Dealing With Good Management

[Excerpt] Andy Banks\u27 and Jack Metzgar\u27s analysis of current cooperation programs is right on the mark. Their insistence on an organizing conception of unionism, union structures independent of management, and the use of worker knowledge as a critical union resource we can only echo. Under certain circumstances their proposals would help strengthen a union and avoid many of the traps that desperate unions in troubled companies often fall into. But we also suggest that applied in the wrong situations, their proposals put unions on the slippery slope to cooperationism

Teachers' use of questioning and modelling comprehension skills in primary classrooms

Research suggests that children's understanding of text can be improved by the explicit teaching of those comprehension strategies that are used implicitly by skilled readers, particularly the use of self-regulating strategies to generate questions about text. This study of the teaching of comprehension in 51 London Key Stage 2 classrooms explores the extent to which comprehension strategies are explicitly taught within the literacy hour and the amount of opportunity which is provided for children to generate there own questions. Evidence from teacher interviews and classroom observations shows that direct teacher questioning, mostly in the form of 'teacher-led recitation', is both the most frequently advocated, and the dominant strategy used for teaching comprehension. When sharing books with children, teachers model the strategies which are used by skilled comprehenders, but they neither make these strategies explicit nor encourage children to generate their own questions about the text

How Does the Association between Social Support and Drug Court Completion Vary by Drug of Choice?

Drug courts are a common way of handling drug-related cases in the criminal justice system, with the goal of treating the clients’ substance dependency and related criminal behavior. Despite their popularity and effectiveness, some clients are not successful in drug court. Therefore, to improve drug court and client success, this study examines how social support and drug of choice impact drug court completion and how drug of choice moderates the association between social support and drug court completion. Utilizing logistic regression to analyze data from three Indiana problem-solving courts that serve drug-involved offenders, this study finds mixed effects on how social support impacts drug court completion. Formal social support has a significant yet negative effect on completion, while informal social support does not have a significant effect on drug court completion. Furthermore, it finds that drug of choice is a significant predictor of drug court completion, and drug of choice also moderates the relationship between formal social support and drug court completion

Progress on Women’s Equality within UK and Canadian Trade Unions: Do Women’s Structures Make a Difference?

Many Canadian and UK trade unions host collective structures for women unionists. These structures continue to widen in form to encompass women’s conferences, committees, courses, meetings, seminars, workshops, caucuses, branches and networks. The bulk of extant work on union women’s structures focuses on their concern with improving women’s conditions in the workplace. However, a growing body of works acknowledges their role as agents for change within the union setting in promoting women’s equality and in supporting union revitalization efforts.This study focuses on women’s structures’ meaning for progress with women’s equality within UK and Canadian unions. Using national surveys and semi-structured interview evidence supplied by a wide variety of unionists, it “maps” and cross-nationally compares equality achievements for women in this setting. The assessment is structured by a typology of union dimensions where progress on women’s equality has been emphasized in the literature: i) union membership and participation, ii) union education/training, iii) local union position-holding, iv) convention attendance and v) union leadership. Thematic and simple quantitative analyses were employed to account for the nature of progress in these areas for women in relation to women’s structures’ presence and activity.It emerges that the dimensions for women’s union involvement are interrelated, and that women’s union involvement to date has not been comprehensively gauged, particularly in terms of its parity with men’s activity and empowerment in unions, and also with regard to the influences on the level and character of advances towards union equality for women. Further, women’s structures are shown to play a part in effecting uneven progress for women on additional equality indices that emerge from the data, ranging from more inclusive language in union constitutions through new union ways of working to union action on interests which reflect gendered structural inequalities in that setting. According to the informants, the uneven character of women’s union equality advancements reflects the varying obduracy of impediments to women’s structures’ equality goals and the ambition of their equality initiatives.The article’s concluding discussion centres on the significance of equality developments in UK and Canadian unions for progressing institutional goals (e.g., union membership growth, strong identity, internal cohesion, diverse interest representation) and for refining assessments of women’s advancement towards equality in unions. Further, it emphasizes the need for women’s structures, advancements as internal union critics and guardians of existing women’s equality achievements, to profile their “contribution” to union equality. Efforts to develop an expanded repertoire of internal equality measures might also encourage UK and Canadian unions themselves to re-evaluate the fullness of conventional measures of their influence, given continuous pressure on union strategists to find a solid and innovative basis for union revitalization.De nombreux syndicats canadiens et britanniques comptent des collectifs pour les femmes syndicalistes. La forme de ces structures continue à s’élargir et englobe des conférences, des comités, des cours, des réunions, des séminaires, des caucus, des branches et des réseaux destinés aux femmes. La majorité des recherches qui existent sur les collectifs féminins au sein des syndicats porte sur leur préoccupation envers l’amélioration de la condition féminine dans le milieu du travail. Toutefois, des travaux de plus en plus nombreux reconnaissent le rôle d’agents de changement au sein du cadre syndical lui-même que jouent les collectifs dans la promotion de l’égalité féminine et la revitalisation syndicale.Cette étude porte sur l’importance des collectifs féminins pour l’avancement de l’égalité des femmes au sein des syndicats canadiens et britanniques. S’appuyant sur des sondages nationaux et des témoignages recueillis au cours d’entrevues semi-structurées auprès d’un large éventail de syndicalistes, elle schématise et compare au niveau transnational les réussites des femmes en matière d’égalité dans ce cadre. L’évaluation est structurée selon une typologie des dimensions syndicales où les progrès relatifs à l’égalité des femmes ont déjà fait l’objet de travaux : i) l’adhésion à un syndicat et l’engagement, ii) l’éducation et la formation syndicale, iii) le poste occupé dans un syndicat local, iv) la participation aux congrès et v) le leadership syndical. On s’est servi d’analyses thématiques et quantitatives simples pour tenir compte de la nature des progrès des femmes dans ces domaines par rapport à la présence et à l’activité de collectifs féminins.Il en ressort que les dimensions de la participation syndicale féminine sont interdépendantes et que, jusqu’à présent, l’engagement syndical des femmes n’a pas été mesuré complètement surtout pour ce qui est de sa parité avec l’activité et le pouvoir exercé par les hommes dans les syndicats ainsi qu’en ce qui a trait aux influences que cet engagement exerce sur le niveau et le caractère des progrès vers l’égalité syndicale pour les femmes. De plus, on voit que les collectifs féminins influencent les progrès inégaux réalisés par les femmes sur des indices d’égalité supplémentaires qui ressortent des données. Ces progrès vont d’un langage plus inclusif dans les constitutions syndicales à l’action des syndicats sur des intérêts qui reflètent des inégalités structurales liées au genre dans ce milieu, en passant par de nouvelles méthodes de travail. Selon les sujets interrogés, l’inégalité des progrès reflète l’insolubilité à divers degrés des obstacles aux objectifs en matière d’égalité que se sont fixés les collectifs féminins et l’ambition de leurs initiatives.La discussion qui clôt l’article se concentre sur l’importance que jouent les initiatives en matière d’égalité dans les syndicats britanniques et canadiens dans l’avancement des objectifs institutionnels (p. ex., augmentation du nombre de membres, identité forte, cohésion interne, représentation d’intérêts divers) et dans le perfectionnement des méthodes d’évaluation des progrès des femmes vers l’égalité au sein des syndicats. De plus, elle souligne le besoin pour les femmes d’avoir des structures, de progresser en qualité de critiques internes et de gardiennes des réalisations actuelles en matière d’égalité féminine afin d’établir le profil de leur « contribution » à l’égalité syndicale. L’expansion du répertoire de mesures internes de l’égalité peut aussi encourager les syndicats britanniques et canadiens eux-mêmes à réévaluer l’exhaustivité des mesures conventionnelles de leur influence étant donné les répercussions, dans leurs stratégies de revitalisation, de la réduction des pouvoirs institutionnels, procéduraux et de fond auxquels ils sont confrontés.Muchos sindicatos canadienses e ingleses tienen estructuras colectivas para las mujeres sindicalistas. Estas estructuras dan soporte a la hora de realizar las conferencias, comités, cursos, reuniones, seminarios, reuniones de un día, de procesos de decisión interna (“caucus”), de rama, y redes de trabajo. La mayor parte del volumen de trabajo de dichas estructuras sindicales de mujeres se focaliza en la mejora de las condiciones laborales en el puesto de trabajo. Sin embargo, un número de creciente de trabajos dedica su atención al rol de las mujeres como agentes de cambio en los propios sindicatos promoviendo la igualdad de las mujeres y apoyando los esfuerzos sindicales de revitalización.Este estudio se focaliza en las estructuras sindicales de mujeres que se centran en el progreso de la igualdad dentro de los sindicatos ingleses y canadienses. Se utilizan informes nacionales y evidencias extraídas de las entrevistas semi-estructuradas a una variedad de sindicalistas, se establecen mapas y se cartografían y comparan los logros alcanzados en el objetivo de igualdad para la mujer entre los dos países. La valoración realizada está estructurada por una tipología de dimensiones, enfatizadas por la literatura, que definen a un sindicato y donde se detecta el progreso de las medidas de igualdad de género: i) sindicalización y participación, ii) educación y formación sindical iii) posición del sindicato local en el holding, iv) asistencia a congresos y v) liderazgo sindical. El análisis cuantitativo simple y temático se utiliza para dar cuenta de la naturaleza del progreso para las mujeres en dichas áreas de acuerdo con su presencia y actividad en las estructuras sindicales de mujeres.Se desprende que las dimensiones de la participación sindical de las mujeres están interrelacionadas, y que la participación sindical de la mujer hasta la fecha no ha sido correctamente evaluada, particularmente en términos de la paridad con la actividad de los hombres y la capacidad de asumir poder en los sindicatos; y con respecto a las influencias sobre el nivel y el carácter de los avances sindicales en lo referente a la igualdad de género. Mas aún, las estructuras de mujeres desempeñan un papel desigual a la hora de obtener mejoras para las mujeres tal como sugieren los datos obtenidos en los índices adicionales de igualdad, que van desde el establecimiento de un lenguaje más inclusivo en los estatutos sindicales, a nuevos métodos de trabajo para la acción sindical donde no se refleje las desigualdades estructurales de género. De acuerdo con los entrevistados, el carácter desigual de los avances de la igualdad de la mujer en los sindicatos refleja la variedad obstinada de impedimentos a los objetivos de igualdad de las estructuras de mujeres y a la ambición de sus iniciativas de igualdad.La conclusión discutida en el artículo se centra en la importancia de la igualdad de género desarrollada por los sindicatos ingleses y canadienses medida como progreso en los objetivos institucionales (por ejemplo, incremento de la sindicalización, fortalecimiento de la identidad, cohesión interna, representación de intereses diversos) y para hacer más fina la evaluación del progreso de la igualdad de género en los sindicatos. Además, hace énfasis en la necesidad de estructuras de mujeres, como respuesta a los críticos y guardianes de los avances sobre la igualdad de género, y como perfil a la contribución de la igualdad sindical de género. Los esfuerzos para desarrollar un amplio repertorio de medidas de igualdad interna podrían alentar a los sindicatos del Reino Unido y Canadá a revaluar la totalidad de las medidas convencionales para ejercer su influencia, facilitando una reflexión sobre sus estrategias de renovaciones institucionales, de procedimiento y sustantivas del recortado poder sindical

Polysaccharide food matrices for controlling the release, retention and perception of flavours

Polysaccharides have many roles across both the food and pharmaceutics industries. They are commonly used to enhance viscosity, stabilise emulsions and to add bulk to food products. In the pharmaceutics industry, they are also utilised for their mucoadhesive nature. Mucoadhesive polysaccharides can facilitate retention of active ingredients at mucosal sites for a prolonged time and formulations can be designed to control their release and bioavailability. This study investigates how polysaccharides, with differing physicochemical properties (e.g. functional groups and molecular weight), affect the release and perception of flavour compounds from films. Polysaccharide films were prepared using either high or low viscosity carboxymethyl cellulose, pullulan or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. Glucose, vanillin or a combination of both was also added to the films to assess the effect of flavour release and perception over time. The films were assessed for glucose release in vitro, swelling and disintegration times, and mucoadhesive ability. Results show that flavour release and perception depend on the polysaccharide matrix properties; this includes how quickly the films dissolves, the rate of release of tastant compounds, and the mucoadhesive strength of the polysaccharide. A higher viscosity and slower disintegration time resulted in slower release of glucose in vitro and flavour perception in vivo

Mechanisms of DNA Double-Strand Break Repair in Mammalian Cells

The DNA double strand break (DSB) is the lesion believed to be responsible for the cytotoxic effects of ionising radiation. A number of cell lines hypersensitive to ionising radiations have been shown to have a defect in DSB repair. However, the irs series of mutants derived from V79 hamster cells are extremely radiosensitive but show no defect in DSB repair detectable by neutral elution. Previous studies using transfection of plasmid containing a DSB induced by restriction endonucleases into these cell lines suggested that one of the irs mutants was deficient in the fidelity of rejoin of such a DSB. The present study describes an assay for the capacity of nuclear extracts prepared from radiosensitive and wild type cells to rejoin an endonuclease induced DSB in vitro. Endonuclease treatment was used to linearise plasmid DNA producing DSB substrates with either 3' or 5' cohesive termini which were incubated with nuclear extracts from wild type or radiosensitive cell lines. The efficiency and fidelity of DSB rejoining was asessed by bacterial transformation and Southern blot hybridisation of reaction products. Nuclear extracts prepared from V79 and irs-1, a radiosensitive mutant derived from V79, efficiently catalyse the faithful religation of an endonuclease induced DSB as measured by increase in bacterial transformation of plasmid DNA. The level of DSB rejoin is dependent on the amount of nuclear extract added. In comparison, nuclear extracts prepared from another radiosensitive mutant of V79, irs-2, are unable to rejoin such a DSB to give molecules capable of transforming bacteria. The addition of V79 nuclear extract to irs-2 is shown to compensate for the irs-2 defect in production of a transforming molecule. Incubation of linear plasmid with nuclear extracts prepared from V79 or irs-1 gives rise to a molecule migrating faster than the linear form on electrophoresis and resistant to l-exonuclease treatment. This form is presumed to be closed circular plasmid DNA. It is not detected after reaction of linear plasmid with nuclear extract prepared from irs-2 cells. However irs-2 is not deficient in all pathways of DSB ligation, since nuclear extracts from this line catalyse the rejoin of linear substrate to high molecular weight concatemers as efficiently as extracts prepared from wild type or irs-1 cells. These linear concatemer forms are the products of a ligation reaction proceding with equivalent efficiency and fidelity in nuclear extracts from all cell types. Consistent with the capacity of nuclear extracts from irs-2 cells to catalyse concatemer formation is the finding that the protein concentration response, inducibility and fractionation characteristics of DNA ligases I and II are comparable in extracts from irs-2 and V79 wild type cells. Experiments designed to address the role of concatemers as substrates for the production of a circular molecule by recombination failed to show a difference between irs-2 and V79. The addition of specific purified protein activities to irs-2 extracts in attempts to restore wild type activity are also described. No compensation of the irs-2 defect was observed on addition of T4 ligase, gyrase or topoisomerase I activities

Transforming research on morphology into teacher practice

Research suggests that the explicit teaching of morphological principles will improve children’s spelling. Despite the fact that reference is made to morphology in English policy documents, teachers make limited use of morphology when teaching spelling, relying more heavily on phonic and visual strategies. After attending a course on role of morphemes in spelling, teachers’ own awareness of morphology increased and this was reflected in their practice. This in turn caused their pupils to make significant gains in spelling, compared to a control group. This reinforces the proposition that explicit instruction about morphemes is helpful to children’s learning. It demonstrates the fact that research can be transformed into teacher practice, but it also illustrates the difficulties. Policy documentation alone is insufficient. Professional development can effect change but this may be hard to sustain. Children’s gains are contingent on teacher’s continuing to dedicate class time to focussed intervention

A tool to evaluate patients' experience of nursing care in Australian general practice: Development of the Patient Enablement and Satisfaction Survey (PESS)

Australian health policy initiatives have increasingly supported the employment of nurses in general practice. An understanding of the impact of nursing care on patients in this setting is integral to assuring quality, safety and a patient-centred focus