A SECTIONING SEARCH APPROACH TO AGGREGATE PLANNING OF PRODUCTION AND WORK FORCE

The use of search and heuristic methods as a means of solving nonlinear aggregate planning models has been given considerable attention in recent years. A few of these methods have shown promising results. In this paper a sectioning search procedure is explored as an alternative means of solving nonlinear aggregate planning models. Application is made to two test cases, and the results are compared with those of other solution methods.     

Friendship,humour and non-native language: Emotions and experiences of professional migrants to Australia

This article explores a particular consequence of migration, which is the need to make new friends in a new country. Migration scholars tend to ignore the process of making friends, when this can be a key challenge to integrating in a new society. We draw on semi-structured interviews with professional migrants to Australia, from a range of different countries, to explore how using non-native language impacted on new friendships. In particular, using the sociological lens of ‘facework’, we show how humour was used during new friendships with English speakers [Goffman, E. 1969. Where the Action Is: Three Essays. London: Allen Lane]. Non-native language confidence impacted on informal socialising because migrants encountered challenges using humour with new friends. This led to feelings of embarrassment, which had to be emotionally managed. Despite speaking good English, these non-native English language migrants can still face language challenges in informal settings. As the migrant's length of time in Australia increased, language confidence improved, however, there were still barriers when using humour. Whilst analysis is specific to Australia, given the increased numbers of professional migrants globally, further investigation is needed to explore if non-native English migrants to other similar cultures such as England, the USA, or Canada also experience such barriers to integration at local level.     

Monte Carlo Simulation of Rodent Carcinogenicity Bioassays

In this paper we describe a simulation, by Monte Carlo methods, of the results of rodent carcinogenicity bioassays. Our aim is to study how the observed correlation between carcinogenic potency (beta or 1n2/TD50) and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) arises, and whether the existence of this correlation leads to an artificial correlation between carcinogenic potencies in rats and mice. The validity of the bioassay results depends upon, among other things, certain biases in the experimental design of the bioassays. These include selection of chemicals for bioassay and details of the experimental protocol, including dose levels. We use as variables in our simulation the following factors: (1) dose group size, (2) number of dose groups, (3) tumor rate in the control (zero-dose) group, (4) distribution of the MTD values of the group of chemicals as specified by the mean and standard deviation, (5) the degree of correlation between beta and the MTD, as given by the standard deviation of the random error term in the linear regression of log beta on log (1/MTD), and (6) an upper limit on the number of animals with tumors. Monte Carlo simulation can show whether the information present in the existing rodent bioassay database is sufficient to reject the validity of the proposed interspecies correlations at a given level of stringency. We hope that such analysis will be useful for future bioassay design, and more importantly, for discussion of the whole NCI/NTP program.     

The working alliance as a model for interdisciplinary collaboration

Rehabilitation and health care researchers are increasingly called upon to examine contemporary disability issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to (a) borrow from the counseling literature to introduce the working alliance, a model developed by Bordin [1] to facilitate positive therapeutic relationships; and (b) to discuss its application to interdisciplinary research. The authors, who represent the fields of nursing, rehabilitation, and health communication, describe characteristics of the working alliance and draw upon their experiences to illustrate the key components of effective working alliances (bonds, goals, and tasks). We also introduce strategies for resolving disagreements and conclude the article with a discussion regarding the multiple rewards that can be acquired from interdisciplinary research.     

The discursive construction of dyslexia by students in higher education as a moral and intellectual good

Interest in dyslexia as a topic of discussion in education, and in the media, runs through peaks and troughs. Dyslexic students in higher education must navigate their way through the possible meanings attached to the label, appropriating some and rejecting others, yet needing the label as a means to access support. The aim of this article is to explore the ways in which dyslexic university students constructed dyslexia and being dyslexic as moral issues during two focus group conversations. These conversations were discursively analysed with reference to Gee and Willig. Three key themes emerged following analysis: the interaction between the power of the grade as a marker of worth and the status of the dyslexia label; the tensions between acknowledging difficulties with writing and the construction of high literacy as morally aspirational; and the uncertain, yet persistent, construction of dyslexia as a valuable label and a moral good.     

Perspective: Risk Apportionment and Disease Intervention Strategies

The ultimate public health objective is the ability to predict and prevent disease, and not necessarily to identify an exhaustive list of potential disease risk factors. For any important public health outcome with multiple and potentially interrelated risk factors, an improved understanding of the contribution of individual and combinations of modifiable risk factors to the disease burden is essential for formulating an appropriate public health strategy. Partitioning techniques that divide the combined impact of multiple risk factors into exposure-specific components while taking into account the potential interrelations among those components, have been described in the epidemiological literature. In this article, we review and compare the available methods and options for such apportionment and apply them in a more general public health context as a method of selecting and prioritizing coronary heart disease (CHD) prevention strategies.