Fair work and productivity

Fair work can be defined as work that offers effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect. Fair work can be a significant driver of productivity for Scotland, and contributing to growth that is inclusive. The available evidence suggests that Scotland’s performance in fair work, as measured across its different elements, is generally mixed to poor. The adoption of fair work practices does not have to involve a cost to employers and indeed there may be financial benefits to them. Employee engagement underpins effective voice, and influences many other fair work elements, and skills utilisation underpins fulfilment. Scotland performs poorly on both these elements, so a specific focus on these could have wide ranging benefits and impacts for Scottish companies and workers

Scotland's labour market : 'job polarisation' and inclusive growth

This paper focuses on Scotland’s changing labour market, and in particular on recent trends in occupational structure and the impact these are having on job polarisation and on particular occupational groups, such as administration and lower skilled production. The paper also considers future labour market trends, and discusses potential approaches to address the negative impacts of jobs polarisation

Examining Video Self-Modeling in Promoting Food Acceptance in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a School Setting

Children with autism spectrum disorder have a higher incident of feeding problems as compared with typical children and children with other developmental delays, with the feeding problems more often identified as learned or behavioral. Research into the effectiveness of antecedent- and consequence-based behavioral strategies continue to grow, with most research conducted within clinical settings. As educators we strive for less restrictive and empirically validated interventions within more naturalistic settings. Despite the growing body of research as to the effectiveness of video modeling to affect change across a number of areas, research using video modeling is sparse with respect to food acceptance in children with autism spectrum disorder. The current study investigated the effectiveness of video self-modeling in promoting food acceptance in children with autism spectrum disorder in a school setting. A multiple baseline design across 3 children was employed to determine treatment effects. While data did not show a discernable intervention effect, findings highlight the need for continued research into the potential influences of family eating preferences, the impact of the characteristics of autism on early feeding experiences, such as, deficits in communication, inflexibility and rigidity, and motivation, on the development of learning histories. Further recommendations are made for earlier intervention to include parent training and support using a multi-disciplinary team approach

Research Think Tank: "Complexifying" International Communication and Communication Technology

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66530/2/10.1177_108056999706000413.pd

Dietary flavonoid intakes and CVD incidence in the Framingham Offspring Cohort

This study examines the relationship between long-term intake of six flavonoid classes and incidence of CVD and CHD, using a comprehensive flavonoid database and repeated measures of intake, while accounting for possible confounding by components of a healthy dietary pattern. Flavonoid intakes were assessed using a FFQ among the Framingham Offspring Cohort at baseline and three times during follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to characterise prospective associations between the natural logarithms of flavonoid intakes and CVD incidence using a time-dependent approach, in which intake data were updated at each examination to represent average intakes from previous examinations. Mean baseline age was 54 years, and 45 % of the population was male. Over an average 14·9 years of follow-up among 2880 participants, there were 518 CVD events and 261 CHD events. After multivariable adjustment, only flavonol intake was significantly associated with lower risk of CVD incidence (hazard ratios (HR) per 2·5-fold flavonol increase = 0·86, Ptrend = 0·05). Additional adjustment for total fruit and vegetable intake and overall diet quality attenuated this observation (HR = 0·89, Ptrend = 0·20 and HR = 0·92, Ptrend = 0·33, respectively). There were no significant associations between flavonoids and CHD incidence after multivariable adjustment. Our findings suggest that the observed association between flavonol intake and CVD risk may be a consequence of better overall diet. However, the strength of this non-significant association was also consistent with relative risks observed in previous meta-analyses, and therefore a modest benefit of flavonol intake on CVD risk cannot be ruled out

Rate dependence of hysteresis in one-dimensional phase transitions

Two models for solid-solid phase transition in one-dimension are examined. Thermal dissipation and a rate-type viscosity are added to a stress with strain gradient. Numerical examinations of both models reveal similar results, in particular, stress-strain hysteresis, which is a commonly observed phenomena, and stability of single-phase boundary solutions

Paramedics\u27 perceptions and educational needs with respect to palliative care

Introduction: In recent years the scope of palliative care has been redefined to include patients earlier in the course of their illness, and those suffering from life-limiting conditions. Paramedics may be involved in the care of these patients, especially in situations of carer distress, sudden deterioration and imminent death, as well as in non-emergent situations such as inter-facility transfers. In these scenarios, clinical decisions regarding patient care initiated by paramedics may set the trajectory for subsequent care. Objective: To identify and measure paramedics’ perspectives and educational needs regarding palliative care provision, as well as their understanding of the common causes of death. Methods: All St John Ambulance Western Australia paramedics were invited to complete a mixed methods qualitative and quantitative survey using a tool previously validated in studies involving other emergency care providers. Quantitative results are reported using descriptive statistics, while Likert-type scales were converted to ordinal variables and expressed as means +/- SD. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis techniques and reported as themes. Results: Twenty-nine paramedics returned completed surveys. They considered palliative care to be strongly focused on end-of-life care, symptom control and holistic care. The dominant educational needs identified were ethical issues, end-of-life communication and the use of structured patient care pathways. Cancer diagnoses were overrepresented as conditions considered most suitable for palliative care, compared with their frequency as a cause of death. Conditions often experienced in ambulance practice, such as heart failure, trauma and cardiac arrhythmias were overestimated in their frequency as causes of death. Conclusions: Paramedics have a sound grasp of some important aspects of palliative care including symptom control and the holistic nature of the palliative approach. They did, however, tend to equate palliative care with care occurring in the terminal phase and saw it as being particularly applied to cancer diagnoses. Paramedic palliative care educational efforts should be focused on: ethical issues, end-of-life communication, increasing understanding of the common causes of death, and education regarding those illnesses where a palliative approach might be beneficial

Common patterns of facial ontogeny in the hominoid lineage

Recent evaluation of Neanderthal and modern human ontogeny suggests that taxon-specific features arose very early in development in both lineages, with early, possibly prenatal, morphological divergence followed by parallel postnatal developmental patterns. Here we use morphometric techniques to compare hominoid facial growth patterns, and show that this developmental phenomenon is, in fact, not unique to comparisons between Neanderthals and modern humans but extends to Australopithecus africanus and to the hominoid lineage more broadly. This finding suggests that a common pattern of juvenile facial development may be more widespread and that the roots of ontogenetically early developmental differentiation are deep-perhaps predating the ape/human split of 6؉ million years ago