Does Increased Use of Generic Medicines by Elders in Belgium Help to Contain Escalating Health Care Budgets?

This study explored the use of generic medicines among elders in Belgium. The generic market share by volume for elders in 2010 was 23.1%, while this was 23.7% for the total Belgian population in 2009. Pharmaceutical expenditure in Belgium was €649.74 per capita for elders in 2010. Calculations of possible savings through an increased use of generic medicines showed that these savings were rather limited (4.48% when the generic market share by volume increased to 95%). The full potential of generic medicines in the elder population has not yet been realized in Belgium, due to the limited use of generic medicines and their relatively high prices. The Belgian government should implement additional incentives for physicians, pharmacists, and patients to increase the use of generics and combine these with policies to lower prices of generic medicines and policies to decrease the volume of medicines used by elders and rationalize the prescribing of medicines for elders.     

Work-self balance: A longitudinal study on the effects of job demands and resources on personal functioning in Japanese working parents

Abstract

In work-family research the effects on the individual, or the “self”, in terms of personal interests independent of the work and family domains, have been largely neglected. This longitudinal study on 471 Japanese employees with young children investigated how job demands and job resources may have an impact on well-being by facilitating or hindering personal functioning. It was hypothesized that workload would have an unfavourable impact on work-to-self conflict, while supervisor support would have a favourable impact on work-to-self facilitation. In addition, we hypothesized that work–self conflict would diminish well-being (psychological distress and happiness), while work–self facilitation would enhance well-being over time. Structural equation modelling analyses using a full panel design showed that work overload was positively related to work–self conflict over time, whereas supervisor support was positively related to work–self facilitation. Furthermore, work–self conflict predicted psychological distress and happiness at T2, one year later, after controlling for T1 levels. These findings suggest that the demands and resources encountered at work can spill over to the home domain and have an impact on personal functioning and context-free well-being. Further research is needed to determine the importance of work-self constructs in relation to work-family constructs.     

How feeling happy during off-job activities helps successful recovery from work: A day reconstruction study

This diary study builds on the effort-recovery and broaden-and-build theories to examine whether the subjective experience of off-job activities (work-related, household, social, physical, low-effort) matters for an individual's daily recovery from work. It was hypothesized that momentary happiness experienced during off-job activities stops the prolongation of load reactions from work-related effort, and builds personal resources that benefit daily recovery from work. Using a day reconstruction method, 384 participants recruited via a Dutch website reconstructed their time spent on, and happiness during, off-job activities, and their daily recovery on workdays over a two-week period. Results of hierarchical linear modelling showed that work-related and household activities during off-job time were negatively associated with recovery at bedtime when happiness during such activities was low, but not when happiness was high. Social and physical activities were associated positively with recovery when happiness during such activities was high, but negatively when happiness was low, indicating that such activities only aid recovery when they are enjoyed. The findings expand knowledge on recovery by showing that it is not just the time spent on off-work activities but the subjective experience of such activities that plays a pivotal role in the way they are linked to recovery.     

荒野城市：隐喻体验研究

对于城市的很多隐喻性解释,都可能阐明我们如何描述城市的特征。文章所探索的荒野隐喻是一个黑暗隐喻。同时,在描述城市的特征时,荒野所表示的并非中性的对象,而是文化构建的对象。探讨荒野意味着什么、它如何发挥作用,会告诉我们使用它的文化的一些东西以及对于城市体验的评论。一般来说,在这种语境中探讨荒野,也会告诉我们隐喻的本质和功能。文章从三个方向探索了荒野观。     

Parents’ awareness of lesbian,gay, and bisexual youths’ sexual orientation

This study used a sample of 293 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth to examine factors that differentiated youth whose parents knew of their sexual orientation from youth whose parents did not know. Earlier awareness and disclosure of same‐gender attractions, greater childhood gender atypicality, and less internalized homophobia were characteristic of youth whose parents were aware of youths’ sexual orientation. Youth with aware parents reported more past verbal victimization on the basis of sexual orientation from parents, yet more current family support and less fear of future parental victimization on the basis of their sexual orientation.     

The behaviour of police officers in conflict situations: how burnout and reduced dominance contribute to better outcomes

Dominance plays an important part in police-civilian interactions. However, burnout is associated with a reduction in dominance, and this might, paradoxically, lead to more effective outcomes in conflict situations. There is a lack of knowledge about the effects of burnout in professional practice, and this multi-method study was conducted to better understand these dynamics. It is unique in that it combined self-reported burnout with observed behaviour in interactions with civilians. In this study, the relationships between the imbalance between demands and rewards, occupational burnout and police officers' behaviour in conflict situations (in terms of dominance and effectiveness) were examined. A questionnaire was used to assess job demands, rewards and burnout among 358 Dutch police officers. In addition, police officers' interactions with civilians were observed over 122 days. The results of structural equation modelling analyses showed that the imbalance between job demands and rewards was predictive of burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization). Burnout, in its turn, predicted a decrease in dominant behaviour in conflict situations and, consequently, more effective conflict outcomes. These findings show that reduced dominance associated with burnout could in fact have positive consequences for professional behaviour in conflict situations. The benefits of reduced dominance in these situations should be taken into account in the training of professionals.     

Measuring progress and evolution in science and technology – I: The multiple uses of bibliometric indicators

Science and technology development have become critical instruments in the public policy arena given their demonstrated impact on economic progress. As a consequence, a vast array of indicators for measuring and mapping scientific and technological activity, their progress and their outcomes, has been developed over recent decades (see for instance, the EU Commission, 2nd Report on S&T Indicators 1997). The majority of them relate to measuring and mapping the published journal and patent literature. The first part of this review paper focuses on a state–of–the–art overview of bibliometric indicators and their multiple uses in supporting the development of science and technology policy. The limitations and the pitfalls related to their use are also discussed.