Women as social entrepreneurs.

This paper argues that research on social entrepreneurs does not given adequate consideration to gender. It brings together the literature on social entrepreneurs and female entrepreneurs, while also drawing on the gender/diversity literature. This paper is of interest to researchers examining women as social entrepreneurs. It is also relevant to government agencies and social enterprise organisations who are looking to gain a more nuanced understanding of social entrepreneurs, their characteristics and the issues they face. Given the lack of research on women’s contribution as social entrepreneurs, this paper suggests other possible areas of study to advance this field of research. It suggests key avenues of further work to better understand the way in which sex and gender interact with the practices of social entrepreneurs

Gender balance in the governance of social enterprise

There are high expectations placed on social enterprises as alternative forms shaping local economies. However, little is known about how they are governed and their accountability to their local communities. The gender balance of their governing boards and representation of women is therefore an important issue. This paper makes a contribution to examining the claims of greater equality proposed by social enterprises. The results draw on an analysis of a survey of 825 social enterprises and show there is a more equal gender balance in social enterprise governance compared to the private sector. The survey also finds that women are still under-represented on boards when considered as a proportion of the population or the proportion of women’s employment in social enterprises. There is also considerable sectoral concentration and a smaller proportion of women on boards of larger organisations. Social enterprises have the potential to be alternative spaces to encourage greater representation of women in the governance of local economies, but at present there continues to be an imbalance

Discourse or reality: “work-life balance” flexibility and gendered organisations.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of flexible working arrangements (FWAs) and particularly reduced hours working arrangements on a Dual Agenda of gender equity and workplace effectiveness, in a case study organization employing a relatively high proportion of women scientists. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews based on the initial stages of collaborative interactive action research (CIAR) are used within a case-study approach. The interviews explored working practices, the assumptions underpinning them and their un/intended consequences. Findings – The main form of FWA used in the organization, four days a week, is double edged and complex in its effects. It supports mothers, but at a cost because of gendered assumptions. Despite a commitment to flexibility and “work-life balance”, the gendered construction of the ideal worker and ideas of competence conflated with hegemonic masculinity, remain powerful. This, together with a prevalent “good mother” ideology, undermines both gender equity and workplace effectiveness. Practical implications – This paper is of value to both researchers and policy makers. It shows that highly developed work-life balance or flexible working polices are not sufficient to enhance gender equity and points to the importance of surfacing and challenging gender assumptions in science, engineering and technology. It emphasizes the need to move forward from policy to practice. Originality/value – This paper contributes to a growing body of work using initial stages of the CIAR methodology and showcases the theoretical insights gained by such an approach

Real-time pair-feeding of animals

Automatic pair-feeding system was developed which immediately dispenses same amount of food to control animal as has been consumed by experimental animal that has free access to food. System consists of: master feeding system; slave feeding station; and control mechanism. Technique performs real time pair-feeding without attendant time lag

Automatic real-time pair-feeding system for animals

A pair feeding method and apparatus are provided for experimental animals wherein the amount of food consumed is immediately delivered to a normal or control animal so that there is a qualitative, quantitative and chronological correctness in the pair feeding of the two animals. This feeding mechanism delivers precisely measured amounts of food to a feeder. Circuitry is provided between master and slave feeders so that there is virtually no chance of a malfunction of the feeding apparatus, causing erratic results. Recording equipment is also provided so that an hourly record is kept of food delivery

Changes of Wilkins Ice Shelf over the past 15 years and inferences on its stability

International audienceThe Wilkins Ice Shelf is situated along the Antarctic Peninsula, a region where seven ice shelves disintegrated between 1995 and 2002. This study combines various remote sensing data sets over Wilkins Ice Shelf, with the aim to detect its present and near-past dynamics as well as recent changes. The survey includes structural mapping, ERS-1/2 SAR interferometry and analysis of ICESat GLAS ice surface elevation data. Ice front retreat rates from 1986 to 2008 showed distinct break-up events, including a recent event in February 2008, where 40% of a bonding of the ice shelf to two islands broke off. Surface elevations have been used to study tidal effects, crack formation and to estimate the ice thickness over the floating area. The interferometric velocities cover the south-eastern part of the ice shelf as well as major tributaries and reveal maximum inflow speeds of up to 330 ma?1. We show that drainage of melt ponds into crevasses were of no relevance for the break-up at Wilkins Ice Shelf. Buoyancy forces caused the rift formation before the break-up of February 2008. Additionally, the evolution of failure zones of the order of tenths of kilometres in length in pre-conditioned locations at ice rises could be shown. Analysis of satellite image time series revealed that evolution and coalescence of failure zones coincides with major break-up events and is assumed to be triggered by them. Investigation of the current (April 2008) situation shows that about 38% at the northern Wilkins Ice Shelf is directly endangered, however, there is no visible signature that the remaining 8000 km2 are at risk

A survey of business education in the public high schools of New England

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

Differential psychophysiological interactions of insular subdivisions during varied oropharyngeal swallowing tasks

Abstract The insula is a highly integrated cortical region both anatomically and functionally. It has been shown to have cognitive, social–emotional, gustatory, and sensorimotor functions. Insular involvement in both normal and abnormal swallowing behavior is well established, yet its functional connectivity is unclear. Studies of context‐dependent connectivity, or the connectivity during different task conditions, have the potential to reveal information about synaptic function of the insula. The goal of this study was to examine the functional connectivity of specific insular regions (ventral anterior, dorsal anterior, and posterior) with distant cortical regions during four swallowing conditions (water, sour, e‐stim, and visual biofeedback) using generalized psychophysiological interactions (gPPI). In 19 healthy adults, we found that the visual biofeedback condition was associated with the most and strongest increases in functional connectivity. The posterior insula/rolandic operculum regions had the largest clusters of increases in functional connectivity, but the ventral anterior insula was functionally connected to a more diverse array of cortical regions. Also, laterality assessments showed left lateralized increases in swallowing functional connectivity. Our results are aligned with reports about the insula's interconnectivity and extensive involvement in multisensory and cognitive tasks