Quaternary global change: review and issues(Special issue in memory of Hugues Faure)

The French National Committee of INQUA, the IGCP Project n° 459 (Carbon Cycle and Hydrology in the Paleo Terrestrial Environments),the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), the CCGM (Commission de la Carte Géologique du Monde), the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), and the BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières) have organized in June 2004 a special International Colloquium dedicated to the memory of Hugues Faure who passed away in May 2003. It was the occasion to make a review and to emphasize new results and issues on the different topics initiated by Hugues and his collaborators. It was also a chance for all his colleagues and friends to remember a rare human being and a great scientist, passionately involved in the observation and understanding of the planet, which he called “the real world”, and assuming his destiny up to the end. The Scientific committee of this colloquium has decided to publish a special issue of Global and Planetary Change with some selected papers presented during this colloquium. This GPC special issue includes some of the papers presented at this colloquium and some invited papers from scientific personalities who wished to contribute to this special volume. The general theme of the special publication in honour to Hugues Faure is the Quaternary and the Global Changes. It will focus on the global cycles and Quaternary climate (3 papers), sea-level fluctuations, tectonics and climate variations (3 papers), climate changes in terrestrial records (9 papers), and man, environment and global change (4 papers). A total of 20 contributions, including a foreword on Hugues Faure, are proposed by the participants of this colloquium

Child Welfare Caseworkers: A Pivotal Role In The Uptake Of Evidence-Based Practices

Despite the proliferation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for children and families, some children and families are not utilizing EBPs in the child welfare (CW) system. This may be caused by a lack of CW caseworker referrals since children and families access services through their caseworker. Theory-based research that uses an explanatory model is needed to elucidate areas of intervention to increase CW referrals to EBPs. Therefore, this mixed method study seeks to examine factors that influence caseworkers’ decisions to refer and to develop an adapted Theory of Planned Behavior model explaining caseworker referral decisions. Participants (N=110) were caseworkers and support staff at two privately contracted child welfare agencies that could refer families to an EBP, the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P). Poisson regression was used to determine the impact of caseworker demographic variables and intention to refer on the number of referrals to Triple P. A subset of the sample (N=12), participated in one-on-one interviews focused on factors that influenced their decision to refer to Triple P. Directed content analyses was used to determine whether participant data supported an adapted TPB model, inclusive of information-sharing and intra-organizational relationships. Regression results showed that participants from Agency A were more likely to refer to Triple P than participants from Agency B (b=3.25, p\u3c.05). Additionally, participants who identified as African-American were less likely to refer to Triple P than those who did not (b=-3.38, p\u3c.05). Intention to refer was not a significant predictor of caseworker referral to Triple P. Qualitative data revealed that 1) beliefs about Triple P’s effectiveness, 2) conflicting court mandates, and 3) information about and agency support around Triple P, impacted caseworkers’ decision to refer. Qualitative results lent support to an adapted TPB model and corroborated quantitative findings. Recommendations include increasing communication and training for caseworkers and court officials, fostering intra-organizational relationships, and increasing agency support for Triple P. Future studies that examine organizational variables such as supervisory buy-in and system-level variables such as court mandates are needed to further elucidate the factors that affect caseworker referrals to EBPs and EBP implementation in CW settings

A Phenomenological Study on Special Education Teachers\u27 Experience with General Education Teachers not in a Co-Teaching Model of Inclusion in North Carolina High Schools

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of special education teachers with general education teachers who are not in a co-teaching model of inclusion in North Carolina high schools. The study examined how inclusion is implemented at the school level and how special education teachers and general education teachers collaborate for students with disabilities. Special education teachers working at the high school level in North Carolina are the participants in this study. The setting for the study is high schools within the state of North Carolina. The central question for this study asks how special education teachers describe their experiences working with general education teachers within the high school environment when working with students with disabilities in the model of inclusion. The theory guiding this study is Kahn’s (1990) social exchange theory, which focuses on meaningfulness, availability, and safety within an organization. The data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and a writing sample and organized into themes. Data analysis was completed through bracketing, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, and synthesis. The results from the data analysis focused on three themes: Challenges with Collaboration, General Education Teachers’ Lack of Understanding of the IEP, and Challenges with Special Education Teachers Meeting all Responsibilities

Reinventing Yourself: Work-Life Transitions and Transformations 101

Everyone (not just people who have been fired or fear they are about to be) reinvents themselves personally and professionally at some time or other...deliberately or inadvertently, strategically or impetuously. In fact, the author argues that professional reinvention is not only a good defense, but a great offense, pointing out how reinvention can help you take charge of your life as well as accommodate new work world realities. To support and encourage professional reinvention, the author couches the value of being able to transform yourself professionally in the context that health education itself is a profession that is constantly reinventing itself. The article includes a definition of reinvention and discussions about who reinvents themselves and when and why, and stories of six health educators and how they reinvented themselves. The article ends with suggested reinvention pre-requisites to foster successful work life transitions and transformations, and a list of ten tips for successful professional reinvention(s)

Hugues Faure, 1928–2003: The unique adventure of his life

Hugues Faure was not only one of the greatest pioneers of the study of the Quaternary and a man of outstanding personality, with the highest integrity, an uncommon strength of character, with a lot of kindness and generosity, but also a man who made his dreams, conceived in the inhospitable solitudes of the Sahara, come true. He was very young when he chose his way: barely 10 years old and his passion for geology already filled his life. It was in Africa, a continent he discovered at his earliest years as a field-geologist, and deeply loved, that he nursed and matured many of his most stimulating ideas on Quaternary environmental change. It was in the desert that he built up his exceptional personality and found his truth, which finally allowed him to accomplish his destiny. Hugues Faure was born in Paris, on the 11th March 1928, the son of a jeweller. The comfortable circumstances of the family were darkened by his father's death when Hugues was only 3 years old. As a consequence of this sad event, Hugues used to spend in England most of his school holidays far from his family. Then during World War 2, he lived the exodus on the roads of France, cycling under the bombs, with his dog in his basket. He was 12 years old, and it was the end of his youth. His passion for earth sciences had began before the age of ten, when he started collecting flint and fossils from the chalk of the Paris Basin, and decided to stop playing piano, so as to devote himself to Geology. Hugues graduated in Mathematics from Lycée Jacques-Decour in 1948, and in Sciences from the Faculté des Sciences de Paris Sorbonne in 1949. On the same year he enrolled as a geologist of the “France of Overseas”, then as a hydrogeologist at the French Geological Survey (BRGM) (1949–1963), so as to work in Africa

The Transformation of Right to Property in the Post-Communist Period in Albania. The Impact of the Italian Civil Code in the Way of Acquisition of Ownership in the Albanian Civil Code of 1994

In the 1990s, Albania faced the tranformation of communist property into private property. The paper studies the political-ideological elements for transformation of communist property. In addition, this scientific contribution aims to show the impact of the Italian civil code by examining in particular the part related to acquisition of ownership. The authors choose this part since the ways of acquisition of property demonstrate the intervention of the State in private property. Furhermore, the acquisition of ownership is also codified in the Albanian Constitution of 1998 by considering it as a constitutional norm. In the conclusions, this contribution shows different legal reasons for the Italian impact on the Albanian civil code of 1994.

The Concept of Autonomy in End-of-Life Decisions: Ethical and Legal Regulation regarding Advance Directives

In this thesis the concept of autonomy in end-of-life decisions is analyzed through ethical and legal comparative approaches. The definition of advance directives – living wills and the appointment of a legal proxy – is studied. In addition, Recommendation CM/Rec (2009) 11 and the “Guide on the decision-making process regarding medical treatment in end-of-life situations” is examined. Currently, end-of-life decisions are part of the exclusive competence of national parliaments. Thus, different parliaments have adopted different policies underpinned by different moral principles. What follows is an absence of a common European legal framework. National laws on advance directives in various Western European countries – such as Romance-speaking countries (Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain), English-speaking countries (Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), and German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland) – are examined. This thesis seeks to analyse national norms governing advance directives by hypothesising the reasons for the lack of a common attitude towards end-of-life decisions. Particular attention is paid to the current Italian situation regarding end-of-life decisions since Italy is one of the few Western European countries that does not have a specific law governing end-of-life situations. Herein, the Italian bill no. 2350 “Provisions relating to therapeutic alliance, informed consent, and advance directives for treatments” – approved in different texts in 2009 by the Senate and in 2011 by the Chamber of Deputies – is criticized because its norms are considered controversial. Additionally, the judicial interpretation of amended Articles 404–413 of the Italian Civil Code is examined. The aim of the thesis is to identify the common European standards in end-of-life decisions. Moreover, similarities and differences between different policies will be pointed out. Furthermore, possible suggestions for modifying the Italian bill 2350 by taking the experience of other Western European countries into consideration will be made

Culturally Proficient Leadership: A Study in the Correlation of School Leaders' Perceived Levels of Cultural Proficiency and Discipline Rates of Black Students in 5A and 6A High Schools in North Texas

The aim of this quantitative study was to explore the connection between self-perceived cultural proficiency among school leaders and the discipline gap for Black students in high schools in North Texas. The study sought to achieve this by (a) identifying the level of cultural proficiency perceived by school leaders, (b) examining the disciplinary rates of Black students in each participating high school, and (c) exploring how school administrators' beliefs regarding cultural proficiency impacted the disciplinary rates of Black students on their campuses. To assess their implementation of cultural proficiency practices, Hine's cultural proficiency leadership framework was utilized. The study found a significant positive correlation between the total cultural proficiency score and the number of out-of-school suspensions for Black students, while a negative correlation was observed for White students. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between the total cultural proficiency score and the number of in-school suspensions for Black students, while no statistically significant correlation was found for White students. The participants in the study met three criteria: (a) working at a 5A or 6A UIL-identified campus in North Texas, (b) having at least 9% of the student population identified as Black and African American, and (c) serving as school leaders responsible for assigning exclusionary discipline