Editorial: The engaged university

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Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chains : Complexity, Custody and Contention

Paper delivered at the 21st Logistics Research Network annual conference 2016, 7th-9th September 2016, Hull. Abstract Purpose: The sustainability of oil palm cultivation is highly contentious. Demand for the product is strong, albeit with the market being largely divided between the bulk sale of oil to Asian markets and premium certified sustainable palm products to Europe. These disparate end-user markets place different production demands on upstream suppliers. This paper will explore the complex and contentious nature of sustainability in the context of the palm oil supply chain. Specifically, this study considers the economic, ethical and environmental aspects emerging from efforts to create sustainable palm oil supply chains with a view to developing supply chain ‘regulation without government’ as a possible solution. Research Approach: Case-based research involved empirical observation of upstream actors, document analysis and consequent theory testing through semi-structured interviews with growers, mills, refiners, certifiers of sustainable palm oil, NGOs, retailers and leading European manufacturers of palm oil containing products. Findings and Originality: Different interpretations of sustainability have created conflict at the point of production with what are perceived to be Western values regularly conflicting with the perceived needs of palm oil producing countries. Traceable supply chain custodies created by large downstream manufacturers may isolate smallholders and reduce their ability to be incorporated into some certification schemes. Though downstream actors can pay a significant value-chain premium for certified products, due to a wider lack of global demand for certified palm oil, sustainable products are ending up in other supply chains with no premium being paid to growers. Research Impact: The presented study is relatively unique in palm oil research for its empirical grounding, bringing together the first-hand insight, thoughts and perceptions of stakeholders throughout the supply chain. Additionally, this paper contributes to the reactive-proactive continuum theory for sustainable supply chain practices by discussing how key stakeholders influence behaviour. Practical Impact: Insights from this research will help raise awareness of the supply chain dynamics of the palm oil industry, the challenges faced by upstream buyers and how well-meaning efforts to support socio-economic development, from various stakeholders, potentially harms efforts to drive sustainable production of oil palm. Alternative routes for developing sustainable supply chains should be initiated from within the supply chains rather than solely through external activism. The implications of this are far-reaching as the consumer base for palm oil continues to grow globally

The validation of a new articulator system for orthognathic model surgery

A review of the literature showed that the outcome of orthognathic surgery may differ from the planned outcome, that casts mounted on semi-adjustable articulators show systematic errors of orientation and that there may be a causal connection between them. It was demonstrated that the movements of casts mounted on, and moved relative to, a standard articulator produced movements of different magnitudes relative to the natural head position. A mathematical model was developed to quantify the difference and the predictions of the resulting equations were confirmed in a photographic study using image analysis. The second stage of the study compared a standard and the orthognathic articulator. Plastic model skulls were mounted at different angulations to represent different natural head positions. Casts of the maxillary teeth of the skulls mounted on the orthognathic articulator accurately reproduced the occlusal plane angles of the skulls, but those mounted on the standard articulator showed systematic errors of up to 28º. Surgical movements of the maxilla were reproduced using perioperative wafers constructed on casts mounted on the standard and orthognathic articulators. The accuracy of the maxillary repositioning was assessed at five anatomical reference points on the skulls. The results indicated that the orthognathic articulator was significantly more accurate than the standard articulator

Peeps, beemers and scooby-doos: exploring community value among Scottish cruisers

Using an ethnographic approach which combines impromptu interviews, participant observation and analysis of online computer mediated communication we explore the consumer culture which surrounds the Scottish cruiser community. The on-going study uses the conceptual framework of neo-tribal consumption, exploring forms of ephemeral and emotional communities which cohere around the car. Our analysis suggests that the cultural practices of customization and the performance of the cruise make explicit a shared sense of collective consciousness which expresses the construction of community value which emerges from such ephemeral gatherings

The role of memory in processing relative clauses in children with Specific Language Impairment

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between 2 components of memory - phonological short-term memory (pSTM) and working memory (WM) - and the control of relative clause constructions in children with specific language impairment (SLI). Method: Children with SLI and 2 control groups - an age-matched and a younger group of children with typical development - repeated sentences, including relative clauses, representing 5 syntactic roles and 2 levels of matrix clause complexity. The Working Memory Test Battery for Children was administered. Results: All 3 groups showed significant associations between pSTM and both types of matrix clause construction. For children with SLI, significant associations emerged between (a) WM and more complex matrix clause constructions, (b) WM and relative clauses including a range of syntactic roles, and (c) pSTM and the least difficult syntactic role. In contrast, the age-matched control group could repeat almost all syntactic roles without invoking the use of either memory component. Conclusions: The role of pSTM and WM in the production of relative clauses by children with SLI is influenced by the degree of difficulty of the structure to be recalled. In therapy, the effect of WM limitations can be minimized by approaching each structure within the context of a simple matrix clause

Implementing screening and brief alcohol interventions in primary care : views from both sides of the consultation

Excessive drinking is a global health problem which is responsible for a wide range of both chronic and acute illness, and which costs the UK National Health Service (NHS) £1.7 billion annually. Current health policy aims to reduce alcohol-related problems by promoting early identification of risk followed by brief intervention to facilitate positive changes in drinking level or patterns of consumption. However, practical and philosophical barriers concerning screening and brief alcohol intervention have so far impeded its uptake in routine primary care. This qualitative study aimed to simultaneously explore and compare health professionals’ and patients’ views on the acceptability and feasibility of screening and brief alcohol intervention in primary care. Focus groups were held with (a) four primary care teams, (b) two general practitioner (GP) and two nurse groups and (c) six patient groups in the north-east of England. A thematic framework approach was used to analyse audio-taped data via transcripts. Both health professionals and patients reported that raising and discussing alcohol-related risk was acceptable in primary care, when combined with other lifestyle issues or linked to relevant health conditions. Targeted rather than universal screening was the most acceptable method of identifying alcohol-related risk and would fit well with existing practice. However, there was uncertainty among health professionals about the effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions and some disagreement with patients concerning who was best placed to deliver them. Health professionals felt that nurses were best placed for such work whilst patients reported that they would initially raise the subject with GPs. There was broad acceptance of brief intervention approaches but a lack of support and specific incentives for this work impeded its delivery in routine practice

Profiling relative clause constructions in children with specific language impairment

This study highlights the importance of error analysis in providing a comprehensive profile of an individual’s grammatical ability with regard to relative clause (RC) constructions. The aim was to identify error patterns in the production of RCs by English-speaking, school-aged children with specific language impairment (SLI) and to relate them to their level of competence with these structures. Children with SLI (mean age = 6;10, n = 32) and two control groups – a typically developing group matched for age (mean age = 6;11, n = 32) and a younger typically developing group (mean age = 4;9, n = 20), repeated sentences containing RCs that represented a range of syntactic roles. Data are presented on three distinct error patterns – the provision of simple sentences, obligatory relativizer omission and RC conversions. Each is related to the level of competence on RCs that each child has achieved

The impetus of COVID-19 in transforming nursing education through informatics

Background: National nursing organizations worldwide have called for the inclusion of digital tools in nursing curricula to prepare future nurses to use digital tools in their professional practice. Objective: This study explored the experiences of nursing faculty with respect to integrating digital tools in their teaching to support undergraduate student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This study was a focused ethnography featuring semi-structured interviews, field notes, and artifacts. Data were analyzed concurrently with data collection, using thematic analysis. A total of 21 participants from nine undergraduate nursing programs in Western Canada were interviewed as part of a larger study. This paper focuses on the 12 participants who were interviewed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: This paper discusses four themes related to faculty experiences using digital tools to support student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) the pandemic, (2) enablers, (3) challenges, and (4) learners. Faculty quickly transitioned from in-person to remote and virtual teaching, changing how they engaged with digital tools. Faculty were responsive and collectively rose to the challenges they faced, which suggests their agility and willingness to embrace informatics. Conclusion: The pandemic created an impetus for nursing faculty to utilize more digital tools to sustain the continuity of education. Further support and resources are needed to increase faculty informatics capacity in a more systematic way. Résumé Contexte : Les organisations nationales de sciences infirmières du monde entier ont appelé à l’inclusion d’outils numériques dans les programmes de sciences infirmières afin de préparer les futur(e)s infirmières et infirmiers à utiliser ces outils dans leur pratique professionnelle. Objectif : Cette étude a exploré les expériences de membres du corps professoral en sciences infirmières en ce qui concerne l’intégration d’outils numériques dans leur enseignement pour soutenir l’apprentissage des étudiantes et étudiants de premier cycle pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Méthode : Cette étude était une ethnographie ciblée comprenant des entrevues semi-structurées, des notes sur le terrain et des artéfacts. Les données ont été analysées simultanément à la collecte, à l’aide d’une analyse thématique. Au total, 21 participantes de 9 programmes de premier cycle en sciences infirmières de l’Ouest canadien ont été interviewées dans le cadre d’une étude plus vaste. Cet article se concentre sur les 12 participantes qui ont été interviewées pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Résultats : Cet article aborde quatre thèmes liés aux expériences des membres du corps professoral utilisant des outils numériques pour soutenir l’apprentissage des étudiantes pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 : (1) la pandémie, (2) les catalyseurs, (3) les défis et (4) les apprenantes. Les membres du corps professoral sont rapidement passées de l’enseignement en personne à l’enseignement à distance et virtuel, modifiant ainsi leur utilisation des outils numériques. Les membres du corps professoral ont été réactifs et ont collectivement relevé les défis auxquels elles étaient confrontées, ce qui suggère leur agilité et leur volonté d’adopter l’informatique. Conclusion : La pandémie a incité les membres du corps professoral en sciences infirmières à utiliser davantage d’outils numériques pour maintenir la continuité de la formation. Un soutien et des ressources supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour accroître la capacité informatique du corps professoral de manière plus systématique