Surrogacy relationships: a critical interpretative review

Based on a critical interpretative review of existing qualitative research investigating accounts of ‘lived experience’ of surrogates and intended parents from a relational perspective, this article proposes a typology of surrogacy arrangements. The review is based on the analysis of 39 articles, which belong to a range of different disciplines (mostly sociology, social psychology, anthropology, ethnology, and gender studies). The number of interviews in each study range from as few as seven to over one hundred. Countries covered include Australia, Canada, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Sweden, UK, Ukraine, and the USA. Most studies focus only on surrogacy practices in one country (although often with intended parents from other countries), and some include several countries (e.g. interviewees from several countries or fieldwork in different field-sites). The proposed typology goes beyond the division between altruistic versus commercial, and traditional versus gestational surrogacy, in order to inform further research and to contribute to bioethical and policy debates on surrogacy in a transnational context. Four types of relations are identifiable: open, restricted, structured, and enmeshed. The criteria which influence these relationships are: the frequency and character of contact pre- and post-birth; expectations of both parties; the type of exchange involved in surrogacy arrangements; and cultural, legal, and economic contexts. The theoretical contribution of the article is to further the development of a relational justice approach to surrogacy

AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAREER BURNOUT AND MINDSET LEVELS OF NEW YORK STATE PRINCIPALS

Leading a school is a demanding job. Over 20% of school principals in the United States leave their position annually, especially in disadvantaged areas where consistent leadership is most needed (Battle, 2010; Snyder, de Brey, & Dillow, 2016). The myriad of responsibilities and external forces imposed on school principals oftentimes lead to career burnout, which adversely impacts the staff, students, and communities they serve. Dweck (2006) states that individuals who hold a growth mindset regarding their skills and intelligences view challenges, such as ones that may lead to career burnout, as opportunities for growth and development. However, research examining the relationship between career burnout and mindset levels of school principals is limited. The present study examined current literature on the causes, symptoms, and prevention methods relevant to career burnout of school principals, as well as the history, benefits, and barriers of possessing a growth mindset. Additionally, quantitative methods were used to explore the relationship between mindset and burnout using Pearson’s Correlation, t-tests, ANOVA and a hierarchal regression. Survey data from 170 New York State principals was collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey (MBI-ES) (Maslach, Jackson, & Schwab, 1986), and the Dweck Mindset Instrument (DMI) (Dweck, 2006). Findings show that New York State principals consistently reported high levels of growth mindset and low levels of career burnout. An analysis of the data found no statistically significant relationship between burnout and mindset for New York State principals, nor was mindset predictive of burnout when controlling for demographic and background characteristics. However, the difference in burnout levels based on school location was statistically significant, with upstate principals reporting more burnout than principals from Long Island, New York. Readers should interpret this analysis with caution since participants were a homogeneous group. This exploratory study lays the foundation for future research on the relationships between the mindset, demographic, and background variables of New York State principals and their self-reported levels of career burnout

The costs and benefits of temporal predictability: impaired inhibition of prepotent responses accompanies increased activation of task-relevant responses

International audienceWhile the benefit of temporal predictability on sensorimotor processing is well established, it is still unknown whether this is due to efficient execution of an appropriate response and/or inhibition of an inappropriate one. To answer this question, we examined the effects of temporal predictability in tasks that required selective (Simon task) or global (Stop-signal task) inhibitory control of prepotent responses. We manipulated temporal expectation by presenting cues that either predicted (temporal cues) or not (neutral cues) when the target would appear. In the Simon task, performance was better when target location (left/right) was compatible with the hand of response and performance was improved further still if targets were temporally cued. However, Conditional Accuracy Functions revealed that temporal predictability selectively increased the number of fast, impulsive errors. Temporal cueing had no effect on selective response inhibition, as measured by the dynamics of the interference effect (delta plots) in the Simon task. By contrast, in the Stop-signal task, Stop-signal reaction time, a covert measure of a more global form of response inhibition, was significantly longer in temporally predictive trials. Therefore, when the time of target onset could be predicted in advance, it was harder to stop the impulse to respond to the target. Collectively, our results indicate that temporal cueing compounded the interfering effects of a prepotent response on task performance. We suggest that although temporal predictability enhances activation of task-relevant responses, it impairs inhibition of prepotent responses

Amerykańska polityka wobec rynku pracy a weterani pokolenia 9/11

A few years ago, veteran employment was associated in the United States with the charity. Today both public administration and many private companies are willing to assist former soldiers. Within the next five years, about one million soldiers will have to leave the armed forces because of the planned partial withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan and defense cuts. Most of them will find employment, however, a significant percentage, especially the young veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars will remain unemployed. Veterans affairs are crucial both for the President of the United States, the Congress and the whole American society, as they are related to the economic and social aspects of the state functioning. On the other hand, misconception about ex-combatants prevents the use of their potential and skills acquired in the military, and is not reflected in any way on the economy of the state. This situation is frustrating because veterans can be very good workers having many qualities that are desirable among employers, such as leadership skills, cooperation, loyalty and initiative.Jeszcze kilka lat temu zatrudnienie weterana było kojarzone w Stanach Zjednoczonych z działalnością charytatywną. Obecnie zarówno administracja publiczna, jak i wiele firm sektora prywatnego wyrażają chęć pomocy byłym żołnierzom. Wygaszanie obecności Amerykanów w Afganistanie, połączone z cięciami wydatków na obronę, spowoduje, że z sił zbrojnych będzie musiało odejść w ciągu najbliższych pięciu lat około miliona żołnierzy. Większość z nich zasili rynek pracy, jednak znaczna część, zwłaszcza najmłodszych weteranów wojen w Iraku i Afganistanie, pozostanie bezrobotna. Sprawy weteranów są niezwykle istotne zarówno dla prezydenta Stanów Zjednoczonych, Kongresu, jak i całego społeczeństwa amerykańskiego, gdyż związane są z ekonomiczno-społeczną stroną funkcjonowania państwa. Natomiast błędne wyobrażenie na temat byłych żołnierzy uniemożliwia wykorzystanie ich potencjału oraz nabytych w wojsku umiejętności i nie przekłada się w żaden sposób na ekonomię państwa. Taka sytuacja jest frustrująca, ponieważ weterani potrafią być bardzo dobrymi pracownikami, posiadają wiele zalet, które są pożądane wśród zatrudniających, m.in. umiejętności przywódcze, współdziałanie, lojalność, inicjatywę

Facebook jako element zarządzania strategicznego czy kula u nogi nadawców? Przykład Estonii i Polski

Facebook as an Element of Strategic Management or Broadcasters Ball and Chain. Example of Estonia and PolandThe social media are more and more important in creating the strategy for conventional media development. The aim of this article is to demonstrate how social media as Internet tools can diversify access to media and affect on the dynamics of dialogue with readers. Discovering the specifics of the Internet communication via social media becomes important. The article contains the characteristics of leading national dailies in Estonia and Poland and description their Facebook profiles. The authoress has examined the number of entries, likes and news sharing on dailies official Facebook profiles in the first two weeks of April 2015 (1.04.2015–15.04.2015). The results of the analysis are far from optimistic. The official dailies profiles available on Facebook are not a represent significant platform for dialogue. There are not effective for maintaining relationships between customers and newspapers. Maintaining a Facebook account in many cases seems to be only a necessity. In most cases it is not a complementing channel of communication between traditional press and readers. Only a few media publishers can lead account on Facebook in effective way