The babelisation of debate on GM maize via the media in southern Africa in 2002

The operations of public debate on science in the media have been little understood in southern Africa. Public sphere theory has not specifically addressed the complexities of debate on science in public, in the media, and science communication in general. This article focuses on media debate centred on genetically modified maize in 2002 in southern Africa in order to illuminate such operations. The article argues that the debate became a cacophony of voices, or what I term ‘babelised’, because the media did not actively orchestrate the discussion. Instead, they relay‐mediated the various contributions to the debate. Such ‘babelisation’, the article argues, appears to be an inevitable consequence of the journalistic practices inherent in newsmaking.     

‘The Older I Get,the Colder I Get’—Older People’s Perspectives on Coping in Cold Homes

Abstract

An average of 26,560 UK excess winter deaths occur in people 65+ years old each winter, of which 30% are attributed to cold homes. Cold homes are known to exacerbate health problems prevalent in the 65+ demographic. Through conducting interviews in homes occupied by 65+-year-olds known to be achieving less than the World Health Organization (WHO) minimum recommended temperature (18ºC), this article highlights their struggles in maintaining health and managing their homes, with instances of extreme and potentially dangerous methods to achieve thermal comfort identified. Fairer energy provision, better targeted financial aid, and improved support networks are necessary to alleviate current problems.     

Evaluation of a Resilience Intervention to Enhance Coping Strategies and Protective Factors and Decrease Symptomatology

Objective: In this pilot study, the authors examined the effectiveness of a 4-week resilience intervention to enhance resilience, coping strategies, and protective factors, as well as decrease symptomatology during a period of increased academic stress. Participants and Methods: College students were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 30) and wait-list control (n = 27) groups. The experimental group received a psychoeducational intervention in 4 two-hour weekly sessions. Measures of resilience, coping strategies, protective factors, and symptomatology were administered pre- and postintervention to both groups. Results: Analyses indicated that the experimental group had significantly higher resilience scores, more effective coping strategies (ie, higher problem solving, lower avoidant), higher scores on protective factors (ie, positive affect, self-esteem, self-leadership), and lower scores on symptomatology (ie, depressive symptoms, negative affect, perceived stress) postintervention than did the wait-list control group. Conclusions: These findings indicate that this resilience program may be useful as a stress-management and stress-prevention intervention for college students.     

Personalized boosters for a computerized intervention targeting college drinking: The influence of protective behavioral strategies

ABSTRACT

Objective: Computerized interventions are cost-effective and can quickly deliver individual feedback to many students. However, in-person interventions are more efficacious. The current study sought to improve the efficacy of a popular online intervention via e-mailed boosters with personalized feedback. Participants: Participants were 213 student drinkers at a southeastern public university, ages 18–24. Methods: Students were randomized into (1) intervention only, or (2) intervention plus booster. Alcohol consumption and related problems were assessed at baseline, 2 weeks post, and 4 weeks post. Results: Boosters yielded reductions in drinking, but not alcohol-related problems. Boosters were associated with significant reductions for drinking frequency, heavy drinking days, peak drinks, and associated blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) moderated this effect, with significant reductions for students low in PBS, but not students already highly engaged in PBS use. Conclusions: Easy dissemination and low cost make e-mailed boosters a very efficient way to promote student health.     

Most Successful Intervention Strategies for Abused Older Adults

ABSTRACT

In this Project CARE study, intervention plans for 83 cases, with a total of 473 strategies, are analyzed in a qualitative content analysis method. The 473 strategies are designed and implemented by an abuse-trained, multidisciplinary, health and social service agency, home care team. Each strategy is rated by the team for its acceptance/refusal by clients and levels of success. The most accepted and successful strategies for abused older adults are concrete: nursing and other medical care and homemaking assistance, followed by empowerment strategies, such as support groups for abused older adults, information about rights and resources and volunteer buddy/advocates. Less successful strategies for abused persons are referrals to general community activities and programs. For caregiver abusers, the most successful and accepted interventions involve individual supportive counselling to reduce anxiety, stress and depression and education and training. Abuser-oriented strategies are most accepted and successful in the study. Thus, it would seem pertinent for intervenors to focus services and strategies on abusers and not only on abused older adults, in particular offering them supportive individual counselling to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. For abused care receivers, home-based services can offer the necessary support to move out of their abuse situation with the help of volunteers and support group activities.     

危机沟通策略在企业危机传播中的应用——以“永和豆浆粉”事件为例

本研究以Coombs提出的“危机沟通策略”为分析框架,研究豆浆粉危机中永和豆浆公司的危机沟通策略。研究发现,永和豆浆公司在此次危机事件中,主策略以保持距离和迎合为主,子策略以借口、合理化和支撑为主。对照Coombs提出的危机情境,本危机属于企业内在问题,介于意外和违法行为之间,建议使用修正行为和完全道歉的沟通策略。但无论从危机种类、证据的真实性、危机伤害程度以及组织过往表现这四个面向来看,本个案中的沟通策略都疏于相对情境下的策略建议。     

Cross-Cultural Group Work Practice with African American and Jewish Adolescents: JCC/READY

This article describes a multiethnic group for high school students that were developed to promote tolerance, understanding, and healing among African American and Jewish adolescents. Social group work was used as the practice method, with a focus on ethnic-sensitive practice strategies that support cross-cultural relations and initiatives. The article explains the context surrounding the development of the group and describes the ethnic-sensitive practice strategies and the group work skills that were used to achieve desired outcomes as well as a general week-by-week account of what took place in the group.     

A simulation testing and analysis of aggregate production planning strategies

In this study, a hybrid discrete event simulation (DES) and system dynamics (SD) methodology is applied to model and simulate aggregate production planning (APP) problem for the first time. DES is used to simulate operational-level and shop-floor activities incorporated into APP and estimate critical time-based control parameters used in SD model of APP and SD is used to simulate APP as a collection of aggregate-level strategic decisions. The main objective of this study is to determine and analyse the effectiveness of APP strategies regarding the Total Profit criterion by developing a hybrid DES–SD simulation model for APP in a real-world manufacturing company. The simulation results demonstrated that the priority of APP strategies with regards to Total Profit criterion is: (1) the pure chase strategy, (2) the modified chase strategy, (3) the pure level strategy, (4) the modified level strategy, (5) the mixed strategy and (6) the demand management strategy, respectively. The APP system is first simulated under mixed strategy (basic scenario) conditions to include all APP capacity and demand options in constructed SD simulation model to show a comprehensive view of APP components and their interdependent interactions. Then, the obtained results will be used as Total Profit measure to compare with system's performance under some experimental scenarios applying different APP strategies.     

大学生英语阅读策略使用实证研究——对语言水平影响程度研究及其策略使用两两相关研究

本文是针对工科院校大学生英语阅读策略使用的实证研究。研究结果表明:阅读策略使用得分高中低三组学生在英语水平上没有显著差异。阅读策略使用和语言测试水平具有相关关系。一元线性回归分析结果显示:语言测试水平受阅读策略使用的影响程度为2%,阅读策略使用差异对语言水平差异的解释力微弱。在对本研究所关注的八类阅读策略做出两两相关分析统计后发现:预测策略与句法分析策略之间、预测策略与层次结构分析策略之间、分辨主次信息策略与层次结构分析策略之间除外,其他各单项阅读策略使用之间均具有两两相关关系。     

Social determinants of police corruption: toward public policies for the prevention of police corruption

Strategies for the prevention of police corruption, for example, bribery, commonly neglects its social dimension in spite of the fact that police corruption has societal causes and undertaking a reform of the police requires, to some extent, reforming society. In this paper, we built a decision tree from socioeconomic profiles of 103 countries classified according to their level of police corruption using data from the United Nations Statistics Division and Transparency International. From the rules of the resultant decision tree, we identified and analyzed social determinants of police corruption to assist policy-makers in designing societal level strategies to control police corruption by improving socioeconomic conditions. We found that school life expectancy, involvement of women in society, economic development, and work-related indicators are relevant to police corruption. Moreover, empirical results indicate that countries should gradually improve social indicators to reduce police corruption.