International exchanges and travel and study projects have been gaining popularity in many fields including social work. Embedded in a group context, the success of these initiatives depends heavily on the group process of all members involved. This article analyzes the impact group dynamics have on an international travel and study project that brought 11 doctoral students and their dean from Ethiopia for a one-month experiential education program. A model of group development, which emphasizes behavioral outcomes in groups (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning), is presented as an organizing framework. The discussion draws on a qualitative analytical study, which revisits Tuckman's model, and proposes a revised model that defines group development stages by individual, group, purpose, and work concerns that drive conflict throughout all group stages. Implications for social work education include de-emphasizing stages of group development, being mindful about what is known about small groups, and improving empirical research and training for leading international groups. 相似文献
This paper reports an international project which took place at Nicolaus Copernicus University, where students and teachers from four European universities met for a two-week summer school. The main objective was to develop intercultural competence of teachers of English as a foreign language and their ability to demonstrate this skill during an English lesson. The paper depicts the tools implemented in the project and shows how they affected the learning outcomes by presenting the students’ and teachers’ perspectives. 相似文献
We consider an experiment with fixed number of blocks, in which a response to a treatment can be affected by treatments from
neighboring units. For such experiment the interference model with neighbor effects is studied. Under this model we study
connectedness of binary complete block designs. Assuming the circular interference model with left-neighbor effects we give
the condition for minimal number of blocks necessary to obtain connected design. For a specified class of binary, complete
block designs, we show that all designs are connected. Further we present the sufficient and necessary conditions of connectedness
of designs with arbitrary, fixed number of blocks. 相似文献
Studies on event occurrence may be conducted in experiments, where one or more treatment groups are compared to a control group. Most of the randomized trials are designed with equally sized groups, but this design is not always the best one. The statistical power of the study may be larger with unequal sample sizes, and researchers may want to place more participants in one group relative to the other due to resource constraints or costs. The optimal designs for discrete-time survival endpoints in trials with two groups, where different proportions of subjects in the experimental group are taken into account, can be studied using the generalized linear model. Applying a cost function, the optimal combination of the number of subjects and periods in the study and the optimal allocation ratio can be found. It is observed that the ratio of the recruitment costs in both groups, the ratio of the recruitment cost in the control group to the cost of obtaining a measurement, the size of the treatment effect, and the shape of the survival distribution have the greatest influence on the optimal design. 相似文献
A major function of DNA polymerases is to accurately replicate the six billion nucleotides that constitute the human genome. This task is complicated by the fact that the genome is constantly challenged by a variety of endogenous and exogenous DNA-damaging agents. DNA damage can block DNA replication or alter base coding potential, resulting in mutations. In addition, the accumulation of damage in nonreplicating DNA can affect gene expression, which leads to the malfunction of many cellular processes. A number of DNA repair systems operate in cells to remove DNA lesions, and several DNA polymerases are known to be the key components of these repair systems. In the past few years, a number of novel DNA polymerases have been discovered that likely function in replicative bypass of DNA damage missed by DNA repair enzymes or in specialized forms of repair. Furthermore, DNA polymerases can act as sensors in cell cycle checkpoint pathways that prevent entry into mitosis until damaged DNA is repaired and replication is completed. The list of DNA template-dependent eukaryotic DNA polymerases now consists of 14 enzymes with amazingly different properties. In this review, we discuss the possible functions of these polymerases in DNA damage repair, the replication of intact and damaged chromosomes, and cell cycle checkpoints. 相似文献
The aim of the study was to assess the incidence and severity of the frailty syndrome assessed with the Edmonton Frailty Scale. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 382 patients (236 men and 146 women, mean age 71.9?years). The Edmonton Frailty Scale was administered during the patient’s admission to the hospital. The Polish adaptation was performed using the standard methodology. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the whole Edmonton Frailty Scale was 0.709. The mean correlation between positions and the overall result was r?=?0.180. There were no statistically significant differences between women and men in the area of Edmonton Frailty Scale mean score (p?0.05). The socio-clinical analysis, showed statistically significant differences in the age of respondents, educational attainment, occupational activity, number of drugs taken and co-occurrence of chronic diseases. A higher values of the Edmonton Frailty Scale were indicated for individuals?>70?years than for those?<70?years (p?0.001). The Edmonton Frailty Scale proved to be a reliable tool which may be used in the Polish population. The use of this questionnaire for frailty syndrome may be helpful in everyday clinical practice. 相似文献
The aim of this article is to analyse the possibilities and decisions made about procreation by Polish parents in the context of the family policy system. Fertility is here understood as a result of individual decisions originating from an assessment of people's situations and potential barriers in parenting. This issue is important because Polish society is facing a severe demographic crisis due to low fertility rates. In recent years, the family policy system has been substantially reformed, yet interviews with parents indicate that these reforms do not fully address the problems, which parents have to deal with in everyday life. According to their experiences, the Polish welfare state should focus more closely on the issues of gender inequality in the household, lack of stability in the labour market, low salaries, the high cost of child rearing, and the lack of suitable housing for Polish families. The analysis is based on in‐depth interviews with Polish parents of children aged 1–7 and statistics collected by Statistics Poland, the Social Insurance Institution, and the International Social Survey Program. 相似文献
Based on a unique country set up with concentrated ownership of firms, strong representation of major shareholders on boards and one of the highest percentages of firms with dual-class shares worldwide I study CEO pay-performance sensitivity in Swedish listed firms in the years 2001–2013. Focusing on Type II agency conflict, I find that that pay-performance sensitivity in family-controlled firms with family CEOs is significantly lower than in other types of firms, and that dual-class firms have significantly lower sensitivity of pay to accounting performance than non-dual-class firms. The results suggest that in firms with type II agency conflicts compensation practices may be driven either by family ties or by the power preferences of the controlling shareholder that uses compensation to align CEO’s interest with his/her will rather than with financial performance. The study also documents that the link between CEO pay and performance disappears in the 2010–2013 period following the implementation of the European Recommendations regarding executive compensation. This finding is in contrast to the stipulated goal of the European Commission, ‘to ensure pay for performance’ (European Commission 2009). 相似文献
Regional development is a complex process that can be analysed in various contexts, including environmental, social and economic factors. Variations in the levels of development are naturally observed across countries and regions, but they play a special role in trans-border regions. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in the level of development of two Polish voivodships (Warmia and Mazury, and Podlasie) and two Lithuanian counties (Marijampol? and Alytus) which are trans-border regions (NUTS 4 level). The study was conducted by analysing three subordinate criteria, namely environmental, social and economic factors, as well as the overall development of the evaluated regions with the use of the analytical hierarchy process and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution methods. The evaluated trans-border regions are characterised by a predominance of rural areas and considerable variations in development. The entire area is characterised by high natural value. This is an important observation because the condition of the natural environment is a key determinant of well-being, and it directly influences the quality of life. The analysis revealed considerable demographic problems, mainly in Lithuanian regions, resulting from low population growth and a negative net migration rate which influence population structure. Disproportions in regional development call for regional policies that are adapted to local needs and resources.