Do Formal Mediation Programs Work in the Settlement of Employee-Employer Disputes?

People spend an unbelievable amount of their time at work. Work relationships are often very intimate and personal. Because of this, many hostilities and frustrations arise from the workplace and the personal relationships that are formed there. Most people leave their jobs because of their supervisor or team leader. “Basically, it’s a lack of trust, of communication, of relevant and timely feedback, of appreciation, of fair treatment and of information.” These tribulations often create matters that can be mediated successfully. “Personal feelings of worth and personal satisfaction seem to be essential to maintain a productive workforce.” Unhappy workers are not as successful as those that are content with their working environment. A workplace sees much more achievement in their workers if there is a mediation practice created. The nature of the workplace makes the style of mediation much more beneficial the typical adversarial position taking found in traditional litigation. Mediation is a very useful tool that can be implemented in many disputes that arise from the workplace environment; this paper will focus on the use of mediation in the workplace

Is There a Need for Congruent Treatment Goals Between Alcohol-Dependent Patients and Caregivers?

Background: Alcohol-dependent patients have different treatment goals when entering treatment. Furthermore, different treatment settings advocate different treatment goals. Earlier studies have pointed out that treatment goal is important for treatment outcome, both in the treatment setting as well as in the patients themselves. However, to our knowledge, no study has so far investigated the interaction between patient's goal and the goal of the treatment setting. The aim of the study was therefore to study the interaction between these 2 factors on treatment outcome. Methods: Patients' (n = 201) goals from 2 treatment settings one that had an abstinence-oriented goal and one with a low-risk drinking goal—were investigated. The patients were followed up 2.5 years after treatment entry and effectiveness of congruent treatment goals on treatment outcome was investigated. Results: There was no significant association between congruent goals and treatment outcomes (p = 0.060). However, when comparing the effectiveness of congruent treatment goal between the 2 treatment settings, the abstinence-oriented treatment setting was significantly more effective (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The major finding was that there appeared to be no association between congruence itself and treatment outcome. On the other hand, we found that the treatment outcome was more successful if the patient as well as the treatment setting had abstinence as a goal (i.e., congruent goals of abstinence)

Synergistic effects of methyl jasmonate treatment and propagation method on Norway spruce resistance against a bark-feeding insect

Utilizing plants with enhanced resistance traits is gaining interest in plant protection. Two strategies are especially promising for increasing resistance against a forest insect pest, the pine weevil (Hylobius abietis): exogenous application of the plant defense hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and production of plants through the clonal propagation method somatic embryogenesis (SE). Here, we quantified and compared the separate and combined effects of SE and MeJA on Norway spruce resistance to pine weevil damage. Plants produced via SE (emblings) and nursery seedlings (containerized and bare-root), were treated (or not) with MeJA and exposed to pine weevils in the field (followed for 3 years) and in the lab (with a non-choice experiment). Firstly, we found that SE and MeJA independently decreased pine weevil damage to Norway spruce plants in the field by 32-33% and 53-59%, respectively, compared to untreated containerized and bare-root seedlings. Secondly, SE and MeJA together reduced damage to an even greater extent, with treated emblings receiving 86-87% less damage when compared to either untreated containerized or bare-root seedlings in the field, and by 48% in the lab. Moreover, MeJA-treated emblings experienced 98% lower mortality than untreated containerized seedlings, and this high level of survival was similar to that experienced by treated bare-root seedlings. These positive effects on survival remained for MeJA-treated emblings across the 3-year experimental period. We conclude that SE and MeJA have the potential to work synergistically to improve plants' ability to resist damage, and can thus confer a strong plant protection advantage. The mechanisms underlying these responses merit further examination

Lenalidomide in combination with dexamethasone at first relapse in comparison with its use as later salvage therapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

This subset analysis of data from two phase III studies in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM) evaluated the benefit of initiating lenalidomide plus dexamethasone at first relapse. Multivariate analysis showed that fewer prior therapies, along with β2-microglobulin (≤2.5 mg/L), predicted a better time to progression (TTP; study end-point) with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone treatment. Patients with one prior therapy showed a significant improvement in benefit after first relapse compared with those who received two or more therapies. Patients with one prior therapy had significantly prolonged median TTP (17.1 vs. 10.6 months; P=0.026) and progression-free survival (14.1 vs. 9.5 months, P=0.047) compared with patients treated in later lines. Overall response rates were higher (66.9% vs. 56.8%, P=0.06), and the complete response plus very good partial response rate was significantly higher in first relapse (39.8% vs. 27.7%, P=0.025). Importantly, overall survival was significantly prolonged for patients treated with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone with one prior therapy, compared with patients treated later in salvage (median of 42.0 vs. 35.8 months, P=0.041), with no differences in toxicity, dose reductions, or discontinuations despite longer treatment. Therefore, lenalidomide plus dexamethasone is both effective and tolerable for second-line MM therapy and the data suggest that the greatest benefit occurs with earlier use

Enhancing spruce defence against an insect pest

Enhancing plant resistance against pests has the potential to become a sustainable alternative within forestry. Exogenous application of the plant defence signalling hormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) as well as propagation through somatic embryogenesis (SE) has been shown to increase Norway spruce (Picea abies) plant’s resistance to the major forest regeneration pest the pine weevil Hylobius abietis. The aim of this project was to investigate why SE plants display higher resistance. We explored the effects of SE alone and in combination with MeJA on Norway spruce plants’ resistance and tolerance, pine weevil behaviour, as well as the underlying mechanisms to their enhanced resistance. Our results suggest that SE and MeJA together have the potential to synergistically enhance plant resistance against weevil damage, and reduce mortality in the field for at least three growing seasons. MeJA treatment and, to a lesser extent SE alone, can influence pine weevil feeding preferences over time based on plant palatability. Moreover, emblings displayed a higher density of phloem constitutive resin ducts, which may contribute to explain their increased resistance. MeJA-treated emblings formed both fewer and smaller traumatic resin ducts than treated seedlings, implying traumatic ducts do not play a large role in the greater resistance seen for MeJA-treated emblings. Finally, SE and MeJA displayed opposing effects on the onset of wound healing and healing rate; MeJA accelerated onset but decreased overall healing rate, and vice versa for emblings. In conclusion, SE plants appear to be differentially palatable to the pine weevil, and exhibit defensive responses different from seedlings, both in how they resist and recover from damage. These findings increase the understanding of plant stress responses, defence traits and pest behaviour, and offer a sustainable approach to plant protection, encouraging the use of our results in practical applications

Toxicity of chlorantraniliprole to the Collembola Folsomia candida : toxicodynamics and effects of organic matter content

Toxicity of pesticides to non-target organisms determines their impact on natural environments. And to find pesticides with a new, target-specific mode of action, which are safe to farmers and organisms in the surrounding environment, is important when developing new pesticides.In this study, toxicity of the insecticide chlorantraniliprole to the Collembola Folsomia candida was investigated, showing that the test animals were adversely affected by the compound. Toxicity was tested in two experiments; a reproduction test in four soils with different organic matter content, following the OECD Guideline 232, and a toxicodynamic test where mortality, mobility, reproduction and morphological changes were recorded.The reproduction test showed a lower toxicity of chlorantraniliprole in the high-organic soils compared to the low-organic. When organic matter content increased two times, the difference between the lowest and the highest EC50 and EC10 values was a factor of 5.3 and 8.4, respectively. pH did not seem to significantly affect toxicity, and organic matter content did not seem to affect the total number of juveniles produced.The toxicodynamic test showed a fast mode of action on mobility of F. candida, but not on mortality. Mobility decreased at the highest treatments of chlorantraniliprole already one day after the animals were introduced to the test vessels, but significant mortality was still not seen after almost three weeks. Reproduction was also adversely affected with a decline in the total number of juveniles produced at the higher treatments. The animals at the higher treatments also showed a possible compound induced reproduction stress, with faster egg laying. Morphological changes, such as affected antennas, increased steadily over time.Chlorantraniliprole shows high toxicity to some non-target organisms but is, with its new mode of action, still important in the development of more environmentally safe pesticides

Toxicity of chlorantraniliprole to the Collembola Folsomia candida : toxicodynamics and effects of organic matter content

Toxicity of pesticides to non-target organisms determines their impact on natural environments. And to find pesticides with a new, target-specific mode of action, which are safe to farmers and organisms in the surrounding environment, is important when developing new pesticides.In this study, toxicity of the insecticide chlorantraniliprole to the Collembola Folsomia candida was investigated, showing that the test animals were adversely affected by the compound. Toxicity was tested in two experiments; a reproduction test in four soils with different organic matter content, following the OECD Guideline 232, and a toxicodynamic test where mortality, mobility, reproduction and morphological changes were recorded.The reproduction test showed a lower toxicity of chlorantraniliprole in the high-organic soils compared to the low-organic. When organic matter content increased two times, the difference between the lowest and the highest EC50 and EC10 values was a factor of 5.3 and 8.4, respectively. pH did not seem to significantly affect toxicity, and organic matter content did not seem to affect the total number of juveniles produced.The toxicodynamic test showed a fast mode of action on mobility of F. candida, but not on mortality. Mobility decreased at the highest treatments of chlorantraniliprole already one day after the animals were introduced to the test vessels, but significant mortality was still not seen after almost three weeks. Reproduction was also adversely affected with a decline in the total number of juveniles produced at the higher treatments. The animals at the higher treatments also showed a possible compound induced reproduction stress, with faster egg laying. Morphological changes, such as affected antennas, increased steadily over time.Chlorantraniliprole shows high toxicity to some non-target organisms but is, with its new mode of action, still important in the development of more environmentally safe pesticides

Protein Surfaces Probed by Aqueous Two-phase Partitioning

This thesis is concerned primarily with peptide and protein partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems and the connection between partitioning behavior and protein structure. The surface properties of a protein is often crucial for recognition and interaction with other molecules. Important functional residues can be identified by mutational analysis. There is a need for rapid methods to study protein surfaces and surface changes due to mutations. Partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems has the potential to be used in this respect, since protein partitioning depends on the surface properties of the protein. However, we need to know how different amino acid residues contribute to the partition coefficient of a protein. Two aqueous phases can be formed by two structurally different polymers in aqueous solution. The polymers mainly used in this work have been thermoseparating ethylene oxide-propylene oxide random copolymers and dextran. The results in this thesis have shown the influence both qualitatively and quantitatively of different amino acid residues on the partitioning of proteins. Additionally, peptide partitioning could be used to predict the contribution of surface exposed amino acid residues to the partition coefficient of a protein. The effect on partitioning could be described only taking into account solvent accessibility and type of residue. Thus, aqueous two-phase partitioning can be used as a rapid method for studying the surface exposure of charged, hydrophobic, and especially aromatic amino acid residues. The knowledge gained can also be used to design efficient peptide tags for a target protein to direct it to a desired polymer phase. This technique can be used for large-scale purification of a protein