Using the unemployed as temporary employment counsellors: Evaluation of an initiative to combat longterm unemployment

This study investigates empirically the effects of a pilot project in which unemployed persons were used as temporary employment counsellors. Economic theory clearly points in the di-rection of a positive relation between search intensity and exit from unemployment. The fundamental concept of the project was the use of unemployed, who underwent customised training, to assist other unemployed in their job search. The project was carried out during a period in which the caseload was very high at public employment offices, which resulted in a drastic reduction in individual placement services available to the unemployed. It was based on a collaboration agreement between trade union confederations and the Swedish Labour Market Administration. Based on individual records drawn from administrative data, this paper examines the impact of the project on the probability of being removed from the live register of the Employment Service (various reasons for being removed are analysed separately) or being placed in a labour market policy programme. For job seekers placed in such programmes, the evaluation also examines effects on the probability of gaining employment within a given time period subsequent to programme participation. The impact on the period of time from the start of the project until a job seeker is removed from the register or placed in a labour market policy programme is also examined. The estimated effects indicate that the project had a positive impact on job search effectiveness and, thereby, in its efforts to reduce long periods out of work. -- Die vorliegende Studie ist eine empirische Untersuchung der Auswirkungen eines Pilotpro-jektes, bei dem Arbeitslose vorübergehend als Arbeitsberater eingesetzt wurden. Wirtschaftstheorien sehen einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen der Intensität der Su-che nach einem Arbeitsplatz und dem Austritt aus der Arbeitslosigkeit. Das grundlegende Konzept des Projektes lag im Einsatz von Arbeitslosen, die nach einer kundenorientierten Schulung anderen Arbeitslosen bei ihrer Arbeitssuche assistierten. Zeitlich angesiedelt wur-de das Projekt in einer Phase sehr hoher Arbeitsbelastung in den öffentlichen Arbeitsagenturen, die zu einer drastischen Reduzierung der Kapazitäten für die Einzelbera-tung von Arbeitslosen führte. Grundlage bildete ein Abkommen zwischen Gewerkschaftsverbänden und der schwedischen Arbeitsverwaltung. Basierend auf Geschäftsdaten der Arbeitsverwaltung untersucht dieses Papier die Wirkung des Projektes auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit aus der Arbeitslosenstatistik der Beschäftigungs-agenturen auszuscheiden (einzelne Gründe für das Ausscheiden werden separat untersucht) oder in ein Beschäftigungsprogramm aufgenommen zu werden. Für arbeitssuchende Pro-grammteilnehmer untersucht die Studie auch die Wahrscheinlichkeit des Eintritts in Beschäftigung im Anschluss an die Programmteilnahme. Ebenso wird der zeitliche Zusam-menhang zwischen dem Projektbeginn bis zum Ausscheiden eines Arbeitssuchenden aus der Arbeitslosenstatistik oder dessen Eintritt in ein Arbeitsmarktprogramm untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich das Projekt positiv auf die Bemühungen bei der Suche nach einer Beschäftigung auswirkt und dadurch Langzeitarbeitslosigkeit reduziert wird.

Targeting Limb Muscle Dysfunction in COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is today one of the world’s most common chronic diseases, estimated by the World Health Organization to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2030. An often neglected aspect of COPD is that the course of the disease is linked to extrapulmonary manifestations that are currently not dealt with optimally, but that has a direct and substantial impact on the condition. Limb muscle dysfunction, at the functional level defined as the reduction of either strength or endurance (or both) properties of the muscle, is highly prevalent in COPD, closely linked to critical clinical and prognostic outcomes including functional status, quality of life, and even mortality. If the goal is to improve limb muscle function among people with COPD is exercise training recommended before other treatment modalities, highly prioritized in international guidelines. In this chapter, why and how to assess and manage limb muscle dysfunction among people with COPD will be targeted, highlighting the vital role of physical therapy and the physiotherapist

Using the unemployed as temporary employment counsellors: evaluation of an initiative to combat long-term unemployment

"This study investigates empirically the effects of a pilot project in which unemployed persons were used as temporary employment counsellors. Economic theory clearly points in the direction of a positive relation between search intensity and exit from unemployment. The fundamental concept of the project was the use of unemployed, who underwent customised training, to assist other unemployed in their job search. The project was carried out during a period in which the caseload was very high at public employment offices, which resulted in a drastic reduction in individual placement services available to the unemployed. It was based on a collaboration agreement between trade union confederations and the Swedish Labour Market Administration. Based on individual records drawn from administrative data, this paper examines the impact of the project on the probability of being removed from the live register of the Employment Service (various reasons for being removed are analysed separately) or being placed in a labour market policy programme. For job seekers placed in such programmes, the evaluation also examines effects on the probability of gaining employment within a given time period subsequent to programme participation. The impact on the period of time from the start of the project until a job seeker is removed from the register or placed in a labour market policy programme is also examined. The estimated effects indicate that the project had a positive impact on job search effectiveness and, thereby, in its efforts to reduce long periods out of work." (author's abstract)"Die vorliegende Studie ist eine empirische Untersuchung der Auswirkungen eines Pilotprojektes, bei dem Arbeitslose vorübergehend als Arbeitsberater eingesetzt wurden. Wirtschaftstheorien sehen einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen der Intensität der Suche nach einem Arbeitsplatz und dem Austritt aus der Arbeitslosigkeit. Das grundlegende Konzept des Projektes lag im Einsatz von Arbeitslosen, die nach einer kundenorientierten Schulung anderen Arbeitslosen bei ihrer Arbeitssuche assistierten. Zeitlich angesiedelt wurde das Projekt in einer Phase sehr hoher Arbeitsbelastung in den öffentlichen Arbeitsagenturen, die zu einer drastischen Reduzierung der Kapazitäten für die Einzelberatung von Arbeitslosen führte. Grundlage bildete ein Abkommen zwischen Gewerkschaftsverbänden und der schwedischen Arbeitsverwaltung. Basierend auf Geschäftsdaten der Arbeitsverwaltung untersucht dieses Papier die Wirkung des Projektes auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit aus der Arbeitslosenstatistik der Beschäftigungsagenturen auszuscheiden (einzelne Gründe für das Ausscheiden werden separat untersucht) oder in ein Beschäftigungsprogramm aufgenommen zu werden. Für arbeitssuchende Programmteilnehmer untersucht die Studie auch die Wahrscheinlichkeit des Eintritts in Beschäftigung im Anschluss an die Programmteilnahme. Ebenso wird der zeitliche Zusammenhang zwischen dem Projektbeginn bis zum Ausscheiden eines Arbeitssuchenden aus der Arbeitslosenstatistik oder dessen Eintritt in ein Arbeitsmarktprogramm untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich das Projekt positiv auf die Bemühungen bei der Suche nach einer Beschäftigung auswirkt und dadurch Langzeitarbeitslosigkeit reduziert wird." (Autorenreferat

Exploring Movement Composition in the transition from physical education teacher education to school PE

Background: Scholars have suggested that students’ views of what is important for them to know as Physical Education (PE) teachers are a result of what is assessed in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE). Thus, there is a risk that students will reproduce content areas such as sports and assess sport-techniques without much critical consideration. In this study, however, the risk of reproducing what is prioritised in PETE is seen as an opportunity regarding the potential reproduction of other content areas than sports. Based on the regulative principles of PE and PETE that privilege sport skills and hinder creative movement learning, we focus on a content area in PETE that provides opportunities for students to engage in creative collaboration and examine how this content area is realised in school PE. Hence, we have chosen to explore ‘Movement Composition’, a content area which has a long tradition at one of the PETE universities in Sweden. Based on an overarching interest in whether and how PETE matters, this exploratory study focuses on the potential transferability of Movement Composition as a particular content area in the transition from PETE to PE. Purpose and research question: The purpose of this study is to explore Movement Composition as a content area undergoing the transition from PETE to school PE. The research question is: How is the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition constructed, recontextualised and realised in the transition from PETE to school PE? Methods: Data was generated through an interview with one of the initiators of Movement Composition. Stimulated Recall interviews and Zoom interviews were also conducted with a group of five PETE students and three experienced PE teachers. In addition, documents such as the study guide, course literature, and written assignments associated with Movement Composition in the PETE programme were included in the empirical material. In the analysis, the combination of Bernstein’s pedagogic device and the Swedish didactics of PE research tradition was used to identify the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition in the transition from PETE to school PE. Findings: The findings show how the pedagogic discourse of Movement Composition as a content area is constructed, recontextualised and realised in the transition from PETE to school PE. The construction of Movement Composition as a pedagogic discourse in PETE is about how the content area (the what) is selected and organised for pedagogical purposes. The recontextualisation of Movement Composition is about how the pedagogic discourse is interpreted and translated in relation to the PE syllabus. The realisation of Movement Composition involves how the content area in PETE is implemented in PE practice. Conclusions: This exploratory study has shown that what is articulated as a relevant content area and the way it is taught, learned, and assessed in PETE in many regards survives the transition to school PE. The transition from PETE to school PE does not only involve reproduction of sports and sport-techniques from one context to another. PETE also contributes to the use of creative, collaborative, and student-centred learning tasks in school PE.Exploring Movement Composition in the transition from physical education teacher education to school PEpublishedVersio

A framework for identification, assessment and prioritization of climate change adaptation measures for roads and railways

Severe accidents and high costs associated with weather-related events already occur in today’s climate. Unless preventive measures are taken, the costs are expected to increase in future due to ongoing climate change. However, the risk reduction measures are costly as well and may result in unwanted impacts. Therefore, it is important to identify, assess and prioritize which measures are necessary to undertake, as well as where and when these are to be undertaken. To be able to make such evaluations, robust (scientifically based), transparent and systematic assessments and valuations are required. This article describes a framework to assess the cause-and-effect relationships and how to estimate the costs and benefits as a basis to assess and prioritize measures for climate adaptation of roads and railways. The framework includes hazard identification, risk analysis and risk assessment, identification, monetary and non-monetary evaluation of possible risk reduction measures and a step regarding distribution-, goal-and sensitivity analyses. The results from applying the framework shall be used to prioritize among potential risk reduction measures as well as when to undertake them

Simulation of a distributed CORBA-based SCP

This paper examines load balancing issues relating to a distributed CORBA-based Service Control Point. Two types of load balancing strategies are explored through simulation studies: (i) a novel ant-based load balancing algorithm, which has been devised specically for this type of system. This algorithm is compared to more traditional algorithms, (ii) a method for optimal distribution of the computational objects composing the service programs. This is based on mathematically minimising the expected communication ows between network nodes and message-level processing costs. The simulation model has been based on the recently adopted OMG IN/CORBA Interworking specication and the TINA Service Session computational object model

Brine-Induced Tribocorrosion Accelerates Wear on Stainless Steel : Implications for Mars Exploration

Acknowledgments The authors thank the ExoMars Project Team, European Space Agency (ESA), for reviewing the manuscript. The SpaceQ chamber has been developed in collaboration with Kurt J. Lesker Company and was funded by the Kempe Foundation. MPZ’s contribution has been partially supported by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI), Project No. MDM-2017-0737, Unidad de Excelencia “Maria de Maeztu”–Centro de Astrobiologia (CSIC-INTA).Peer reviewedPublisher PD