bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SITE AND SITUATION FACTORS IN TRANSSHIPMENT PORTS: THE CASE OF THE CARIBBEAN BASIN
Authors: MCCALLA ROBERT J.
Published: August 2008

Container shipping throughput at world ports is estimated to be over 380 million TEUs in 2006. Of that, close to 30 per cent is estimated to be transshipped cargo from one ship to another. This paper is about Caribbean transshipment ports and their possibilities for success. It is estimated that about 6 million TEUs were transshipped in the Caribbean Basin in 2004. Six ports – Colon, Kingston, Freeport, Rio Haina/Caucedo, Port of Spain/Point Lisas and Cartagena – are competing for transshipment traffic. Attributes of the ports are placed in a site‐situation framework. Of particular interest is the situation element of proximity to major shipping lanes, or intermediacy, as shown by deviation distance. A weighted deviation distance explains some of the transshipment volumes at the ports, but it is argued that site factors of infrastructure, management and productivity also contribute to transshipment success.
CONFLICTS AND STRUGGLES OVER URBAN WATER CYCLES: THE CASE OF BARCELONA 1880–2004
Authors: MASJUAN EDUARD , MARCH HUG , DOMENE ELENA , SAURÍ DAVID
Published: August 2008

Historical accounts of the development of a modern city have paid a great deal of attention to the evolution of the water supply and the sanitation systems while the recognition of water as an element of social power and political conflict remains less studied. This paper highlights the relationship between the water cycle and its management and social conflicts in the development of the city of Barcelona in the twentieth century. Necessities, perceptions, and visions of water have changed during the last century influenced by economic, political, social and environmental contexts, prompting a new water culture not free of contradictions. The Barcelona case also provides an opportunity to examine the discourses of public managers shifting from the supply‐led strategies towards water‐demand management approaches, the impact of the most polemical decisions related to water policy, and the vision of water as a source of social conflict.
FAITH‐BASED ORGANISATIONS AND URBAN SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE NETHERLANDS
Authors: BEAUMONT JUSTIN , DIAS CANDICE
Published: August 2008

What is the changing and differentiated role played by faith‐based organisations (FBOs), in fighting social distress and aiming for social justice in cities in the Netherlands? Based on a series of semi‐structured interviews over a period of time and a desk study of FBOs, this paper draws on relations between urban governance and citizenship practices to tease out the implications for FBOs in politics of social justice. We argue that neoliberalisation: (1), opens spaces for the ‘reaching out’ and ‘de‐privatising’ of FBOs into the urban public realm in new and sometimes contrasting ways; and (2), creates incentives for FBOs to professionalise and maximise efficiency, heralding a new entrepreneurial approach in the urban politics of social justice. Referring to the Oudewijken Pastoraat and the House of Hope in Rotterdam, we reveal striking differences in philosophy and methodology of faith responses to social distress. Changing governance of urban neighbourhoods rooted in professionalisation captures part of the explanation. We draw attention to the incremental and contested revalorising of faith actors as the informal, but increasingly professionalising, seat or underside of traditional social democratic welfare provision in the Netherlands. The paper concludes with a reflection on questions for new geographical inquiry on FBOs and cities.
PLACING LEGITIMACY: ORGANISING RELIGIOUS SUPPORT IN A HOSPITAL WORKERS’ CONTRACT CAMPAIGN1
Authors: SZIARTO KRISTIN M.
Published: August 2008

Religion‐labour alliances, like other faith‐based and religious organisations, raise questions about the invocation of religion to establish moral authority and political legitimacy in Western democracies. This paper argues that legitimacy should be understood as produced through spatio‐temporally contingent practices. The question of legitimacy is explored through a case study of the activities of a religion‐labour alliance in an urban hospital workers’ contract campaign. The paper traces the work of religion‐labour organising through the multiple space‐times of the campaign. As religion‐labour organising negotiates various habituses, attempting to legitimate itself as well as the union's struggle, it draws on not only religious discourses, but discourses of human rights, democratic deliberation, and social scientific evidence. The analysis is based on participant observation throughout the campaign, interviews with coalition members and other union staff, and internal documents and public reports from the campaign.
GEOGRAPHICAL DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD DONATION AND PHILANTHROPY IN THE NETHERLANDS – WHAT ROLE FOR SOCIAL CAPITAL?
Authors: BEKKERS RENÉ , VELDHUIZEN INGRID
Published: August 2008

The key question addressed in this paper is whether geographical differences in blood donation and philanthropy reflect differences in social capital. We do find considerable spatial variation in blood donation and philanthropy between municipalities in the Netherlands. But we do not find that blood donation and philanthropy have strong or even moderately positive relations with each other or with indicators of prosocial norms and engagement in voluntary associations. However, voter turnout is strongly related to both blood donation and philanthropy. We conclude that the spatial variation in blood donation and philanthropy is not due to differences in social capital.
TWO NEGLECTED CLASSICS OF COMPARATIVE ETHICS
Authors: Davis G. Scott
Published: August 2008

Mary Douglas's Purity and Danger and Herbert Fingarette's Confucius: The Secular as Sacred have had a continuous impact on cultural anthropology and the study of ancient Chinese thought, respectively, but neither has typically been read as a contribution to comparative religious ethics. This paper argues that both books developed from profound dissatisfaction with the empiricist presuppositions that dominated their fields into the 1970s and that both should be associated with the revival of American pragmatism that is currently driving a reinterpretation of ethics as a social practice embedded in historically contingent discourse about agency, virtue, and social organization. This pragmatic turn results in a shift of comparative ethics away from issues of methods and metaethics in the direction of history and fieldwork as the preconditions for useful comparison.
JUDGING OTHERS: History, Ethics, and the Purposes of Comparison
Authors: Stalnaker Aaron
Published: August 2008

The most interesting and perilous issue at present in comparative religious ethics is comparative ethical judgment—when and how to judge others, if at all. There are understandable historical and conceptual reasons for the current tendency to prefer descriptive over normative work in comparative religious ethics. However, judging those we study is inescapable—it can be suppressed or marginalized but not eliminated. Therefore, the real question is how to judge others (and ourselves) well, not whether to judge. Instead of bringing supposedly universal moral scoring systems to bear on reified “traditions” and “cultures,” it would be better to focus on the precise details of particular practices, motifs, and theories in various settings, and compare them with an eye to substantive issues of current ethical concern.
What Liquidation Does For Secured Creditors, And What It Does For You
Authors: Mokal Rizwaan Jameel
Published: August 2008

This article analyses the liquidation process, challenging the much repeated proposition that secured claimants ‘stand outside’ liquidation. It is argued that this proposition (i) is a product of a misunderstanding of the dual duality in the nature of liquidation proceedings, in that, in principle, they serve both public and private functions, and they further the interests of both secured and unsecured creditors; (ii) overlooks how secured creditors benefit from liquidation, and also how unsecured creditors have a real interest in the proper administration of their debtor's encumbered assets; (iii) mistakes the secured creditor's choice in usually being able to gain immunity from the liquidation process, for a compulsion to stand exiled from this process; (iv) is incorrect as a matter of history and practice; and (v) is rendered unsustainable by the statutory text. It concludes that secured creditors have never ‘stood outside’ liquidation, that liquidation is an important tool for the protection of their interests, and that it is right to require floating charge holders to pay their fair share of liquidation expenses.
Dispersal Powers and the Symbolic Role of Anti‐Social Behaviour Legislation
Authors: Crawford Adam
Published: August 2008

This article considers the development and use of dispersal powers, introduced by the Anti‐Social Behaviour Act 2003, and situates these within the context of wider legislation and policy initiatives. It explores the ways in which the powers have been interpreted by the courts and implemented by police and local authorities. The article critically analyses the manner in which the powers: introduce ‘public perceptions’ as a justification for police encroachments on civil liberties; conform to a hybrid‐type prohibition; constitute a form of preventive exclusion that seeks to govern future behaviour; are part of a wider trend towards discretionary and summary justice; and potentially criminalise young people on the basis of the anxieties that groups congregating in public places may generate amongst others. It is argued that the significance of dispersal orders derives as much from the symbolic messages and communicative properties they express, as from their instrumental capacity to regulate behaviour.
The development of strategic management in the non‐profit context: Intellectual capital in social service non‐profit organizations
Authors: Kong Eric
Published: August 2008

Very little systematic research has examined the applicability of strategic management concepts including SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, industrial organization, resource‐based view and core competency, knowledge‐based view, Balanced Scorecard and intellectual capital (IC) through the lens of strategic management development in the non‐profit context. This paper aims to examine the above concepts in the light of the unique non‐profit environment and determine which one is most applicable to social service non‐profit organizations (SSNPOs) in the knowledge economy. Based on a review of the development of strategic management with a focus on the above concepts within the non‐profit context, this paper argues that the IC concept is more effective compared with the other concepts in the social service non‐profit sector. The paper is considered as a starting point and serves as a milestone in applying IC as a strategic management conceptual framework in the social service non‐profit sector. It helps to build a nascent body of literature suggesting that IC can be used as a competent strategic management conceptual framework in the social service non‐profit sector. A better understanding of the strategic management development in the non‐profit context also helps non‐profit leaders to appreciate that IC is the most appropriate strategic management concept in SSNPOs. The increased awareness of the IC concept in SSNPOs, as a result of this paper, will probably generate further research from both academic scholars and non‐profit practitioners.
Sunscreens – what's important to know
Authors: Antoniou C , Kosmadaki MG , Stratigos AJ , Katsambas AD
Published: August 2008

The popularity of sunscreens dramatically increased since ultraviolet irradiation was implicated in the pathogenesis of skin cancer and skin ageing. The absorption properties, safety, photostability of different organic and inorganic filters are reviewed: para‐aminobenzoic acid, salicylates, cinnamates, benzophenones, butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane (Parsol 1789), drometrizole trisulphonic (Mexoryl XL), terephthalydene dicamphor sulphonic acid (Mexoryl SX), methylene bisbenzotriazol tetramethylbutylphenol (Tinasorb M), anisotriazine (Tinasorb S), titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Furthermore, this review discusses the optimal methods for measuring the protection that a sunscreen offers, the role of sunscreen use in melanoma prevention and future trends in sunscreen filters development.
Cutaneous events during treatment of chronic inflammatory joint disorders with anti‐tumour necrosis factor alpha: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Davaine AC , Saraux A , Prigent S , Kupfer‐Bessaguet I , Roswag D , Plantin P , Schoenlaub P , Talarmin F , Zagnoli A , Misery L
Published: August 2008

Background  Anti‐tumour necrosis factors (anti‐TNF) are more and more used, but the rate of skin adverse events is not known.

Objective  The aim was to assess the number of skin infections and other dermatoses in patients treated with anti‐TNFα.

Patients and methods  One hundred eighty‐seven patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis underwent a dermatological exam. Patients with anti‐TNF were compared with those without this treatment in a prospective transversal study.

Results  Among them, 59 patients were treated with anti‐TNFα and steroids were prescribed in 100 cases. There was no difference in the prevalence of skin infections or eczema or tumours. Skin drug reactions were observed in six patients. Infections by dermatophytes appear very frequent, approaching 70% in both groups.

Conclusions  This study shows that skin infections (or other skin diseases) are not more frequent in these patients. No differences were observed in infections (bacterial fungal, parasital or viral), tumours, psoriasis or the manifestations of atopic dermatitis. Nonetheless, a long‐term survey might be interesting, especially about skin tumours.
Do sexual offenders with learning disabilities benefit from sex offender treatment programmes?
Authors: Henson Teresa
Published: August 2008

Accessible summary

This article is about sex offender treatment programmes in prison.

It compares the experience of sex offenders with and without a learning disability through the experience of a man who has been called Sam.

It is much harder for an offender with learning disability to finish the programme.

Different types of learning disability need different approaches.

It will be much harder for an offender with learning disabilities to be released from prison because of changes in sentencing.

This article discusses some of the clinical and practical issues in relation to sex offender treatment in prisons and compares, through the experience of one offender who has been called Sam, how the experiences may differ between offenders with and without learning disabilities. It gives a brief overview of how programmes have developed in prisons and describes differences between the Sex Offender Treatment Programme and the Adapted Programme. It highlights how offenders with learning disabilities are severely disadvantaged by the programmes and how current sentencing practice will discriminate against this group in terms of not being able to demonstrate reduction of risk, resulting in offenders with learning disability remaining in prison for ever extending periods.
Light and scanning electron microscopic study on the lingual papillae and their connective tissue cores of the Cape hyrax Procavia capensis
Authors: Yoshimura Ken , Hama Natsuki , Shindo Junji , Kobayashi Kan , Kageyama Ikuo
Published: August 2008

We examined the epithelial surface and connective tissue cores (CTCs) of each lingual papilla on the Paenungulata, Cape hyrax (Procavia capensis), by scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. The tongue consisted of a lingual apex, lingual body and lingual root. Filiform, fungiform and foliate papillae were observed on the dorsal surface of the tongue; however, fungiform papillae were quite diminished on the lingual prominence. Moreover, no clearly distinguishable vallate papillae were found on the tongue. Instead of vallate papillae, numerous dome‐like large fungiform papillae were arranged in a row just in front of the rather large foliate papillae. Foliate papillae were situated in the one‐third postero‐lateral margin of the lingual body. The epithelium of filiform papillae was covered by a keratinized layer with kerato‐hyaline granules, whereas weak keratinization was observed on the interpapillary epithelium. The external surface of the filiform papillae was conical in shape. CTCs of the filiform papillae were seen as a hood‐like core with a semicircular concavity in the anterior portion of each core. Large filiform papillae were distributed on the lingual prominence. The CTCs of large filiform papillae after exfoliation of their epithelium consisted of a concave primary core and were associated with several small protrusions. The surface of fungiform papillae was smooth and dome‐like. After removal of the epithelium, CTCs appeared as a flower bud‐like primary core and were associated with several protrusions that were arranged on the rim of the primary core. Several taste buds were found on the top of the dorsal part of the epithelium of both fungiform and large fungiform papillae. Well‐developed foliate papillae were seen and numerous taste buds could be observed in the lateral wall of the epithelium in a slit‐like groove. The morphological characteristics of the tongue of the Cape hyrax had similarities with other Paenungulata such as Sirenia. However, three‐dimensional characteristics, especially CTCs of lingual papillae, exhibited multiple similarities with rodents, insectivores and artiodactyls.
Does urbanization influence the spatial ecology of Gila monsters in the Sonoran Desert?
Authors: Kwiatkowski M. A. , Schuett G. W. , Repp R. A. , Nowak E. M. , Sullivan B. K.
Published: August 2008

To assess whether urbanization influences the spatial ecology of a rare and protected venomous reptilian predator, the Gila monster Heloderma suspectum, we compared home range (HR) size and movement parameters at three sites varying in degree of urbanization in the Sonoran Desert. We predicted that the urban population of H. suspectum would exhibit smaller HRs, avoid human structures and show less movement. Multivariate analysis indicated that males generally exhibited larger HRs and had higher movement rates and activity levels than females at all three sites. Contrary to our predictions, however, HR size and movement parameters did not vary across the sites in relation to the level of urbanization. At the urban site, individuals often crossed narrow roads and regularly used artificial structures as refuges for extended periods. Furthermore, the population sex ratio at the urban site was female‐biased, consistent with the expectation that occupation of larger HRs and higher movement rates results in higher mortality for males in urbanized areas. Gila monsters did not appear to alter certain aspects of their spatial ecology in response to low levels of human activity but additional work will be required to assess population viability and possible effects in the long term and with higher levels of urbanization.
A rheological evaluation of concentrated casein systems as replacement for gluten: calcium effects
Authors: STATHOPOULOS COSTAS E , O’KENNEDY BRENDAN T.
Published: August 2008

Gluten substitution in the production of bread suitable for celiacs is challenging due to the unique viscoelastic properties of gluten. Caseinates are widely used for their functional properties, and in this study a production protocol for an aggregated casein‐based ingredient fortified with Ca was developed. It was envisaged that the S‐S bonds that govern the properties of gluten would be replaced by Ca+ bonds, and the effect of calcium concentration on the yield, texture and rheology has been evaluated. The aggregated casein samples produced were more elastic than gluten, but their behaviour under heating was significantly different. A concentration of 30 mg Ca/g protein appeared to provide the platform for a material that under the correct ionic and temperature conditions could provide a single ingredient for gluten substitution.
Investigation of the effects of mechanical post‐processing with a colloid mill on the texture properties of stirred yogurt
Authors: WEIDENDORFER KONRAD , BIENIAS ANDREA , HINRICHS JÖRG
Published: August 2008

Texture properties of stirred low‐fat yogurt were investigated in terms of processing after fermentation. The yogurt gel was pumped through a colloid mill at two gap widths and various peripheral velocities of the rotor. The storage modulus and yield stress were measured after 1 day and after 3 weeks, and the occurrence of syneresis was noted. The main factor for the structural degradation in the shear gap was the mean peripheral velocity of the rotor, rather than the apparent shear rate. Syneresis is related to a certain level of the storage modulus. The yield stress correlated with the storage modulus.
Molecular changes in the intermediate medial mesopallium after a one trial avoidance learning in immature and mature chickens
Authors: Atkinson Rebbekah , Migues Paola V. , Hunter Mick , Rostas John A. P.
Published: August 2008

Because brain maturation in chickens is protracted and occurs well after the major developmental period of synaptogenesis, chicken forebrain is suitable to investigate whether the molecular mechanisms underlying memory consolidation are different in immature and mature animals. We have used antibodies and western blotting to analyze subcellular fractions from the intermediate medial mesopallium region of 14‐day and 8‐week chicken forebrain prepared 0, 45, and 120 min after learning a discriminative taste avoidance task. At both ages learning induced changes in the phosphorylation of the glutamate receptor subunit 1 at Ser831, the levels of calcium‐calmodulin stimulated/dependent protein kinase II and the phosphorylation of calcium‐calmodulin stimulated/dependent protein kinase II at Thr286 were observed only in the fraction enriched in post‐synaptic densities. The changes were of the same type at the two ages but occurred faster in mature animals. The changes in extracellular signal regulated kinase and phosphorylated‐extracellular signal regulated kinase were more complex with different subcellular fractions showing different patterns of change at the two ages. These results imply that the molecular changes induced by learning a behavioral task are faster in mature than immature brain and may involve a different balance of intracellular signaling pathways.
c‐Jun N‐terminal kinases trigger both degeneration and neurite outgrowth in primary hippocampal and cortical neurons
Authors: Eminel S. , Roemer L. , Waetzig V. , Herdegen T.
Published: August 2008

We provide a comprehensive analysis on c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) actions leading to death or differentiation in postnatal hippocampal and cortical neurons. Stimulation with glutamate or 6‐hydroxy‐dopamine caused activation of caspase‐3 and apoptotic neuronal death which were both attenuated by JNK‐inhibition. In cortical neurons, stress‐induced nuclear JNK distribution was rather complex. We observed a decrease of activated and total JNK in the nucleus after stimulation, but an increase of the phosphorylated transcription factor c‐Jun. Isoform‐analysis revealed a nuclear translocation of JNK2, while nuclear protein levels of JNK1 decreased. This activation pattern differed from neurite formation. In hippocampal and cortical neurons, JNK activity continuously increased during neuritogenesis, whereas levels of phosphorylated c‐Jun gradually declined. Despite these similarities, JNK inhibition by SP600125 only affected neurite outgrowth in hippocampal cells. Furthermore, experiments in JNK‐deficient mice demonstrated that all JNK isoforms contributed to neuritogenesis. Summarizing, JNKs are involved in both neuritogenesis and death of primary neurons with differentially regulated nuclear translocation of specific isoforms after degenerative stress, while neuritogenesis is supported by all JNK isoforms.
Demanding behaviours and workload in elderly care in Sweden: occurrence at two time points within a decade
Authors: Skovdahl Kirsti , Fahlström Gunilla , Horttana Britt‐Marie , Winblad Bengt , Kihlgren Mona
Published: August 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of demanding behaviours in persons ≥65 years receiving home care or living in sheltered accommodation at two points in time, 1993 and 2002. Another aim was to investigate whether the perceived workload in staff had changed during this period. All persons ≥65 years living at home and utilizing home care services or those who lived in some form of sheltered housing were included and assessed by staff using a three‐part questionnaire, in two cross‐sectional studies. The study group comprised 1187 and 1017 participants which equals 77% and 99% respectively. Symptoms and degree of behavioural and psychiatric symptoms common in dementia that were assessed with a subscale in The Gottfries‐Bråne‐Steen Scale, demonstrated an all over increase from 1993 to 2002. Items from The Multi Dimensional Dementia Assessment Scale (MDDAS) measured a decrease in ‘daily’ occurrences of dementia symptoms but an increase in ‘sometimes per week’. A mixed pattern was seen concerning behaviours where increases as well as decreases were found. The behaviours ‘constantly seeking attention’ and ‘shrieking continuously’ increased significantly. The number of individuals showing restless, aggressive or shrieking behaviours increased significantly over the decade. Two items from the MDDAS were used to measure the workload. The physical workload increased significantly over the decade whereas the rising tendencies of the psychological workload were not statistically significant. The mean age over the decade had increased from 83 to 86 years, which together with the findings make the recipients of home care and sheltered housing a very vulnerable group. The demanding problems place considerable pressure on staff.
Depression among elderly people with and without heart failure, managed in a primary healthcare setting
Authors: Hägglund Lena , Boman Kurt , Lundman Berit , Brulin Christine
Published: August 2008

Background and research objectives:  Depression is common among patients with heart failure (HF) and among elderly in general. Problems in diagnosing and care planning can arise as symptoms of HF, dyspnoea and especially fatigue, are nonspecific and also overlap with symptoms of depression. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence and compare degrees of depression among patients with confirmed HF, patients with symptoms similar to HF (no heart failure, NHF) and a reference group in one primary healthcare centre (PHC), after adjusting for background characteristics and fatigue.

Subjects and methods:  A descriptive case‐reference study was conducted in one PHC in a middle‐sized city. Participants were 49 patients with confirmed HF, 59 patients with symptoms similar to HF (NHF) and 40 people in a reference group. After informed consent data were collected by structured interviews using the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory‐20. Odds ratios for the outcomes HF vs. NHF, HF vs. reference group, and NHF vs. reference group were calculated.

Results:  The HF and NHF groups had similar degrees of depression which were significantly higher than for the reference group. This difference between the groups did not remain significant when adjusting for physical fatigue. More patients in the NHF than in the HF group were living alone and there were more women in the NHF than in the reference group.

Conclusions:  Prevalence of depression and degrees of fatigue were higher among elderly from a PHC who experienced HF symptoms, independent of objectively measured heart function, compared with elderly without such symptoms. When comparing degrees of depression between the three groups and adjusting for fatigue, the physical dimension of fatigue was of greater importance in explaining group differences.
Radiographers’ areas of professional competence related to good nursing care
Authors: Andersson Bodil T. , Fridlund Bengt , Elgán Carina , Axelsson Åsa B.
Published: August 2008

Background:  Radiographers’ ability and competence is a matter of vital importance for patients. Nursing care is an integral part of the radiographer’s work. The demand for high competence in clinical activities has increased in diagnostic radiology and has had an impact on the development of the profession.

Aim:  The aim was to describe the radiographer’s areas of professional competence in relation to good nursing care based on critical incidents that occur in the course of radiological examinations and interventions.

Method:  A descriptive design with a qualitative approach, using the Critical Incident Technique was employed. Interviews were conducted with a strategic sample of registered radiographers (n = 14), based at different hospitals in Sweden.

Ethical issues:  The appropriate ethical principles were followed. All the participants provided informed consent, and formal approval for conducting the research was obtained according to national and local directives.

Results:  The data analysis resulted in two main areas; direct and indirect patient‐related areas of competence, which describe the radiographers’ skills that either facilitate or hinder good nursing care. In the direct patient‐related area of competence, four categories emerged, which illustrate good nursing care in the patient’s immediate surroundings. In the indirect patient‐related area of competence, four categories illuminated good nursing care that is provided without direct contact with the patient.

Conclusions:  The study highlights the different areas of the radiographer’s unique professional competence. The findings provide insight into the radiographer’s profession, on one hand as a carer and on the other as a medical technologist as well as highlighting the importance of each role. The radiographer’s work encompasses a variety of components – from caring for the patient to handling and checking the technical equipment.
The Swedish version of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Multilevel Assessment Instrument, by age and gender in an old‐age Swedish population, especially related to locomotor disability
Authors: Minhage Margareta , Larsson Bodil Wilde , Gustafsson Gunnel , Hamrin Elisabeth
Published: August 2008

The aim of this study was to explore the pattern of the Swedish version of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Multilevel Assessment Instrument (PGCMAI), in respect of age and gender, in a sample of old people with locomotor disability from a population aged 60 years and older in Sweden and compare it with other studies in the same area for the purpose of further validation. The participants (n = 199) were selected from a population (n = 3469), age ≥60 years, in two counties in Sweden and were visited in their own homes. The measure was carried out with two instruments, the Swedish version of PGCMAI, used as an interview, and the Standardized Practical Equipment test consisting of practical tasks. We found that these two instruments distinguished the functional pattern among old men and women where women had deteriorated most with age. This is in agreement with other studies.
Determinants of feeling hindered by health problems in daily living at 60 years and above
Authors: Fagerström Cecilia , Persson Helen , Holst Göran , Hallberg Ingalill R.
Published: August 2008

Although the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) is frequently used to identify the impact on daily living caused by health problems such as diseases, impaired eyesight or hearing, it is still not well known what makes people feel hindered in daily living with more or less inability to perform ADL. The aim of this study was to investigate feeling hindered by health problems in daily living among people (n = 958, 60–96 years) in relation to ADL capacity, health problems as well as social and financial resources, sense of coherence and life satisfaction. The data are taken from a baseline survey in one of the four included centres (Blekinge) of the longitudinal multicentre cohort study, The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care. The result showed that people felt hindered by their health problems despite no impairment in ADL capacity. Feeling greatly hindered by health problems was associated with factors linked to mobility but also to fatigue, no help when needed, and avoiding being outdoors due to fear of falling. Factors associated with feeling greatly hindered differed depending on whether people were impaired in ADL capacity or not. In people with excellent ADL capacity feeling hindered was associated with picking up things from the floor and rising from a chair and fatigue, whereas avoiding being outdoors, no help when needed and rising from a chair were found to be associated with feeling hindered by health problems among people with impaired ADL capacity. Combining people’s ADL capacity with questions about feeling hindered may provide knowledge of determinant factors of feeling hindered in relation to ADL capacity, impaired or not, to identify people in need of rehabilitation or other interventions.
Experiences of appearance‐related teasing and bullying in skin diseases and their psychological sequelae: results of a qualitative study
Authors: Magin Parker , Adams Jon , Heading Gaynor , Pond Dimity , Smith Wayne
Published: August 2008

Acne, psoriasis and atopic eczema are common diseases and have been consistently associated with adverse psychological sequelae including stigmatization. Being teased on the basis of appearance has been associated with psychiatric morbidity in children and adolescents. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of teasing and bullying in patients with acne, psoriasis and eczema, and the role of appearance‐related teasing and bullying as mediators of psychological morbidity in these patients. Data collection consisted of 62 in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with patients with acne, psoriasis or atopic eczema recruited from both specialist dermatology and general practices. Data analysis was cumulative and concurrent throughout the data collection period reflecting a grounded theory approach. Analysis followed the analytic induction method, allowing themes to emerge from the data.

Teasing, taunting or bullying was a considerable problem for a significant minority of acne, psoriasis and atopic eczema participants. Themes that emerged were the universally negative nature of the teasing, the use of teasing as an instrument of social exclusion, and as a means of establishing or enforcing power relationships, teasing related to contagion and fear, the emotional and psychological sequelae of teasing and the theme of ‘insensate’ teasing.

For those who had suffered teasing or bullying, this was causally linked in respondents’ accounts with psychological sequelae, especially self‐consciousness and effects on self‐image and self‐esteem. Experiences of teasing and bullying were found to have principally occurred during the adolescence of participants and the perpetrators were other adolescents, but there were findings of respondents with psoriasis also having been subjected to ridicule or derogatory remarks by health professionals.

Teasing, taunting and bullying may represent an underappreciated source of psychological morbidity in children and adolescents with these common skin diseases.
Changes in the effects of process‐oriented group supervision as reported by female and male nursing students: a prospective longitudinal study
Authors: Arvidsson Barbro , Baigi Amir , Skärsäter Ingela
Published: August 2008

The aim of this prospective longitudinal study was to perform a large‐scale investigation over a longer period of time, to evaluate changes in the effects of process‐oriented group supervision (PGS) as reported by female and male nursing students undergoing a 3‐year nursing education. The study included nursing students (n = 183) who were followed during their 3‐year study period in relation to their participation in PGS.

Methods:  A questionnaire consisting of three subscales: supportive (six items), educational (six items) and developmental (six items) as well as three items of a socio‐demographic character (age, gender and previous experience of healthcare work) was used. Student’s t‐test was conducted to compare the educational, supportive and developmental subscales between the first and third year.

Results:  Females had a significant increase in the educational subscale (p = 0.018) over the 3‐year study period, while no such difference was found for the males (p = 0.733). The female students also exhibited an increase in the supportive subscale (p = 0.031) over the 3‐year period, while there was no difference for the male students (p = 0.426). There was also an increase in the developmental subscale for the female students over the 3‐year period (p = 0.047) but no significant difference for their male counterparts (p = 0.912). For the study group as a whole, an increased positive effect of supervision was observed in the educational subscale (p = 0.020).

Conclusions:  The findings have strengthened the argument for the use of PGS in nursing education. To achieve the goal of PGS, which is supportive, educational and developmental in nature, it is important to bear in mind that the supervision needs of women and men can differ. Further research should therefore map out the supervisees’ experiences and expectations of participating in a single sex group.
Repertoires of lifestyle change and self‐responsibility among participants in an intervention to prevent type 2 diabetes
Authors: Jallinoja Piia , Pajari Pia , Absetz Pilvikki
Published: August 2008

This paper analyses participants’ accounts on their experiences of lifestyle change during and after the intervention to prevent type 2 diabetes. This paper explores whether the individual is seen as capable of autonomously seeking for a healthier lifestyle or as dependent on external controls and support. The study is based on focus group interview data collected among intervention participants one‐and‐a‐half years after the intervention ended. Those who had been successful in the weight reduction and those whose weight had increased after the intervention were interviewed in separate interview groups. Both weight‐losers and weight‐gainers agreed with the health‐related objectives of the intervention. Despite this agreement, we found three distinct repertoires concerning individuals’ potential to proceed in and maintain lifestyle change. The hopelessness repertoire was used mainly by the weight‐gainers to describe experiences where lifestyle change was seen to be very difficult. The struggle repertoire was used frequently especially by the weight‐gainers but also by the weight‐losers to describe struggling against external temptations and one’s weaknesses. The self‐governing individual repertoire was used most often by weight‐losers to describe experiences where new, healthier lifestyle had to a significant extent become a routine and the individual was seen as in charge of his/her lifestyle. The study revealed that the interviewees hold an ambivalent stance towards self‐responsibility. The individual was seen as both a sovereign actor and a dependent object of interventions. Most of our interviewees called for continuous controls and even surveillance but at the same time rejected the idea of authoritarian health education. This ambivalence was most clearly present in the struggle repertoire and could be a fruitful target of clarification in health interventions. For a major part of intervention participants, lifestyle change is characterized as a constant struggle and hence interventions should plan the continuation of a support system.
Intercultural caring – an abductive model
Authors: Wikberg Anita , Eriksson Katie
Published: August 2008

The aim of this study was to increase the understanding of caring from a transcultural perspective and to develop the first outline of a theory. The theoretical perspective includes Eriksson’s theory of caritative caring. Texts on caring by the transcultural theorists, including Campinha‐Bacote, Kim‐Godwin, Leininger and Ray, are analysed using content analysis. The overall theme that resulted from this analysis was that caring is a complex whole. Three main categories of caring emerged: inner caring, outer caring and the goal of caring. Inner caring consists of caring is a relationship, and caring and culture are seen in different dimensions. Outer caring refers to caring affected by educational, administrative and social and other structures. The goal of caring consists of caring leading to change towards health and well‐being. The main categories include categories and subcategories that are compared with Eriksson’s theory of caritative caring.

A model for intercultural caring is generated abductively. Caring and culture appear in three dimensions: caring as ontology independent of context; caring as a phenomenon emphasised differently in different cultures; caring as nursing care activities is unique. Caring alleviates suffering and leads to health and well‐being. This model describes caring from an intercultural perspective as a mutual but asymmetric relationship between the nurse and the patient, including the patient’s family and community. The patient’s cultural background and acculturation influence caring. The cultural background, cultural competence and organisation of the nurse also influence caring. Caring is seen as a complex whole. This study integrates Campinha‐Bacote’s, Kim‐Godwin’s, Leininger’s and Ray’s views of caring with Eriksson’s caritative caring and presents caring from a transcultural perspective in a new way as a model for intercultural caring, which can benefit nursing care, education, research and administration.
Habitat affects escape behaviour and alarm calling in Common StarlingsSturnus vulgaris
Authors: DEVEREUX CLAIRE L. , FERNÀNDEZ‐JURICIC ESTEBAN , KREBS JOHN R. , WHITTINGHAM MARK J.
Published: August 2008

Animals should adapt their escape behaviour to both physical and social surroundings in order to maximize their probability of survival. Cover can be both obstructive, reducing the visibility of the surroundings and hindering escape, and protective, providing refuge. We investigated how the provision of cover (long grass) affected (1) the escape behaviour and (2) the alarm call behaviour of Common StarlingsSturnus vulgarisresponding to a model hawk during a simulated attack. Starlings always retreated away from the predator and sometimes alarm‐called. Their escape trajectory was close to the ground when escaping in long grass, which could be explained by either tall swards hindering take‐off or such swards being used as protective cover. On short grass their escape trajectory was much steeper (> 45°). We also investigated the use of alarm calls in Starlings according to predictions arising from the costs and benefits to callers and receivers. Callers could benefit from using alarm calls through dilution or confusion if their use initiates flock departures, thus reducing their probability of being targeted. If there is no cost to the producer of alarm calls we predicted that detectors should call at all times to gain these benefits (i.e. irrespective of grass length), but if their use is costly we predicted that they would be used only when the benefits outstrip the costs. In this case we would predict that alarm calls would be given when other (visual) signals were impaired on long grass but not when they were effective on short grass. Starlings used alarm calls on long grass when visibility was reduced more frequently than on short grass, suggesting that calling has a cost to the producer. The contrasting escape strategies of Starlings in relation to a relatively small (10 cm) change in grass height demonstrates the potential importance of habitat structure in determining predation risk.
Cats about town: is predation by free‐ranging pet catsFelis catuslikely to affect urban bird populations?
Authors: BAKER PHILIP J. , MOLONY SUSIE E. , STONE EMMA , CUTHILL INNES C. , HARRIS STEPHEN
Published: August 2008

Even though they are fed daily by their owners, free‐ranging pet catsFelis catusmay kill wild birds and, given their high densities (typically > 200 cats/km2), it has been postulated that cat predation could be a significant negative factor affecting the dynamics of urban bird populations. In this study, we: (1) used questionnaire surveys in 10 sites within the city of Bristol, UK, to estimate cat density; (2) estimated the number of birds killed annually in five sites by asking cat owners to record prey animals returned home; and then (3) compared the number of birds killed with breeding density and productivity to estimate the potential impact of cat predation. In addition, we (4) compared the condition of those birds killed by cats versus those killed in collisions, e.g. window strikes. Mean (± sd) cat density was 348 ± 86 cats/km2(n = 10 sites); considering the eight species most commonly taken by cats, the mean ratios of adult birds/cats and juvenile birds/cats across the five sites were 1.17 ± 0.23 and 3.07 ± 0.74, respectively. Approximately 60% of the cats studied for up to 1 year at each site never returned any prey home; despite this, the estimated number of birds killed was large relative to their breeding density and productivity in many sites. Across species, cat‐killed birds were in significantly poorer condition than those killed following collisions; this is consistent with the notion that cat predation represents a compensatory rather than additive form of mortality. Interpretation of these results is, however, complicated by patterns of body mass regulation in passerines. The predation rates estimated in this study would suggest that cats were likely to have been a major cause of mortality for some species of birds. The effect of cat predation in urban landscapes therefore warrants further investigation. The potential limitations of the current study are discussed, along with suggestions for resolving them.
Close to the edge: predation risks for two declining farmland passerines
Authors: MORRIS ANTONY J. , GILROY JAMES J.
Published: August 2008

Data on the breeding success of two crop‐nesting passerines, Skylark Alauda arvensis and Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava, were collected in relation to linear features within and surrounding arable crops. Both species were found to experience high rates of nest predation with increased proximity to field boundaries, although the exact nature of the relationship differed with species and, in the case of Skylark, with boundary type. Most nest losses were attributable to predation. During 2006 video cameras deployed on Skylark nests showed that all recorded predation was by mammals of various species, and that these were most active in or around grass margins. The results suggest that further research is needed into ways of minimizing negative impacts of predation on Skylarks. Possible solutions discussed include concentrating Skylark Plots in the field centres away from grass margins and promoting Skylark Plots in fields without grass margins in future agri‐environmental schemes.