Amy's story: a research agenda for smoking cessation in pregnancy

The purpose of this paper is to report on a case from Nottinghamshire County Primary Care Trust (PCT) as an exploratory study examining the role of social marketing’s contribution to smoking cessation during pregnancy. Insights from the case will be used to inform and stimulate debate around future inquiry regarding the effectiveness of such campaigns, specifically with respect to smoking cessation in pregnancy, the role of low-budget highly-localised programmes and, in response to a recent Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) paper (Thorp, 2009), the extent to which social marketers lead the way in producing behavioural change in populations. Whilst well discussed in the health literature, smoking cessation during pregnancy remains under-researched in the marketing literature offering opportunities for research and practice. Also, this study is of contemporary interest in light of the proposed public sector cuts which will restrict social marketing budgets, the move of Public Health to local authority control placing it as central to the Government’s public health plans, and the Government’s reported interest in behavioural change techniques such as nudge theory (Stamp, 2010). The paper is structured by presenting the case using The National Social Marketing Centre’s (NSMC, 2010) benchmark criteria for effective social marketing, whilst identifying findings and themes from the literature

Shieldmaiden

Shieldmaiden is a poem that examines J.R.R. Tolkien\u27s Lord of the Rings series from a feminist perspective, focusing on the character of Éowyn and her influence on female readers of Tolkien\u27s novels

Many New Hampshire Jobs Do Not Pay a Livable Wage

Two forces are likely to have the greatest impact on the projected availability of livable wage jobs in coming years. The first is the course of the current economic downturn. Table 11 shows the New England Economic Partnership (NEE P) forecast for New Hampshire's unemployment rate from 2008 to 2012. As the table shows, unemployment is projected to increase from 3.7 percent in 2007 to 4.2 percent in 2009, after which it is projected to gradually fall. The latest NEE P forecast predicted a relatively mild economic contraction, which provides some reason for optimism among New Hampshire workers. However, any optimism should be tempered by the fact that the latest forecast was issued before the dramatic stock market decline and at the beginning of the financial crisis.The second major factor impacting the availability of livable wage jobs is the changing composition of New Hampshire's economic base. Between 2000 and 2007, New Hampshire lost 25,400 manufacturing jobs, representing a 25 percent decline in the industry.10 Over the same period, jobs in education, healthcare, retail trade, and leisure and hospitality grew by about the same number of jobs. To the extent New Hampshire continues in this transition from a production-based to a service-based economy, the proportion of livable wage jobs is expected to decline

Effective Employee Incentive Plans: Features and Implementation Processes

[Excerpt] This paper will evaluate the effectiveness of broad-based employee incentives, identifying the features of effective plans. For our purposes, “broad-based” is used to signal that more than 50 percent of employees are eligible for this variable pay plan. In addition, the terms “variable pay plan” and “pay for performance” are used interchangeably as they appeared in the original sources

The Relationship of Food and Academic Performance: A Preliminary Examination of the Factors of Nutritional Neuroscience, Malnutrition, and Diet Adequacy

This article examines the extent of food’s impact on children’s academic achievement. The purpose of this study is to summarize existing research concerning the food-learning correlation and to synthesize studies regarding nutritional needs of the brain, malnutrition during development, and overall diet quality as related to academic achievement. Data finds a fundamental link between nutrition and cognition. Results suggest to the extent the brains of many United States schoolchildren do not receive the nutrients needed for optimal cognition, that academic performance may be consequentially reduced. Finally, a discussion of related learning theory and current debate, and practical implications for educational settings is offered

Proposal for the creation of a national network of global studies high schools

This is a proposal to seek private and public funding to create a national network of global studies high schools (GSHS). The aim of a network of GSHSs is to enlarge the leadership corps of the next generation and to equip its members to address mounting global challenges to the security, material welfare, and freedoms of the American people, the citizens of open societies everywhere, and those who are striving to join their ranks.Title VI National Resource Center Grant (P015A060066)published or submitted for publicationnot peer reviewe

Parrondo's games with chaotic switching

This paper investigates the different effects of chaotic switching on Parrondo's games, as compared to random and periodic switching. The rate of winning of Parrondo's games with chaotic switching depends on coefficient(s) defining the chaotic generator, initial conditions of the chaotic sequence and the proportion of Game A played. Maximum rate of winning can be obtained with all the above mentioned factors properly set, and this occurs when chaotic switching approaches periodic behavior.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure

Catalytically active peptide–gold nanoparticle conjugates: Prospecting for artificial enzymes

The self‐assembly of peptides onto the surface of gold nanoparticles has emerged as a promising strategy towards the creation of artificial enzymes. The resulting high local peptide density surrounding the nanoparticle leads to cooperative and synergistic effects, which result in rate accelerations and distinct catalytic properties compared to the unconjugated peptide. This Minireview summarizes contributions to and progress made in the field of catalytically active peptide–gold nanoparticle conjugates. The origin of distinct properties, as well as potential applications, are also discussed