Bridging the gap in population information

In terms of the current status of population/family planning information programs, many developments have occurred at both the regional and international level. 1 of these is the Latin American Documentation Service, a regional network for associates, many with computer facilities. In the Asian region ESCAP and the World Health Organization have considerable experience in developing networks among similar lines, and in Africa a proposal to start a similar information network is being considered. Population information "on line" is available from POPINFORM, MEDLINE, and DOCPAL. Although there is a technical gap in the state of the art between developed and developing countries in this area, it could easily be overcome if computerization were regarded simply as a tool and not as an end in itself. What is needed is improved access to computerized systems in the developing world as well as a need for better communication between information centers.     

An Eastern or a Western Capital City? The Spirit of Helsinki

Helsinki's development during the last two centuries has been similar to that of many other medium-size capitals in continental, eastern and northern Europe. Centrally governed Helsinki, raised to a provincial capital in year 1812 in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, was urbanized late. The railway turned Helsinki at the end of nineteenth century into a main port for export and a real capital with connection to all over the country. The new industrial districts, ports, Paris-style boulevards and large stone house areas witnessed bourgeois wealth. The change in policy and governance transferred planning gradually from central to local level. The city's new Urban Planning Committee (1908) got the assignment of making new urban plans in the spirit of European metropolitan plans. This change coincided with the introduction of the one-chamber parliament (1906) and with the golden era of national arts and culture.

After the First World War Finland separated from Russia and Helsinki became capital for the independent republic (1917). The master plan proposal Pro Helsingfors, ordered by private commercial counselor for a Greater Helsinki, was made by architects Eliel Saarinen and Bertel Jung in 1918. It was marked with a continental planning ideas, modernistic monumentalism and traffic optimism. This plan influenced the development of the capital throughout the twentieth century. Among the large problems to be solved was the planning of a new city centre, the Töölönlahti bay area. The symbolic value of this area grew with Parliament House (1930). However, the final planning of this ‘republican core’ is still an open issue, with mixed interest by the state and the city.

After 1945 migration has been steadily growing. With the 1952 Olympics Helsinki joined the exclusive club of Olympic cities. Land area grew five-fold when the suburban zones were annexed in 1946 by decree of the National Government. Local urban planning could see capital, regional, metropolitan, traffic and suburban planning as a whole. The first master plan was approved in 1972. Since that, the city planning has been controlled strictly by the municipality.     

Implizite Führungstheorien in Akutsituationen im Gesundheitswesen

In this article in the journal “Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)”, we aimed at identifying implicit leadership theories of ad-hoc healthcare teams during non-routine situations and discussed these theories with regard to current research findings. Leadership during non-routine situations has been found to be essential for team functioning in ad-hoc teams and patient safety. The development of leadership competence is essential. Studies have shown that what discriminates effective leaders from less effective leaders is their action logic rather than their leadership style. The knowledge of these implicit theories is particular important for the design and conduct of leadership training in healthcare. We have analyzed the implicit leadership theories of 119 anesthesia care providers (physicians and nurses) during debriefings of simulation-based team training. Through qualitative data analysis we identified four main implicit leadership theories: ambivalence of the leader role, burden of leadership, obtaining leadership via experience, pressure to succeed. We discuss these implicit leadership theories with regard to current research findings of leadership and practical relevance for leadership training in healthcare.     

We can do it! Inclusive leader language promotes voice behavior in multi-professional teams

Although it is known that leaders can have a strong impact on whether employees voice work-related ideas or concerns, no research has investigated the impact of leader language on voice—particularly in professionally diverse contexts. Based on a social identity approach as well as on collectivistic leadership theories, we distinguish between implicit (i.e., First-Person Plural pronouns) and explicit (i.e., invitations and appreciations) inclusive leader language and test its effects on voice in multi-professional teams. We hypothesized that implicit inclusive leader language promotes voice especially among team members sharing the same professional group membership as the leader (in-group team members) while explicit inclusive leader language promotes voice especially among team members belonging to a different professional group (out-group team members). These hypotheses were tested in a field setting in which 126 health care professionals (i.e., nurses, resident and attending physicians), organized in 26 teams, managed medical emergencies. Behavioral coding and leader language analyses supported our hypotheses: Leaders' “WE”-references were more strongly related to residents' (in-group) and explicit invitations related more strongly to nurses' (out-group) voice behavior. We discuss how inclusive leader language promotes employee voice and explain why group membership functions as an important moderator in professionally diverse teams.     

Does Cultural Recognition Obstruct Immigrant Integration? Evidence From Two Historic Case Studies

Is multiculturalism compatible with immigrant integration? While effects of minority rights and cultural recognition are controversial, I argue that not only the analysis of multicultural policies in their interaction with other structures and policies deserves more attention, but also that a historical discussion may inform current debates. Comparing and analyzing the French Huguenots in Brandenburg‐Prussia (1685–1809) and Germans in the Volga region (1764–1878), I find that incorporation outcomes, despite similarly extensive cultural rights, are driven by differing opportunity structures. These findings contribute to the growing literature on multiculturalism in Europe and advocate a new approach to its analysis.     

„Speaking Up“ statt tödlichem Schweigen im Krankenhaus

We describe the importance of silence versus speaking up for patient care. Silence is defined as intentionally withholding work-related ideas, information, and opinions. Speaking up or voice is defined as intentionally expressing work-related ideas, information, and opinions. Speaking up is not only important for error prevention and correction in healthcare. It also allows for working together in highly diverse teams in complex clinical settings in hospitals and is a core element of organizational learning. However, speaking up is rare in hospitals. Based on recent literature we describe that the scarcity of speaking up is due to organizational climates and group interaction processes rather than to lack of individual skill or motivation to speak up. In addition to provide speaking up-enabling ideas, using the concept of organizational paradoxes we provide paradoxical recommendations as humorous and unserious tips for increasing undesired silence.     

Bright lights,big city: an experimental assessment of short-term behavioral and performance effects of artificial light at night on Anolis lizards

Urban Ecosystems - With urbanization expanding into natural areas, it is increasingly important to understand how species subject to human-induced habitat alteration respond to novel opportunities...     

An experimental evaluation of foraging decisions in urban and natural forest populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anolis</Emphasis> lizards

Foraging decisions reflect a trade-off between the benefits of acquiring food and the costs of movement. Changes in the biotic and abiotic environment associated with urbanization can alter this trade-off and modify foraging decisions. We experimentally manipulated foraging opportunities for two Anolis lizard species – the brown anole (A. sagrei) in Florida and the crested anole (A. cristatellus) in Puerto Rico – to assess whether foraging behavior differs between habitats varying in their degree of urbanization. In both urban and natural forest habitats, we measured the latency of perched anoles to feed from an experimental feeding tray. We manipulated perch availability and predator presence, while also taking into account population (e.g., conspecific density) and individual-level factors (e.g., body temperature) to evaluate whether and how these contribute to between-habitat differences in foraging behavior. In both species, urban anoles had longer latencies to feed and lower overall response rates compared to lizards from forests. Urban anoles were also larger (i.e., snout-vent length and mass) in both species and urban A. sagrei were in better body condition than the natural forest population. We postulate that the observed patterns in foraging behavior are driven by differences in perceived predation risk, foraging motivation, or neophobia. Although we are unable to identify the mechanism(s) driving these differences, the substantial differences in urban versus forest anole foraging behavior emphasizes the importance of understanding how urbanization influences animal populations and their persistence in anthropogenically-modified environments.