A Reconsideration of the Self-Compassion Scale's Total Score:Self-Compassion versus Self-Criticism

The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is currently the only self-report instrument to measure self-compassion. The SCS is widely used despite the limited evidence for the scale's psychometric properties, with validation studies commonly performed in college students. The current study examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of the SCS in a large representative sample from the community. The study was conducted in 1,736 persons, of whom 1,643 were included in the analyses. Besides the SCS, data was collected on positive and negative indicators of psychological functioning, as well as on rumination and neuroticism. Analyses included confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), exploratory factor analyses (EFA), and correlations. CFA showed that the SCS's proposed six-factor structure could not be replicated. EFA suggested a two-factor solution, formed by the positively and negatively formulated items respectively. Internal consistency was good for the two identified factors. The negative factor (i.e., sum score of the negatively formulated items) correlated moderately to strongly to negative affect, depressive symptoms, perceived stress, as well as to rumination and neuroticism. Compared to this negative factor, the positive factor (i.e., sum score of the positively formulated items) correlated weaker to these indicators, and relatively more strongly to positive affect. Results from this study do not justify the common use of the SCS total score as an overall indicator of self-compassion, and provide support for the idea, as also assumed by others, that it is important to make a distinction between self-compassion and self-criticism.</p

Integrated receiver deghosting and closed-loop surface-multiple elimination

Accurate surface-related multiple removal is an important step in conventional seismic processing, and more recently, primaries and surface multiples are separated such that each of them is available for imaging algorithms. Current developments in the field of surface-multiple removal aim at estimating primaries in a large-scale inversion process. Using such a so-called closed-loop process, in each iteration primaries and surface multiples will be updated until they fit the measured data. The advantage of redefining surfacemultiple removal as a closed-loop process is that certain preprocessing steps can be included, which can lead to an improved multiple removal. In principle, the surface-related multiple elimination process requires deghosted data as input; thus, the source and receiver ghost must be removed. We have focused on the receiver ghost effect and assume that the source is towed close to the sea surface, such that the source ghost effect is well-represented by a dipole source. The receiver ghost effect is integrated within the closed-loop primary estimation process. Thus, primaries are directly estimated without the receiver ghost effect. After receiver deghosting, the upgoing wavefield is defined at zero depth, which is the surface.We have successfully validated our method on a 2D simulated data and on a 2D subset from 3D broadband field data with a slanted cable.ImPhys/Acoustical Wavefield ImagingApplied Geophysics and Petrophysic

Nearshore fish aggregating devices show positive outcomes for sustainable fisheries development in Timor-Leste

Capture fisheries in small island developing states (SIDS) have the capacity to increase access to vital micronutrient-rich food to tackle malnutrition, but when fishers are restricted to nearshore habitats by limited capacity (boats, engines, fishing gear), fisheries production can be low. This is the case of coastal Timor-Leste, where some of the world’s most diverse coral reefs are juxtaposed with one of the world’s most undernourished populations. In these settings, interventions that have successfully improved livelihoods from fishing and reduced threats to biodiversity are rare. Elsewhere in the Pacific, nearshore anchored fish aggregating devices (FADs) have shown success in improving catch rates by making pelagic stocks more accessible to small-scale fishers. Here we test the effects of FADs at increasing capture fish production, by deploying eight experimental FADs at four sites around the country and recording catch and effort data from FAD and non-FAD fishing trips. We assess the effects of FADs on catch rates and catch assemblage and the rate of 100% return on investment (RoI ). The average longevity of FADs was 11 months. Results show a significant positive effect of FADs on catch rates when controlling for random site variation, with FADs paying for themselves in ∼5 months or less at three out of four sites. Across all sites and fishing types, 63 species were identified, but FAD catches significantly reduced overall assemblage diversity, with three species (Sardinella spp., Decapterus macarellus, Rastrelliger brachysoma) representing 96% of the catch. Despite the relatively short longevity of FADs deployed in Timor-Leste, the fast RoI seen at most sites indicates that FADs are effective in providing livelihood benefits in certain locations. Catch rates were highest where fishers were specialized, invested in FAD fishing, and formed catch sharing groups with access rights to specific FADs. National level investment into a FAD programme by the government could realistically increase overall fish production in the country, thereby improving availability of micronutrient rich fish to combat malnutrition. A deployment program should be coupled with capacity building around group formation and defining access rights to ensure equitable community benefits

Nearshore fish aggregating devices show positive outcomes for sustainable fisheries development in Timor-Leste

Capture fisheries in small island developing states (SIDS) have the capacity to increase access to vital micronutrient-rich food to tackle malnutrition, but when fishers are restricted to nearshore habitats by limited capacity (boats, engines, fishing gear), fisheries production can be low. This is the case of coastal Timor-Leste, where some of the world’s most diverse coral reefs are juxtaposed with one of the world’s most undernourished populations. In these settings, interventions that have successfully improved livelihoods from fishing and reduced threats to biodiversity are rare. Elsewhere in the Pacific, nearshore anchored fish aggregating devices (FADs) have shown success in improving catch rates by making pelagic stocks more accessible to small-scale fishers. Here we test the effects of FADs at increasing capture fish production, by deploying eight experimental FADs at four sites around the country and recording catch and effort data from FAD and non-FAD fishing trips. We assess the effects of FADs on catch rates and catch assemblage and the rate of 100% return on investment (RoI ). The average longevity of FADs was 11 months. Results show a significant positive effect of FADs on catch rates when controlling for random site variation, with FADs paying for themselves in ∼5 months or less at three out of four sites. Across all sites and fishing types, 63 species were identified, but FAD catches significantly reduced overall assemblage diversity, with three species (Sardinella spp., Decapterus macarellus, Rastrelliger brachysoma) representing 96% of the catch. Despite the relatively short longevity of FADs deployed in Timor-Leste, the fast RoI seen at most sites indicates that FADs are effective in providing livelihood benefits in certain locations. Catch rates were highest where fishers were specialized, invested in FAD fishing, and formed catch sharing groups with access rights to specific FADs. National level investment into a FAD programme by the government could realistically increase overall fish production in the country, thereby improving availability of micronutrient rich fish to combat malnutrition. A deployment program should be coupled with capacity building around group formation and defining access rights to ensure equitable community benefits

The Effects of Organizational Culture on Employee Performance: A Study of the Edge Newspaper

This research aims to examine the effect of organizational culture on employee performance. The research was conducted by interviewing the Edge Newspaper Sdn Bhd Company's top management and their employees. Apart from that, data collection will be based on observations from surveys and journals. These collected data were used to test our hypothesis that is ‘A good employee behaviour will increase business productivity, lower absenteeism, and achieve turnover”. It is proven that a positive relationship exists between organizational culture and employee behaviour. These findings provide new insights for the management of the effects of organizational culture on its employee performances. In addition, this research enhances the understanding of employee behaviour, possibly utilized by top management to encourage and manage their employees

Seguridad en democracia : un reto a la violencia en América Latina

La democracia, los derechos humanos, la violencia y la seguridad, son temas relacionados, y en buena medida interdependientes, que hoy por hoy constituyen aspectos neurálgicos en la comprensión política, social y económica del orden mundial y, por supuesto, de la realidad latinoamericana. En este contexto fue creado el Grupo de Trabajo GT CLACSO Seguridad en Democracia: Un reto a la violencia en América Latina, una iniciativa de la que hacen parte investigadores/as provenientes de diversos países de América Latina -Argentina, Brasil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador y México- , cuyo objetivo principal es desarrollar investigación, análisis y generación de conocimiento de punta sobre los temas violencia, democracia, paz y seguridad en América Latina, a partir de la articulación de un espacio de discusión y reflexión.Índice Presentación 11 Introducción 15 Seguridad pública Doctrinas actores e instituciones; perspectivas juridicas en el tema de seguridad en América Latina Bertha García Gallegos 25 La participación de los ciudadanos en la seguridad pública en México. Algunas reflexiones sobre el impacto limitado y los retos de la participación ciudadana organizada en el campo de la inseguridad José Alfredo Zavaleta Betancourt 43 Seguridad ciudadana: policía para la democracia Nadia Soley Lizarazo Vargas 69 Seguridad global y local: dos visiones en pugna Pablo Emilio Angarita Cañas 89 Los desafíos emergentes a la gestión de la seguridad como consecuencia de la redefinición del espacio público en Argentina Roberto González (coordinador) 113 Seguridad internacional Seguridad democratica, conflicto interno armado y su regionalizacion Alejo Vargas Velásquez 133 Consejo sudamericano de defensa: hacia una integración regional en Defensa Angela Moreira 159 As políticas de segurança continental da oea e a cooperação regional Juliana Santos Maia Bertazzo 175 La intervencion colectiva en Haiti: a propósito de las operaciones de paz César Torres del Río 191 A política de defesa e política externa: coerência ou desencontros? Héctor Luis Saint-Pìerre 203 Las relaciones de seguridad entre Colombia y Ecuador: una nueva construccion de confianza Dolores Bermeo Lara y Nathalie Pabón Ayala 227 Altibajos de la hegemonía militar de Estados Unidos en la cuenca del Caribe: los casos de Colombia, México y Venezuela. (1991-2008) Saúl Mauricio Rodríguez Hernández 253 Seguridad en la región Amazónica Viviana García Pinzón 271 Actores e instituciones Las relaciones civil-militares en la República Argentina Juan Lopez Chorne y Beatriz Irene Wehle 299 Pasado reciente, memoria y ciudadanía en los informes de verdad: el testimonio en el Informe Valech (2004) Graciela Rubio 315 Narcotráfico y militarización en méxico. Territorios, economías regionales y transnacionalismo Salvador Maldonado Aranda 34