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Kin
Kinds of Kin Terms modified by Kin Selected AbstractsKIN-BASED RECOGNITION AND SOCIAL AGGREGATION IN A CILIATEEVOLUTION, Issue 5 2010Alexis S. Chaine Aggregative groups entail costs that must be overcome for the evolution of complex social interactions. Understanding the mechanisms that allow aggregations to form and restrict costs of cheating can provide a resolution to the instability of social evolution. Aggregation in Tetrahymena thermophila is associated with costs of reduced growth and benefits of improved survival through "growth factor" exchange. We investigated what mechanisms contribute to stable cooperative aggregation in the face of potential exploitation by less-cooperative lines using experimental microcosms. We found that kin recognition modulates aggregative behavior to exclude cheaters from social interactions. Long-distance kin recognition across patches modulates social structure by allowing recruitment of kin in aggregative lines and repulsion in asocial lines. Although previous studies have shown a clear benefit to social aggregation at low population densities, we found that social aggregation has very different effects at higher densities. Lower growth rates are a cost of aggregation, but also present potential benefits when restricted to kin aggregations: slow growth and crowd tolerance allow aggregations to form and permit longer persistence on ephemeral resources. Thus in highly dynamic metapopulations, kin recognition plays an important role in the formation and stability of social groups that increase persistence through cooperative consumptive restraint. [source] MATHEMATICS OF KIN- AND GROUP-SELECTION: FORMALLY EQUIVALENT?EVOLUTION, Issue 2 2010Arne Traulsen Evolutionary game theory is a general mathematical framework that describes the evolution of social traits. This framework forms the basis of many multilevel selection models and is also frequently used to model evolutionary dynamics on networks. Kin selection, which was initially restricted to describe social interactions between relatives, has also led to a broader mathematical approach, inclusive fitness, that can not only describe social evolution among relatives, but also in group structured populations or on social networks. It turns out that the underlying mathematics of game theory is fundamentally different from the approach of inclusive fitness. Thus, both approaches,evolutionary game theory and inclusive fitness,can be helpful to understand the evolution of social traits in group structured or spatially extended populations. [source] Kin, cash, Catholics and Cavaliers: the role of kinship in the financial management of Major-General John LambertHISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 183 2001David Farr This article considers Lambert's financial activities in respect of Catholics and royalists amongst his kin during the Interregnum. It argues that his assistance to them was based on kinship links established prior to 1642, and demonstrates how Lambert's aid was reciprocated by his royalist kin during his long post-Restoration imprisonment. It also illustrates how the image of Lambert's affluent lifestyle contributed to the erosion of the new model army's unity prior to the Restoration. Finally, the article sheds light on the limits of the revolution during these years, as well as highlighting the complexity of Lambert's political and religious outlook. [source] The joint effects of kin, multilevel selection and indirect genetic effects on response to genetic selectionJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2008P. BIJMA Abstract Kin and levels-of-selection models are common approaches for modelling social evolution. Indirect genetic effect (IGE) models represent a different approach, specifying social effects on trait values rather than fitness. We investigate the joint effect of relatedness, multilevel selection and IGEs on response to selection. We present a measure for the degree of multilevel selection, which is the natural partner of relatedness in expressions for response. Response depends on both relatedness and the degree of multilevel selection, rather than only one or the other factor. Moreover, response is symmetric in relatedness and the degree of multilevel selection, indicating that both factors have exactly the same effect. Without IGEs, the key parameter is the product of relatedness and the degree of multilevel selection. With IGEs, however, multilevel selection without relatedness can explain evolution of social traits. Thus, next to relatedness and multilevel selection, IGEs are a key element in the genetical theory of social evolution. [source] More Kin, Less Support: Multipartnered Fertility and Perceived Support Among MothersJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 1 2007Kristen Harknett Recent research has documented the high prevalence of having children with more than 1 partner, termed multipartnered fertility. Because childbearing is an important mechanism for building kin networks, we theorize that multipartnered fertility will influence the availability of social support for mothers. Analyzing 3 waves of data from the Fragile Families study (N = 12,259), we find that multipartnered fertility is negatively associated with the availability of financial, housing, and child-care support. Our longitudinal evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship in which multipartnered fertility reduces the availability of support, and the availability of support inhibits multipartnered fertility. We conclude that smaller and denser kin networks seem to be superior to broader, but weaker kin ties in terms of perceived instrumental support. [source] Cows, Kin, and Globalization: An Ethnography of Sustainability by Susan A. CrateAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 1 2008MARJORIE MANDELSTAM BALZER No abstract is available for this article. [source] For Kin and Country: Xenophobia, Nationalism and War by Stephen M. Saideman and R. William AyresNATIONS AND NATIONALISM, Issue 1 2009ERIC KAUFMANN [source] Increase in activity, glycosylation and expression of cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase during the senescence of barley leaf segments in the darkPHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 4 2007Klaus Conrad The aim of the study was to elucidate relations between senescence and cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX, EC 1.4.3.18/1.5.99.12). Segments derived from first foliage leaves of Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Alexis were put with their bases into water and kept in darkness. Their senescence was characterized, e.g. by a 60% decline in chlorophyll within 5 days. During this time, the in vitro activity of CKX increased fast and markedly, e.g. 14-fold. Application of 10,4M kinetin (Kin), which slightly retarded the loss of chlorophyll, multiplied the enhancement of CKX activity strongly. Both in the presence and in the absence of Kin, the proportion of glycosylated to non-glycosylated CKX increased during senescence. By hybridization with an antisense RNA probe derived from a fragment of the CKX gene Zmckx1 of maize, an increase of the corresponding transcript of the barley gene Hvckx1 in segments incubated without Kin was shown. The content of base and riboside cytokinins slowly declined in such segments, which argues against triggering but for facilitating senescence processes by CKX. [source] Struggling to Save Cash: Seasonal Migration and Vulnerability in West Bengal, IndiaDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 4 2003Ben Rogaly This article concerns an important but overlooked means by which able-bodied poor people get hold of lump sums of cash in rural West Bengal: seasonal migration for agricultural wage work. Drawing on a regional study of four migration streams, our main focus here is on the struggle to secure this cash by landless households in just one of those streams, originating in Murshidabad District. Case studies are used to illustrate the importance for women in nuclear families of maintaining supportive networks of kin for periods when men are absent. A parallel analysis is made of the negotiations between male migrant workers and their employers, at labour markets, during the period of work, and afterwards. The article then briefly discusses some of the contrasting ways in which remittances are used by landless households and owners of very small plots of land, in the context of rapid ecological change, demographic pressure and growing inequality. [source] Altruism and Agency in the Family Firm: Exploring the Role of Family, Kinship, and EthnicityENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 6 2006Neri Karra This article examines the relationship between altruism and agency costs in family business through an in-depth case study of a family firm. We found that altruism reduced agency costs in the early stages of the business, but that agency problems increased as the venture became larger and more established. Moreover, we suggest that altruistic behavior need not be confined to family and close kin, but may extend through networks of distant kin and ethnic ties. We thus present a more complex view of the agency relationship in family business than is often portrayed in the existing literature. [source] Social Networks and EntrepreneurshipENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2003Arent Greve We study network activities of entrepreneurs through three phases of establishing a firm in four countries. Entrepreneurs access people in their networks to discuss aspects of establishing and running a business. We find that entrepreneurs build networks that systematically vary by the phase of entrepreneurship, analyzing number of their discussion partners, and the time spent networking. Entrepreneurs talk with more people during the planning than other phases. Family members are present in their networks in all phases, particularly among those who took over an existing firm. However, women use their kin to a larger extent than men, and even more than men when they take over an existing firm. Experienced entrepreneurs have the same networking patterns as novices. Moreover, these networking patterns are the same in all countries. However, there are country differences in size of discussion networks and time spent networking. [source] Cryptic Kin Selection: Kin Structure in Vertebrate Populations and Opportunities for Kin-Directed CooperationETHOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Ben J. Hatchwell Animal societies of varying complexity have been the favoured testing ground for inclusive fitness theory, and there is now abundant evidence that kin selection has played a critical role in the evolution of cooperative behaviour. One of the key theoretical and empirical findings underlying this conclusion is that cooperative systems have a degree of kin structure, often the product of delayed dispersal, that facilitates interactions with relatives. However, recent population genetic studies have revealed that many non-cooperative animals also have kin-structured populations, providing more cryptic opportunities for kin selection to operate. In this article, I first review the evidence that kin structure is widespread among non-cooperative vertebrates, and then consider the various contexts in which kin selection may occur in such taxa, including: leks, brood parasitism, crèches, breeding associations, territoriality and population dynamics, foraging and predator deterrence. I describe the evidence that kin-selected benefits arise from interacting with kin in each of these contexts, notwithstanding the potential costs of kin competition and inbreeding. I conclude that as the tools required to determine population genetic structure are readily available, measurement of kin structure and the potential for kin selection on a routine basis is likely to reveal that this process has been an important driver of evolutionary adaptation in many non-cooperative as well as cooperative species. [source] Components of Relationship Quality in ChimpanzeesETHOLOGY, Issue 9 2008Orlaith N. Fraser A novel approach to studying social relationships in captive adult chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) was taken by using principal components analysis (PCA) to extract three key components of relationship quality from nine behavioural variables. Based on the loadings of the behavioural variables, the components appeared to match previously hypothesized critical aspects of social relationships and were therefore labelled Value, Compatibility and Security. The effects of kinship, sex combination, age difference and time spent together on each of the relationship quality components were analysed. As expected, kin were found to have more valuable, compatible and secure relationships than non-kin. Female,female dyads were found to be more compatible than male,male or mixed-sex dyads, whereas the latter were found to be most secure. Partners of a similar age were found to have more secure and more valuable relationships than those with a larger age gap. Individuals that were together in the group for longer were more valuable and more compatible, but their relationships were found to be less secure than individuals that were together in the group for a shorter time. Although some of the results may be unexpected based on chimpanzee socio-ecology, they fit well overall with the history and social dynamics of the study group. The methods used confer a significant advantage in producing quantitative composite measures of each component of relationship quality, obtained in an objective manner. These findings therefore promote the use of such measures in future studies requiring an assessment of the qualities of dyadic social relationships. [source] Spatial Association in a Highly Inbred Ungulate Population: Evidence of Fine-Scale Kin RecognitionETHOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Jorge Cassinello We present the first evidence of fine-scale kin recognition, based on a continuous measure of relatedness, in ungulates. The spatial association between herdmates of a captive population of aoudad (Ammotragus lervia), where all the individuals are related, is analysed during resting time. Our goal was to estimate which factors influence individuals' associations. The study population is highly inbred, although it does not show serious deleterious effects caused by consanguinity. It comprises a single captive herd, reproducing freely and in good conditions for more than 10 yr. It emerges that kin, measured as the coefficient of relationship between two given herdmates, is the main factor determining the spatial association (e.g. average distance) of male,male and female,female dyads, as more-related individuals tend to rest closer to each other than less-related ones. As for male,female dyads, individuals of a similar age tend to stay closer. To rule out any familiarity confounding effects, individuals' cohabitation time in the herd was added as a random factor in the analyses. Concerning the type of dyad, mother,calf dyads are characterized by higher proximity than others, particularly during the suckling period, whereas males tend to stay closer to each other than females or male,female dyads, being also more kin-related. Female social rank does not influence spatial association between herdmates. These results are related to group composition of the species in the wild, which are characterized by intense mother,calf bonds and all-male groups that are probably kin-related. It is seen that adult male,female associations are not related to kinship, but to age similarity, which is in accord with the assumption that main family groups in the wild are formed by matrilineal lines, whereas males are the dispersing sex. [source] Premating Avoidance of Inbreeding Absent in Female Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)ETHOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Åslaug Viken The recognition and avoidance of kin during mating can be an important means of reducing the potential for inbreeding depression in offspring. We report here that premating mechanisms to avoid inbreeding, either innate or learnt through juvenile experience, are at best weak in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Guppies are small, ovoviviparous, neo-tropical freshwater fish, with a polygamous mating system where males actively court females and females are selective of their mates. In a series of mate-choice experiments, naïve, virgin females of the Quare River population in Trinidad were given a choice between a brother and a non-sib male from the same population. Initially, females were only provided olfactory cues upon which to base their choice and then subsequently both olfactory and visual cues. Despite the females displaying mate choice, we found no evidence of them discriminating between the male types in either experiment. There was thus no indication of inbreeding avoidance, suggesting that experiences after maturation or with mature males (e.g. rare male preference), dispersal and/or post-mating mechanisms may be evolutionarily more important avoidance mechanisms. [source] Kin Associations during Nest Founding in an Allodapine Bee Exoneura robusta: do Females Distinguish between Relatives and Familiar Nestmates?ETHOLOGY, Issue 2 2000Nicholas J. Bull True recognition of kin can have important fitness consequences in terms of directing altruistic behaviours toward close relatives (nepotism) and avoiding inbreeding. However, recent evidence suggests that some social insect species cannot or do not distinguish their closest relatives from among nestmates in important fitness-based contexts. Such findings are relevant to kin selection theories where individuals are expected to preferentially rear close relatives in order to gain inclusive fitness benefits. Here, allozyme markers are used to examine whether female Exoneura robusta individuals preferentially nest with their closest kin when given a choice of familiar previous nestmates. The results suggest these bees do not prefer kin over non-kin nestmates. Kin associations during nest founding in this species are probably due to philopatry and/or association with previously familiar nestmates. [source] KIN-BASED RECOGNITION AND SOCIAL AGGREGATION IN A CILIATEEVOLUTION, Issue 5 2010Alexis S. Chaine Aggregative groups entail costs that must be overcome for the evolution of complex social interactions. Understanding the mechanisms that allow aggregations to form and restrict costs of cheating can provide a resolution to the instability of social evolution. Aggregation in Tetrahymena thermophila is associated with costs of reduced growth and benefits of improved survival through "growth factor" exchange. We investigated what mechanisms contribute to stable cooperative aggregation in the face of potential exploitation by less-cooperative lines using experimental microcosms. We found that kin recognition modulates aggregative behavior to exclude cheaters from social interactions. Long-distance kin recognition across patches modulates social structure by allowing recruitment of kin in aggregative lines and repulsion in asocial lines. Although previous studies have shown a clear benefit to social aggregation at low population densities, we found that social aggregation has very different effects at higher densities. Lower growth rates are a cost of aggregation, but also present potential benefits when restricted to kin aggregations: slow growth and crowd tolerance allow aggregations to form and permit longer persistence on ephemeral resources. Thus in highly dynamic metapopulations, kin recognition plays an important role in the formation and stability of social groups that increase persistence through cooperative consumptive restraint. [source] PERSPECTIVE: MATERNAL KIN GROUPS AND THE ORIGINS OF ASYMMETRIC GENETIC SYSTEMS,GENOMIC IMPRINTING, HAPLODIPLOIDY, AND PARTHENOGENESISEVOLUTION, Issue 4 2006Benjamin B. Normark Abstract The genetic systems of animals and plants are typically eumendelian. That is, an equal complement of autosomes is inherited from each of two parents, and at each locus, each parent's allele is equally likely to be expressed and equally likely to be transmitted. Genetic systems that violate any of these eumendelian symmetries are termed asymmetric and include parent-specific gene expression (PSGE), haplodiploidy, thelytoky, and related systems. Asymmetric genetic systems typically arise in lineages with close associations between kin (gregarious siblings, brooding, or viviparity). To date, different explanatory frameworks have been proposed to account for each of the different asymmetric genetic systems. Haig's kinship theory of genomic imprinting argues that PSGE arises when kinship asymmetries between interacting kin create conflicts between maternally and paternally derived alleles. Greater maternal than paternal relatedness within groups selects for more "abstemious" expression of maternally derived alleles and more "greedy" expression of paternally derived alleles. Here, I argue that this process may also underlie origins of haplodiploidy and many origins of thelytoky. The tendency for paternal alleles to be more "greedy" in maternal kin groups means that maternal-paternal conflict is not a zero-sum game: the maternal optimum will more closely correspond to the optimum for family groups and demes and for associated entities such as symbionts. Often in these circumstances, partial or complete suppression of paternal gene expression will evolve (haplodiploidy, thelytoky), or other features of the life cycle will evolve to minimize the conflict (monogamy, inbreeding). Maternally transmitted cytoplasmic elements and maternally imprinted nuclear alleles have a shared interest in minimizing agonistic interactions between female siblings and may cooperate to exclude the paternal genome. Eusociality is the most dramatic expression of the conflict-reducing effects of haplodiploidy, but its original and more widespread function may be suppression of intrafamilial cannibalism. In rare circumstances in which paternal gene products gain access to maternal physiology via a placenta, PSGE with greedy paternal gene expression can persist (e.g., in mammals). [source] Mitogenomics and phylogenomics reveal priapulid worms as extant models of the ancestral EcdysozoanEVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2006Bonnie L. Webster SUMMARY Research into arthropod evolution is hampered by the derived nature and rapid evolution of the best-studied out-group: the nematodes. We consider priapulids as an alternative out-group. Priapulids are a small phylum of bottom-dwelling marine worms; their tubular body with spiny proboscis or introvert has changed little over 520 million years and recognizable priapulids are common among exceptionally preserved Cambrian fossils. Using the complete mitochondrial genome and 42 nuclear genes from Priapulus caudatus, we show that priapulids are slowly evolving ecdysozoans; almost all these priapulid genes have evolved more slowly than nematode orthologs and the priapulid mitochondrial gene order may be unchanged since the Cambrian. Considering their primitive bodyplan and embryology and the great conservation of both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, priapulids may deserve the popular epithet of "living fossil." Their study is likely to yield significant new insights into the early evolution of the Ecdysozoa and the origins of the arthropods and their kin as well as aiding inference of the morphology of ancestral Ecdysozoa and Bilateria and their genomes. [source] UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF BARGAINING FOR ADOPTION ASSISTANCE PAYMENTSFAMILY COURT REVIEW, Issue 3 2005Hansen Mary Eschelbach Families that adopt children who are in foster care may receive monthly adoption assistance payments to offset the cost of raising the adopted child. The amount of the adoption assistance payment is the subject of bargaining between the family and the child welfare authority. This article uses a bargaining model to highlight factors that, in addition to the expected costs of raising the child, might influence the outcome of bargaining over adoption assistance payments. Findings indicate that married parents who adopt children already in their care have an advantage in bargaining, and single women who adopt their kin or foster children have a disadvantage in bargaining. [source] The effects of kin and familiarity on interactions between fishFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 4 2003Ashley J W Ward Abstract Fish have been shown to discriminate between individuals on very general bases such as species, body length and colour. More recently, evidence has been accumulating from a number of species that relatedness and familiarity may be extremely important in mediating a range of interactions between individual fish. Studies have shown that fish are able to recognize kin and/or familiars, and that this ability potentially conveys significant benefits, including increased inclusive fitness, reduced inbreeding costs, reduced competition and enhanced antipredator behaviour. Here, we review the literature and consider future directions and applications for this research. [source] Geographical Variations in the Nature of Undeclared WorkGEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2004Colin C. Williams Abstract Inspired by a stream of cultural economic geographical thought that has sought to deconstruct the view that monetary transactions are everywhere market-like and profit-motivated, this paper seeks to reread the nature of undeclared work. Conventionally, such work has been seen as epitomising unbridled profit-motivated market-like monetised exchange, and depictions of the geographical variations in its character have distinguished only between various types of profit-motivated informal employment in different area types. Drawing upon detailed empirical evidence from eleven deprived and affluent localities in urban and rural England, however, it is here displayed that universally portraying undeclared work as a form of profit-motivated informal employment over-simplifies and obscures its spatially variable nature and heterogeneous meanings. Although undeclared work in affluent locality types and urban areas is more likely to be market-like and conducted for profit-motivated purposes, undeclared work in deprived locality types and rural areas is revealed to be much more a form of mutual aid conducted for kin, neighbours and friends and embedded in non-market motives. The outcome is not only a refiguring of the geographical variations in the nature of undeclared work but also clear evidence of the need to investigate other mainstream economic spaces so as to explore further the heterogeneous and spatially variable nature of monetised transactions. [source] Transnational lives, transnational marriages: a review of the evidence from migrant communities in EuropeGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 3 2007ELISABETH BECK-GERNSHEIM Abstract Whom do migrants marry? This question has become a popular topic of research, and existing studies identify a common trend: most of the non-European, non-Christian migrants in Europe marry someone from their country of origin. The motivations for such practices are to be found in the characteristics of transnational spaces and in the social structures that emerge in such spaces. Based on a review of research from several European countries, three such constellations are discussed: first, the obligations to kin, especially when migration regulations become more restrictive, and marriage becomes the last route by which to migrate to Europe. Second, new forms of global inequality, between the metropolitan centre and countries of the global periphery, give migrants in Europe improved status and standing in their society of origin and therefore excellent opportunities on the marriage market there. Third, gender relations have started to shift in both host society and migrant families. Men and women alike are trying to rebalance power relations within marriage and to shift them in their favour. In this process marriage to a partner from the country of family origin may promise strategic benefits. The article ends with suggestions for future research. [source] Celebrating Ourselves: The Family Reunion Rituals of African-Caribbean Transnational FamiliesGLOBAL NETWORKS, Issue 3 2004Constance R. Sutton In the past decade, family reunions have become an important ritualized event among Afro-Caribbean transnational migrants. Dispersed across a large number of North Atlantic countries, Afro-Caribbeans have turned to organizing events specifically designed to reunite kinfolk. The rituals constitute a celebration of family as a distinct social group with a kin-based, lineage-like identity. Re-creating kin ties among those spread across different nations and transmitting kin-based connections to their offspring are the main incentives for holding these rituals. In this article I describe three different recent family reunions, one held in Barbados, one in Grenada, and one in Trinidad and Barbados. I analyse the specific forms these rituals take, relate their differences from the social positioning of the core members of the kin groups and discuss the signifying practices of the reunions for maintaining Caribbean family connections in the diaspora. Finally, I raise questions about how the kin-based identities constructed in the reunion rituals intersect with race/class, ethnic and national identities. [source] The radioactive autopsy: safe working practicesHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2007M Singleton Autopsy cases involving individuals retaining radioactive substances are fortunately rare, but when they occur they can impose significant radiation safety and legal requirements. This review aims to improve the understanding of these issues so that appropriate precautions are implemented when necessary. This review describes the properties of ionizing radiations, natural and man-made sources of ionizing radiation and its use in healthcare. It identifies the most likely circumstances leading to radioactive substances being present during autopsy and sources of information, including radiation protection advice. It discusses precautions that may need to be implemented prior to, during and following autopsy. Despite the issue of appropriate information to patients and next of kin, it is inevitable that some cases will be identified only at autopsy and it is important that robust local procedures are maintained. Information must be communicated to assist safe management of the body and liaison between relevant professional groups may be needed to standardize methods of communication. Provided that appropriate precautions are implemented, determined through consultation with a qualified expert in radiation protection and by completion of risk assessment, the radioactive autopsy can be undertaken safely and in compliance with relevant legislative requirements. [source] Kin, cash, Catholics and Cavaliers: the role of kinship in the financial management of Major-General John LambertHISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 183 2001David Farr This article considers Lambert's financial activities in respect of Catholics and royalists amongst his kin during the Interregnum. It argues that his assistance to them was based on kinship links established prior to 1642, and demonstrates how Lambert's aid was reciprocated by his royalist kin during his long post-Restoration imprisonment. It also illustrates how the image of Lambert's affluent lifestyle contributed to the erosion of the new model army's unity prior to the Restoration. Finally, the article sheds light on the limits of the revolution during these years, as well as highlighting the complexity of Lambert's political and religious outlook. [source] Next of kin's conceptions of the quality of care in the psychiatric setting: A phenomenographic studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2007Agneta Schröder ABSTRACT:, The next of kin play a decisive role in the care provided for patients. This and their unique experience of psychiatric care make it important to include them when defining quality of care. The aim of the present study was to describe how next of kin perceive the concept of quality of care in the case of psychiatric care. Twelve next of kin were included in a qualitative interview study and a phenomenographic approach was used for the analysis of the interviews. The next of kin described quality of care mainly from their own perspective but also to a large extent from the patient's perspective as well. Five descriptive categories resulted: dignity, security, participation, recovery, and health-promoting surroundings. Good relations and communication between staff, patients, and next of kin emerged as the central factors regarding the quality of psychiatric care. The next of kin asked for information about psychiatric illnesses and wanted to cooperate in the care. They avoid telling others about their family member's psychiatric illness because of a feeling of shame and guilt. Staff education regarding such feelings and stigmatization could be useful in furthering the understanding of the next of kin's distress and developing interventions to alleviate it. Clinical practice can be improved by guidelines and instruments developed on the basis of this study. [source] Migration and Transnational Families in Fiji: Comparing Two Ethnic GroupsINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 4 2008Carmen Voigt-Graf In the past two decades, international migration patterns out of Fiji have undergone changes with important implications for the formation of transnational families. The focus of this paper is on a comparison between the formation of Indo-Fijian transnational extended families and indigenous Fijian transnational nuclear families. These are discussed within the framework of "transnational corporations of kin." For several decades, Indo-Fijians have permanently migrated to the Pacific Rim as a consequence of the economic and political situation in Fiji. They have resettled in complete nuclear family units and have subsequently attempted to sponsor the migration of their extended family members. Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of indigenous Fijians migrating temporarily for work. In contrast to Indo-Fijians, indigenous Fijian migrate as individuals, leaving their spouses and children behind in Fiji. Women migrate autonomously as caregivers and nurses while men find employment as soldiers and security officers. The main purpose of their mostly temporary migration is to send remittances. However, these economic benefits have to be contrasted with the social and psychological costs associated with the separation of nuclear families. The paper also discusses policy implications arising from the comparative analysis, especially in the light of the current situation in Fiji which is characterised by a lack of policies addressing the implications of migration. Migration et familles transnationales à Fidji: comparaison de deux groupes ethniques Durant ces vingt dernières années, les tendances migratoires internationales au départ de Fidji ont subi des changements qui ont eu d'importantes conséquences sur la constitution de familles transnationales. Le thème central de cette publication porte sur une comparaison entre la constitution de familles transnationales indo-fidjiennes élargies et les familles transnationales fidjiennes indigènes nucléaires. Celles-ci sont examinées dans le cadre de ce que l'on appelle les sociétés familiales transnationales. Depuis plusieurs dizaines d'années, les Indo-Fidjiens migrent à demeure vers la ceinture du Pacifique en raison de la situation économique et politique de Fidji. A partir de là, ils reprennent le schéma de la famille nucléaire complète et tentent ensuite de financer la migration des membres de leur famille élargie. Les dernières années ont mis en évidence une tendance croissante des Fidjiens indigènes àémigrer temporairement en quête de travail. A la différence des Indo-Fidjiens, les Fidjiens indigènes émigrent seuls, en laissant derrière eux femmes et enfants. Les femmes émigrent de façon autonome en quête d'un emploi d'aidante ou d'infirmière tandis que les hommes se font embaucher comme soldats ou agents de sécurité. L'objectif principal de leur migration le plus souvent temporaire est de rapatrier des fonds. Cependant, ces avantages économiques doivent être rapportés aux conséquences sociales et psychologiques découlant de la séparation des familles nucléaires. L'article examine également les répercussions politiques résultant de l'analyse comparative, surtout à la lumière de la situation actuelle à Fidji, laquelle dénote l'absence de politiques appropriées pour faire face aux conséquences de la migration. La migración y las familias transnacionales en Fiji: Comparación de dos grupos étnicos En los últimos veinte años, los patrones de migración internacional desde Fiji han sufrido cambios que han repercutido notablemente en la conformación de familias transnacionales. En este artículo, se establece una comparación entre la conformación de familias indo-fiyianas transnacionales amplias y las familias indígenas fiyianas transnacionales nucleares. Ambas se debaten en el marco de "corporaciones transnacionales de parentesco". Durante varias décadas, los indo-fiyianos emigraron con carácter permanente a la costa del Pacífico a raíz de la situación económica y política prevaleciente en Fiji. Se reasentaron en unidades familiares nucleares completas y, ulteriormente, intentaron patrocinar la migración de sus familiares. En los últimos años, se ha observado un creciente número de fiyianos indígenas que emigran temporalmente por motivos laborales. A diferencia de los indo-fiyianos, los fiyianos indígenas emigran a título individual, dejando atrás a cónyuges e hijos. Las mujeres emigran de manera autónoma para trabajar al cuidado de personas o como enfermeras, mientras que los hombres encuentran trabajo como soldados o guardias. Su migración es mayormente de carácter temporal y tiene por finalidad el envío de remesas. Ahora bien, estos beneficios económicos tienen que examinarse a la luz de los costos sociales y sicológicos asociados con la separación del núcleo familiar. En este artículo también se debaten las consecuencias políticas resultantes del análisis comparativo, especialmente habida cuenta de la situación reinante en Fiji, que se caracteriza por la falta de políticas que encaren las repercusiones que trae consigo la migración. [source] Good work , how is it recognised by the nurse?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 12 2008Bjørg Christiansen Dr. Polit. Aim., The aim of this paper is to shed light on how nurses describe situations that reflect achievement and provide confirmation that they have done good work. Background., Nurses' recognition of good work does not seem to have been the object of direct investigation, but is indirectly reflected in studies focusing on nurses' perceptions on work environments and the multifaceted nature of nursing. However, acknowledging high-quality performance in professional nurses can facilitate nurses in maintaining and strengthening the goals and values of the profession. This in turn can help nurses shoulder the multifaceted responsibilities they have to patients and next of kin. Design., This paper is part of the Professional Learning in a Changing Society project, Institute of Educational Research, University of Oslo, funded by the Research Council of Norway. The project involves four professional groups. This paper, however, focuses on a group of 10 nurses, nine of whom work in hospitals and one in an outpatient clinic. A qualitative approach was chosen to gain insight into how nurses, as well as the other professional groups in the project, engage in processes of knowledge production and quality assurance work. Methods., Data presented in this paper derive from semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted during spring 2005 and focuses on the recognition of good work. Results., The following themes were identified as essential in confirming that one did good work: securing fundamental needs of patients and next of kin; managing the flow of responsibilities; positive feedback. Conclusions., Good work seems to be related to specific situations and a sense of achievement by the respondents. Relevance to clinical practice., Recognition of good work is not only rewarding and enjoyable; it may also serve as a source of consciousness raising for professional and ethical guidelines in the work place. [source] Weakly aggressive behaviour towards nymphs in the cockroach Schultesia nitor (Blattaria: Zetoborinae)AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 6 2007Joan Van Baaren Abstract This paper describes aggressive behaviour in the cockroach Schultesia nitor, a tropical forest species living in bird nests. Young S. nitor nymphs are known to show active dispersal while old nymphs and adults are contrastingly strongly gregarious, a combination of features never observed in other cockroach species. Our laboratory experiments using video recording of confrontations between pairs show that aggressive behaviour towards conspecific nymphs is not exhibited towards nymphs of the species Phoetalia pallida, and thus can be considered species specific in S. nitor. But, it is not kin oriented: the mother and all adults of both sexes in different physiological states exhibit this behaviour as well. Six types of aggressive interactions were discriminated, occurring in age-symmetric pairs of nymphs and adults. Even more frequent aggression was exhibited by adults and last instar nymphs towards younger nymphs of all instars. The frequency of aggressive acts and types of aggressive interactions varied according to sex and size of the two interacting individuals. The possible function and evolution of this behaviour is discussed, with emphasis on the difficulty of interpreting obvious but weak and not kin-biased aggression. Aggr. Behav. 33:498,507, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||