Judgements of Solomon: anxieties and defences of social workers involved in care proceedings

Evidence from focus group discussions with social workers in child care and child protection was collected for a research project exploring decision-making in care proceedings and seeking a better understanding of the causes of delay in the process. Here this material is used to examine social workers’ feelings about their work and to explore the anxieties they expressed. Isabel Menzies’s work on containing anxiety in institutions is used to provide a conceptual framework for thinking about the ways in which individuals’ unconscious defences against anxiety may affect the structure, policies and practices of the organization in which they work. It is suggested that this dimension needs to be taken into account in understanding difficulties which arise in putting policy into practice

Inter-institutional decision-making: The case of the Common Agricultural Policy

The dominant portrayal of the policy process around the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) emphasises a system of inter-governmental bargaining, close links between institutions and farming interests, and compartmentalised closed policy networks. This article considers how inter-institutional relationships might be reshaped by the extension of 'co-decision' powers to the European Parliament in the Lisbon Treaty. This raises the possibility that policy proposals and outcomes may increasingly reflect the participation of a broader range of actors and interests. Using four scenarios that reflect different institutional configurations, a preliminary analysis of the 2011 dairy regime proposals (the 'Milk Package') is used to draw some conclusions about whether the agricultural policy agenda is likely to be broadened through de-compartmentalisation, leading to a more fluid policy arena characterised by more actors with conflicting values. © 2012 Policy and Society Associates (APSS)

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Generation and Homogeneity of Aerosols in a Human Whole-Body Inhalation Chamber

Introduction: A 16 m 3 whole-body exposure chamber for human exposure to aerosols is described. Several modifications of the aerosol generation and distribution system were needed to ensure a stable aerosol concentration in the chamber, especially when a cyclone pre-classifier was used. Results: After these modifications, stable aerosol concentrations of aluminium oxide with avolum

Exposure to thoracic dust, airway symptoms and lung function in cement production workers

Cement dust exposure has previously been associated with airway symptoms and ventilatory impairment. The aim of the present study was to examine lung function and airway symptoms among employees in different jobs and at different levels of exposure to thoracic dust in the cement production industry. At the start of a 4-yr prospective cohort study in 2007, exposure to cement dust, symptoms and lung function were recorded cross-sectionally in 4,265 employees in 24 European cement plants. Bronchial exposure was assessed by 2,670 full-shift dust samples with cyclones collecting the thoracic aerosol fraction. A job exposure matrix was constructed by grouping dust concentrations according to job type and plant. Elevated odds ratios for symptoms and airflow limitation (range 1.2-2.6 in the highest quartile), but not for chronic bronchitis, were found in the higher quartiles of exposure compared with the lowest quartile. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) showed an exposure-response relationship with a 270-mL deficit of FEV(1) (95% CI 190-300 mL) in the highest compared with the lowest exposure level. The results support the hypothesis that exposure to dust in cement production may lead to respiratory symptoms and airway obstruction