bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lack of feedback inhibition on rat basolateral amygdala following stress or withdrawal from sedative‐hypnotic drugs
Authors: Isoardi Nora A. , Bertotto Maria E. , Martijena Irene D. , Molina Victor A. , Carrer Hugo F.
Published: July 2007

Previous research has demonstrated that suppression of inhibition in projection neurons of the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) represents an essential mechanism underlying the emergence of negative emotional responses, including exaggerated fear and anxiety. The present work evaluates inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in pyramidal projection neurons of the BLA in rats subjected to either diazepam or ethanol withdrawal or uncontrollable stress. These are experimental paradigms conducive to a negative emotional state. In slices containing the BLA, IPSPs were studied using whole‐cell patch clamp. In control animals, a small IPSP was evoked by sub‐threshold stimulation of the external capsule. When an action potential (AP) was evoked by supra‐threshold stimuli, IPSPs were considerably larger; these IPSPs were sensitive to blockade of GABAAreceptors by picrotoxin. However, IPSPs were clearly reduced in diazepam‐ or ethanol‐withdrawn and in stressed rats. Firing of an AP by a depolarizing pulse applied through the patch pipette consistently evoked an inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC) in the pyramidal neurons of control animals from all three experimental models; these IPSCs were mediated by GABAAreceptor activation and were blocked after suppression of glutamatergic transmission. In contrast, no IPSCs were observed in slices from diazepam‐ or ethanol‐withdrawn or stressed animals, although the depolarizing pulse regularly evoked an AP in pyramidal neurons. It is concluded that, in withdrawn or stressed rats, GABAergic disinhibition occurs due to attenuation or suppression of feedback inhibition.
The Road is Long: Thirty Years of Equality Legislation in Britain
Authors: Dickens Linda
Published: July 2007

This article critically reflects upon the development of British employment equality law, tracking a positive yet hesitant, uneven and incomplete trajectory from anti‐discrimination towards equality, and from piecemeal and patchwork coverage towards inclusiveness, integration and intersectionality. It argues that the opportunities provided by the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights and the proposed Single Equality Act should be taken to address remaining weaknesses in the legislative equality package and the limitations in enforcement approaches which the article highlights.
Contested Resources: Unions, Employers, and the Adoption of New Work Practices in US and UK Telecommunications
Authors: Ramirez Matias , Guy Frederick , Beale David
Published: July 2007

The pattern of adoption of high‐performance work practices has been explained in terms of strategic contingency and in terms of union presence. We compare the post‐deregulation/privatization changes in work practice at AT&T, Bell Atlantic and British Telecom. On the basis of these cases, we argue that the choice of new work practices should be understood as a consequence not only of the company's resources or changes in its environment, nor of a simple union presence, but also as a consequence of the practices' effects on union power, the nature of the union's engagement, and the union's strategic choices.
UK Executive Bonuses and Transparency — A Research Note
Authors: Fattorusso Jay , Skovoroda Rodion , Buck Trevor , Bruce Alistair
Published: July 2007

High levels of executive pay in the USA and the UK have attracted journalistic and academic criticism to the effect that they constitute rent extraction by self‐interested executives rather than rewards for raising shareholder returns. The focus of most criticism has been on salary, severance payments and various long‐term incentives (particularly share options). However, executive bonuses have attracted little attention and have been only lightly regulated. This raises important questions. Has lighter regulation been associated with significant levels of rent extraction through bonuses, that is, a weak relation between bonus pay and shareholder returns? Have more transparent performance conditions attached to bonuses strengthened the relation, making rent extraction more difficult, or have they acted as camouflage for rent extraction, associated with higher bonus pay but lower pay‐performance responsiveness? Are measures of CEO power associated with larger bonuses? This empirical note provides the first, preliminary answers to these questions.
Union Structures and Pension Outcomes in Greece
Authors: Matsaganis Manos
Published: July 2007

Even though Greek pensions are particularly unsustainable and inequitable, recent attempts at significant reform have ended in failure, mostly because of union opposition. The article draws on research into the competing role of narrow versus encompassing interests, in order to analyse union policy on pensions in the light of membership composition. It finds evidence of a severe bias of representation in terms of gender, age/cohort, ethnic origin and, in particular, social insurance affiliation and sector of the economy. It concludes that when legitimate interests are imperfectly represented, negotiated reform will tend to reproduce the inegalitarian tendencies latent in Bismarckian pension systems.
Then and Now: Disability Legislation and Employers' Practices in the UK
Authors: Woodhams Carol , Corby Susan
Published: July 2007

Using a longitudinal research design, this article considers employers' human resource management practices in respect of disability equality: in 1995 under the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act and in 2003 under the Disability Discrimination Act. The article analyses whether there has been a change to employers' practices and whether or not this change is associated with increased employment of disabled persons. The findings show that proactive HR measures to encourage disabled employment, including positive discrimination, had a significant impact on disabled employment in 1995, whereas HR measures centring on managerial responsibilities and making adaptations had a similar result in 2003. We argue that, for optimum effectiveness, HR departments should employ the full range of HR measures that are available, including positive discrimination, and that this approach should be underpinned by a range of enforcement measures.
The Role of Temporary Agency Work in Different Industrial Relations Systems — a Comparison between Germany and the USA
Authors: Mitlacher Lars W.
Published: July 2007

Although temporary agency work has been growing over the last decade, its use differs widely in different industrial relations systems. Drawing on theoretical and empirical insights, propositions are developed on why companies deploy temporary agency work. These propositions are then contrasted with case‐study evidence collected in Germany and the USA to analyse the deployment of agency work in two different industrial relations systems and the role that agency work plays in these diverse settings. The main conclusions of the research are that differences in the deployment of temporary agency workers exist with regard to legal regulation and employers' strategies of labour use while similarities exist regarding the supply of agency labour.
High Performance Work Systems and Employee Experience of Work in the Service Sector: The Case of Aged Care
Authors: Harley Bill , Allen Belinda C. , Sargent Leisa D.
Published: July 2007

In spite of the growing body of research on high performance work systems (HPWS), there is little evidence on their application in the service sector. It is commonly argued, however, that occupational segmentation in services is a barrier to HPWS. Analysis of data from aged‐care workers indicates that: HPWS have positive outcomes for workers; highly skilled nurses are no more likely than lowly skilled personal care workers to be subject to HPWS; and in some cases, HPWS are associated with more positive outcomes for low‐skilled than high‐skilled workers. These findings suggest that HPWS may well be widely applicable in service settings.
Non‐parametric Maximum‐Likelihood Estimation in a Semiparametric Mixture Model for Competing‐Risks Data
Authors: CHANG I‐SHOU , HSIUNG CHAO A. , WEN CHI‐CHUNG , WU YUH‐JENN , YANG CHE‐CHI
Published: July 2007

Abstract.  This paper describes our studies on non‐parametric maximum‐likelihood estimators in a semiparametric mixture model for competing‐risks data, in which proportional hazards models are specified for failure time models conditional on cause and a multinomial model is specified for the marginal distribution of cause conditional on covariates. We provide a verifiable identifiability condition and, based on it, establish an asymptotic profile likelihood theory for this model. We also provide efficient algorithms for the computation of the non‐parametric maximum‐likelihood estimate and its asymptotic variance. The success of this method is demonstrated in simulation studies and in the analysis of Taiwan severe acute respiratory syndrome data.
Inconsistency of the MLE for the Joint Distribution of Interval‐Censored Survival Times and Continuous Marks
Authors: MAATHUIS MARLOES H. , WELLNER JON A.
Published: July 2007

Abstract. This paper considers the non‐parametric maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for the joint distribution function of an interval‐censored survival time and a continuous mark variable. We provide a new explicit formula for the MLE in this problem. We use this formula and the mark‐specific cumulative hazard function ofHuang & Louis (1998)to obtain the almost sure limit of the MLE. This result leads to necessary and sufficient conditions for consistency of the MLE, which imply that the MLE is inconsistent in general. We show that the inconsistency can be repaired by discretizing the marks. Our theoretical results are supported by simulations.
OPTIMAL IMPLEMENTATION DELAYS: WHEN SHOULD POLICIES BE ANNOUNCED?
Authors: Jensen Christian
Published: July 2007

While a delay between the publication and implementation of a policy can make the time‐consistent solution capture the expectational effects that make commitment superior to discretion, this comes at the cost of a suboptimal present‐period policy. This cost is larger the longer the delay, and the more extreme the prevailing conditions, making the optimal duration of an implementation delay vary over time as initial conditions change. Therefore, we integrate over these to choose the implementation delay that will do best on average. The optimal delay is usually of intermediate length, balancing commitment gains with the loss of responsiveness to contemporary needs.
IMPACT OF THE MINIMUM WAGE ON THE INCIDENCE OF SECOND JOB HOLDING IN BRITAIN
Authors: Robinson Helen , Wadsworth Jonathan
Published: July 2007

The advent of any earnings boost, such as provided by the introduction of a minimum wage, might be expected to reduce the supply of low‐paid individuals wanting to hold a second job. This paper uses difference‐in‐differences estimation on a panel of individuals matched across successive Labour Force Surveys around the time of the introduction of the national minimum wage in the United Kingdom in order to estimate the impact of the minimum wage and its subsequent upratings on second job working. There is little evidence to suggest that the extra pay provided by the introduction of the minimum wage was sufficient to affect the incidence of second job holding significantly. However, hours worked in the main job by second job holders may have risen relative to those not covered by the minimum wage; and hours worked in second jobs may have fallen for those whose second job was initially below the minimum.
Emotions in a Rational Profession: The Gendering of Skills in ICT Work
Authors: Kelan Elisabeth K.
Published: July 2007

Information communication technology (ICT) work is rarely seen as a work environment where emotional and social skills are key. However, the ideal ICT worker is increasingly said to possess a range of emotional and social skills that are often associated with femininity. This raises the question of how skills are discursively gendered in ICT work. This article firstly shows which skills ICT workers identify as those needed by the ideal ICT worker. Secondly, it highlights how ICT workers construct their own skills. Thirdly, some light is shed on how the gendering of emotional and social skills shifts with different discursive contexts and it is shown what the implications of this are. It is suggested that there is a dynamic at work through which men can appear as a new ideal ICT worker with more ease than women, despite the fact that women are more often associated with social and emotional skills.
Subcutaneous histamine versus sodium valproate in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized, controlled, double‐blind study
Authors: Millán‐Guerrero R. O. , Isais‐Millán R. , Barreto‐Vizcaíno S. , Rivera‐Castaño L. , Garcia‐Solorzano A. , López‐Blanca C. , Membrila‐Maldonado M. , Muñoz‐Solis R.
Published: July 2007

Histamine has a selective affinity for H3‐receptors and it may specifically inhibit the neurogenic edema response involved in migraine pathophysiology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of subcutaneous administration of histamine in migraine prophylaxis, compared with oral administration of sodium valproate, in an open clinical trial. Ninety‐two patients with migraine were selected under criteria established by the International Headache Society and enrolled in a 12‐week double‐blind controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of subcutaneous administration of histamine (1–10 ng twice a week; n = 46) compared with oral administration of sodium valproate (500 mg daily dose; n = 46). The variables studied were headache intensity, frequency, duration, analgesic intake and migraine disability assessment (MIDAS). Two‐tailed Student's t‐ test was used to compare means and the Mann–Whitney U and anova tests were used. The data collected during the 4th, 8th and 12th weeks of treatment revealed that histamine caused a significantly greater reduction (P < 0.001) in intensity and duration of migraine attacks as well as in analgesic intake. No difference was detected in the frequency of attacks or in MIDAS. The present study provides evidence of the superior efficacy of histamine applied subcutaneously in migraine prophylaxis when compared with sodium valproate taken orally. Subcutaneously applied histamine may represent a novel and effective therapeutic alternative in resistant migraine patients.
Prevalence of Cluster Headache in a Population-Based Sample in Germany
Authors: Katsarava Z , Obermann M , Yoon M-S , Dommes P , Kuznetsova J , Weimar C , Diener HC
Published: July 2007

A population-based sample of 6000 inhabitants of the city of Essen in Germany was screened using a standard questionnaire for possible cluster headache (CH). Fifty-six percent responded ( N = 3336, 50.5% of them women, mean age 44.7 ± 12.7 years). All suspected cases ( N = 182) were interviewed by a neurologist. Four subjects with CH (three men) were identified. The 1-year prevalence of CH was estimated to be 119/100 000 (95% confidence interval 3, 238/100 000).
Migraine Aura Lasting 1–24 h in Children: A Sequence of EEG Slow-Wave Abnormalities Vs. Vascular Events
Authors: Parain D , Hitzel A , Guegan-Massardier E , Lebas A , Blondeau C , Fédina I , Feray D , Véra P , Mihout B
Published: July 2007

The aim of this study was to describe the abnormalities associated with migraine aura lasting 1–24 h in children as shown by EEG, trancranial Doppler (TCD) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). In this retrospective study, 11 patients each underwent EEG, TCD and brain SPECT on the day of admission and the day thereafter. On the day of admission, the migrainous hemisphere of all patients showed that the mean velocities were decreased in the middle cerebral artery by TCD, slow-wave abnormalities were recorded after several hours of aura by EEG and the SPECT showed hypoperfusion. On the day after, in the same hemisphere, slow waves were recorded only in the occipital area by EEG, and SPECT showed slight hyperperfusion. In these patients, there was a clear sequence of EEG, TCD and SPECT abnormalities.
Altered Metabolism in Frontal Brain Circuits in Cluster Headache
Authors: Sprenger T , Ruether KV , Boecker H , Valet M , Berthele A , Pfaffenrath V , Wöller A , Tölle TR
Published: July 2007

Neuroimaging studies have explored cerebral activation patterns in patients with cluster headache (CH) during attacks and have revealed activation of multiple brain areas known to belong to the general pain-processing network. However, it is still unclear which changes in brain metabolism are inherent to the shift from the ‘in bout’ to the ‘out of bout’ period. We measured cerebral glucose metabolism in 11 episodic CH patients during the cluster and again during the remission period with 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and compared these data with 11 healthy controls. ‘In bout’ compared with ‘out of bout’ scans were associated with increases of metabolism in the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, insula, thalamus and temporal cortex. Decreases in metabolism were observed in the cerebellopontine area. Compared with healthy volunteers, hypometabolism in the patient group (‘in bout’ and ‘out of bout’) was found in the perigenual ACC, prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex. Thus, FDG-PET in CH patients revealed ‘in bout’ activation of brain structures which are involved in descending pain control. Compared with controls, the regional brain metabolism was constitutively decreased in most of these structures, irrespective of the bout. This finding indicates a deficient top-down modulation of antinociceptive circuits in CH patients. We suggest that trigger mechanisms of CH are insufficiently controlled and thus promote the initiation of the bout period and acute attack.
The Effect of an Attachment‐Based Behaviour Therapy for Children with Visual and Severe Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Sterkenburg P. S. , Janssen C. G. C. , Schuengel C.
Published: July 2007

Background  A combination of an attachment‐based therapy and behaviour modification was investigated for children with persistent challenging behaviour.

Method  Six clients with visual and severe intellectual disabilities, severe challenging behaviour and with a background of pathogenic care were treated. Challenging behaviour was recorded continuously in the residential home and during therapy sessions. Alternating treatments were given by two therapists. In phase 1, the experimental therapist attempted to build an attachment relationship in sessions alternating with sessions in which a control therapist provided positive attention only. In phase 2, both therapists applied the same behaviour modification protocol.

Results  Across clients, challenging behaviour in the residential home decreased during the attachment therapy phase. The behaviour modification sessions conducted by the experimental therapist resulted in significantly more adaptive target behaviour than the sessions with the control therapist.

Conclusion  For these clients with a background of attachment problems, attachment‐based behaviour modification treatment may have important advantages over standard behaviour modification.
Attribution Theory Applied to Helping Behaviour Towards People with Intellectual Disabilities Who Challenge
Authors: Willner Paul , Smith Mark
Published: July 2007

Introduction  Attribution theory posits that helping behaviour is determined in part by the potential helper’s attributions and emotions regarding the behaviour that requires help. Specifically, helping is considered to be more likely if stability is perceived as low, generating optimism for change, and if controllability is perceived as low, engendering high levels of sympathy and low levels of anger.

Method  We conducted a systematic literature search to identify studies that have tested these predictions in relation to carers’ propensity to help people with intellectual disabilities who display challenging behaviour.

Results  The literature is inconsistent and provides at best partial support for the theory. This situation differs from that seen in the general population, where the predictions of attribution theory are broadly supported.

Discussion  We consider three potential explanations for this discrepancy: the reliability of the largely vignette‐based methodology, the fact that most studies fail to define ‘helping’ explicitly and the possibility that attribution theory might apply only to low‐frequency behaviours.
Development of skin conductance orienting, habituation, and reorienting from ages 3 to 8 years: A longitudinal latent growth curve analysis
Authors: Gao Yu , Raine Adrian , Dawson Michael E. , Venables Peter H. , Mednick Sarnoff A.
Published: July 2007

Little is known about the development of the skin conductance orienting response (SCOR) in childhood. This longitudinal study examines the effects of age on initial SCOR, habituation, and reorienting. Skin conductance responses to nonsignal auditory stimuli were recorded from 200 male and female children at five different time points (ages 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 years). Longitudinal latent growth curve analyses were used to determine the trajectory of each SCOR measure during this period. Results indicated that (a) initial SCOR is present at age 3, increases thereafter to peak at age 6, and then levels off, (b) habituation is absent at age 3, but becomes apparent at age 4 years and increases thereafter with increasing age, (c) SC reorienting is absent from ages 3 to 8, and (d) boys and girls do not exhibit different developmental trajectories. Results suggest that from age 3 to 8 years, the transition from the functionally immature to mature neural network underlying orienting and habituation is a continuous process and may be related to children's cognitive development during this period.
Determining eyewitness identification accuracy using event‐related brain potentials (ERPs)
Authors: Lefebvre C. D. , Marchand Y. , Smith S. M. , Connolly J. F.
Published: July 2007

This study investigated the use of event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) as a neurophysiological measure of eyewitness identification accuracy during a lineup task (ERP‐lineup). Time delay between viewing the crime and completing the ERP‐lineup (no‐delay, 1‐h delay and 1‐week delay conditions) and culprit presence or absence were also manipulated. Results demonstrated that a P300 provided a reliable index of recognition of the culprit relative to the other lineup members across all time delay conditions. Although participants' accuracy decreased at the 1‐week time delay compared to no delay and the 1‐h time delay, the P300 effect remained strong for participants that made correct identifications irrespective of the time delay. In addition, the P300 was attenuated or was not elicited when the culprit was absent from the lineup.
Electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition in children and adolescents with ADHD: Influence of gender, age, and previous treatment history
Authors: Liotti Mario , Pliszka Steven R. , Perez Ricardo , Luus Brian , Glahn David , Semrud‐Clikeman Margaret
Published: July 2007

Deficits in response inhibition may be at the core of the cognitive syndrome in ADHD. Here, inhibitory control mechanisms were studied in 36 ADHD‐combined type and 30 healthy children by exploring the event‐related brain activity during the Stop Signal task. The influence of age, gender, and previous treatment history was evaluated. The ADHD group showed reduced N200 wave amplitudes. For successful inhibitions, the N200 reduction was greatest over right inferior frontal scalp, and only the control group showed a success‐related enhancement of such right frontal N200. Source analysis identified a source of the N200 group effect in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Finally, a late positive wave to failed inhibitions was selectively reduced only in treatment‐naïve ADHD children, suggesting that chronic stimulants may normalize late conscious error recognition. Both effects were independent of gender and age.
Students' patronage and views on the operations and services of food vendors
Authors: Opare‐Obisaw Clara
Published: July 2007

Abstract Vendors of meals and snacks, granted the realities of the present changing economic and social lifestyles, will continue to feed large numbers of people despite the insanitary conditions under which most of them operate. This study sought to find out the degree of patronage of food sold by vendors, items purchased, reasons for patronizing, views and opinions on the services patronized. Two‐hundred and forty‐five students resident in five halls at the University of Ghana completed a self‐administered questionnaire each. Eighty‐six per cent purchased cooked meals and snacks regularly from vendors. Over two‐thirds consumed their meals at the selling sites. However, the services and facilities offered by vendors were judged as inadequate and poor. Nineteen per cent reported having suffered diarrhoea, stomach aches, indigestion and other gastrointestinal problems as a result of eating vendored foods. Three outstanding reasons emerged for the high patronage of vendored foods. They are food always being available (69%); food being cheaper (62%); and more variety to choose from (42%). These findings portray the great influence of money and time on consumer choice of food in our present harsh economic environment. Patrons indicated several unhealthy practices by vendors that pose health threats to patrons. These observations together with several recommendations made regarding the safe handling of food, water and the environment indicate consumers' awareness of the need for safe delivery of the food they consume. There is the urgent need therefore to organize and train vendors, pass a food law, supervise operations of vendors and also educate consumers to choose only safe food and water and insist on a clean food environment.
Maternal anaemia as an indicator for monitoring malaria control in pregnancy in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Savage EJ , Msyamboza K , Gies S , D’Alessandro U , Brabin BJ
Published: July 2007

Design  Malarial anaemia is a major problem in many developing countries and often occurs more frequently in first pregnancies, as primigravidae are more susceptible to Plasmodium falciparum malaria and are at excess risk of malarial anaemia.

Objective and methods  To analyse the excess risk of anaemia in primigravidae as a potential indicator of malaria control and exposure in pregnant women living in sub‐Saharan Africa. The sensitivity, specificity and predictive values for anaemia in first compared with later pregnancies are calculated for 27 studies from malarious and 7 studies from nonmalarious areas.

Setting  Surveys of pregnancy anaemia reported for highly malarious and nonmalarious areas.

Results  In malarious areas, the weighted odds ratio for excess anaemia (haemoglobin [Hb] <11 g/dl) in primigravidae compared with multigravidae for all studies was 1.34 (95% CI 1.14–1.58). At an Hb cutoff below 8 g/dl, the weighted odds ratio was 1.79 (95% CI 1.52–2.10). In nonmalarious areas, there was no increased risk of anaemia in primigravidae with Hb below 11 g/dl (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.63–1.90) or below 8 g/dl (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.51–1.28).

Conclusions  In view of the consistency of results across highly malarious areas compared with nonmalarious areas, maternal anaemia has the potential to be used for surveillance of malaria control in pregnancy. Based on the analysis, an anaemia nomogram is developed for use as a surveillance indicator in malarious areas in sub‐Saharan Africa.
Prevalence of varicella‐zoster antibodies in pregnant women in Catalonia (Spain). Rationale for varicella vaccination of women of childbearing age
Authors: Plans P , Costa J , Espuñes J , Plasència A , Salleras L
Published: July 2007

Objective  The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies against varicella‐zoster virus (VZV) in pregnant women in Catalonia (Spain).

Setting  The prevalence of antibodies against VZV was assessed in a representative sample (n= 1522) of pregnant women of Catalonia obtained in 2003.

Method  The sample was obtained including all women attended for childbirth, during 2 months of 2003, in 27 randomly selected hospitals with maternity clinics.

Main outcome measures  Varicella‐zoster antibodies were determined using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay test.

Results  The total number of women included in the study was 1522, corresponding to a participation rate of 83%. The prevalence of varicella‐zoster antibodies in pregnant women was 96.1% (95% CI 95.1–97.1). The prevalence of antibodies was 94% in pregnant women aged 15–24 years, 95% in those aged 25–29 years and >95% in those aged 30–49 years. The prevalence of antibodies was not associated to the place of birth, place of residence (urban or rural), educational level and social class. The study showed that 6% of pregnant women aged 15–24 years and 5% of those aged 25–29 years were susceptible to varicella‐zoster infections in Catalonia (Spain).

Conclusion  The study showed that a varicella‐zoster vaccination programme aimed at women of childbearing age could be necessary in Catalonia to prevent all varicella‐zoster infections during pregnancy.
Modelling learning from errors in daily work
Authors: Bauer Johannes , Mulder Regina H.
Published: July 2007

This study explores error situations and learning activities of nurses after the experience of an error episode. We assume that errors – although undesirable events – are a natural part of work processes and can lead to individual learning and organizational change. The importance of dealing with errors in an open and learning orientated way has been emphasized in applied works on quality and safety management. Furthermore, research on work‐place learning and professional development has indicated that learning from errors is an important way of developing professional competence. Until now, little is known about how and under which conditions individual learning from errors takes place at work. For the purpose of empirical investigation, a process model was developed which conceptualizes learning from errors in terms of the engagement in self‐regulated learning activities after the experience of an error episode. This model was further developed in an exploratory interview study with 10 experts in the field of hospital nursing. We found that especially non‐formal learning activities that incorporate social exchange were considered to be important. The results of the study guide the further development of research instruments and studies aiming to investigate learning from errors.
Theorizing interprofessional pedagogic evaluation: framework for evaluating the impact of interprofessional continuing professional development on practice change
Authors: Payler Jane , Meyer Edgar , Humphris Debra
Published: July 2007

This study outlines the development of a conceptual framework to guide the evaluation of the impact of the pedagogy employed in continuing professional development for professionals in education, health and social care. The work is developed as part of the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning: Interprofessional Learning across the Public Sector (CETL: IPPS) at the University of Southampton. The study briefly outlines the field for pedagogic research and comments on the underpinning theories that have so far been used to guide research into interprofessional learning (IPL). It maps out the development of interprofessional continuing professional development (CPD) in its specific context as part of the CETL: IPPS with its links to a local authority undergoing service reorganization and the role of the CPD in effecting change. It then brings together a theoretical framework with the potential to explore, explain and evaluate the essential features of the model of pedagogy used in interprofessional CPD, in which professionals from education have for the first time been included alongside those from health and social care. The framework draws upon elements of situated learning theory, activity theory and Dreier's work (2002, 1999) on trajectories of participation, particularly personal action potency. By combining the resulting analytic framework with an adapted version of an established evaluation model, a theoretically driven, practicable evaluation matrix is developed. The matrix has potential use in evaluating the impact of pedagogic input on practice change. The study models a process for developing a conceptual framework to steer pedagogic evaluation. Such a process and the resulting matrix may be of use to other researchers who are similarly developing pedagogic evaluation.
Utilizing technology to raise mental health literacy in small rural towns
Authors: Hoolahan Bryan , Grosvenor Jenny , Kurtz Heidi , Kelly Brian
Published: July 2007

A small empirical study was funded by the Australian Government's Regional Health Service Program, with the aim of delivering and evaluating a series of six interactive mental health information sessions to health workers, consumers, carers and community members in small rural towns using distance education technologies (e.g. videoconferencing, telephone conferencing and the Internet). Over 250 people participated in the series involving 89 rural towns in New South Wales, Australia; 47% of these towns had a population of less than 5000. The evaluation consisted of 222 returned participant evaluation questionnaires which showed that 39% of respondents appreciated having access to mental health information, 27% valued having access to it locally, and 14% appreciated not having to travel to obtain it. The greatest percentage of problems (62%) was related to the reliability and use of the technology.

The information series provided participants with an opportunity to network and learn together locally, to communicate more extensively with experts in the mental health field, and to develop greater confidence in the use of distance education technologies. Delivery by videoconference was found to be efficient in enabling a number of individuals to participate at a local site eliminating the costs associated with travel. The challenges of the initiative have been how to effectively engage rural community participation in an unfamiliar distance‐learning mode (videoconferencing and web forums), developing a supporting protocol and network that ensures a successful learning event, and understanding current capabilities of the technology in rural areas.

This small and specific study offers evidence of ways in which a carefully developed initiative can improve isolated community mental health literacy and suggests some benefits and challenges of community engagement and technology use which will be of interest to professionals facilitating learning in rural and remote contexts.
Factors affecting the retention of learners following the degree in social work at a university in the south‐east of England
Authors: Hafford‐Letchfield Trish
Published: July 2007

Changes to the education and training for social workers in England, UK since 2003 have increased the number and widened the pool of students encouraged to enter the profession via higher education. Social work education is very much linked to increasing diversity in work‐force development where an agenda to build a well‐motivated and skilled work‐force can in turn provide good quality services and interventions reflecting the diverse needs of service users and carers. This paper reports on a small‐scale study which explored factors affecting the potential success of students following a vocational education programme leading to the degree in social work. Using in‐depth face‐to‐face interviews with a sample of seven students and a focus group with eight social work tutors, within a qualitative framework, the experiences of learning and teaching were explored from the participants’ subjective viewpoints. The study highlighted several factors found to potentially impact on student success in social work education and compared these with the published literature relating to both widening participation and diversity in learning. Factors impacting were student organization and time‐management skills; access to study skill support; their relationships with tutors and peers; and the impact of affective factors on the learning process. This study forms a useful basis for determining areas for intervention to improve the potential of success on the degree and the challenges anticipated in implementing these for students from diverse and non‐traditional backgrounds. Although this study related specifically to social work education, the findings may be transferable to other vocational education professions in the health and social care sector.
Accessibility to basic services in one of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe: the province of Teruel (Spain)
Authors: Orcao Ana Isabel Escalona , Cornago Carmen Díez
Published: July 2007

This paper analyses local differences in access to basic health services in the province of Teruel (Spain), one of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe. The demographic decline and the concentration of the remaining population in the main settlements has meant that there is a high degree of spatial fit of supply and demand and average aggregate accessibility is good. However, access costs are high for the scarce and aged population resident in the most remote villages and hamlets scattered over an extensive and tacitly ignored territory. In such circumstances the demands of the inhabitants for more attention from the public authorities, expressed through the ‘Teruel Exists’ movement, can be readily understood.
Marine flooding in the Thames Estuary and tidal river c.1250–1450: impact and response
Authors: Galloway James A , Potts Jonathan S
Published: July 2007

Marine flooding, particularly that associated with North Sea storm surges, has posed a recurrent threat to human use of the Thames Estuary and its shorelines. During the later Middle Ages a growing frequency of surges placed increasing burdens upon the resources of coastal communities. This is reflected in expenditure upon sea‐walls and related defences and in the frequent issuing of commissions of sewers, the mechanism by which the Crown intervened in matters of flood prevention and drainage. In the era of labour shortages initiated by the Black Death of 1349, the defence of some reclaimed marshlands around the Estuary and tidal river was abandoned in a precursor of managed retreat or realignment.
Geographies of embodied outdoor experience and the arrival of the patio heater
Authors: Hitchings Russell
Published: July 2007

Machines that provide people with nearby sources of outdoor warmth have become increasingly popular in the UK as a crop of mushroom‐shaped technologies has started to spring up outside many public houses and private homes in this country. Yet this development has also received considerable condemnation from advocates of sustainable consumption, who have seemingly been disgusted by the societal self‐indulgence that they see in these devices. Moving away from these more immediate forms of outrage, this paper enriches our understanding of their arrival by considering these heaters in terms of cultural conventions of thermal adaptation and the changing geographies that can be attached to them. Through these means, it is argued that a more nuanced understanding of why these technologies have become prevalent is produced and that an existing disciplinary interest in embodied outdoor experience is taken towards some important new spaces for study.
Multivariate analysis of landscape wildfire dynamics in a Mediterranean ecosystem of Greece
Authors: Kalabokidis Kostas D , Koutsias Nikos , Konstantinidis Pavlos , Vasilakos Christos
Published: July 2007

This paper focuses on spatial distribution of long‐term fire patterns versus physical and anthropogenic elements of the environment that determine wildfire dynamics in Greece. Logistic regression and correspondence analysis were applied in a spatial database that had been developed and managed within a Geographic Information System. Cartographic fire data were statistically correlated with basic physical and human geography factors (geomorphology, climate, land use and human activities) to estimate the degree of their influence at landscape scale. Land cover types of natural and agricultural vegetation were the most influential factors for explaining landscape wildfire dynamics in conjunction with topography and grazing.
Time, idealisation and international development: promoting Canadian co‐management in northern Russia
Authors: Wilson Elana
Published: July 2007

In this article, I trace the efforts of a development team working to promote a Canadian approach to natural resources management in the Russian North. These development workers used two communication strategies related to time and history to render Canadian knowledge mobile and applicable to a new location: (1) imagining today's Russian North as equivalent to the Canadian northern past and (2) reframing and idealising the Canadian past and present to make the governance export less discursively ‘messy’ for an outside audience. The relative failure of these communicative strategies points to the need for richer dialogue in efforts to move knowledge cross‐culturally.
Topographic relations: developing a heuristic device for conceptualising networked relations
Authors: Inkpen Rob , Collier Peter , Riley Mark
Published: July 2007

This paper considers whether the deployment of a topographical metaphor may add value to the recent discussion of networked relations. The paper discusses how viewing relations as part of a relational landscape may add a third dimension to the discussion by allowing an appreciation of the strength, or entrenchment, of relations, and how these entrenchments impact on the development of new relations and the resistance to watershed events. The heuristic device is explored through the case of air survey in the 1920s and 1930s. This illustrative case demonstrates how relations are held together, resisted and reformed to different degrees depending on the varying topography of the relational landscape.
Global environmental change: conceptualising the growing challenge for cities in poor countries
Authors: Parnell Susan , Simon David , Vogel Coleen
Published: July 2007

Ongoing urbanisation makes cities a key focus for global environmental change (GEC) research, creating an imperative for a new, city‐scale, research agenda. The vulnerability of urban populations to the multiple stresses of GEC lies at the core of overlapping domains of knowledge that could be better integrated in advancing research. The urban development, global change and disasters literatures are fragmented and reveal fundamental cleavages over the role that government could play in mitigating vulnerability to multiple threats and challenges. Important empirical gaps exist, especially on cities of the South. While there are significant knowledge gaps and numerous tensions within and between schools of thought, this overview suggests useful entry points for framing an invigorated research agenda on urban GEC.
Subjectivity, Agency, and the New Latin American History of Gender and Sexuality
Authors: Buffington Robert M.
Published: July 2007

Recent critiques of the concept of agency by social historians have raised concerns about the ways in which it distorts, flattens, and over‐simplifies the historical field. This article argues that a better theoretical understanding of the complex intersections of subjectivity (especially the process of subjection through which the subject is produced and maintained) and agency (as exercised by the subject) will resolve many of those concerns and provide a firmer theoretical foundation for future work on the histories of gender and sexuality in Latin America. The article has four parts. First, it discusses the concept of subjectivity and explains its usefulness for historical analysis. Second, it examines two recent critiques of agency and the challenges they pose for historians. Third, it reviews Judith Butler's recent work on the relationship between subjectivity and agency, shows how that work helps address the concerns raised the recent critiques of agency, and discusses why Butler's formulation of the subjectivity and agency problem might be especially useful for historians of gender and sexuality. Finally, it explores the implications of Butler's research agenda for the new Latin American history of gender and sexuality.
Eradication of Helicobacter pylori for the Prevention of Peptic Ulcer Rebleeding
Authors: Gisbert Javier P. , Calvet Xavier , Feu Faust , Bory Felipe , Cosme Angel , Almela Pedro , Santolaria Santos , Aznárez Rosario , Castro Manuel , Fernández Nuria , García‐Grávalos Rafael , Cañete Nuria , Benages Adolfo , Montoro Miguel , Borda Fernando , Pérez‐Aisa Angeles , Piqué Jose María
Published: July 2007

Aim:  To evaluate the effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on ulcer bleeding recurrence in a prospective, long‐term study including more than 400 patients.

Methods:  Patients with peptic ulcer bleeding were prospectively included. H. pylori infection was confirmed by rapid urease test, histology or 13C‐urea breath test. Several eradication regimens were used. Ranitidine 150 mg was administered daily until eradication was confirmed by breath test 8 weeks after completing eradication therapy. Patients with therapy failure received a second or third course of therapy. Patients with eradication success did not receive maintenance anti‐ulcer therapy, and were controlled yearly with a repeated breath test.

Results:  Four hundred and twenty‐two patients were followed up for at least 12 months, with a total of 906 patient‐years of follow up. Mean age was 59 years, and 35% were previous nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) users. Sixty‐nine percent had duodenal, 24% gastric, and 7% pyloric ulcer. Recurrence of bleeding was demonstrated in two patients at 1 year (incidence: 0.22% per patient‐year of follow up), which occurred after NSAID use in both cases.

Conclusion:  Peptic ulcer rebleeding does not occur in patients with complicated ulcers after H. pylori eradication. Maintenance anti‐ulcer (antisecretory) therapy is not necessary if eradication is achieved.
Seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in South Korea
Authors: Yim Jeong Yoon , Kim Nayoung , Choi Seung Ho , Kim Young Sun , Cho Kyung Ran , Kim Sun Sin , Seo Geom Seog , Kim Heung Up , Baik Gwang Ho , Sin Chan Soo , Cho Sang Heon , Oh Byung Hee
Published: July 2007

Background:  Helicobacter pylori‐associated gastrointestinal diseases have been widely recognized. The aims of this study were to investigate the interval change of seropositivity of H. pylori between 1998 and 2005 in Korean adult population and to find the factors related to H. pylori infection.

Methods:  Between January and December of 2005, a total of 15,916 health check‐up subjects (aged ≥ 16 years) from all parts of South Korea responded to the questionnaire, and the prevalence of H. pylori was investigated by measuring anti‐H pylori IgG antibodies. The seropositivity in asymptomatic subjects (aged ≥ 16 years) was compared with that of 1998, which was surveyed by the Korean H. pylori Study Group.

Results:  The overall seropositivity rate (aged ≥ 16 years) was 56.0%, and 13.9% of seropositive subjects were found to have a history of H. pylori eradication therapy. With the exclusion of subjects who had a history of H. pylori eradication and current gastrointestinal symptoms, the seropositivity rate of H. pylori became 59.6% in 8020 subjects. Seroprevalence of H. pylori was significantly higher in subjects aged 50–59 years, males, low income group, and subjects from provinces. The seroprevalence in 2005 (59.6%) significantly decreased compared with that of 1998 (66.9%), and the decrease was significant in subjects aged < 70 years, Seoul and Gyeonggi province (which is close to Seoul).

Conclusions:  The seroprevalence of H. pylori in asymptomatic health check‐up adult subjects in 2005 decreased to 59.6% from 66.9% in 1998, probably as a result of the improvement of socioeconomic status and hygiene.