The Claims Culture: A Taxonomy of Industry Attitudes

This paper presents an analysis of a familiar aspect of construction industry culture that we have dubbed 'the claims culture'. This is a culture of contract administration that lays a strong emphasis on the planning and management of claims. The principal elements of the analysis are two sets of distinctions. The first comprises economic and occupational orders, referring to two kinds of control that are exercised over the construction process; predicated respectively on economic ownership and occupational competence. The second refers to contrasting attitudes towards relationships and problem solving within these orders: respectively 'distributive' and 'integrative'. The concepts of economic and occupational order entail further sub-categories. The various attitudes associated with these categories and sub-categories are described. They are assessed as to their consequences for change initiatives in the industry

Reflections on a 'virtual' practice development unit: changing practice through identity development

Aims. This paper draws together the personal thoughts and critical reflections of key people involved in the establishment of a ‘virtual’ practice development unit of clinical nurse specialists in the south of England. Background. This practice development unit is ‘virtual’ in that it is not constrained by physical or specialty boundaries. It became the first group of Trust-wide clinical nurse specialists to be accredited in the UK as a practice development unit in 2004. Design and methods. The local university was asked to facilitate the accreditation process via 11 two-hour audio-recorded learning sessions. Critical reflections from practice development unit members, leaders and university staff were written 12 months after successful accreditation, and the framework of their content analysed. Findings and discussion. Practice development was seen as a way for the clinical nurse specialists to realize their potential for improving patient care by transforming care practice in a collaborative, interprofessional and evolutionary manner. The practice development unit provided a means for these nurses to analyse their role and function within the Trust. Roberts’ identity development model for nursing serves as a useful theoretical underpinning for the reflections contained in this paper. Conclusions. These narratives provide another example of nurses making the effort to shape and contribute to patient care through organizational redesign. This group of nurses began to realize that the structure of the practice development unit process provided them with the means to analyse their role and function within the organization and, as they reflected on this structure, their behaviour began to change. Relevance to clinical practice. Evidence from these reflections supports the view that practice development unit participants have secured a positive and professional identity and are, therefore, better able to improve the patient experience

Models and metaphors: complexity theory and through-life management in the built environment

Complexity thinking may have both modelling and metaphorical applications in the through-life management of the built environment. These two distinct approaches are examined and compared. In the first instance, some of the sources of complexity in the design, construction and maintenance of the built environment are identified. The metaphorical use of complexity in management thinking and its application in the built environment are briefly examined. This is followed by an exploration of modelling techniques relevant to built environment concerns. Non-linear and complex mathematical techniques such as fuzzy logic, cellular automata and attractors, may be applicable to their analysis. Existing software tools are identified and examples of successful built environment applications of complexity modelling are given. Some issues that arise include the definition of phenomena in a mathematically usable way, the functionality of available software and the possibility of going beyond representational modelling. Further questions arising from the application of complexity thinking are discussed, including the possibilities for confusion that arise from the use of metaphor. The metaphor of a 'commentary machine' is suggested as a possible way forward and it is suggested that an appropriate linguistic analysis can in certain situations reduce perceived complexity

Inequalities, harm reduction and non-combustible nicotine products:A meta-ethnography of qualitative evidence

BACKGROUND: We sought to review qualitative evidence on how smokers in different socioeconomic groups engage with non-combustible nicotine products (NCNP), including electronic cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapies, in order to provide insight into how these products might impact on smoking inequalities. METHODS: We searched ten electronic databases in February 2017 using terms relating to NCNP and socioeconomic status. We included qualitative studies that were published since 1980 and were available in English. We used guidelines adapted from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for appraising qualitative research. RESULTS: The review only identified studies exploring the attitudes of socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers towards NCNP for harm reduction or cessation purposes (i.e. we did not identify any relevant studies of more advantaged socioeconomic groups). Using a lines-of-argument meta-ethnographic approach, we identified a predominantly pessimistic attitude to NCNP for harm reduction or cessation of smoking due to: wider circumstances of socioeconomic disadvantage; lack of a perceived advantage of alternative products over smoking; and a perceived lack of information about relative harms of NCNP compared to smoking. Optimistic findings, although fewer, suggested the potential of NCNP being taken up among smokers experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our review highlights the importance of considering the social, cultural and economic circumstances that influence experiences of smoking and of alternative product use

Slab segmentation controls the interplate slip motion in the SW Hellenic subduction: New insight from the 2008Mw 6.8 Methoni interplate earthquake

We present an integrated approach of the seismic structure and activity along the offshore SW Hellenic subduction from combined observations of marine and land seismic stations. Our imaging of the slab top topography from teleseismic receiver function analysis at ocean bottom seismometers supports a trenchward continuation of the along-dip slab faults beneath the Peloponnesus. We further show that their morphostructural control accounts for the backstepping of the thrust contact of the Mediterranean Ridge accretionary wedge over the upper plate. Local seismic activity offshore SW Peloponnesus constrained by ocean bottom seismometer observations reveals a correlation with specific features of the forearc: the Matapan Troughs. We study the Mw6.8 14.02.2008 interplate earthquake offshore SW Peloponnesus and show that its nucleation, rupture zone, and aftershocks sequence are confined to one slab panel between two adjacent along-dip faults and are thus controlled by not only the offshore slab top segmentation but also the upper plate sea-bottom morphology

The Calabrian Arc subduction complex in the Ionian Sea: Regional architecture, active deformation, and seismic hazard

We analyzed the structure and evolution of the external Calabrian Arc (CA) subduction complex through an integrated geophysical approach involving multichannel and single‐channel seismic data at different scales. Pre‐stack depth migrated crustal‐scale seismic profiles have been used to reconstruct the overall geometry of the subduction complex, i.e., depth of the basal detachment, geometry and structural style of different tectonic domains, and location and geometry of major faults. High‐resolution multichannel seismic (MCS) and sub‐bottom CHIRP profiles acquired in key areas during a recent cruise, as well as multibeam data, integrate deep data and constrain the fine structure of the accretionary wedge as well as the activity of individual fault strands. We identified four main morpho‐structural domains in the subduction complex: 1) the post‐Messinian accretionary wedge; 2) a slope terrace; 3) the pre‐Messinian accretionary wedge and 4) the inner plateau. Variation of structural style and seafloor morphology in these domains are related to different tectonic processes, such as frontal accretion, out‐of-sequence thrusting, underplating and complex faulting. The CA subduction complex is segmented longitudinally into two different lobes characterized by different structural style, deformation rates and basal detachment depths. They are delimited by a NW/SE deformation zone that accommodates differential movements of the Calabrian and the Peloritan portions of CA and represent a recent phase of plate re‐organization in the central Mediterranean. Although shallow thrust‐type seismicity along the CA is lacking, we identified active deformation of the shallowest sedimentary units at the wedge front and in the inner portions of the subduction complex. This implies that subduction could be active but aseismic or with a locked fault plane. On the other hand, if underthrusting of the African plate has stopped recently, active shortening may be accommodated through more distributed deformation. Our findings have consequences on seismic hazard, since we identified tectonic structures likely to have caused large earthquakes in the past and to be the source regions for future events

Prediction of enteric methane production, yield and intensity of beef cattle using an intercontinental database

Enteric methane (CH4) production attributable to beef cattle contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. Reliably estimating this contribution requires extensive CH4 emission data from beef cattle under different management conditions worldwide. The objectives were to: 1) predict CH4 production (g d¬-1 animal-1), yield [g (kg dry matter intake; DMI)-1] and intensity [g (kg average daily gain)-1] using an intercontinental database (data from Europe, North America, Brazil, Australia and South Korea); 2) assess the impact of geographic region, and of higher- and lower-forage diets. Linear models were developed by incrementally adding covariates. A K-fold cross-validation indicated that a CH4 production equation using only DMI that was fitted to all available data had a root mean square prediction error (RMSPE; % of observed mean) of 31.2%. Subsets containing data with ≥ 25% and ≤ 18% dietary forage contents had an RMSPE of 30.8 and 34.2%, with the all-data CH4 production equation, whereas these errors decreased to 29.3 and 28.4%, respectively, when using CH4 prediction equations fitted to these subsets. The RMSPE of the ≥ 25% forage subset further decreased to 24.7% when using multiple regression. Europe- and North America-specific subsets predicted by the best performing ≥ 25% forage multiple regression equation had RMSPE of 24.5 and 20.4%, whereas these errors were 24.5 and 20.0% with region-specific equations, respectively. The developed equations had less RMSPE than extant equations evaluated for all data (22.5 vs. 23.2%), for higher-forage (21.2 vs. 23.1%), but not for the lower-forage subsets (28.4 vs. 27.9%). Splitting the dataset by forage content did not improve CH4 yield or intensity predictions. Predicting beef cattle CH4 production using energy conversion factors, as applied by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, indicated that adequate forage content-based and region-specific energy conversion factors improve prediction accuracy and are preferred in national or global inventories

Mice Deficient in T-bet Form Inducible NO Synthase-Positive Granulomas That Fail to Constrain Salmonella.

Clearance of intracellular infections caused by Salmonella Typhimurium (STm) requires IFN-γ and the Th1-associated transcription factor T-bet. Nevertheless, whereas IFN-γ-/- mice succumb rapidly to STm infections, T-bet-/- mice do not. In this study, we assess the anatomy of immune responses and the relationship with bacterial localization in the spleens and livers of STm-infected IFN-γ-/- and T-bet-/- mice. In IFN-γ-/- mice, there is deficient granuloma formation and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) induction, increased dissemination of bacteria throughout the organs, and rapid death. The provision of a source of IFN-γ reverses this, coincident with subsequent granuloma formation and substantially extends survival when compared with mice deficient in all sources of IFN-γ. T-bet-/- mice induce significant levels of IFN-γ- after challenge. Moreover, T-bet-/- mice have augmented IL-17 and neutrophil numbers, and neutralizing IL-17 reduces the neutrophilia but does not affect numbers of bacteria detected. Surprisingly, T-bet-/- mice exhibit surprisingly wild-type-like immune cell organization postinfection, including extensive iNOS+ granuloma formation. In wild-type mice, most bacteria are within iNOS+ granulomas, but in T-bet-/- mice, most bacteria are outside these sites. Therefore, Th1 cells act to restrict bacteria within IFN-γ-dependent iNOS+ granulomas and prevent dissemination