A methodology for industrial studies of productivity performance

This article describes a methodology for measuring productivity and competitiveness in industry. The methodology is developed mainly for the mechanical industry (including shipyards, offshore and electromechanical companies). Two different approaches are described—one is based on a self-audit using a questionnaire answered by the industry itself, the second, using a more complete audit, is based on expert teams analysing the company. The productivity is described by indicators given points on a scale from 1 to 7 (1—far behind international competitors, 7—(best practice’).     

Bayesian Hidden Markov Modeling of Array CGH Data

Genomic alterations have been linked to the development and progression of cancer. The technique of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) yields data consisting of fluorescence intensity ratios of test and reference DNA samples. The intensity ratios provide information about the number of copies in DNA. Practical issues such as the contamination of tumor cells in tissue specimens and normalization errors necessitate the use of statistics for learning about the genomic alterations from array CGH data. As increasing amounts of array CGH data become available, there is a growing need for automated algorithms for characterizing genomic profiles. Specifically, there is a need for algorithms that can identify gains and losses in the number of copies based on statistical considerations, rather than merely detect trends in the data.We adopt a Bayesian approach, relying on the hidden Markov model to account for the inherent dependence in the intensity ratios. Posterior inferences are made about gains and losses in copy number. Localized amplifications (associated with oncogene mutations) and deletions (associated with mutations of tumor suppressors) are identified using posterior probabilities. Global trends such as extended regions of altered copy number are detected. Because the posterior distribution is analytically intractable, we implement a Metropolis-within-Gibbs algorithm for efficient simulation-based inference. Publicly available data on pancreatic adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma multiforme, and breast cancer are analyzed, and comparisons are made with some widely used algorithms to illustrate the reliability and success of the technique.     

Synergists and Qualities Salient to Low-Income Parents' Positive Assessment of Marital Health

Researchers sought low-income couples who considered their marriages to be “good or very good” to inform the process of how individuals and their partners establish and maintain a healthy marriage under significant financial limitations. Twenty married parents participated in semistructured interviews that sought their insights into backgrounds and antecedents that impacted their own and their partners' development and current positive marital assessment. Analysis using grounded theory methods generated a model that posits synergists enhancing the development of qualities that contributed to spouses' positive assessments. The four synergists were sensitizing experiences, a partner-as-rescuer mind-set, acute parental influences, and religious influences. The four requisite high-priority qualities associated with these synergists were love, commitment, appreciation, and child-centeredness.     

“Being Grounded”: Benefits of Gardening for Older Adults in Low-Income Housing

This study reports the findings of a qualitative evaluation of gardening programs for low-income minority older adults living in senior housing. A total of 20 individuals from three senior housing buildings participated in focus groups to discuss the benefits of and motivations for community gardening. The nine main themes of why seniors choose to participate in gardening were mental health benefits, the end product (fruits and vegetables), continuation of a past life, something to do/responsibility, beauty and connection to growth, connecting with others, physical health, learning something new, and helping each other out. These findings are placed in the context of theoretical perspectives and past studies. Implications for policy and relevance to senior housing are offered.     

Ethics of the Spirit: Comparing Ethical Views and Usages of Spiritually Influenced Interventions

Abstract

Social work practice takes many different forms, depending on purpose and context. An increased diversity in fields and methods of practice has driven the need to explore the intersection between acceptable standards of practice and issues pertaining to religion and spirituality. This discussion utilises the opportunity to co-report on the findings of a selection of similar questions gathered from two independent online survey studies, conducted one year apart, with members of the Australian Association of Social Workers. One study explored attitudes and behaviours about ethical conduct, and the other investigated the role of religion and spirituality in social work practice. Findings from the questions in common, about the acceptability and practice of spiritually-influenced forms of intervention, are presented. These indicate a degree of acceptance, conditional acceptance, and usage for some interventions, and clear non-acceptance and non-usage of others. Implications for ethical thinking in practice, education, and research are explored.     

County Government Resources Associated with Dependent-Adult Abuse Investigations in Iowa

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated on a county level the association of Iowa's domestic dependent-adult abuse investigations with the location of adult protective services (APS) offices, rurality, government resources, felony charges and prosecutions, child abuse reports, and census demographics. In 2003, the rate of dependent-adult abuse investigations for Iowa was 0.70 per 1,000 population age 18 and older. Higher rates of child abuse investigations, felony prosecutions, sheriff's annual salary, and lower rates of child abuse substantiations are associated with higher rates of dependent-adult abuse investigations and substantiations.