11, 1.10) for equol for the second dataset. Genistein and daidzein showed similar findings in the third one. Equol and equol/daidzein ratio showed consistent findings in all three datasets (OR=0.39, 95% CI; 0.13, 0.89, trend P=0.02 for the first dataset). Their effects seemed to be independent of serum sex hormones. In conclusion, serum genistein, daidzein, and equol seemed to dose-dependently reduce prostate cancer risk. (Cancer Sci 2004; 95: 65,71) [source] Storytelling as Pedagogy: An Unexpected Outcome of Narrative InquiryCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 2 2007CATHY COULTER ABSTRACT This study examines how the use of narrative research methods can serve as pedagogical strategies in preservice teacher education. In this study, we see the intersection of narrative inquiry and storytelling-as-pedagogy. The two often intersect, but rarely has that intersection been examined in a systematic manner. This study examines data collected as one ESL preservice teacher and one Bilingual preservice teacher were followed from their language arts methods class into student teaching and then their first year of teaching to see how they reflected on, questioned, and learned from their experiences. Incidents where narrative inquiry served as pedagogical tools were examined. Although storytelling-as-pedagogy was not a goal in this study, we found that it was an outcome of utilizing narrative inquiry as a methodology. [source] Research Methods of InquiryACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Joel Rodgers MA Incidents of significant consequence that create surge may require special research methods to provide reliable, generalizable results. This report was constructed through a process of literature review, expert panel discussion at the journal's consensus conference, and iterative development. Traditional clinical research methods that are well accepted in medicine are exceptionally difficult to use for surge incidents because the incidents are very difficult to reliably predict, the consequences vary widely, human behaviors are heterogeneous in response to incidents, and temporal conditions prioritize limited resources to response, rather than data collection. Current literature on surge research methods has found some degree of reliability and generalizability in case-control, postincident survey methods, and ethnographical designs. Novel methods that show promise for studying surge include carefully validated simulation experiments and survey methods that produce validated results from representative populations. Methodologists and research scientists should consider quasi-experimental designs and case-control studies in areas with recurrent high-consequence incidents (e.g., earthquakes and hurricanes). Specialists that need to be well represented in areas of research include emergency physicians and critical care physicians, simulation engineers, cost economists, sociobehavioral methodologists, and others. [source] Evaluating theories of alcohol-related aggression using observations of young adults in barsADDICTION, Issue 6 2000Kathryn Graham Aims. The objective of the present study is to evaluate 36 explanations of alcohol-related aggression that have been proposed in the research literature in terms of their relevance to naturally-occurring incidents of aggression involving alcohol. Design. The study involved content analysis of descriptions of 105 incidents of aggression. Setting and participants. Bars frequented by young adults. Measurements. Step-by-step descriptions of incidents of aggression reported by researcher-observers based on 93 nights of observation in bars between midnight and 3 a.m. Findings. Some explanations relating to the effects of alcohol (e.g. focused on the present, reduced anxiety about sanctions or danger, heightened emotionality) and the environment (e.g. generally permissive environment, expectation by patrons that aggression will be tolerated) were found to be relevant to most incidents, while other explanations (e.g. crowding, release of pent-up anger) were directly relevant to only a few or no incidents. Incidents involving male-to-male aggression were more likely than incidents involving both males and females to be attributable to expectations, acceptance of aggression, power concerns, male honor and "macho" values. Principal components analysis identified five groupings of explanations: risk-taking effects of alcohol, cognitive impairment from alcohol, hyperemotional effects of alcohol, "macho" subculture, and permissive environment. Conclusions. The findings are consistent with a model of alcohol-related aggression that involves multiple contributing factors including alcohol effects and situational contexts. The greater relevance of certain explanations and the natural groupings of explanations point to directions for future research. [source] NONPROFIT EMPLOYEES' MACHIAVELLIAN PROPENSITIESFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2009Pamela C. Smith Nonprofit organizations are held to high ethical standards due to their charitable missions serving the common good. Incidents of fiscal mismanagement within the nonprofit sector make it relevant to assay the ethical principles of employees. This study examines the level of Machiavellian propensities of US nonprofit employees. Results indicate Machiavellian propensities do exist in certain nonprofit employees and these employees agree with questionable behavior. Policy makers and oversight agencies may find these results useful in developing corporate governance and accountability measures for nonprofit organizations. Furthermore, board of director members may use these results to monitor employee actions and address management training. [source] What do mothers attune to during interactions with their infants?INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2006Carl-Otto Jonsson Abstract There has been considerable theoretical interest in the developmental importance of affect mirroring and attunement, but little empirical attention has been directed toward the topic. The present study systematically explored the sorts of infant behaviour that elicit affect attunement in mothers. Written descriptions of video-recorded sequences of interaction in 27 mother,infant dyads were used to examine 141 instances of affect attunement in samples from Sweden and the former Yugoslavia. Infants were aged between 2 and 12 months. Behaviour that elicited affect attunement from mothers was rated in terms of 10 behavioural themes, which were used to cluster episodes of affect attunement. Cluster analysis suggested that mothers attuned to six distinct forms of infant behaviour: pleasurable motoric behaviour, effect initiation, focusing, loss of balance, uncontrolled behaviour and displeasure. Incidents of affect attunement elicited by categorical affects comprised only 20% of the instances examined. Most importantly, affect attunement was often elicited by infant exploration and play in relation to the non-social world. Affect attunement may function to reinforce and regulate on-going behaviour that is largely explorative in nature. How mothers respond to the infant's interaction with the external, non-social world may be more important for intrapsychic development than previously thought. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Avian influenza surveillance in wild birds in the European Union in 2006INFLUENZA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES, Issue 1 2009Uta Hesterberg Abstract Background, Infections of wild birds with highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) subtype H5N1 virus were reported for the first time in the European Union in 2006. Objectives, To capture epidemiological information on H5N1 HPAI in wild bird populations through large-scale surveillance and extensive data collection. Methods, Records were analysed at bird level to explore the epidemiology of AI with regard to species of wild birds involved, timing and location of infections as well as the applicability of different surveillance types for the detection of infections. Results, In total, 120,706 records of birds were sent to the Community Reference Laboratory for analysis. Incidents of H5N1 HPAI in wild birds were detected in 14 EU Member States during 2006. All of these incidents occurred between February and May, with the exception of two single cases during the summer months in Germany and Spain. Conclusions, For the detection of H5N1 HPAI virus, passive surveillance of dead or diseased birds appeared the most effective approach, whilst active surveillance offered better detection of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses. No carrier species for H5N1 HPAI virus could be identified and almost all birds infected with H5N1 HPAI virus were either dead or showed clinical signs. A very large number of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were tested in 2006 and while a high proportion of LPAI infections were found in this species, H5N1 HPAI virus was rarely identified in these birds. Orders of species that appeared to be very clinically susceptible to H5N1 HPAI virus were swans, diving ducks, mergansers and grebes, supporting experimental evidence. Surveillance results indicate that H5N1 HPAI virus did not establish itself successfully in the EU wild bird population in 2006. [source] A Heterotopian Analysis of Maritime Refugee IncidentsINTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Michele Budz Given the persistent significance of states in the determination of legal identities of people on the move, a consideration of the construction of people as legal (or illegal) migrants, refugees, or asylum-seekers must also recognize that these determinations take place in conjunction with the simultaneous processes through which spaces such as sovereign states or ships carrying asylum-seekers are constructed. A heterotopian analysis of the Tampa and the SIEVX of 2001 allows for a consideration of the ways in which notions of sovereignty, territory and governmentality work to stabilize ambiguous situations produced by the conflictual discourses of human rights and state power. [source] Faint and pre-faint reactions in whole blood donors: predictive value of pre-donation measurementsISBT SCIENCE SERIES: THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTRACELLULAR TRANSPORT, Issue 1 2009P. Tomasulo Background, A small proportion of blood donors have adverse reactions. The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of faint and significant hypotensive reactions that could serve as targets for interventions to reduce reactions, thus improving the blood donation experience for those at higher risk of reactions and reducing the risk of serious adverse events. Methods, The records of 422,231 allogeneic whole blood donations from a 9-month period were assessed for adverse reactions. Incidents related to needle insertion, such as hematoma were excluded. Demographic, biometric, and clinical measurements were collected. Reactions were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis comparing donors with any adverse reaction to donors without reactions and by stratified rates according to reaction severity. Results, The overall reaction prevalence was 1·43%. Of the reactions, 63%, 29% and 8% were classified as mild, moderate and severe, respectively. Markers of reactions were: age, gender, race, blood volume, blood pressure, pulse and body mass index. Compared to donors without reactions, the strongest predictor of a reaction was a donor's blood volume <3500 ml (OR 2·9, 95% CI 2·57,3·23). Age and first time status were also associated with a significantly higher risk of reaction with 17,18 years olds (OR 2·8, 95% CI 2·59,2·98) and 19,24 year olds (OR 2·39, 95% CI 2·23,2·56) at higher risk compared to 25,65 year olds, and first time donors at higher risk compared to repeat donors (OR 2·2, 95% CI 2·07,2·33). Using a lower weight limit of 50 kg does not prevent donors from giving more than 15% of their blood volume. Conclusion, The results of this study are helpful in identifying donors at risk for adverse reactions and in understanding the contributors to reactions. Donor blood volume was a strong predictor of reaction. Selecting donors using blood volume, not weight, should reduce the frequency of reactions. [source] Nonstationary spatio-temporal small rodent dynamics: evidence from long-term Norwegian fox bounty dataJOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009John-André Henden Summary 1The geographical pattern in Fennoscandian small rodent population dynamics with a southern noncyclic and a northern cyclic region, and with latitudinal gradients in density-dependent structure, cycle period length and spatial synchrony within the northern cyclic region, has been widely publicized and interpreted in the ecological literature. However, the time-series data on which these inferences have been established are relatively short and originate from a specific time period (mostly around 1970,90). Hence, it can be questioned whether the geographical population dynamics patterns are consistent over time (i.e. whether they are stationary). 2Here we analyse an almost century long (1880,1976) panel of fox bounty time series including 18 counties of Norway, thus spanning the whole range of latitudes of Fennoscandia (i.e. 15 latitudinal degrees). These fox time series mirror the dynamics of their dominant small rodent prey, in particular, with respect to cycle period length and spatial synchrony. 3While we found some evidence consistent with previous analyses showing a clearly patterned dynamics according to latitude, such patterns were not stationary on a longer time-scale. In particular, we observed a shift from an extensively synchronous (i.e. regionalized) 4-year cycle north of 60°N just after the ,Little Ice Age' (1880,1910) to a diversification of cycle period length (3,5 years) and eventually, partial loss of cyclicity and synchronicity in later periods. Incidents of loss of cyclicity appeared to be preceded by changes in cycle period (i.e. period lengthening and shortening). 4These results show that the dynamics of Fennoscandian small rodents, and their associated guild of predators, are more prone to change than previously acknowledged. [source] The diversity of Listeria monocytogenes strains from 10 Icelandic sheep farmsJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2004K.B. Gudmundsdottir Abstract Aims:, The purpose of this study was to examine the diversity of Listeria monocytogenes strains from healthy sheep, winter feed and environment of sheep farms in Iceland. Methods and Results:, A total of 104 L. monocytogenes isolates from animals, winter feed and environment on 10 Icelandic sheep farms were compared by serotyping, ribotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis with ApaI and AscI. The isolates were divided into 24 genotypes, all identified as serovars 1/2a, 1/2b, or 4b. Nine genotypes were detected on more than one farm. On three of the farms there seemed to be a dominant strain of L. monocytogenes. Isolates from incidents of listeriosis in animals occurring on two of the farms belonged to the genotype most commonly found on the particular farm. Nine of the 24 genotypes found on the sheep farms have been associated with disease in animals and/or humans elsewhere in Iceland. Conclusions:, Certain strains of L. monocytogenes seem to be widely distributed on Icelandic sheep farms. On some farms there appears to be a dominant strain of L. monocytogenes. Incidents of listeriosis in animals may tend to be associated with strains commonly found on the farm. Significance and Impact of the Study:, This study demonstrates the diversity of L. monocytogenes present in healthy sheep and their environment. [source] Examining the characteristics of workplace violence in one non-tertiary hospitalJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 3-4 2010Rose Chapman Aim., This study sought to determine the prevalence and characteristics of workplace violence directed at a volunteer sample of nurses at one non-tertiary hospital. Respondents' reasons for not reporting these incidents were also investigated. Background., Incidents of workplace violence are increasing worldwide. However, no studies have investigated this phenomenon from the perspective of nurses in Western Australian non-tertiary hospitals. Design., Survey. Method., A survey was distributed to all 332 nurses working in several areas of one non-tertiary hospital in Western Australia to determine their experiences of workplace violence over a 12 month period. Findings., Of the 113 nurses who agreed to participate in this study, 75% reported experiencing workplace violence in the previous twelve months. When asked about their most recent incident, 50% of the nurses said they had reported it verbally, mostly to more senior staff. Only 16% of the nurses completed an official incident report. Reasons for not reporting included the view that WPV is just part of the job and the perception that management would not be responsive. Conclusion., This study showed that for this sample of nurses violent events are occurring at a rate that is similar to those reported in other studies. This finding should be of great concern to the organisation and the community in general. Relevance to clinical practice., Organisations are obliged to improve the safety of the workplace environment for both staff and patients. The findings of our study may be of help to healthcare institutions in developing education programmes for nurses, patients and their friends and relatives to reduce the impact and frequency of workplace violence. [source] Handling Mass Death by Integrating the Management of Disasters and Pandemics: Lessons from the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Spanish Flu and Other IncidentsJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2007Joseph Scanlon At first glance, there appear to be significant differences between mass death from disasters and catastrophes and mass death from pandemics. In a disaster or catastrophe the major problem is identifying the dead and, sometimes, determining cause of death. This can be very frustrating for next of kin. In a pandemic, the identity of the dead is usually known as is the cause of their death. There is an immediate certainty in pandemic death. Despite these major differences there are many similarities. Because it takes time to identify the dead after a disaster or catastrophe, there is a steady release of bodies for cremation or burial, just as in a pandemic. In both types of incidents, there tends to be a shortage of supplies and personnel and, therefore, a need for use of volunteers. There are also massive amounts of paper work. This would suggest a need in both cases for stockpiling and for training of volunteers. And, although this does not always happen, both types of incidents tend to strike harder among the poorer elements in cities yet both create serious economic problems. Despite these many similarities, planning for the first tends to be done by emergency agencies, especially the police; planning for the second by health agencies. Given the many similarities this separation makes no sense. Since both types of mass death incidents lead to similar problems, it would make sense to take an all-hazards approach to planning for dealing with mass death. [source] SURVEY ON VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN EUROPEAN RENAL UNITSJOURNAL OF RENAL CARE, Issue 2 2010Alessandra Zampieron RN SUMMARY Goals: This descriptive survey aims to explore strategies for the prevention and management of violence and aggression in renal units in 12 European countries. Method: The convenience sample consisting of dialysis, nephrological and transplantation units in European countries was used. A questionnaire, developed with the collaboration of National Associations, was used. Data were analysed using STATA software. A preliminary descriptive variable analysis was performed followed by a verification of the association between variables; values of p < 0.002 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 436 completed questionnaires were received (participation rate: 22%). Written policies and procedures regarding violence and aggression are present in 18% of units. Educational strategies are available in less than 20% of units. Incidents are prevented by security staff (48%) or pharmacological treatment (66%). Incident reporting is mandatory for any violent and aggressive behaviour in 66% of units. There are differences between European countries. Discussion and conclusion: Violence and aggression prevention and management strategies are not widely implemented throughout Europe. The dissemination of information on the prevention and management of violence and aggression is vital. [source] Teaching & Learning Guide for: Victorian Life WritingLITERATURE COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2007Valerie Sanders Author's Introduction The Victorian period was one of the great ages for life-writing. Though traditionally renowned for its monumental ,lives and letters', mainly of great men, this was also a time of self-conscious anxiety about the genre. Critics and practitioners alike were unsure who should be writing autobiography, and whether its inherent assertiveness ruled out all but public men as appropriate subjects. It was also a period of experimentation in the different genres of life-writing , whether autobiography, journals, letters, autobiographical novels, and narratives of lives combined with extracts from correspondence and diaries. Victorian life-writing therefore provides rich and complex insights into the relationship between narrative, identity, and the definition of the self. Recent advances in criticism have highlighted the more radical and non-canonical aspects of life-writing. Already a latecomer to the literary-critical tradition (life-writing was for a long time the ,poor relation' of critical theory), auto/biography stresses the hidden and silent as much as the mainstream and vocal. For that reason, study of Victorian life-writing appeals to those with an interest in gender issues, postcolonialism, ethnicity, working-class culture, the history of religion, and family and childhood studies , to name but a few of the fields with which the genre has a natural connection. Author Recommends A good place to start is the two canonical texts for Victorian life-writing: George P. Landow's edited collection, Approaches to Victorian Autobiography (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1979) and Avrom Fleishman's Figures of Autobiography: The Language of Self-Writing in Victorian and Modern England (Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1983). These two re-ignited interest in Victorian life-writing and in effect opened the debate about extending the canon, though both focus on the firmly canonical Ruskin and Newman, among others. By contrast, David Amigoni's recently edited collection of essays, Life-Writing and Victorian Culture (Aldershot: Ashgate 2006) shows how far the canon has exploded and expanded: it begins with a useful overview of the relationship between lives, life-writing, and literary genres, while subsequent chapters by different authors focus on a particular individual or family and their cultural interaction with the tensions of life-writing. As this volume is fairly male-dominated, readers with an interest in women's life-writing might prefer to start with Linda Peterson's chapter, ,Women Writers and Self-Writing' in Women and Literature in Britain 1800,1900, ed. Joanne Shattock (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), 209,230. This examines the shift from the eighteenth-century tradition of the chroniques scandaleuses to the professional artist's life, domestic memoir, and spiritual autobiography. Mary Jean Corbett's Representing Femininity: Middle-Class Subjectivity in Victorian and Edwardian Women's Autobiographies (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1992) begins with material on Wordsworth and Carlyle, but ,aims to contest the boundaries of genre, gender, and the autobiographical tradition by piecing together a partial history of middle-class women's subjectivities in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries' (3). Corbett is particularly interested in the life-writing of actresses and suffragettes as well as Martineau and Oliphant, the first two women autobiographers to be welcomed into the canon in the 1980s and 90s. Laura Marcus's Auto/biographical Discourses, Theory, Criticism, Practice (Manchester and New York, NY: Manchester University Press, 1994) revises and updates the theoretical approaches to the study of life-writing, stressing both the genre's hybrid qualities, and its inherent instability: in her view, it ,comes into being as a category to be questioned' (37). Another of her fruitful suggestions is that autobiography functions as a ,site of struggle' (9), an idea that can be applied to aesthetic or ideological issues. Her book is divided between specific textual examples (such as the debate about autobiography in Victorian periodicals), and an overview of developments in critical approaches to life-writing. Her second chapter includes material on Leslie Stephen, who is also the first subject of Trev Lynn Broughton's Men of Letters, Writing Lives: Masculinity and Literary Auto/biography in the Late Victorian Period (London: Routledge, 1999) , her other being Froude's controversial Life of Carlyle. With the advent of gender studies and masculinities, there is now a return to male forms of life-writing, of which Martin A. Danahay's A Community of One: Masculine Autobiography and Autonomy in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1993) is a good example. Danahay argues that nineteenth-century male autobiographers present themselves as ,autonomous individuals' free of the constraints of social and familial contexts, thus emphasizing the autonomy of the self at the expense of family and community. Online Materials My impression is that Victorian life-writing is currently better served by books than by online resources. There seem to be few general Web sites other than University module outlines and reading lists; for specific authors, on the other hand, there are too many to list here. So the only site I'd recommend is The Victorian Web: http://.victorianweb.org/genre/autobioov.html This Web site has a section called ,Autobiography Overview', which begins with an essay, ,Autobiography, Autobiographicality and Self-Representation', by George P. Landow. There are sections on other aspects of Victorian autobiography, including ,Childhood as a Personal Myth', autobiography in Dickens and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and a list of ,Suggested Readings'. Each section is quite short, but summarizes the core issues succinctly. Sample Syllabus This sample syllabus takes students through the landmarks of Victorian life-writing, and demonstrates the development of a counter-culture away from the mainstream ,classic male life' (if there ever was such a thing) , culminating in the paired diaries of Arthur Munby (civil servant) and Hannah Cullwick (servant). Numerous other examples could have been chosen, but for those new to the genre, this is a fairly classic syllabus. One week only could be spent on the ,classic male texts' if students are more interested in pursuing other areas. Opening Session Open debate about the definition of Victorian ,life-writing' and its many varieties; differences between autobiography, autobiographical fiction, diary, letters, biography, collective biography, and memoir; the class could discuss samples of selected types, such as David Copperfield, Father and Son, Ruskin's Praeterita, and Gaskell's Life of Charlotte Brontė. Alternatively, why not just begin with Stave Two of Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843), in which the First Spirit takes Scrooge back through his childhood and youth? This is a pretty unique type of life-writing, with Scrooge ,laughing and crying' as his childhood and youth are revealed to him in a series of flashbacks (a Victorian version of ,This is Your Life?'). The dual emotions are important to note at this stage and will prompt subsequent discussions of sentimentality and writing for comic effect later in the course. Week 2 Critical landmarks: discussion of important stages in the evolution of critical approaches to life-writing, including classics such as Georges Gusdorf's ,Conditions and Limits of Autobiography', in Autobiography: Essays Theoretical and Critical, ed. James Olney (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1980), 28,47; Philippe Lejeune's ,The Autobiographical Pact', in On Autobiography, ed. Paul John Eakin, trans. Katherine Leary (original essay 1973; Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1989), 3,30; and Paul De Man's ,Autobiography as De-Facement', Modern Language Notes 94 (1979): 919,30. This will provide a critical framework for the rest of the course. Weeks 3,4 Extracts from the ,male classics' of Victorian life-writing: J. S. Mill's Autobiography (1873), Ruskin's Praeterita (1885,89), and Newman's Apologia pro Vita Sua (1864). What do they think is important and what do they miss out? How open or otherwise are they about their family and personal lives? Are these essentially ,lives of the mind'? How self-aware are they of autobiographical structures? Are there already signs that the ,classic male life' is fissured and unconventional? An option here would be to spend the first week focusing on male childhoods, and the second on career trajectories. Perhaps use Martin Danahay's theory of the ,autonomous individual' (see above) to provide a critical framework here: how is the ,Other' (parents, Harriet Taylor) treated in these texts? Weeks 5,6 Victorian women's autobiography: Harriet Martineau's Autobiography (1877) and Margaret Oliphant's Autobiography (1899): in many ways these are completely unalike, Martineau's being ordered around the idea of steady mental growth and public recognition, while Oliphant's is deeply emotional and disordered. Can we therefore generalize about ,women's autobiography'? What impact did they have on Victorian theories of life-writing? Students might like to reconsider Jane Eyre as an ,autobiography' alongside these and compare scenes of outright rebellion. The way each text handles time and chronology is also fascinating: Martineau's arranged to highlight stages of philosophical development, while Oliphant's switches back and forth in a series of ,flashbacks' to her happier youth as her surviving two sons die ,in the text', interrupting her story. Week 7 Black women's autobiography: how does Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands (1857) differ from the Martineau and Oliphant autobiographies? What new issues and genre influences are introduced by a Caribbean/travelogue perspective? Another key text would be Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave-Girl (1861). How representative and how individual are these texts? Do these authors see themselves as representing their race as well as their class and sex? Week 8 Working-class autobiography: Possible texts here could be John Burnett's Useful Toil (Allen Lane, 1974, Penguin reprint); Carolyn Steedman's edition of John Pearman's The Radical Soldier's Tale (Routledge, 1988) and the mini oral biographies in Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor (1861,62) (e.g., the Water-Cress Seller). There is also a new Broadview edition of Factory Lives (2007) edited by James R. Simmons, with an introduction by Janice Carlisle. This contains four substantial autobiographical texts (three male, one female) from the mid-nineteenth century, with supportive materials. Samuel Bamford's Passages in the Life of a Radical (1839,42; 1844) and Early Days (1847,48) are further options. Students should also read Regenia Gagnier's Subjectivities: A History of Self-Representation in Britain 1832,1910 (Oxford University Press, 1991). Week 9 Biography: Victorian Scandal: focus on two scandals emerging from Victorian life-writing: Gaskell's Life of Charlotte Brontė (1857) (the Branwell Brontė/Lady Scott adultery scandal), and Froude's allegations of impotence in his Life of Carlyle (1884). See Trev Broughton's ,Impotence, Biography, and the Froude-Carlyle Controversy: ,Revelations on Ticklish Topics', Journal of the History of Sexuality, 7.4 (Apr. 1997): 502,36 (in addition to her Men of Letters cited above). The biographies of the Benson family written about and by each other, especially E. F. Benson's Our Family Affairs 1867,1896 (London: Cassell, 1920) reveal the domestic unhappiness of the family of Gladstone's Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward White Benson, whose children and wife were all to some extent homosexual or lesbian. Another option would be Edmund Gosse's Father and Son (1907) in which the son's critical stance towards his father is uneasy and complex in its mixture of comedy, pity, shame, and resentment. Week 10 Diaries: Arthur Munby's and Hannah Cullwick's relationship (they were secretly married, but lived as master and servant) and diaries, Munby: Man of Two Worlds: The Life and Diaries of Arthur Munby, ed. Derek Hudson (John Murray, 1972), and The Diaries of Hannah Cullwick: Victorian Maidservant, ed. Liz Stanley (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1984): issues of gender and class identity; the idealization of the working woman; the two diaries compared. Half the class could read one diary and half the other and engage in a debate about the social and sexual fantasies adopted by each diarist. It would also be sensible to leave time for an overview debate about the key issues of Victorian life-writing which have emerged from this module, future directions for research, and current critical developments. Focus Questions 1To what extent does Victorian autobiography tell an individual success story? Discuss with reference to two or three contrasting examples. 2,All life writing is time writing' (Jens Brockmeier). Examine the way in which Victorian life-writers handle the interplay of narrative, memory, and time. 3To what extent do you agree with the view that Victorian life-writing was ,a form of communication that appeared intimate and confessional, but which was in fact distant and controlled' (Donna Loftus)? 4,Bamford was an autobiographer who did not write an autobiography' (Martin Hewitt). If autobiography is unshaped and uninterpreted, what alternative purposes does it have in narrating a life to the reader? 5,Victorian life-writing is essentially experimental, unstable, and unpredictable.' How helpful is this comment in helping you to understand the genre? [source] Incidents of bee poisoning with pesticides in the United Kingdom, 1994,2003PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 11 2007Elizabeth A Barnett Abstract For over 20 years, the UK Agriculture Departments have monitored the direct effects of pesticides on beneficial insects, mainly honeybees (Apis mellifera, L.) and bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, L.), as part of the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS). The Central Science Laboratory (CSL) has contributed to WIIS by providing the required laboratory skills for the determination of bee diseases and the expert analytical experience necessary to determine low-level pesticide residues and interpret these results. The results from WIIS form part of the pesticide regulatory process coordinated by the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) and are published each year. This paper has reviewed the data from WIIS over the 10 year period from 1994 to 2003. The overall trend is that suspected poisoning incidents, reported by beekeepers and the general public, have declined from 56 incidents per year to 23 incidents per year. The number of these incidents that have been attributed to pesticide poisoning has also declined, from 25 incidents to five incidents per year. The possible reasons for these changes and the circumstances involved in the bee poisoning incidents are discussed. However, the source of the pesticide in bee poisoning incidents is often uncertain and the likely cause of these incidents and any trends over time are also discussed. © Crown copyright 2007. Reproduced with the permission of Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Incident investigation: Process to identify root causes of mechanical failures,PROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 1 2006A. M. (Art) Dowell III P.E. This paper describes an actual incident investigation into unexpected premature failure of sealed diaphragm pressure transmitters in a chemical process. Some nontypical investigation tools from the CCPS Guidelines for Investigating Chemical Process Incidents (2nd edition) were used. A typical failure allowed a release of a corrosive process fluid with potential injury to personnel. The failures also required a shutdown of the process with loss of production. The cause of the problem was elusive; pressure transmitters from the same manufacturer had no problems in a similar process unit, although component designs differed between the two units. The investigation included confirmation of materials of construction, photographic and visual analyses of failed components, simulation of assembly of the pressure transmitter in the process and measurement of torque values, and brainstorming of possible failure mechanisms. Several hypotheses were tested using a fact,hypothesis matrix to determine most likely cause scenarios. Similarly, a matrix was used to illustrate which scenarios could be prevented by which corrective actions. The investigation included a root cause analysis tree to confirm cause scenarios. The paper discusses the incident investigation process, including diversity of skills on the investigation team, and how each of the tools was used. The paper also discusses the communication of the findings to operations. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2006 [source] Physiologic Effects of the TASER After ExerciseACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009Gary M. Vilke MD Abstract Objectives:, Incidents of sudden death following TASER exposure are poorly studied, and substantive links between TASER exposure and sudden death are minimal. The authors studied the effects of a single TASER exposure on markers of physiologic stress in humans. Methods:, This prospective, controlled study evaluated the effects of a TASER exposure on healthy police volunteers after vigorous exercise, compared to a subsequent, identical exercise session that was not followed by TASER exposure. Subjects exercised to 85% of predicted heart rate (HR) on an ergometer and then were given a standard 5-second TASER activation. Measures before and for 60 minutes after the TASER activation included minute ventilation, tidal volume, respiratory rate, end-tidal pCO2, oxygen saturation, HR, blood pressure (systolic BP/diastolic BP), 12-lead electrocardiogram, and arterialized blood for pH, pO2, pCO2, and lactate. Each subject repeated the exercise and data collection session on a subsequent data, without TASER activation. Data were analyzed using paired Student's t-tests with differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical significance was adjusted for multiple comparisons. Results:, A total of 25 officers (21 men and 4 women) completed both portions of the study. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, the TASER group was significantly higher for systolic BP at baseline (difference of 14.1, 95% CI = 8.7 to 19.5, p < 0.001) and HR at 5, 30, and 60 minutes with the largest difference at 30 minutes (difference of 7.0, 95% CI = 2.5 to 11.5, p = 0.004). There were no other significant differences between the two groups in any other measure at any time. Conclusions:, A 5-second exposure of a TASER following vigorous exercise to healthy law enforcement personnel does not result in clinically significant changes in ventilatory or blood parameters of physiologic stress. [source] Using Immersive Simulation for Training First Responders for Mass Casualty IncidentsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2008William Wilkerson MD Abstract Objectives:, A descriptive study was performed to better understand the possible utility of immersive virtual reality simulation for training first responders in a mass casualty event. Methods:, Utilizing a virtual reality cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE) and high-fidelity human patient simulator (HPS), a group of experts modeled a football stadium that experienced a terrorist explosion during a football game. Avatars (virtual patients) were developed by expert consensus that demonstrated a spectrum of injuries ranging from death to minor lacerations. A group of paramedics was assessed by observation for decisions made and action taken. A critical action checklist was created and used for direct observation and viewing videotaped recordings. Results:, Of the 12 participants, only 35.7% identified the type of incident they encountered. None identified a secondary device that was easily visible. All participants were enthusiastic about the simulation and provided valuable comments and insights. Conclusions:, Learner feedback and expert performance review suggests that immersive training in a virtual environment has the potential to be a powerful tool to train first responders for high-acuity, low-frequency events, such as a terrorist attack. [source] An Adaptive Conjugate Gradient Neural Network,Wavelet Model for Traffic Incident DetectionCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2000H. Adeli Artificial neural networks are known to be effective in solving problems involving pattern recognition and classification. The traffic incident-detection problem can be viewed as recognizing incident patterns from incident-free patterns. A neural network classifier has to be trained first using incident and incident-free traffic data. The dimensionality of the training input data is high, and the embedded incident characteristics are not easily detectable. In this article we present a computational model for automatic traffic incident detection using discrete wavelet transform, linear discriminant analysis, and neural networks. Wavelet transform and linear discriminant analysis are used for feature extraction, denoising, and effective preprocessing of data before an adaptive neural network model is used to make the traffic incident detection. Simulated as well as actual traffic data are used to test the model. For incidents with a duration of more than 5 minutes, the incident-detection model yields a detection rate of nearly 100 percent and a false-alarm rate of about 1 percent for two- or three-lane freeways. [source] Sheath Physics and Boundary Conditions for Edge PlasmasCONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 1-3 2004R. H. Cohen Abstract The boundary conditions of mass, momentum, energy, and charge appropriate for fluid formulations of edge plasmas are surveyed. We re-visit the classic problem of 1-dimensional flow, and note that the "Bohm sheath criterion" is requirement of connectivity of the interior plasma with the external world, not the result of termination of the plasma by a wall. We show that the nature of the interior plasma solution is intrinsically different for ion sources that inject above and below the electron sound speed. We survey the appropriate conditions to apply, and resultant fluxes, for a magnetic field obliquely incident on a wall, including the presence of drifts and radial transport. We discuss the consequences of toroidal asymmetries in wall properties, as well as experimental tests of such effects. Finally, we discuss boundary-condition modifications in the case of rapidly varying plasma conditions. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Eco-psychological profiling: an oil company exampleCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2004Tarja Ketola When organizational image is being challenged, use of psychological defences may become excessive. In this paper 18 defences that appeared in an oil company during an oil spill are studied. All defences except sublimation contributed to the deterioration of corporate image. Sublimation allowed the company to take responsibility. Other defences simply put off facing the truth. The selection of defences used during crises reveals organizations' true personalities. Twelve different organizational personality types are discussed. Use of certain defences leads to the development of a neurotic personality. The case company turned out to be normally and neurotically demanding, paranoid, narcissistic and attention seeking, and normally depressive. Organizations constantly using primitive defences are borderline personalities. Excessively defensive organizations may turn psychotic. The case company's reactions to the incident were psychologically revealing. Finding defences characteristic of the company allowed us to build its eco-psychological profile. Based on this case study an eco-psychological profiling model is proposed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] WHEN MISSING DATA ARE NOT MISSING: A NEW APPROACH TO EVALUATING SUPPLEMENTAL HOMICIDE REPORT IMPUTATION STRATEGIES,CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 4 2008TIM WADSWORTH The Supplemental Homicide Reports (SHR) are widely used in criminological research and inform a broad range of research topics and subsequent policy applications. A serious issue with the SHR is missing information about the offender and incident in many recorded homicides. Although it is convenient to discard cases with missing data before analysis, such discarding is not theoretically justified and can lead to incorrect substantive conclusions. Recently, several techniques for imputing missing SHR data have been proposed, but it is difficult to evaluate their effectiveness. This research presents a new approach to testing and evaluating SHR imputation techniques. Offender data that are missing in the SHR are often found in police records available for individual cities. We examine similarities and differences among cases with known offender characteristics in the SHR, cases with such information missing in the SHR but available in police records, and cases with such information missing in both sources. We then use these data sets to evaluate four different imputation techniques suggested in the literature (Fox, 2004; Messner, Deane, and Beaulieu, 2002; Pampel and Williams, 2000; Regoeczi and Riedel, 2003). We apply each imputation technique to the SHR, and for cases with information missing in the SHR but known in the police records, we see how well the imputed values correspond both with the individual known values and with the overall distributions in the police records. We discuss the outcome of our assessment of these strategies, and we outline important implications this assessment has for research using SHR data. [source] RESISTING CRIME: THE EFFECTS OF VICTIM ACTION ON THE OUTCOMES OF CRIMESCRIMINOLOGY, Issue 4 2004JONGYEON TARK This study assessed the impact of sixteen types of victim self protection (SP) actions on three types of outcomes of criminal incidents: first, whether the incident resulted in property loss, second, whether it resulted in injury to the victim, and, third, whether it resulted in serious injury. Data on 27, 595 personal contact crime incidents recorded in the National Crime Victimization Survey for the 1992 to 2001 decade were used to estimate multivariate models of crime outcomes with logistic regression. Results indicated that self-protection in general, both forceful and nonforceful, reduced the likelihood of property loss and injury, compared to nonresistance. A variety of mostly forceful tactics, including resistance with a gun, appeared to have the strongest effects in reducing the risk of injury, though some of the findings were unstable due to the small numbers of sample cases. The appearance, in past research, of resistance contributing to injury was found to be largely attributable to confusion concerning the sequence of SP actions and injury. In crimes where both occurred, injury followed SP in only 10 percent of the incidents. Combined with the fact that injuries following resistance are almost always relatively minor, victim resistance appears to be generally a wise course of action. [source] The impact of SiC substrate treatment on the heteroepitaxial growth of GaN by plasma assisted MBECRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10-11 2005A. S. Brown Abstract We report on the impact of the preparation of the Si-face 4H-SiC(0001)Si substrate using a Ga flash-off process on the epitaxial growth of GaN by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The nucleation, as well as the resultant structural and morphological properties of GaN grown directly on 4H-SiC(0001)Si are strongly influenced by the chemical and morphological modifications of the SiC surface induced by the Ga flash-off process. Herein we describe the impact of the specific concentration of Ga incident on the surface (quantified in terms of monolayer (ML) coverage): of 0.5 ML, 1ML and 2ML. The residual oxygen at the SiC surface, unintentional SiC nitridation and the formation of cubic GaN grains during the initial nucleation stage, are all reduced when a 2 ML Ga flash is used. All of the above factors result in structural improvement of the GaN epitaxial layers. The correlation between the SiC surface modification, the initial nucleation stage, and the GaN epitaxial layer structural quality has been articulated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry data. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] The Art and Science of Surge: Experience from Israel and the U.S. MilitaryACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Boaz Tadmor MD In a disaster or mass casualty incident, health care resources may be exceeded and systems may be challenged by unusual requirements. These resources may include pharmaceuticals, supplies, and equipment as well as certain types of academic and administrative expertise. New agencies and decision makers may need to work together in an unfamiliar environment. Furthermore, large numbers of casualties needing treatment, newer therapies required to care for these casualties, and increased workforce and space available for these casualties all contribute to what is often referred to as "surge." Surge capacity in emergency care can be described in technical, scientific terms that are measured by numbers and benchmarks (e.g., beds, patients, and medications) or can take on a more conceptual and abstract form (e.g., decisions, authority, and responsibility). The former may be referred to as the "science" of surge, whereas the latter, an equal if not more important component of surge systems that is more conceptual and abstract, can be considered the "art" of surge. The experiences from Israel and the U.S. military may serve to educate colleagues who may be required to respond or react to an event that taxes the current health care system. This report presents concrete examples of surge capacity strategies used by both Israel and the U.S. military and provides solutions that may be applied to other health care systems when faced with similar situations. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||