Perspectives on cross-national comparisons of social work

In this paper various attempts of studying and comparing social work in different countries are discussed and evaluated. Three main ways of making comparisons are identified: comparisons based on models of social policy, profession-oriented comparisons, and practice-oriented comparisons. Each of the three approaches captures essential aspects of similarities and differences in social work, but they all have obvious limitations as well.Neste artigo são discutidas e avaliadas várias perspectivas para o estudo e comparação do serviço social em diferentes países. São identificadas três formas principais de estabelecer comparações: comparações com base nos modelos de política social, comparações baseadas na profissão e comparações baseadas na prática profissional. Cada uma das três abordagens capta os aspectos essenciais das semelhanças e diferenças no serviço social, mas todos eles apresentam limitações óbvias

Effect of Obersity on Gait Symmetry Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection

Introduction: Obesity is considered a risk factor for both the onset and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Obesity, OA and mechanical perturbation have all been identified individually to increase gait asymmetry. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of obesity on the progression of gait asymmetry as a component of a diet induced obesity (DIO) OA model in the presence of mechanical perturbation. Methods: 28 Sprague Dawley Rats were assigned to a high fat, high sucrose diet or a low fat diet group (LFD). Twelve weeks post DIO groups receive an anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACL-X), or sham surgery. Pre-surgery, 1-week, 8-week, and 16-weeks post-surgery, kinetic data were collected by 3-D force plate analysis. Peak vertical ground reaction force (pVGRF), vertical impulse, and stance times were quantified then compared between limbs to quantify an asymmetry index (AI). Results: There were no differences in normalized pVGRF AI between hind limbs in the DIO or LFD group animals. Stance times decreased for both hind limbs in both DIO group animals. DIO ACL-X group animals had a greater AI compared to LFD group animals at 1-week post-surgery, and both DIO group animals had greater AI at 8 and 16 weeks post-surgery, compared to LFD group animals. Conclusion: DIO group animals exhibited gait patterns with increased asymmetries compared to LFD group animals, regardless of presence or absence of mechanical perturbation, suggesting that obesity causes distinct changes in gait patterns accelerating the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis

Effect of obesity on gait symmetry following anterior cruciate ligament transection

INTRODUCTION High fat diet and the resulting obesity are associated with chronic inflammation, which is thought to exacerbate osteoarthritis (OA) [1]. Also, obesity has been suggested to increase gait asymmetry [2]. To our knowledge, no one has evaluated the added effect of obesity in an instability OA progression model such as anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACL-X). The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of obesity on the progression of gait asymmetry, when factors are normalized for body weight, following an ACL-X protocol. We hypothesize that High-fat diet ACL-X animals will experience greater asymmetry than low-fat ACL-X animals over time. METHODS Twenty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either a high fat diet (HFD) or a low fat diet (LFD) group. The HFD group (n=18) received high fat sucrose food (40% fat, Diet #102412, Dyets, Inc) and the LFD group (n=10) received lean chow (13.5% fat, LabDiet 5001). Twelve weeks post diet induction, baseline 2-D kinematics and 3-D kinetic measurements were collected on a runway with two embedded side-by-side 7.5 x 30 cm force plates (Bertec, Columbus, OH). A minimum of two successful kinematic and kinetic trials for each limb were included in this analysis. Then, all animals were randomly assigned to receive an ACL-X (HFD n=12, LFD n=5) or surgical sham (HFD n=6, LFD n=4). Kinematic and kinetic data were collected 1-week post surgery, and again at 8 weeks post surgery. An Asymmetry Index (AI) was used to compare differences between limbs. The AI was calculated by: (Contralateral (BW) – Experimental (BW)) X 100% Contralateral (BW) All data sets were compared for AI changes due to diet, surgery, diet*surgery, and over time using non-parametric statistics. RESULTSTwenty animals successfully met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. In Figure 1, the normalized AI vertical impulse result for all groups is shown. The LFD ACL-X group (n=5) normalized AI vertical impulse was 12% (±15%), 20% (±6.4%), and 17% (±5.7%) respectively. The HFD SHAM group normalized AI vertical impulse was 16% (±17.2%), 34% (±7.2%), and 44% (±13%) respectively. The HFD ACL-X normalized AI vertical impulse was 17% (±13%), 37% (±5.4%) and 44% (±1%) respectively. Figure 1. Normalized AI vertical impulse is demonstrated over time for three time points: Pre-Surgery, 1-week post surgery and 8-week post-surgery. * Indicates p<0.05.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS AI impulse was increased in all groups 1-week post surgery, but the HFD ACL-X had an increased AI when compared with LFD ACL-X (p<0.05). Both HFD groups had a greater normalized AI vertical impulse when compared with the LFD ACL-X group 8-weeks post surgery (p<0.05). The rats were first introduced to the runway and force plate at baseline testing, which contributes to the large variability seen pre-surgery. In conclusion, gait asymmetry is exacerbated over time for normalized AI vertical impulse after ACL-X in HFD animals. Conversely, a trend was evident towards recovery, or decreased AI in the LFD animals. A fourth data set, 16 weeks post surgery, will be analyzed to further characterize the effect of diet and surgery on this measure in ACL-X animals over time.

Possessing 21st-Century Skills and Building Sustainable Careers: Early-Career Social Sciences Graduates’ Perspectives

In today’s complex labor market, social sciences graduates encounter various challenges and negative experiences in their current jobs and job transitions, which may threaten the sustainability of their careers. Possessing 21st-century skills is considered important in supporting their career sustainability. Employing a cross-sectional survey design, this study investigated which 21st-century skills help social sciences graduates build a sustainable career after their graduation. The sample consisted of 129 early-career social sciences graduates. We utilized both a variable-centered (path analysis) and a person-centered (latent profile) approach to data analysis. The path-analysis results showed that collaboration, creativity, and problem solving, but not communication and critical thinking, related to career sustainability. The results also revealed a suppressor effect of problem solving on the positive relationships between creativity and health-related problems, suggesting that problem solving may prevent creative individuals from developing health-related issues. Furthermore, latent-profile analysis demonstrated two profiles: sustainable and non-sustainable careers. While both profiles exhibited similar productivity levels, individuals from the non-sustainable profile reported lower happiness and higher health problems. Partly corroborating the path-analysis results, graduates with sustainable careers differed in communication and collaboration skills. This study enhances the understanding of 21st-century skills’ role in career sustainability and validates the model of sustainable careers

Connection, September/October 1998

Research Findings: The current study examined the use of a newly developed instrument for measuring parental literacy beliefs in a highly diverse urban Dutch sample of 35 parents, participating in a family literacy program. The instrument was used to explore a new conceptualization of parental literacy beliefs and associations between beliefs and parental demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The instrument revealed that parents in this sample preferred meaning-oriented and facilitative practices to stimulate their children’s literacy development, in which understanding the meaning of language and print is seen as the starting point in literacy development and in which teaching occurs indirectly, in an embedded child-centered approach. Parental preferences were associated with a variety of beliefs. Parents who did not speak Dutch, the majority language, with their children were more inclined toward directly instructing their children compared to parents who did speak Dutch with their children. The instrument proved to be effective in exposing the nature of and nuances in parental literacy beliefs in a diverse sample. Practice or Policy: Our newly developed instrument can be used by professionals working with family literacy programs to gain insight into the literacy beliefs of diverse groups of parents