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Selected AbstractsRedesigning mental health services: lessons on user involvement from the Mental Health CollaborativeHEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 1 2003Glenn Robert PhD Abstract Objectives, To explore the involvement of mental health service users in the redesign of in-patient mental health services in six Trusts participating in a multi-regional NHS modernization programme. Design, Semi-structured interviews and observation of team meetings undertaken as part of an action research study. Participants and setting, Users, clinical, medical and managerial staff from six mental health trusts which participated in the Northern & Yorkshire and Trent regions' Mental Health Collaborative (MHC). Results and conclusions, Whilst there were some problems, user involvement was undoubtedly a strength of the MHC in comparison to other modernization programmes within the NHS we have studied. However, the particular challenges posed by the specific context of acute mental health services should not be overlooked. The initial approach taken in each of the sites was to simply invite a user or user representative to join the local project team. In the course of events, various changes were made to this initial mechanism for involving users in the ongoing work of the teams. These changes , and setbacks in some sites , make drawing firm conclusions as to the effectiveness of the various strategies employed problematic. However, our qualitative data suggest a number of broad lessons that will assist both those leading and participating in other redesign initiatives to maximize the benefits to be gained from service user involvement. [source] PHOTOGRAPHS, SYMBOLIC IMAGES, AND THE HOLOCAUST: ON THE (IM)POSSIBILITY OF DEPICTING HISTORICAL TRUTHHISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 2 2009JUDITH KEILBACH ABSTRACT Photography has often been scrutinized regarding its relationship to reality or historical truth. This includes not only the indexicality of photography, but also the question of how structures and processes that comprise history and historical events can be depicted. In this context, the Holocaust provides a particular challenge to photography. As has been discussed in numerous publications, this historic event marks the "limits of representation." Nevertheless there are many photographs "showing" the Holocaust that have been produced in different contexts that bespeak the photographers' gaze and the circumstances of the photographs' production. Some of the pictures have become very well known due to their frequent reproduction, even though they often do not show the annihilation itself, but situations different from that; their interpretation as Holocaust pictures results rather from a metonymic deferral. When these pictures are frequently reproduced they are transformed into symbolic images, that is, images that can be removed from their specific context, and in this way they come to signify abstract concepts such as "evil." Despite being removed from their specific context these images can, as this essay argues, refer to historical truth. First, I explore the arguments of some key theorists of photography (Benjamin, Kracauer, Sontag, Barthes) to investigate the relationship between photography and reality in general, looking at their different concepts of reality, history, and historical truth, as well as the question of the meaning of images. Second, I describe the individual circumstances in which some famous Holocaust pictures were taken in order to analyze, by means of three examples, the question what makes these specific pictures so particularly suitable to becoming symbolic images and why they may,despite their abstract meaning,be able to depict historical truth. [source] The Medical History of South Africa: An OverviewHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2008Anne Digby The article surveys half a century of historical writing on South African medicine, which is defined widely to include discussion of health care professions, public health, hospitals and asylums, and indigenous medicine as well as the cross-overs and hybridisation between biomedicine and indigenous medicine. A rapidly growing historiography has been influenced both by general literature in the history of medicine as well as by the more specific context of South Africa. Here the colonial and post-colonial pasts shape the present to an unusual extent and the legacy both of apartheid and of an ongoing democratic transformation impact on the historian's choice of subject. [source] Typology in action: applying typological insights in the study of translationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 1 2008Luna Filipovi tipología; camino y manera de movimiento; transcriptos; traducción This paper provides arguments in favour of using Talmy's cognitive typology in the study of translation. I contrasted English motion expressions with those in Spanish and Serbo-Croatian. English and Spanish belong to two opposing types in the typology, and Serbo-Croatian is classified as the same type as English. I illustrate the effects that different lexicalization patterns can have in a specific context of translation, namely that of translating police interviews with witnesses and suspects from Spanish into English. I also explain the intratypological contrasts that affect translation in the case of English vs. Serbo-Croatian. I propose a number of underlying principles to be used in translation and foreign language teaching. Este articulo se trata de la importancia que una tipología lingüística tiene en el análisis de traducción. Hemos comparado los originales de dos libros en serbo-croato y dos en ingles y correspondientes traducciones de estos textos en ingles y serbo-croato. Otros materiales que hemos usado en nuestra discusión son los transcriptos originales de los interrogaciones de testigos que hablan español como lengua madre y las traducciones en inglés hechos por la parte de los intérpretes. Español e ingles marcan los dos puntos más extremos en la clasificación semántica de idiomas, mientras serbo-croato estaba clasificado en el mismo grupo con ingles. Esta clasificación tipológica es basada sobre la manera en que se lexicalizan los campos universales de experiencia humana. En este caso, hablamos de la manera de movimiento. Los resultados muestran que en español, siguiendo las predicciones de la tipología, las construcciones con los verbos de dirección son los típicos y la frecuencia y la variedad de los verbos de manera de movimiento es marginada y limitada. En ingles, que "prefiere" el uso de los verbos de manera de movimiento, las traducciones a veces tienen la información de la manera que no existe en los textos originales. Así se cambia el contenido original de las descripciones que han presentado los testigos en español. Serbo-croato tiene puntas in común con ingles y español, y por eso, que nosotros mostramos, se puede posicionar entre los otros dos idiomas en la tipología. Otros temas presentes en la nuestra discusión son la diferencia entre las construcciones sintácticos en los tres idiomas que crean problemas en la traducción y los excepciones en el uso de los verbos de movimiento que se encuentran en serbo-croato. La conclusión es que este tipo de investigación aplicada interdisciplinaria puede ayudar a entender la importancia que tiene el idioma en contextos varios. En esa manera tal vez se puede mejorar el proceso de traducción e interrogación de testigos en una comunidad multilingual y facilitar el proceso de comunicación en general. [source] Clinical value of p53, c-erbB-2, CEA and CA125 regarding relapse, metastasis and death in resectable non-small cell lung cancerINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 5 2003Marina Pollán Abstract The prognostic value of p53 and c-erbB-2 immunostaining and preoperative serum levels of CEA and CA125 was investigated in a prospective multicentric study including 465 consecutive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with resectable tumors. Four end-points were used: lung cancer death, first relapse (either locoregional or metastasis), loco-regional recurrence and metastasis development. Standard statistical survival methods (Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression) were used. The specificity of the prognostic effect across different types of tumors was also explored, as had been planned in advance. Our results showed, once again, that pathological T and N classifications continue to be the strongest predictors regarding either relapse or mortality. Three of the studied markers seemed to add further useful information, however, but in a more specific context. For example, increased CEA concentration defined a higher risk population among adenocarcinomas but not among people with squamous tumors; and p53 overexpression implied a worse prognosis mainly in patients with well differentiated tumors. The analysis of type of relapse proved to be very informative. Thus, CA125 level was associated with a worse prognosis mainly related with metastasis development. Another interesting result was the influence of smoking, which showed a clear dose-response relationship with the probability of metastasis. For future studies, we recommend the inclusion of different endpoints, namely considering the relationship of markers with the type of relapse involved in lung-cancer recurrence. They can add useful information regarding the complex nature of prognosis. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Reflections on the optimal currency area (OCA) criteria in the light of EMUINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2003M.J. Artis Abstract Optimal Currency Area (OCA) theory offers criteria for evaluating the optimality of monetary union arrangements. This paper reviews the use that has been made of these criteria in the specific context of European Monetary Union. It reviews the use of business cycle synchronization data and the data produced by SVAR analyses, which led to the ,core,periphery' distinction. It also reviews extensions of the criteria that have been proposed or generated in this context: in particular, the proposition that the criteria may be ,endogenous'. It presents Taylor rule estimates to check for inhomogeneities in Euro Area performance. The paper concludes that OCA criteria provide a useful starting point for evaluating monetary union options. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Development of a registry for monitoring psychotropic drug prescriptions: aims, methods and implications for ordinary practice and researchINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2005Dr Corrado Barbui Abstract In psychiatry, individual-based registries have provided key information on risks and benefits associated with the use of psychotropic drugs but they have rarely been employed for monitoring and evaluating the everyday prescribing of psychopharmacological treatments. This article describes the cultural background that gave impetus to the idea of registering all prescriptions of psychotropic drugs dispensed by physicians working in the South Verona community mental health service, and presents the methodology employed to develop such a registry in a community psychiatric service where a psychiatric case register (PCR) has been operating since 1978. We developed a registry including every patient receiving psychotropic medications in ordinary practice. This registry is linked to the PCR in order to obtain data on social and demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, use of services, and outcomes. No exclusion criteria are allowed , anyone receiving treatment is automatically included. This system, which can link drug and service-use data with hard outcome indicators, can generate information on the proportion of subjects discontinuing treatment, switching medication because of side-effects, recovery or inefficacy, as well as on the proportion of subjects failing to return to the physician, and the proportion of patients who improve. The innovative aspect of this approach is that this registry is developed, organized and used by physicians interested in monitoring their clinical practice and in providing patients, relatives and the public with accurate information on drug use in their specific context of care. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Factors associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy for the treatment of HIV-infected women attending an urban care facilityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 1 2008Heila E Aspeling RN MSN Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is often jeopardized by factors misapprehended by health-care providers. As South Africa is severely affected by HIV and AIDS, identifying factors that influence adherence in this specific context becomes essential. An exploratory and descriptive case study design was used to further explore this subject and to identify factors that could influence adherence to ART. A significant correlation with international data was found. Most participants indicated that their traditional beliefs and customs did not interfere with their adherence to ART, although the lack of HIV education might facilitate reversion to traditional customs. Adequate treatment preparation, comprehensive HIV education and a supportive patient,provider relationship seemed to impact adherence significantly. [source] Hearing Latin American Voices in International Relations StudiesINTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 4 2003Arlene B. Tickner This article offers a general account of international relations studies (IR) in Latin America through an examination of IR thinking in the region, an inventory of IR theory courses in seven Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago), and an analysis of journal articles selected from five specialized IR journals in Latin America. Although considerable U.S. influence upon the ways in which IR is approached in Latin America is made apparent through this narrative, the specific context in which IR studies have evolved in the region has substantially altered the content of U.S. IR discourse. Therefore, the article concludes with a discussion of the possible contributions of Latin American IR to Anglo-American perspectives in the field. [source] Visibility and the Stigmatization of Cancer: Context Matters,JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 12 2009Sarah Knapp-Oliver Few experimental studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of disease characteristics, such as visibility, on the stigmatization of cancer. The current study tested the reactions of undergraduates to vignettes that manipulated the visibility of cancer and the context in which help was needed by an individual with cancer. Results showed that participants were less willing to help the target individual when the cancer was visible and the context allowed stigmatization to be subtle. Further research should consider the relationships among disease attributes, the specific context where help is needed, and the stigmatization of individuals with cancer. [source] Lived experiences of eating problems for patients with head and neck cancer during radiotherapyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 4 2003Maria Larsson MNSc Summary ,,Only a small proportion of cancer patients undergo radical radiotherapy to the head and neck, but their needs are particularly complex. Although extensive research describes the side-effects of radiotherapy to the head and neck, few studies focus on patients' subjective experiences of eating problems and the impact these have on the patients' daily life. ,,In this study a phenomenological approach was used, as the purpose was to acquire deeper understanding of head and neck cancer patients' lived experiences of eating problems, their consequences in daily life and patients' strategies of coping with these problems. ,,Eight patients from two radiation therapy departments in mid-Sweden were interviewed in an open dialogue. Data analysis was based on Colaizzi's method. ,,Eating problems experienced were captured in two interrelated main themes: ,Ability to chew and swallow' and ,Will and desire to eat'. The eating problems were found to cause a number of severe consequences in daily life. These are incorporated into one main theme: ,The way of life is disturbed'. Ways to cope with this disturbance were captured in one main theme: ,Trying to see the end , To survive'. ,,This study identifies the need to view eating problems as a complex phenomenon in a specific context including the individual patient's life situation. The findings create the opportunity to develop nursing interventions based on patients' own needs. To facilitate this, a specialist nurse should be responsible for reviewing patients regularly throughout radiation therapy. Intervention studies are needed to provide optimal clinical guidelines. [source] Use and Standardisation of Mauritian Creole in Electronically Mediated Communication1JOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 3 2009Aaliya Rajah-Carrim New technologies have affected language use and attitudes in many communities. Kreol, a French-lexified Creole and the nonstandardised first language of the majority of Mauritians, is now gaining ground as a written language in the specific context of electronic-mediated communication. This has led to the emergence of writing norms among users of the language. These norms are founded on etymological phonemic and mixed conventions. This study based on data gathered through questionnaires analyses the attitudes of 66 young Mauritians towards the three orthographies used in electronically mediated communication and the standardisation of the language in new technologies. It also briefly discusses some of the spelling conventions used in Internet postings. I show that the etymological system is perceived as most readable, learnable and closest to French. Users believe that Kreol can act as a unifying factor among different ethnolinguistic groups in Mauritius. Responses also highlight the potential of users and electronic-mediated communication in bringing about the standardisation of Kreol. [source] Modeling Judgments in the Angoff and Contrasting-Groups Method of Standard SettingJOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT, Issue 1 2008Daniël Van Nijlen Essential for the validity of the judgments in a standard-setting study is that they follow the implicit task assumptions. In the Angoff method, judgments are assumed to be inversely related to the difficulty of the items; contrasting-groups judgments are assumed to be positively related to the ability of the students. In the present study, judgments from both procedures were modeled with a random-effects probit regression model. The Angoff judgments showed a weaker link with the position of the items on the latent scale than the contrasting-groups judgments with the position of the students. Hence, in the specific context of the study, the contrasting-groups judgments were more aligned with the underlying assumptions of the method than the Angoff judgments. [source] In-vitro permeation of drugs into porcine hair follicles: is it quantitatively equivalent to permeation into human hair follicles?JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2008Yakov Frum It is already well-established that the general permeability properties of porcine skin are close to those of human skin. However, very little is known with respect to drug absorption into hair follicles and the similarities if any between the two types of tissue. The aim of this study was to use the skin sandwich system to quantify follicular drug absorption into porcine hair follicles. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the skin sandwich has been extended to porcine tissue. For this purpose, seven different drugs , estradiol, corticosterone, hydrocortisone, aldosterone, cimetidine, deoxyadenosine and adenosine , exhibiting a wide range of log octanol-water partition coefficients (log Ko/w), but comparable molecular weights, were chosen as candidate solutes. The results showed a parabolic profile with maximal follicular contribution occurring at intermediate log Ko/w values. Linear regression analysis indicated that the follicular contributions in porcine skin correlated well with previously published follicular contributions in human skin (r2 = 0.87). The novelty of this research is that we show that porcine tissue is a good surrogate for modelling human skin permeability within the specific context of quantifying drug absorption into hair follicles. [source] Bayesian calibration of computer modelsJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES B (STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY), Issue 3 2001Marc C. Kennedy We consider prediction and uncertainty analysis for systems which are approximated using complex mathematical models. Such models, implemented as computer codes, are often generic in the sense that by a suitable choice of some of the model's input parameters the code can be used to predict the behaviour of the system in a variety of specific applications. However, in any specific application the values of necessary parameters may be unknown. In this case, physical observations of the system in the specific context are used to learn about the unknown parameters. The process of fitting the model to the observed data by adjusting the parameters is known as calibration. Calibration is typically effected by ad hoc fitting, and after calibration the model is used, with the fitted input values, to predict the future behaviour of the system. We present a Bayesian calibration technique which improves on this traditional approach in two respects. First, the predictions allow for all sources of uncertainty, including the remaining uncertainty over the fitted parameters. Second, they attempt to correct for any inadequacy of the model which is revealed by a discrepancy between the observed data and the model predictions from even the best-fitting parameter values. The method is illustrated by using data from a nuclear radiation release at Tomsk, and from a more complex simulated nuclear accident exercise. [source] Integrating Formal and Functional Approaches to Language Teaching in French Immersion: An Experimental StudyLANGUAGE LEARNING, Issue 2001Elaine M. Day This experimental study was designed to evaluate the effect on French language proficiency of an integrated formal, analytic and functional, communicative approach (experiential) to second-language teaching in the immersion classroom. The impetus for the study arises from previous research indicating that immersion children show persistent weaknesses in their grammatical skills despite the fluent, functional proficiency they achieve in their second language. The experimental materials, which were custom-designed for our study, highlight form-function relations, promote noticing, encourage metalin-guistic awareness, and provide opportunities for language practice and thus relate to some of the theoretical issues that Rod Ellis (this volume) has indicated are important in SLA in the 90s. This classroom-based study on the conditional is one of a series of studies undertaken in Canadian French immersion to investigate the effectiveness of form-focused instruction in classrooms (see Swain, 2000). The results of our study, which was conducted in grade 7 early immersion, showed that the Experimental group performed significantly higher in writing than the Control group, in both the post- and the follow-up testing. Although this was not found for speaking, an examination of the individual class data revealed greater and more consistent growth in speaking for the Experimental than for the Control classes, suggesting that they benefited somewhat from the experi- mental treatment in this domain as well. Although Ellis (this volume) notes that research on form-focused instruc- tion in the 90s has tended to split pedagogy from theory, the immersion research in this area does not seem t o reflect this shift. In a recent article, Swain (2000) reviews the French Immersion (FI) studies and summarizes their re- sults as follows: "Overall, the set of experiments conducted in FI classes suggest that there is value in focusing on language form through the use of pre-planned curriculum materials in the context of content-based language learn- ing" (Swain, 2000, p. 205). Her reference to curriculum materials and to the specific context of content-based lan- guage learning should signal to the reader the orientation t o pedagogical considerations that characterize this research. As Ellis notes, hybrid research using both experimental and qualitative methods is becoming more common in SLA. Recently, the experimental materials in our study were implemented in a grade 8 immersion classroom, and the children's collaborative language activity was observed by a researcher working from a sociocultural theoretical per- spective (Spielman-Davidson, 2000). The uptake of our research by a researcher working in another paradigm introduces another kind of hybridity that we hope will also shed further light on questions in form-focused instruction and lead to appropriate changes in pedagogy and in the design of immersion curricula. [source] Distribution conventionality in the movie sector: an econometric analysis of cinema supplyMANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 8 2009Alan Collins This paper empirically analyzes the impact of several factors on a ,conventionality index (CI)' in the specific context of the cinema exhibition sector. To our knowledge, it is the first time that a standard CI has been constructed for this purpose. Econometric analysis of the determinants of variation in this index provides decision-makers with an empirical focus for analyzing distributional aspects of the movie exhibition market, with particular emphasis on product differentiation. Specifically, (i) do cinemas based in a city area have a different or ,specialized' focus in contrast to cinemas in small towns? or (ii) do multiplexes have a different or more specialized focus in comparison with cinemas? To this end, cross-sectional econometric models are estimated to help analyze these effects in three Italian regions for a sample of cinemas covering the 2006 season. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Robust parameter-free algebraic multilevel preconditioningNUMERICAL LINEAR ALGEBRA WITH APPLICATIONS, Issue 6-7 2002Y. Notay Abstract To precondition large sparse linear systems resulting from the discretization of second-order elliptic partial differential equations, many recent works focus on the so-called algebraic multilevel methods. These are based on a block incomplete factorization process applied to the system matrix partitioned in hierarchical form. They have been shown to be both robust and efficient in several circumstances, leading to iterative solution schemes of optimal order of computational complexity. Now, despite the procedure is essentially algebraic, previous works focus generally on a specific context and consider schemes that use classical grid hierarchies with characteristic mesh sizes h,2h,4h, etc. Therefore, these methods require some extra information besides the matrix of the linear system and lack of robustness in some situations where semi-coarsening would be desirable. In this paper, we develop a general method that can be applied in a black box fashion to a wide class of problems, ranging from 2D model Poisson problems to 3D singularly perturbed convection,diffusion equations. It is based on an automatic coarsening process similar to the one used in the AMG method, and on coarse grid matrices computed according to a simple and cheap aggregation principle. Numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency and the robustness of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Interpersonal communication apprehension, topic avoidance, and the experience of irritable bowel syndromePERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 2 2009JENNIFER L. BEVAN Through the lens of the theory of inhibition and confrontation (Pennebaker, 1989), this study explored the relationships that interpersonal communication apprehension and topic avoidance in one's closest relationship share with the experience of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Specifically, an online survey that studied U.S. IBS-diagnosed and non-IBS subsamples examined person,partner communication apprehension, amount of overall topic avoidance, and reasons for topic avoidance in relation to four IBS experience variables. Communication apprehension displayed a particularly strong relationship with multiple aspects of the IBS experience, and a number of the communication avoidance variables varied according to IBS diagnosis. Implications for the theoretical understanding of interpersonal communication processes in the specific context of IBS and general chronic health conditions are discussed. [source] Nationalism and Intellectuals in Nations without States: the Catalan CasePOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 5 2000Montserrat Guibernau This paper aims to provide a theoretical framework for the study of the relationship between intellectuals and nationalism in Western nations without states. The first part sets up a theoretical framework which includes a definition of the concepts of nation, state and nationalism and also introduces the concept of nations without states. It then establishes a distinction between ,state nationalism' and nationalism in ,nations without states'. The second part analyses the relationship between intellectuals and nationalism in the work of Elie Kedourie, Tom Nairn, John Breuilly and Anthony D. Smith. The third part considers the specific context within which intellectuals operate in nations without states. It concentrates on the study of the role of Catalan intellectuals in protecting their vernacular language and culture during Franco's regime (1939,75) together with the processes which, in the 1960s and 1970s, turned Catalan nationalism from an elite into a mass movement. Particular attention is given to the cultural resistance activities carried out by Catalan intellectuals during this period, the reasons why some intellectuals may feel attracted to nationalism, and the rational and emotional arguments employed by intellectuals as mobilizing agents. [source] The HUPO Proteomics Standards Initiative , Overcoming the Fragmentation of Proteomics DataPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue S2 2006Henning Hermjakob Proteomics is a key field of modern biomolecular research, with many small and large scale efforts producing a wealth of proteomics data. However, the vast majority of this data is never exploited to its full potential. Even in publicly funded projects, often the raw data generated in a specific context is analysed, conclusions are drawn and published, but little attention is paid to systematic documentation, archiving, and public access to the data supporting the scientific results. It is often difficult to validate the results stated in a particular publication, and even simple global questions like ,In which cellular contexts has my protein of interest been observed?" can currently not be answered with realistic effort, due to a lack of standardised reporting and collection of proteomics data. The Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI), a work group of the Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO), defines community standards for data representation in proteomics to facilitate systematic data capture, comparison, exchange and verification. In this article we provide an overview of PSI organisational structure, activities, and current results, as well as ways to get involved in the broad-based, open PSI process. [source] Psychosocial Determinants of Work-to-Family Conflict among Knowledge Workers with Boundaryless WorkAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 2 2010Karen Albertsen The aims of the present study were to investigate (1) whether antecedents of work-to-family conflict identified in previous research have similar effects among knowledge workers, whether work environmental factors, particularly relevant for boundaryless work and not explored previously, affect work-to-family conflict in this group, and (2) whether the workplace culture (family friendliness and demands on availability) has a main effect on work-to-family conflict and moderates the effects of the work environmental factors. A sample of 396 Danish knowledge workers selected from a national, representative cohort study was followed up after 12 months. Data were analysed with a multiple GLM procedure with and without adjustment for baseline values. The results identified adjustment behavior toward deadlines as an important precursor for the development of conflicts. Further, a family-friendly workplace culture protected against conflicts and moderated the effect of influence at work. Well-known antecedents, such as quantitative demands and number of work hours, were further confirmed as relevant also in this specific context. It is concluded that a workload of a suitable size, sustainable behavior related to deadlines, and a family-friendly workplace culture could potentially improve the likelihood that employees feel confident that they perform successfully both at work and at home. [source] Challenges and dilemmas: fieldwork with upland minorities in socialist Vietnam, Laos and southwest ChinaASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 2 2010Sarah TurnerArticle first published online: 28 JUL 2010 Abstract The Chinese, Vietnamese and Lao spaces within the upland Southeast Asian massif, sheltering over 80 million people belonging to geographically dispersed and politically fragmented minority populations, have only recently reopened to overseas academic endeavours. Undertaking social sciences research there among ethnic minority groups is underscored by a specific set of challenges, dilemmas, and negotiations. This special issue brings together Western academics and post-fieldwork doctoral students from the realms of social anthropology and human geography, who have conducted in-depth fieldwork among ethnic minorities in upland southwest China, northern Vietnam, and southern Laos. The articles provide insights into the struggles and constraints they faced in the field, set against an understanding of the historical context of field research in these locales. In this unique context that nowadays interweaves economic liberalisation with centralised and authoritarian political structures, the authors explore how they have negotiated and manoeuvred access to ethnic minority voices in complex cultural configurations. The ethical challenges raised and methodological reflections offered will be insightful for others conducting fieldwork in the socialist margins of the Southeast Asian massif and beyond. This specific context is introduced here, followed by a critique of the literature on the core themes that contributors raise. [source] Link, twist, energy, and the stability of DNA minicirclesBIOPOLYMERS, Issue 2 2003Kathleen A. Hoffman Abstract We describe how the stability properties of DNA minicircles can be directly read from plots of various biologically intuitive quantities along families of equilibrium configurations. Our conclusions follow from extensions of the mathematical theory of distinguished bifurcation diagrams9, 21 that are applied within the specific context of an elastic rod model of minicircles. Families of equilibria arise as a twisting angle , is varied. This angle is intimately related to the continuously varying linking number Lk for nicked DNA configurations that is defined as the sum of Twist and Writhe. We present several examples of such distinguished bifurcation diagrams involving plots of the energy E, linking number Lk, and a twist moment m3, along families of cyclized equilibria of both intrinsically straight and intrinsically curved DNA fragments. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 70: 145,157, 2003 [source] L'impact de la commercialisation et de la privatisation sur l'efficacitée technique des sociéetées d,ÉEtat au CanadaCANADIAN JOURNAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, Issue 4 2003Richard Bozec Résumé L'objectif de cette éetude est d'analyser I'impact de la privatisation sur I'efficacite technique d'un groupe de societes d'Etat au Canada. L'attention est toutefois portee sur les changements qui auront precede le transfen de propriete et qui visent a commercialiser les entre-prises. Au Canada, la commercialisation des entreprises du secteur public fut initiee vers le milieu des annees 80. Ces reformes se sont poursuivies par la privatisation de certaines societes d'Etat. Ce contexte particulier permet donc d'evaluer dans quelle mesure la commercialisation affecte la performance post-privatisation. Les resultats obtenus suite aux analyses multivariees suggerent que la commercialisation et la privatisation ont un impact positif et significatif sur l'efficacite technique des societes d'Etat. Les resultats revelent aussi qu'une fois les entreprises commercialisees, l'impact de la privatisation sur l'efficacite des entreprises devient non significatif. Abstract This study sets out to analyze the impact of privatization on the technical efficiency of some state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Canada. It also focuses on the changes that are undertaken, prior to the transfer of property, in a bid to commercialize the corporations. In Canada, the commercialization of public sector enterprises started in the mid-1980s and the reforms were pursued with the privatization of SOEs. This specific context can be used to assess the impact of commercialization on the performance of public corporations in the post-privatization era. The results obtained following the multivariate analysis show that commercialization and privatization have a positive and significant impact on the technical efficiency of SOEs. They also show that once the corporations are commercialized, the impact of privatization on their efficiency becomes insignificant. [source] Simulating the Dynamics of Spouted-Bed Nuclear Fuel Coaters,CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION, Issue 9 2007S. Pannala Abstract We describe simulation studies of the dynamics of spouted beds used for CVD coating of nuclear fuel particles. Our principal modeling tool is the Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges (MFIX) code that was originally developed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for fossil energy process applications. In addition to standard MFIX features that allow coupling of transient hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and chemical kinetics, we employ special post-processing tools to track particle mixing and circulation as functions of operating conditions and bed design. We describe in detail one major feature of the dynamics, which is the occurrence of very regular spontaneous pulsations of gas and particle flow in the spout. These pulsations appear to be critically linked to the entrainment and circulation of solids, and they produce readily accessible dynamic pressure variations that can be used for direct comparisons of model predictions with experiments. Spouted-bed dynamics are important from a CVD perspective because they directly determine the magnitude and variability of the concentration and species gradients in the zone where reactant gases first come into contact with hot particles. As this unsteady spouted-bed environment differs from other types of CVD reactors, the design and scale-up of such reactors is likely to involve unique modeling issues. Our primary goal here is to lay the groundwork for how computational simulation can be used to address these modeling issues in the specific context of nuclear fuel particle coating. [source] Life history in a model system: opening the black box with Arabidopsis thalianaECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 7 2009C. Jessica E. Metcalf Abstract A broad research programme in Arabidopsis thaliana has provided estimates of selection on specific alleles in specific contexts, and identified geographic patterns of alleles in genes linked to timing of flowering. A closely related field has successfully captured many key axes of the evolution of timing of flowering in other monocarpic species through statistical and demographic modelling of large empirical databases. There has as yet been no synthesis between these two fields. Here we examine ways in which the two fields inform each other, and how this synergy will shape our knowledge of life-history evolution as a whole. [source] The structure of negative emotion scales: generalization over contexts and comprehensivenessEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 2 2002Dirk J. M. Smits In this article, we tested whether a four-dimensional individual-difference structure of negative emotions (Sadness, Fear, Anger, Shame) as described e.g. by Diener, Smith and Fujita can be found in self-report data when the emotions are explicitly linked to three different specific contexts. In addition, we check the comprehensiveness of the structure by adding terms people spontaneously use to directly express negative affect. A situational questionnaire was constructed, based on the emotion terms from Diener et al., and it was administered to 161 participants. The structure we obtained was five dimensional instead of four dimensional: the Shame scale turned out to be two dimensional, with guilt and regret defining one factor, and shame and embarrassment defining another factor. Between these two, there is a moderate positive correlation. The structure is shown to be nearly identical for all three situations. The minor differences we found do contextualize the meaning of the emotional responses. The newly added terms could be captured quite well by the factor Anger. No separate factor was needed, meaning that the obtained five-dimensional structure may be considered comprehensive enough for the field of negative emotions. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Regional development policies and the constructions of gender equality: The Swedish caseEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2007CHRISTINE HUDSON Drawing on Carole Bacchi's ,What's the Problem? Approach', we explore how arguments concerning the new forms of regional policy are assigning different categories of people different subject positions and, in particular, we focus on the kind of subject positions that are being given to women as a group in this context. The discourse being shaped in national policy is, however, interpreted in specific contexts. Accordingly, we compare the way this new discourse is being (re)interpreted and (re)constructed and the subject positions being ascribed to women in the regional development partnerships and growth strategies in two Swedish regions: Västerbotten and Jönköping. Finally, we draw attention to how both the form and the content of Swedish regional development policies create great difficulties for politicizing gender as a power dimension in society. We suggest that regional politics has become de-politicized and argue for the need for it to be re-politicized with gender included as a conflict dimension. [source] Landings, logbooks and observer surveys: improving the protocols for sampling commercial fisheriesFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 2 2007A J R Cotter Abstract The sampling of commercial marine fisheries for management purposes often displays a key weakness in the form of poor documentation of the scientific basis of sampling and estimation, the assumptions made, and the practical constraints. This paper reviews systematically the theoretical and practical options that can remedy this situation and recommends that decisions be archived in regularly updated ,Sampling Approach and Modifications' (SAM) documents. Defining the target population, the observable population (usually a subset of the target), and the assumed links between them is important, along with the distinction between design- and model-based sampling approaches. Fleet-targeted and stock-targeted sampling strategies are contrasted, the latter being much harder to implement. Sampling protocols aimed at estimating quantities of fish landed and discarded, length,frequency distributions, length-related variables such as age, weight and maturity, and ratio variables such as catch per unit of effort and the proportions of discards are discussed, together with the raising of estimates to fleet and/or stock levels. The ideas are summarized in the specific contexts of landings sampling, logbook schemes and sea-going observer surveys. SAMs are commended for enhancing the scientific value of fishery sampling, and for encouraging methodological discussions among users and producers of the data. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||