879 research outputs found
Mapping the Industrial Relations System of Samoa: An Assessment of Industrial Democracy and Employee Participation in Employment Relations Decisions in a Pacific Island Nation.
This thesis maps out the industrial relations system of Samoa with specific emphasis on industrial democracy and employee participation in the making of rules and decisions affecting worker's employment. The thesis outlines the impacts of the environmental contexts, social, political, legal and economic, of Samoan society on the scope and nature of industrial relations in Samoa. Using data collected through face-to-face interviews, workshop observation and the analysis of various secondary documents that include for example, the study of industrial relations in the South Pacific nations by Prasad, Hince, & Snell (2003) and several country reports and national policies on employment relations, the thesis utilises Dunlop's (1958) systems model of industrial relations to describe the employer, employee and state relationship within the system and their varying roles in the determination of workplace rules.
Dunlop's systems model enables the researcher to identify a strong link between the industrial relations system and the social institutions of Samoan society that are structured around the fa'asamoa (Samoan customs and traditions) and the fa'amatai (chiefly) systems of social justice and traditional rule making. Dunlop's model (which suggests that the 'rule' is the fundamental goal of an industrial relations system) enables identification of the prevailing processes that employer, employee, state and their representing agencies use to determine the rules in the Samoan workplace. It suggests that while the worker (union) is considered to be one of the key actors' in the establishment of workplace rules, the nature and scope of union participation and influence on industrial relations decisions in Samoa do not reflect this: in the sense that unions play virtually no role in Samoa's industrial relations system. The thesis also attempts to uncover the 'shared ideology' that prescribes and defines the actors' roles, prestige, power and influence on the process of rule making in Samoa's IR system.
In doing so it finds that Samoan government is the dominant player in industrial relations in the sense that the government can unilaterally make decisions and rules regarding employment relations both at the organisational and national level, without the involvement of employers and workers. While employee participation in employment decisions is clearly affected by economic, technological and market constraints, other factors relating to the culturally nuanced concepts of 'respect', 'loyalty' and 'trust' toward those who hold significant power and authority appear to be predominant influences in the determination of rules in all facets of Samoan society. This particular condition of the Samoan system of industrial relations is explained with reference to Dunlop's notion of 'shared ideology' and the 'locus and distribution of power' within wider society
Predictors of Family Stress in Taking Care of Patients with Schizophrenia
Introduction: Taking care of schizophrenia patients is challenging and causes stress for the family involved. The study was conducted to identify the predictors of family stress present when taking care of a patient with schizophrenia. The ABCX Stress Theory of Hill was used as the theoretical framework. Methods: This study used a correlational design. The sample was 137 families who were caring for patients with schizophrenia at the Menur Mental Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia. The sample was obtained by way of purposive sampling. The data was collected by a questionnaire and analysed by multiple regression to determine the relationship of the familyâs structure, family knowledge, the burden of care, stigma, social support, the patient's illness duration, the patientâs frequency of relapse and the patient's severity level with family stress. Results: The results showed that the familyâs stress was predicted by the familyâs structure (p=0.029), stigma (p=0.000), the burden of care (p=0.000), and the patientâs frequency of relapse (p=0.005). The burden of care was the strongest predictor of family stress (Beta= 0.619). Conclusion: The patient's frequency of relapse and stigma were other kinds of family stressor. The stressors stimulated a negative perception, called the care burden. Limited adequacy of the family structure-function will inhibit the family in using other resources, creating family stress. Nurses may develop an assessment format that consists of the family stress predictors in order to create a nursing care plan specific to reframing the techniques of family stress management
Isolement et caractérisation des gÚnes d'immunoglobuline Vk-1 de la souche de souris BALB/c
Le but de ce projet consiste Ă isoler et caractĂ©riser des gĂšnes germinaux reliĂ©s au groupe Vk-1 des rĂ©gions variables des chaĂźnes kappa dans la souche de souris BALB/c. Dans ce projet on essaie de rĂ©pondre Ă une question soulevĂ©e par la contradiction entre le nombre de gĂšnes encodant le groupe Vk-1 suggĂ©rĂ© par les Ă©tudes de "Southern blotting" d'une part et par la comparaison des sĂ©quences VK-1 exprimĂ©es, d'autre part. En effet, la comparaison des sĂ©quences des acides aminĂ©s de 53 chaĂźnes lĂ©gĂšres du groupe Vk-1 exprimĂ©es dans des immunoglobulines de myĂ©lome et hybridome de diverses spĂ©cificitĂ©s, a permis leur classification en 5 sous-groupes: Vk-1A, Vk-1B, Vk-1C, VK-1D, Vk-1E dont au moins 4 sont prĂ©sents dans la souche de souris BALB/c. Dans le cas de BALB/c, toutes les sĂ©quences dĂ©crites jusqu'Ă date peuvent ĂȘtre codĂ©es par seulement 5 gĂšnes gĂ©rminaux. D'autre part, les rĂ©sultats de "Southern blotting" avec les sondes dĂ©rivĂ©es des gĂšnes Vk-1 montrent deux rĂ©sultats diffĂ©rents dĂ©pendamment des conditions de lavage des filtres. Sur un blot de l'ADN de BALB/c digĂ©rĂ© avec Bam Hi, dans des conditions de lavages sĂ©vĂšres, la sonde dĂ©tecte 2 bandes majeures correspondant aux gĂšnes Vk-1C (8.5 Kb) et Vk-1A (6.3 Kb). Par contre avec les lavages dans des conditions plus douces, on remarque environ 8 bandes en plus des 2 bandes mentionnĂ©es ci-dessus. On se demande si ces bandes reprĂ©sentent d'autres familles de gĂšnes Vk ou si elles reprĂ©sentent d'autres sous-groupes de Vk-1. Afin de rĂ©pondre Ă ces questions, on a procĂ©dĂ© au criblage d'une bibliothĂšque de BALB/c (dont l'ADN gĂ©nomique a Ă©tĂ© digĂ©rĂ© partiellement avec Eco R1 et liguĂ© au vecteur Embl4) dans des conditions d'hybridation et de lavage lĂ©gĂšres. La sonde utilisĂ©e est un fragment d'un allĂšle de VK-1C, Vk-1Cf (obtenu d'une souche de souris CE) et est nommĂ©e PPV101. De 21 clones positifs isolĂ©s, 9 contenaient le gĂšne Vk-1A, 8 le gĂšne Vk-1C et 4 des nouveaux gĂšnes reliĂ©s au groupe Vk-1. L'analyse de ces derniers clones digĂ©rĂ©s avec Bam H1 a montrĂ© que tous les quatres contenaient des fragments de 5.4 Kb hybridant avec la sonde PPV101. Les fragments de 5.4 kb (BamHI) ont Ă©tĂ© sous-clonĂ©s dans le phagemide M13+. Une analyse dĂ©taillĂ©e des 4 sous-clones a rĂ©vĂ©lĂ© que 3 semblaient avoir des inserts identiques et que le quatriĂšme Ă©tait diffĂ©rent. Deux clones ont Ă©tĂ© choisis (DCDX et BA43) pour la caractĂ©risation au niveau de la sĂ©quence. La comparaison des sĂ©quences des rĂ©gions V des clones DCDX a montrĂ© que les deux gĂšnes Ă©taient de vĂ©ritables membres du groupe Vk-1 mais qu'ils codent pour des sĂ©quences d'acides aminĂ©s qui n'ont pas Ă©tĂ© reportĂ©es dans les chaĂźnes kappa exprimĂ©es. Ils sont eux-mĂȘmes Ă©troitement reliĂ©s (>96% d'homologie de sĂ©quence). Ceci indique une duplication trĂšs rĂ©cente comme origine des deux gĂšnes. MalgrĂ© le fait que les deux gĂšnes possĂšdent environ 85% d'homologie avec les autres membres du groupe Vk-1 dans la rĂ©gion codante, l'homologie de sĂ©quence s'arrĂȘte immĂ©diatement avant et aprĂšs les rĂ©gions codantes des gĂšnes. De plus, l'analyse des sĂ©quences a dĂ©montrĂ© que les deux gĂšnes sont des pseudogĂšnes, chacun possĂ©dant une dĂ©lĂ©tion diffĂ©rente et non-chevauchante dans la rĂ©gion 5'. Cette observation suggĂšre que les deux gĂšnes ont subi les dĂ©lĂ©tions aprĂšs leur duplication. Deux possibilitĂ©s sont considĂ©rĂ©es pour expliquer l'Ă©limination rapide de ces deux gĂšnes en Ă©volution soit (i) qu'il y ait eu une sĂ©lection nĂ©gative contre l'existence de ces gĂšnes (supposant qu'ils codent pour un anticorps spĂ©cifique; dangereux pour la survie de l'animal) ou (ii) que la structure ou position des gĂšnes sur le chromosome leur a confiĂ© une instabilitĂ©
La comprensiĂłn lectora en alumnos ingresantes segĂșn modalidad de ingreso en una universidad particular
El presente trabajo de carĂĄcter descriptivoâcomparativo tiene como propĂłsito la mediciĂłn de los niveles de comprensiĂłn lectora en alumnos universitarios del primer semestre acadĂ©mico de una universidad privada de Lima segĂșn su modalidad de ingreso, para este estudio consideramos dos modalidades de ingreso que son el examen general de admisiĂłn y examen por aptitud acadĂ©mica y con los resultados obtenidos se pueden proponer algunas acciones y estrategias futuras para mejorar su rendimiento acadĂ©mico.
Para llevar a cabo el estudio se planteĂł la siguiente pregunta ÂżCuĂĄl es el nivel de comprensiĂłn lectora en alumnos ingresantes segĂșn dos modalidades de ingreso: examen general de admisiĂłn y por aptitud acadĂ©mica en una universidad privada de Lima? Considerando la siguiente hipĂłtesis: Los niveles de comprensiĂłn lectora de los alumnos difieren segĂșn la modalidad de ingreso, sea entre la modalidad de examen general de admisiĂłn, con la modalidad de examen por aptitud acadĂ©mica de una universidad privada.
El marco teĂłrico conceptual toma como base los planteamientos sobre la comprensiĂłn de lectura y el desarrollo de lenguaje de Piaget.
El mĂ©todo de investigaciĂłn empleado es descriptivo y el diseño descriptivo â comparativo.
La muestra seleccionada estuvo conformada por 262 alumnos ingresantes, hombres y mujeres, entre 17 y 20 años, divididos en dos grupos 131 alumnos ingresantes por examen general de admisión y 131 alumnos ingresantes por examen aptitud académica de las diferentes carreras que se ofrecen en la universidad.
El instrumento utilizado estuvo conformado por una prueba previamente validada que exploraba la comprensiĂłn lectora y pensamiento crĂtico sobre la base del instrumento de SĂĄnchez y Reyes.
El procesamiento de datos ha consistido en estadĂstica descriptiva e inferencial y la utilizaciĂłn de la prueba no paramĂ©trica de U de Mann â Whitney.
Los resultados han permitido encontrar diferencias entre los alumnos ingresantes de las modalidades examen general de admisión y aptitud académica favorable a los de aptitud académica.Tesi
Structural basis of dimerization and nucleic acid binding of human DBHS proteins NONO and PSPC1.
The Drosophila behaviour/human splicing (DBHS) proteins are a family of RNA/DNA binding cofactors liable for a range of cellular processes. DBHS proteins include the non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein (NONO) and paraspeckle protein component 1 (PSPC1), proteins capable of forming combinatorial dimers. Here, we describe the crystal structures of the human NONO and PSPC1 homodimers, representing uncharacterized DBHS dimerization states. The structures reveal a set of conserved contacts and structural plasticity within the dimerization interface that provide a rationale for dimer selectivity between DBHS paralogues. In addition, solution X-ray scattering and accompanying biochemical experiments describe a mechanism of cooperative RNA recognition by the NONO homodimer. Nucleic acid binding is reliant on RRM1, and appears to be affected by the orientation of RRM1, influenced by a newly identified 'ÎČ-clasp' structure. Our structures shed light on the molecular determinants for DBHS homo- and heterodimerization and provide a basis for understanding how DBHS proteins cooperatively recognize a broad spectrum of RNA targets
f(R) Theories of Supergravities and Pseudo-supergravities
We present f(R) theories of ten-dimensional supergravities, including the
fermionic sector up to the quadratic order in fermion fields. They are obtained
by performing the conformal scaling on the usual supergravities to the f(R)
frame in which the dilaton becomes an auxiliary field and can be integrated
out. The f(R) frame coincides with that of M-theory, D2-branes or NS-NS
5-branes. We study various BPS p-brane solutions and their near-horizon AdS
\times sphere geometries in the context of the f(R) theories. We find that new
solutions emerge with global structures that do not exist in the corresponding
solutions of the original supergravity description. In lower dimensions, We
construct the f(R) theory of N=2, D=5 gauged supergravity with a vector
multiplet, and that for the four-dimensional U(1)^4 gauged theory with three
vector fields set equal. We find that some previously-known BPS singular
"superstars" become wormholes in the f(R) theories. We also construct a large
class of f(R) (gauged) pseudo-supergravities. In addition we show that the
breathing mode in the Kaluza-Klein reduction of Gauss-Bonnet gravity on S^1 is
an auxiliary field and can be integrated out.Comment: Latex, 46 page
Fulminant and Fatal Multiple Organ Failure in a 12-Year-Old Boy With Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection
Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) is a unique pathogen that causes not only pulmonary but also extrapulmonary manifestations that must be rapidly diagnosed. A 12-year-old boy, with no relevant medical history, presented with fever, severe epigastric pain, and vomiting. Laboratory findings showed fulminant and cholestatic hepatitis, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, acute kidney injury, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, acute myocardial infarction, and rhabdomyolysis. His clinical condition rapidly deteriorated during intubation and continuous renal replacement therapy.
Despite intensive treatment, he did not recover. We report a case of fulminant and fatal multiple organ failure in a previously healthy boy with Mp infection, describing the possible pathomechanisms of multiple organ failure involved in the disease
TOM40 Mediates Mitochondrial Dysfunction Induced by α-Synuclein Accumulation in Parkinson's Disease.
Alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) accumulation/aggregation and mitochondrial dysfunction play prominent roles in the pathology of Parkinson's disease. We have previously shown that postmortem human dopaminergic neurons from PD brains accumulate high levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions. We now addressed the question, whether alterations in a component of the mitochondrial import machinery -TOM40- might contribute to the mitochondrial dysfunction and damage in PD. For this purpose, we studied levels of TOM40, mtDNA deletions, oxidative damage, energy production, and complexes of the respiratory chain in brain homogenates as well as in single neurons, using laser-capture-microdissection in transgenic mice overexpressing human wildtype α-Syn. Additionally, we used lentivirus-mediated stereotactic delivery of a component of this import machinery into mouse brain as a novel therapeutic strategy. We report here that TOM40 is significantly reduced in the brain of PD patients and in α-Syn transgenic mice. TOM40 deficits were associated with increased mtDNA deletions and oxidative DNA damage, and with decreased energy production and altered levels of complex I proteins in α-Syn transgenic mice. Lentiviral-mediated overexpression of Tom40 in α-Syn-transgenic mice brains ameliorated energy deficits as well as oxidative burden. Our results suggest that alterations in the mitochondrial protein transport machinery might contribute to mitochondrial impairment in α-Synucleinopathies
Spawning rings of exceptional points out of Dirac cones
The Dirac cone underlies many unique electronic properties of graphene and
topological insulators, and its band structure--two conical bands touching at a
single point--has also been realized for photons in waveguide arrays, atoms in
optical lattices, and through accidental degeneracy. Deformations of the Dirac
cone often reveal intriguing properties; an example is the quantum Hall effect,
where a constant magnetic field breaks the Dirac cone into isolated Landau
levels. A seemingly unrelated phenomenon is the exceptional point, also known
as the parity-time symmetry breaking point, where two resonances coincide in
both their positions and widths. Exceptional points lead to counter-intuitive
phenomena such as loss-induced transparency, unidirectional transmission or
reflection, and lasers with reversed pump dependence or single-mode operation.
These two fields of research are in fact connected: here we discover the
ability of a Dirac cone to evolve into a ring of exceptional points, which we
call an "exceptional ring." We experimentally demonstrate this concept in a
photonic crystal slab. Angle-resolved reflection measurements of the photonic
crystal slab reveal that the peaks of reflectivity follow the conical band
structure of a Dirac cone from accidental degeneracy, whereas the complex
eigenvalues of the system are deformed into a two-dimensional flat band
enclosed by an exceptional ring. This deformation arises from the dissimilar
radiation rates of dipole and quadrupole resonances, which play a role
analogous to the loss and gain in parity-time symmetric systems. Our results
indicate that the radiation that exists in any open system can fundamentally
alter its physical properties in ways previously expected only in the presence
of material loss and gain
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