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Positive Way (positive + way)
Selected AbstractsHatred of Democracy ... and of the Public Role of Education?EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY, Issue 5-6 2010Introduction to the Special Issue on Jacques Rancičre Abstract The article presents an introduction to the Special Issue on the French philosopher Jacques Rancičre who raises a provocative voice in the current public debate on democracy, equality and education. Instead of merely criticizing current practices and discourses, the attractiveness of Rancičre's work is that he does try to formulate in a positive way what democracy is about, how equality can be a pedagogic or educational (instead of policy) concern, and what the public and democratic role of education is. His work opens up a space to rethink and to study, as well as to ,re-practice', what democracy and equality in education are about. He questions the current neutralisation of politics that is motivated by a hatred of democracy. This questioning is for Rancičre also a struggle over words. Against the old philosophical dream of defining the meaning of words, Rancičre underlines the need for the struggle over their meaning. The aim of the article is to clarify how and why education, equality, and democracy are a major concern throughout his work and to offer an introduction to the articles collected in the Special Issue. [source] How is Education Possible?EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY, Issue 1 2001Preliminary investigations for a theory of education The following text is the result of our ongoing discussions about the notion of intersubjectivity and its significance for an understanding of the process of education. Rather than merging our sometimes diverging ideas into one single line of argument, we decided to try if we could make the movement of divergence and convergence of our thoughts visible in the text itself. Although we definitely explore different pathways, these pathways lead to a similar insight. This is, that it is not the educator who educates, but that it is the educational ,situation',a situation constituted though not determined by the interaction between the educator and the student,which educates. This educational situation, which one of us describes as an ,in between space', emerges from the interaction between the educator and the student. In this respect we can say that it results from the difference between the partners in education. The in-between space of education is an emerging reality, which not only comes into existence as a result of the difference between the partners in education but in fact only exists in this difference. It is precisely in this respect that the form of the following article provides an example of what we want to say about the process of education. The point is, to put it briefly, that this article contains or expresses a meaning that results from the difference between the two texts, but this meaning is neither something that can be attributed to the two texts as such (in this sense this emerging meaning is constituted though not determined by the two texts), nor,and this is crucial,is it something that can be articulated in any positive way in a third text. The interaction between our two texts therefore creates a reality that results from the difference between the texts and only exists in this difference. The order of authorship expresses the fact that the first author wrote the left column and the second author the right column. [source] Development of a solvent-free, solid-phase in vitro bioassay using vertebrate cellsENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2006Stephanie K. Bopp Abstract Miniaturized bioassays offer many advantages in exploring the toxic potential of chemicals, including small sample volumes and compatibility with high-throughput screening. One problem common to miniaturized systems, however, is the loss of test chemicals because of sorption. The idea of the current study was to use the sorption phenomenon in a positive way. It was found that contaminants sorbed to the growth surface in wells of tissue-culture plates or to the surface of selected sorbent bead materials are available to vertebrate cells growing in direct contact with the contaminant-coated surface. The use of beads provided more flexibility with regard to surface area, materials, and assay format. Biosilon, a bead cell-culture carrier made of polystyrene, was found to be most suitable. It supported cell adherence and allowed the detection of reproducible dose-response curves of an increase in cytochrome CYP1A enzyme activity by sorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver cell line, RTL-W1. The resulting bead assay provides a miniaturized, solvent-free exposure system. Potential future applications include the coupling to environmental sampling, in which the bead material is used as solid receiving phase before serving as a surface for vertebrate cells to attach and respond. [source] Tactile stimulation associated with nursing care to individuals with dementia showing aggressive or restless tendencies: an intervention study in dementia careINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OLDER PEOPLE NURSING, Issue 3 2007Kirsti Skovdahl PhD Aim., This study aimed to describe from documentation both the caregivers' experiences of giving tactile stimulation to five people with moderate-to-severe dementia and who showed aggressive or restless tendencies, and the changes seen in them. Background., Clinical experiences indicate that tactile stimulation can contribute to a feeling of trust and confirmation as well as to improving communication, promoting relaxation and easing pain. There is, however, very little scientific documentation of the effects of touch massage for people with dementia. Design., From caregivers' documentation (28 weeks) of experiences, the giving of tactile stimulation to five randomly selected people with dementia showing aggressive or restless tendencies and the subsequent changes noticed. Method., The documentation was analysed by using qualitative content analysis. Results., All residents displayed signs of positive feelings and relaxation. The caregivers stated that they felt able to interact with the residents in a more positive way and that they felt they had a warmer relationship with them. Conclusion., Tactile stimulation can be seen as a valuable way to communicating non-verbally, of giving feedback, confirmation, consolation or a feeling of being valuable and taken care of. Relevance to clinical practice., Tactile stimulation has to be administered with respect and care, and given from a relational ethics perspective. Otherwise, there is a risk that tactile stimulation will be used merely as a technique instead of as a part of an effort to achieve optimal good, warm nursing care. [source] Karl Barth's Christology as a Resource for a Reformed Version of KenoticismINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, Issue 3 2006BRUCE L. McCORMACK Karl Barth's understanding of ,kenotic Christology' was largely controlled by the nineteenth-century definition and, as a result, he rejected it. However, Barth's later treatment of the incarnation in CD IV/I provides resources for taking up the language of kenosis in a positive way that would be thoroughly ,Reformed' in character. There are considerable theological gains to be made by such an approach. [source] Gossip as strategy: The management of talk about others on reality TV show ,Big Brother'JOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 2 2004Joanna Thornborrow In this paper we examine the nature of gossip talk as an activity type in the context of the TV game show ,Big Brother'. Using a detailed analytic approach to the situated nature of gossip sequences, we show how participants in the show manage gossip talk strategically to establish social relationships within the house, as well as to present themselves in a positive way to the viewing (and voting) audience. We argue that there is a contextual double framing for talk in the Big Brother (BB) house which participants are orienting to, both as members of a social group, and as players in a TV game show. The paper thus contributes to existing work on the social function of gossip, as well as exploring its strategic function in this particular interactional context, calling into question the nature of ,natural' discourse. [source] SREA is involved in regulation of siderophore biosynthesis, utilization and uptake in Aspergillus nidulansMOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2001Harald Oberegger Under conditions of low iron availability, most fungi excrete siderophores in order to mobilize extracellular iron. We show that lack of the GATA-type transcription factor SREA in Aspergillus nidulans not only leads to derepression of siderophore biosynthesis but also to deregulation of siderophore-bound iron uptake and ornithine esterase expression. Furthermore, SREA deficiency causes increased accumulation of ferricrocin, the siderophore responsible for intracellular iron storage. In sreA deletion strains, extracellular siderophore production is derepressed but still regulated negatively by iron availability, indicating the presence of an additional iron-regulatory mechanism. In contrast, iron affects ferricrocin accumulation in a positive way, suggesting a protective role for this siderophore in detoxification of intracellular iron excess. The harmfulness of deregulated iron uptake in this mutant is demonstrated by increased expression of genes encoding the antioxidative enzymes catalase CATB and the superoxide dismutases SODA and SODB. It is noteworthy that iron starvation was found to repress catB expression in wild-type (wt) and SREA-deficient strains, consistent with catB being subject to SREA-independent iron regulation. Differential display led to the identification of putative SREA target genes amcA and mirA. The deduced MIRA amino acid sequence displays significant similarity to recently characterized siderophore permeases of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. amcA encodes a putative mitochondrial carrier for the siderophore precursor ornithine, indicating cross-regulation of siderophore and ornithine metabolism. [source] After Freud: Phantasy and Imagination in the Philosophy of ReligionPHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008Beverley Clack Philosophers of religion have tended to focus on Freud's dismissal of religion as an illusion, thus characterising his account as primarily hostile. Those who wish to engage with psychoanalytic ideas in order to understand religion in a more positive way have tended to look to later psychoanalysts for more sympathetic sources. This paper suggests that other aspects of Freud's own writings might, surprisingly, provide such tools. In particular, a more subtle understanding of the relationship between illusion and reality emerges in his theory, that itself offers a useful way of understanding the meaning and significance of religion for the human animal. By exploring these sources a view of religion emerges which connects it closely with the processes of imagination and creativity. Under this view, religion is more than just a set of hypotheses to be proved or disproved. In religion, we have access to the most deeply rooted wishes and anxieties of the human heart, and thus its investigation enables a deeper understanding of what it is to be a human being. [source] Learning from the past, looking to the future: Exploring our place with Indigenous AustraliansAUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Alison Nelson This paper aims to explore ways in which we as occupational therapists in Australia can participate in enabling a different and better future for all Australians. In doing so, it is necessary to explore our history and our cultures, both individually and collectively as a profession, and to understand the ways in which these shape who we are and what we do. As occupational therapists, we have valuable knowledge and skills that have the potential to contribute in a positive way to the health and educational outcomes of Indigenous Australians. As a profession operating in Australia, we also have a responsibility to reach this potential. This paper aims to present some of these contributions and to provide examples of practical and culturally safe ways in which we can take action. [source] Effect of inhibition treatment, type of inocula, and incubation temperature on batch H2 production from organic solid wasteBIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 3 2006Idania Valdez-Vazquez Abstract Two types of induction treatments (heat-shock pretreatment, HSP, and acetylene, Ac), inocula (meso and thermophilic) and incubation temperatures (37 and 55°C) were tested according to a full factorial design 23 with the aim of assessing their effects on cumulative H2 production (PH, mmol H2/mini-reactor), initial H2 production rate (Ri,H, µmol H2/(g VSi,×,h)), lag time (Tlag, h), and metabolites distribution when fermenting organic solid waste with an undefined anerobic consortia in batch mini-reactors. Type of inocula did not have a significant effect on PH, Tlag, and Ri,H except for organic acids production: mini-reactors seeded with thermophilic inocula had the highest organic acid production. Concerning the induction treatment, it was found that on the average Ac only affected in a positive way the PH and Tlag. Thus, PH in Ac-inhibited units (6.97) was 20% larger than those in HSP-inhibited units (5.77). Also, Ac favored a shorter Tlag for PH in comparison with HSP (180 vs. 366). Additionally, a positive correlation was found between H2 and organic acid production. In contrast, solvent concentration in heat-shocked mini-reactors were slightly higher than in reactors spiked with Ac. Regarding the incubation temperature, on the average mesophilic temperature affected in a positive and very significant way PH (10.07 vs. 2.67) and Ri,H (2.43 vs. 0.76) with minimum Tlag (87 vs. 459). The positive correlation between H2 and organic acids production was found again. Yet, incubation temperature did not seem to affect solvent production. A strong interaction was observed between induction treatment and incubation temperature. Thus, Ac-inhibited units showed higher values of PH and Ri,H than that HSP-inhibited units only under thermophilic incubation. Contrary to this, HSP-inhibited units showed the highest values of PH and Ri,H only under mesophilic conditions. Therefore, the superiority of an induction treatment seems to strongly depend on the incubation temperature. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The use of interactive video in teaching teachers: an evaluation of a link with a primary schoolBRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2002Heather Kinnear This paper presents an evaluation of the use of videoconferencing in learning and teaching in a United Kingdom higher education institution involved in initial teacher education. Students had the opportunity to observe naturalistic teaching practices without physically being present in the classroom. The study consisted of semi-structured interviews with the co-ordinator of the link, the head of ICT services in Stranmillis University College and the teacher of the classroom being observed. Students were invited to complete an online questionnaire. The views of the students, the co-ordinator of the link, the teacher of the classroom being observed and the head of ICT services in Stranmillis University College were then triangulated to gain an overall view of the effectiveness of the videoconferencing link. Interviews suggested students benefited in terms of pedagogy. In the early stages of the project, the teacher thought it acted as a form of classroom control. Technical problems were encountered initially and camera control was modified in the light of these. The online questionnaire suggested that students viewed this experience in a positive way and were impressed with the content, technical quality, and potential benefits of the use of this example of new technologies. [source] Diversity as a Basis for Shared Organizational Identity: The Norm Congruity PrincipleBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 2007Floor Rink Although the social identity approach is generally used to explain the negative consequences of diversity for the formation of a common identity within organizations, we propose that social identity processes can also lead employees to evaluate their differences in a positive way. We propose norm-congruency as a central principle to understand these issues. We argue that when differences among team members in organizations are congruent with norms and expectations, diversity can become a basis for organizational identification. [source] Participatory evaluation (I) , sharing lessons from fieldwork in AsiaCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2007B. Crishna Abstract Background There is a need to study methodologies for evaluating social development projects. Traditional methods of evaluation are often not able to capture or measure the ,spirit of change' in people, which is the very essence of human development. Using participatory methodologies is a positive way to ensure that evaluations encourage an understanding of the value of critical analysis among service providers and other stakeholders. Participatory evaluation provides a systematic process of learning through experiences. Methods Practical experiences of conducting a number of evaluation studies in social development projects have led the author to develop four basic principles of participatory evaluation strategies. This has been further conceptualized through an extensive literature search. The article develops and shares these principles through descriptions of field experiences in Asia. Results The article illustrates that the role of any evaluation remains a learning process, one which promotes a climate of reflection and self-assessment. It shows how using participatory methods can create this environment of learning. However, one needs to keep in mind that participatory evaluation takes time, and that the role and calibre of the facilitator are crucial. Conclusion Participatory evaluation methods have been recommended for social development projects to ensure that stakeholders remain in control of their own lives and decisions. [source] "How Come Nobody Told Me?"LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 1 2002Fostering Self-Realization Through a High School English Curriculum Through collaboratively designed qualitative inquiry, we investigated the responses of high school students with learning disabilities to a teacher's intervention intended to promote self-realization, a fundamental component of self-determination. Activities were embedded within the general English curriculum and delivered in a special education classroom over the course of an academic year. Several themes emerged from analysis of student interviews, student responses to writing prompts and surveys, a teacher journal, and student portfolio pieces. Silence and misconceptions were prevalent in student experiences. However, through the intervention students acquired information that helped them make sense of their school experiences, redefine themselves in positive ways, and take small steps toward greater self-advocacy within their current school setting. The mediating influence of positive adult voices and concerns about social stigma were evident in students' responses, which prompted us to question teachers' and families' responsibilities for engaging young people in dialogue about special education and disability. [source] Some Australian Children's Perceptions of Physical Punishment in ChildhoodCHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 6 2008Bernadette J. Saunders Despite ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children remain the only people in Australia against whom violence may be justified as discipline. This article presents findings from qualitative research conducted in the State of Victoria, in which children were invited to contextualise incidents of physical punishment by describing the experience from different standpoints and reflecting on the feelings and motivations of victims and perpetrators. The research provides new insights into children's experiences of childhood ,discipline', as children reveal the physical and emotional impact of being hit by a parent, the futility of ,physical punishment', parents' confusing reactions and children's awareness of double standards. Children suggest more positive ways to communicate and to resolve conflict, and provide insightful comments that have the potential to enlighten adults' thinking about the issue. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||