The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Safety Goal Policy: A Critical Review

The most recent U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) statement of safety goal policy is a significant advance over previous versions. However, some areas of the policy are still in need of refinement, and the resolution of several key questions was deferred pending further review. To clarify some of these issues, this paper presents a critical review of the NRC safety goal policy to date.     

Hardness and algorithms for rainbow connection

An edge-colored graph G is rainbow connected if any two vertices are connected by a path whose edges have distinct colors. The rainbow connection of a connected graph G, denoted rc(G), is the smallest number of colors that are needed in order to make G rainbow connected. In the first result of this paper we prove that computing rc(G) is NP-Hard solving an open problem from Caro et al. (Electron. J. Comb. 15, 2008, Paper R57). In fact, we prove that it is already NP-Complete to decide if rc(G)=2, and also that it is NP-Complete to decide whether a given edge-colored (with an unbounded number of colors) graph is rainbow connected. On the positive side, we prove that for every ε>0, a connected graph with minimum degree at least ε n has bounded rainbow connection, where the bound depends only on ε, and a corresponding coloring can be constructed in polynomial time. Additional non-trivial upper bounds, as well as open problems and conjectures are also presented.     

Binary Relations: Finite Characterizations and Computational Complexity

A characterization of a property of binary relations is of finite type if it is stated in terms of ordered T-tuples of alternatives for some positive integer T. The concept was introduced informally by Knoblauch (2005). We give a clear, complete definition below. We prove that a characterization of finite type can be used to determine in polynomial time whether a binary relation over a finite set has the property characterized. We also prove a simple but useful nonexistence theorem and apply it to three examples.      

Disaster and response:science, systems and realities

The Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 was one of the most significant natural disasters in modern history. The response that it drew was unprecedented at both local and international levels. While a range of specific impacts and losses may be predicted within the affected populations, there is substantial evidence that adverse impacts upon mental health may represent one of the most significant outcomes of such events. People from poorer countries are disproportionately exposed to such emergencies and may experience greater psychosocial burden in the aftermath, as well as a range of adaptations. This raises important questions regarding the current capacity of response agencies to mitigate negative impacts but also concerning the cultural context in which such mental health effects are defined. It also calls into question whether "indicated" interventions are both realistic and ecologically valid in non-Western settings. The science of Disaster Mental Health is a relatively new field, currently engaged in a number of such debates. However, there is some emerging consensus about what constitutes good public mental health practice throughout the phases of emergency response and across diverse cultural settings. Existing data and practice guidelines provide frameworks that may be adapted to allow health and recovery workers to identify and reduce mental health morbidity, support healing and harness the agency of those affected for the recovery process.     

WOMEN'S WORK IN THE INFORMATION ECONOMY: The case of telephone call centres

This paper is concerned with the work experiences and career opportunities of women employed in technology-intensive offices known as telephone 'call centres'. Call centres have grown rapidly across Europe in recent years, creating a significant number of new jobs and receiving considerable attention within the media, business and academic communities. However, despite the fact that the majority of call centre jobs have been taken by women, researchers have so far paid little attention to their position in this new 'industry'. The article addresses this research gap. In particular, it is concerned with the question of whether call centre work is offering women new opportunities for skill development and career progression, or whether a more familiar trend is taking place in which women are being drawn into a highly routinized, 'de-skilled' and de-valued area of work. The paper also uses the specific example of call centre work in order to reflect on broader issues about the changing nature of women's work and employment in the so-called 'information economy'.     

Maintaining the Gains: What Worked in the Year after Brief Family Therapy

Brief family therapy, including single session therapy, is widely used to provide a timely and responsive service for children with emotional and behavioural problems. However, there is surprisingly little information about how these children and families fare in the longer term. The brief family therapy program described here was directed toward children with problems of moderate severity. Child Behaviour Checklists (CBCL) were completed by parents before, three months after, and twelve months after therapy; 110 parents also participated in semi‐structured telephone interviews twelve months after therapy. Parents' CBCL ratings showed a significant decrease in children's problems after therapy, which were maintained over the subsequent year, although some children continued to experience difficulties. Parents generally found brief therapy a helpful experience. Ways to strengthen the preventive possibilities of brief therapy work will be identified at both a practical and conceptual level.     

Informal workers and Kenya’s National Hospital Insurance Fund: Identifying barriers to voluntary participation

This article investigates the barriers to informal workers’ voluntary participation in Kenya’s national health insurance scheme – the National Hospital Insurance Fund. Based on primary data from both qualitative and quantitative methods, we find that the key determinants of enrolment include social factors, such as marital status, which create demand for insurance, and the role of informal workers’ associations that promote the voluntary uptake of health insurance and prevent default through contribution support. Participation barriers and reasons for inactiveness stem from the nature of informal work characterized by irregular earnings, which combine with apprehension about having to pay penalty charges for the late payment of premiums, inadequate levels of knowledge about health insurance schemes, institutional constraints such as complex registration procedures, as well as premium costs and poor-quality services, all of which discourage enrolment or the reactivation of lapsed membership. There is thus a need for health insurance schemes, such as Kenya’s National Hospital Insurance Fund, to educate informal workers on insurance services and protocols and to improve services to encourage uptake and reduce default behaviour.