Is there enough information to calculate the financial benefits of ergonomics projects?

Many authors studied work situations and, mainly, ergonomics projects concerning the financial benefit point of view. At the same time seems to be little information available concerning these financial benefits in manufacturing companies' processes. The aim of this article is to identify if there enough information available within a company to quantify the financial benefits of an ergonomic project. The study was applied on two manufacturing companies, one in Brazil and other in Portugal. A literature review based checklist and a manager interview was applied on each company in order to identify if the information was available and how were been used. The two companies have revealed a good quantity of available information regarding ergonomics benefit calculation. The interviews showed that managers are not aware of the financial savings possibility with investments in ergonomics projects.     

Rape: is there an app for that? An empirical analysis of the features of anti-rape apps

This study of mobile phone apps designed to prevent sexual violence (n?=?215) is a quantitative analysis of all their features (n?=?807). We analyze the intended users (victims, bystanders, and perpetrators) and rape prevention strategies of each feature, finding that anti-rape app design generally reinforces and reflects pervasive rape myths, by both targeting potential victims and reinforcing stranger-danger. To demonstrate that these limitations are primarily cultural rather than technological, we conclude by imagining apps with similar technical features that resist rather than reinforce rape myths. This study offers an empirical investigation of the relationship between technical design and social norms, and a unique methodology for uncovering the ideologies that underlie design.     

General Principles of the Civil Law of the People's Republic of China

In this issue we will introduce readers to the General Principles of the Civil Lave of the People's Republic of China, which was adopted at the Fourth Session of the Sixth National People's Congress, promulgated by order No.37 of the President of the People's Republic of China on April 12, 1986, and effective as of January 1, 1987.This law was formulated according to the constitution and the actual situation in our country, drawing upon our practical experience in civil actirities,for the purpose of protecting the lawful civil rights and interests of citizens and legal persons and correctly adjusting civil relations,so as to meet the needs of the developing socialist modernizationThe Civil Law of the People's Republie of China has 156 articles and 9 chapters. The chapters are:1) Basic Principles;2) Citizen (Natural Person); 3) Legal Persons; 4) Civil Law and Agencies; 5)Civil Rights; 6) Civil Liability; 7) Limitations of Action; 8) Application of Law in Civil Relations with Foreigners; and 9) Supplement     

Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors

Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors is China's first overall law aimed at guaranteeing minors' rights and interests. We will introduce this law to our readers in this issue.     

Safeguard Rights and Interests of Women in Accordance with the Law——the Five-Year Anniversary of the Implementation of the Law of the PRC on the Protection of Righ Is and Interests of Women

ON April 3, 1992, the Law of the PRC on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women (Protection Law), the first basic law for protecting rights and interests of women and promoting equality between men and women in China, was adopted at the fifth session of the Seventh National People's Congress (NPC), and entered into force on October 1 of the same year.     

Locating the Source of the Changjiang

Aiding a colleague‘s recovery from mountain sicknessSeracs at the source of the Changjiang RiverThe magnificent Tuotuo RiverA Tibetan girl in the regionLocal herdsmen milking COWSLocating the Source of the Changjiang     

For the Sake of the Children

THE United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has come a long way in China. Since its assistance program was resumed in 1979, UNICEF has assisted children of China through 100 major projects involving a commitment of more than US$ 200 million through 1995. The global organization's contribution to improving the well-being of 380     

Infidelity, initiation, and the emotional climate of divorce: are there implications for mental health?

A large literature has examined the role of "secondary" stressors, such as problems with finances, social support, residential mobility, and children, in producing the well-documented association between divorce and a variety of psychopathological conditions. Much less attention, however, has been paid to variation in the "primary" disruption experience. We address this omission using data from the National Survey of Families and Households to investigate the interrelationships among depression, initiator status, and spousal infidelity. While we find little evidence of direct effects of initiator status or spousal infidelity on post-divorce depression, the importance of these characteristics emerges when they are considered in an interactive context. Specifically, while divorce initiation is associated with reduced depression among individuals with unfaithful spouses, initiation is associated with increased depression in the absence of spousal infidelity. Taken together, our findings suggest that characteristics of the divorce experience may interact in complex ways to produce variation in mental health outcomes.     

The role of the voluntary sector in the provision of rural services — the case of transport

The voluntary sector has become more fully involved in service provision in rural areas over the last 10 years and this paper attempts to assess its impact with respect to one particular group of services, namely transport. The importance of the initiatives which have taken place is outlined in a statement of recent policy changes, including the radical provisions in the 1985 Transport Act, and through a national review of the three principal kinds of voluntary transport services in rural areas — social car schemes, dial-a-ride and community buses. This review is followed by an in-depth analysis of the extent of the voluntary sector involvement in transport provision in Norfolk and Suffolk. Extensive tables are presented and the characteristics of the schemes outlined together with an assessment of the essential ingredients for success or failure.The conclusion reached is that the scope and scale of voluntary sector initiatives in rural areas is small, and they form no alternative to a more general and systematic provision of transport services. Further, voluntary sector activities may even increase the inequalities in service provision. Suggestions are made as to how the scattered developments could be brought together and developed through the parish councils, parish transport groups and the rural transport broker.     

‘Just what is there now,that is what there is’—the effects of theater improvisation training on clinical social workers’ perceptions and interventions

Flexibility, Therapeutic Presence (TP), and collaborative tendency are core capacities in clinical social work as well as in theater improvisation. This mixed-methods pilot study studied the effects of theater improvisation training on 35 graduate-level social work students, who participated in an experiential, semester-long ‘theater improvisation skills for clinicians’ course, compared to a control group of a similar cohort. These variables were measured before, after, and at a three-month follow-up to the course. Additionally, Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 course graduates. Quantitative results showed a significant increase in flexibility and TP immediately following the course compared to the controls, which was not maintained at the three-month follow-up. The qualitative findings indicated an increase in flexibility, open-mindedness, TP, and self-awareness following the training. Triangulation of both sets of data suggests that improvisation training contributed to changes in participants’ general attitudes and perceptions regarding their clinical work. However, longer training is needed in order for these skills to effectively impact their clinical work. The findings suggest that improvisation skills can help clinical social workers increase their flexibility and TP, as well as other important alliance abilities. Implications for teaching and research are discussed.     

On the Law of the People's Republic of China on Teachers

THE Law of the People's Republic of China on Teachers (to be referred to as the Law on Teachers for short), was discussed and adopted at the Fourth Session of the Eighth National People's Congress Standing Committee October 31, 1993, and put into effect January 1, 1994. The Law on Teachers' formulation and promulgation shows the Party and the government's concern and care for teachers. It is the embodiment of maintaining the strategic role of developing education as a priority, respecting teachers and attaching importance to education. It is the result     

Representing the interests of the public?: the case of the local health council in Scotland

The statutory function of local health councils in Scotland (and of community health councils in England and Wales) is to represent the interests of the public in the health service. This article, based on data from a four-year research project financed by the Scottish Office, examines official and participants' assumptions and claims about the legitimacy of health councils, as at present constituted, to carry out this function. Clarification of the basis of their legitimacy would assist, it is argued, in the resolution of a central dilemma: How are councils to represent the interests of the public? The conclusion is reached that inadequate thought was given to developing theoretically sustainable arrangements. Several interpretations of representation are admixed in the rationale for the present system and they cannot be aggregated to produce a coherent defence of it.     

Flawers of the Sun

I was not a flower lover when I was a little girl. Instead, I spent my days mixing with the "mischievous" boys in the neighborhood; my favorite toys were wooden sticks which I imagined to be guns. I guess part of the reason for my unusual behavior goes to the influence of my father serving in the army and China was undergoing the Cultural Revolution. Then all things beyond bare necessity were categorized as bourgeois extravagance. How could a prole-tariat offspring come to love flowers, which     

Striking the Notes of the Twilight Years

The first Sunbeam Amateur PianoContest was held in the BeijingYouth Palace.More than 400people signed up and 130 of them wereselected to perform on stage.Theyoungest was 45 years old and the oldestwas 80.Most came from the BeijingTraining Class for Middle-aged andElderly People but some came from asfar away as Liaoning and Hubei.The     

Charm of the Grasslands

When I suckled at my mother's breast in my childhood before my eyes was a perfect dream: A rainbow would fall to the ground, adorning my native place.     

Postmarks for the Year of the Tiger

This is the year of the tiger, according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, which used twelve animals to symbolize each year in The and Telecommunications has issued a set of "tiger Stamps" to commemorate the event, complete with postmarks issued by local post authorities. Shown here are postmarks from one bears the chinese characters “戊寅” (read as "wu yin"), which is how this year is marked on the Chinese lunar Calendar.     

At the Window of the Old House

ONE winter, my mother told me that the old house had to be sold. Among us children I was the one who most bitterly opposed the scheme to sell because of reasons that were hard to explain. But my mother's words seemed to be irrefutable: "Nobody has been living in the house for years and we should sell it before it collapses. You have always cherished your feelings for the house, so go there and stay for one last time." Our family's old house was a two-     

Disabled People,Health Professionals and the Social Model of Disability: Can there be a research relationship?

The social model of disability is proposed as an alternative to models that have viewed disability as an individual, rather than a socio-political issue. The use of this model to guide both research theory and practice is proposed in order to equalise research power relationships, and involve and empower disabled people. Health professionals have traditionally reinforced the medical model of disability in both research and practice, and this has been seen as contributing to the oppression and marginalisation of disabled people. If the social model is to achieve wider dissemination, it would appear important to develop a dialogue between disabled people and health professionals. However, because of negative perceptions it can be difficult for health professionals to find an appropriate position in relation to disabled people, research and the social model of disability. While not denying the past, it appears essential to look at ways in which disabled people and health professionals can work together to overcome the oppression and marginalisation that has been linked to the provision of health services.